"Mayor Bloomberg's failure to work with labor unions and drop cooperation in favor of name-calling and vitriol has been harmful to our city, " Mr. Thompson said.

WSJ: Mayor's Final Budget Is Aided by Economy

Though productivity in France is higher than Germany's and close to that of the U.S. according to 2011 data from the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, tough labor laws make it expensive to fire permanent workers.

WSJ: U.S. CEO Blasts French Work Culture

The president said he'd been able to achieve the first two simultaneously, with cooperation and support from the nation's labor movement.

CNN: Clinton Makes The Case For 'Fast Track'

Current initiatives work to improve health and food security in Africa, to combat child labor in Haiti, to partner on a trilateral basis with Bolivia on counternarcotics cooperation, and to promote biofuels in Central America, the Caribbean, and Africa.

WHITEHOUSE: Fact Sheet: The U.S.-Brazil Global Partnership Dialogue