A three-member emergency board named by Clinton will have 30 days to propose a settlement. The union and the airline then will have 30 days to reach an agreement. If they fail, Congress could impose a settlement.
For Hawaii the back-to-work order was hugely welcome news for the tourism industry, because American Airlines carries about 11 percent of the mainland-Hawaii traffic. If the strike had proceeded, many passengers would have been rerouted to other airlines, but there was a possibility that Hawaii could be hurt.
Extensive and reliable air service is vitally important to tourism. With the industry struggling to offset the effects of the weak Japanese yen, a strike would have been a serious blow.
The president's action also sends the message that he may intervene in other airline labor disputes to keep the planes flying - a message that Hawaii is happy to receive.
Hawaii is also vulnerable to exploitation as a pawn in international airline route negotiations, particularly those between Japan and the United States. Last year Japan Air Lines service to Kailua-Kona was delayed because of those negotiations, and the problem persists. As in the airline contract dispute, decisions made thousands of miles away on airline routes affect service to the islands.
It is in Hawaii's interest to encourage many airlines to maintain service here in order to avoid overdependence on one or two that may be affected by strikes. Keeping airport landing fees as low as possible can help. The governor and the Hawaii congressional delegation also must work to make federal aviation officials aware of Hawaii's concerns.
Some countries were enticed by the telecom agreement's access to the United States, where 50 percent of the market is located, while smaller countries were fearful of what they call economic imperialism. Those anxieties could diminish as the benefits of competition manifest themselves.
Relations between South Korea and Taiwan have been cool since 1992, when Seoul recognized Beijing as the government of China, abandoning Taipei. This is a chance for Taiwan to retaliate by making a deal with North Korea. Considering that the issue has to do with low-level waste that is not extremely hazardous, the South Koreans seem to be overreacting.
Rupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor