WASHINGTON (FNS) -- CEOs of several of the nation's leading retailers conveyed their concerns about the costs of health-care reform, liberalization of worldwide trade laws under GATT and passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement in meetings Wednesday with congressional Democratic leaders and top Administration officials.
The meeting of the National Retail Federation's executive board was organized by its president, Tracy Mullin.
'We made our points,' said Jack Shea, vice-chairman, president and CEO, Spiegel, Inc., in an interview after spending almost 30 minutes with Sena te Majority Leader George Mitchell (D., Maine). 'Our points are focused and targeted. We offered our help on getting NAFTA passed, and discussed our concerns about what health-care reform could cost us.'
Joseph E. Antonini, chairman, president and CEO of Kmart Corp., said his chief concern was pending health-care reform and possible mandates on employers to cover all workers. Stressing that cost containment was vital in any health-care package, Antonini said that almost half of retailing's 20 million national work force is part-time, and estimated that 80 percent of all retail workers have health-care coverage provided by another family member.
'That is something I think Senator Mitchell was surprised to hear. That's why it's important we make these visits. They listen to CEOs,' Antonini said. He added that he told House Speaker Thomas Foley (D., Wash.) in an early afternoon meeting that Congress 'needs to be careful with health-care reform and international trade. It's important for retailing not to be hurt.'
Allen Questrom, chairman and CEO, Federated Department Stores, Inc., said his primary message was the importance of getting NAFTA passed because it represents potential job growth for U.S. business. He added that the group told Chief Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Rufus Yerxa in a morning meeting that NAFFA would be of little benefit to retailers unless the Multifiber Arrangement currently under negotiation in the Uruguay Round was held at a 10-year phaseout.
The textile industry is forcefully pressing the Administration to reopen the textile segment of the current GATT draft and is seeking a 15-year phaseout.
Complaining that lawmakers seem to listen more to smaller groups when drafting legislation, Questrom said, 'The textile industry is not one that is hard-pressed. Retailers are more hard-pressed.'
Barbara Rackes, CEO of Rackes, with three stores in North and South Carolina, said she was concerned that Yerxa would not make a commitment on the MFA phaseout.
'It's a concern on our part that the Administration's position on this is not firm and this could be an issue on the negotiating table at the eleventh hour,' she said.
USTR Mickey Kantor on Capitol Hill to organize the pro-NAFTA effort among House Democrats and Republicans, said in an interview after a press conference that 'the two issues are not linked.' He added that retailers have not told him they wanted to link NAFTA and GATT. On the MFA phaseout, Kantor said he could not discuss matters under negotiation.
Later, Questrom told DNR retailers got assurance that the Administration would stick with a 10-year phaseout of MFA.
Sen. John Chafee (R., R.I.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee with jurisdiction over health care and trade, told the retailers at lunch that Senate Republicans were preparing a health-care alternative to President Clinton's.
