John McCain On Jobs In Ohio

"I'm deeply troubled by the specter of job loss confronting the town of Wilmington and this entire area nine counties." John McCain

John McCain Remarks
Wilmington, OH
August 7, 2008

John McCain: "I am deeply troubled by the specter of job loss confronting the town of Wilmington and this entire area nine counties. My concerns are being reinforced in my meeting today with those facing the most personal consequences of what may happen here if the agreement pending between DHL and UPS is finalized. Should this happen, DHL will cede significant elements of control over cost and service quality to one of its chief competitors. This raises serious concerns that consumers all over America would suffer in terms of costs and quality, in the services provided. And I'm a strong supporter of our antitrust laws and I believe they should be vigorously enforced. I fully support a federal antitrust review of the case. But, I do not pre-judge its disposition.

"In the meantime, planning must proceed to ensure that in the event the transaction does go through, the rapid response assistance mechanisms local, state and federal are in place. Job retention must remain our overriding concern, and we should explore all options for proceeding with a viable commercial development plan if DHL ceases operations in Wilmington. National emergency grant funding should be released to assure any potential response efforts have the resources necessary to meet the challenges ahead, and we must have an effective displaced worker assistance and training program in place.

"Now, I believe that congressional oversight is necessary. I believe that the Justice Department should conduct a thorough and complete investigation as rapidly as possible. I believe that it would be important for the chief decision-makers at Deutsche Post would come here, come here to Wilmington, come here to Ohio, and explain the reasons and rationale for their decision and meet with the people and their representatives because of the impact of this decision made a long ways away from the state of Ohio."

Watch John McCain's Remarks