Mitchell Urges Bush to Act, Not ‘Just Talk’

Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell (D-Me.) told the AFL-CIO convention today that President Bush should enforce his “kinder and gentler” rhetoric with deeds to help American workers.

“There must be action instead of just talk” and “rhetoric is no substitute for reality,” Mitchell said in his speech to the federation’s delegates.

Bush said during his presidential campaign that if elected, he would work toward a “kinder and gentler” America.

The Senate leader criticized Bush for refusing to intervene in the Eastern Airlines strike and said it is hypocritical for the President and others to praise the success of Poland’s Solidarity union while working to undermine the powers of U.S. unions.

“American workers are entitled to as much support from an American President as workers in Poland and other countries,” Mitchell said.

AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland was unanimously reelected today to a sixth two-year term. Thomas Donahue was the unanimous choice to continue as the federation’s secretary-treasurer.

“I am honored that you have moved to keep me on the bridge as we move into the last decade of the tumultuous 20th Century,” Kirkland said. “There is no place on Earth that I would rather be.”

Many union leaders took the convention floor the last two days to criticize Bush’s stance on issues ranging from child care and national health care to the Eastern Airlines strike, which Bush in March refused to block by using his power to name an emergency mediation board.

Congress last week gave final passage to a measure creating a congressional study of the strike designed to produce recommendations for a settlement, and the labor leaders said a Bush veto would end any pretense of cordiality between the AFL-CIO and the Administration.