Posted on 12/16/2001 10:35:48 AM PST by Native American Female Vet
'Made in the USA' label becoming harder to find on shoes as plants close
By David Sharp, Associated Press, 12/16/2001 13:29
DEXTER, Maine (AP) Shoppers looking to spend their Christmas dollars on goods carrying the ''Made in the USA'' label could get sore feet if they search for U.S.-made shoes this holiday season.
A wave of closings of shoe factories in recent years means well-known Maine brands like G.H. Bass and Cole Haan are now made overseas.
And just when it seemed domestic production couldn't sink much lower, Dexter, Saucony and Eastland are shuttering their plants in Maine.
''For all intents and purposes, this type of manufacturing in Maine is dead. The handwriting is on the wall,'' said Bob Simpson, town manager in Dexter, where the Dexter Shoe Co. is laying off roughly 500 people.
Maine's shoe industry is only a shadow of what it once was: The number of jobs peaked at nearly 27,000 in 1968 and is now about 3,500. Nationwide, the shoe industry has dropped from 235,000 jobs in 1972 to 28,000 this year, according to the U.S. Labor Department.
An industry in which 98 percent of shoes were made in the United States in the late 1960s has undergone a complete reversal, with more than 90 percent of shoes now imported from other countries.
The day in which all shoes are imported will probably never come but the latest plant closings show the slide in U.S. production is continuing, said Bill Boettge of the National Shoe Retailers Association. Joining Dexter, Saucony and Eastland in announcing closings of plants over the past year were Converse in North Carolina, Lacrosse Footwear in Wisconsin, and Rocky Shoes and Boots in Ohio.
These days, shoppers are finding fewer and fewer shoes made in the United States. More likely, the shoes are made in China, Indonesia, Mexico or any number of countries with cheaper labor.
''China manufactures more shoes than any other place in the history of the world. We'll never go to war against China because we'll be barefoot,'' said John Stollenwerk of Allen-Edmonds, a manufacturer of high-end men's shoes that has four plants in Wisconsin and one in Maine.
The reason for the plant closings is that the shoe industry remains a labor-intensive business despite strides in automation. Dozens of pairs of hands touch most shoes before they're boxed and sold.
In Dexter, workers at Dexter Shoe Co.'s flagship shoe factory felt like a cloud was hanging over them as they watched one company after another shut down plants and move production to other countries.
G.H. Bass and Cole Haan already shut down their Maine plants in 1998 and 1999 and the trend caught up with Dexter a year ago with the closing of its Newport plant. This year, Dexter's Skowhegan plant closed and Eastland's Freeport plant closed.
Saucony is in the process of closing its Bangor plant and Dexter is in the process of closing its main production center.
Cindy Mountain, who has worked at Dexter for 17 years, expected cuts but never thought the entire plant would shut down. Her husband has worked there for 25 years, since graduating from high school. They have two children.
''I'm not going to sit down and cry about it,'' she said. ''It isn't going to get you anywhere to be depressed or feel sorry for yourself.''
Simpson, the town manager, said the decision to close the plant was painful but inevitable. Workers are eligible for training assistance. ''The other shoe has dropped, so to speak, so we can move forward,'' he said.
Against this gloomy backdrop, several shoe companies continue to thrive.
While at a labor disadvantage, domestic manufacturers like Arkansas-based Munro & Co. do have the advantage of being able to respond faster than offshore factories to changes in the market place.
Munro closed two plants this year but still has 1,000 workers at its four remaining plants in Arkansas. Maine's Sebago is bucking the trend, as well, with 360 workers in Westbrook and Bridgton making Docksides and other shoes.
Dan Wellehan, president and chief executive officer, said he counts on customers who are willing to pay more for quality. And like Munro, he said his company can respond quickly compared to offshore plants.
The domestic shoe industry cannot sink much lower, he added, so there is reason for optimism, he suggested.
''I have to personally believe it's low tide right now,'' said Wellehan, whose father helped found the company in 1946.
In theory, the trend toward patriotism after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks should help companies like Allen-Edmonds, Munro, Sebago and a handful of other companies with productions in the United States.
Boettge said studies show that people talk a good game about buying American. ''But when we come down to it, the styling and the pocketbook have a lot more to do with it,'' he said.
I guess that I have a question. Of all of the "manufacturing jobs" that have been lost, were any of them non-union?
I just had an experience (again) with one of my sons who does a particular type of specialized "assembly" on the job site. He is non-union, but pays his employees extremely well. Whenever he does a job in NY or NJ, he puts his life on the line. This past week he had a job in NJ. Before he agreed to do the job he received assurance that there would be no union problems. At the last minute he was told that the "union" guys would unload the truck - a process that would have taken him one hour. Now they are trying to charge him for unloading the truck - four guys for eight hours.
By the way, the job was for a local government and he was required to pay the "prevailing wage". Of course he knew that, and had it in his quote. His employees were overjoyed - but the taxpayers of that town in NJ took it in the shorts.
Yes they will, because we're going to extend unemployment benefits and also pay for their medical insurance. Why should they work?
Why don't you explain all about Eustace Mullins, Jekyl Island in 1913 and the rest of it instead of being an ass and trying to insult eyeryone here.
A country can not remain a great nation that makes nothing.
The demise of America is at hand..
Wow, gg, you really said it, and I am glad you agree. I am looking for people who aren't lazy and inefficient and greedy, and who wish to compete.
I work with several personel agencies who specialize in cheap efficient labor for all types of jobs.
Please give me your profession and your company and your boss's name, so I can contact him, as I am sure, I can get a replacement for you, at less than half your salary. You seem so self satisfied, it is obvious you are overpaid. We like to target over paid people with jobs like yours who understand about competetion, and being thrown in the street being so good for the rest of the country. That way, when we take people's jobs, no one gets mad, as the people we put out of work understand.
Please give me your profession, company, and bosses name, and we will try to make your boss very happy.
Wow, gg, you really said it, and I am glad you agree. I am looking for people who aren't lazy and inefficient and greedy, and who wish to compete.
I work with several personel agencies who specialize in cheap efficient labor for all types of jobs.
Please give me your profession and your company and your boss's name, so I can contact him, as I am sure, I can get a replacement for you, at less than half your salary. You seem so self satisfied, it is obvious you are overpaid. We like to target over paid people with jobs like yours who understand about competetion, and being thrown in the street being so good for the rest of the country. That way, when we take people's jobs, no one gets mad, as the people we put out of work understand.
Please give me your profession, company, and bosses name, and we will try to make your boss very happy.
The consumer is always right. We live in a knowledge-based economy now. Besides, manufacturing is more complex now. A Ford may be filled with components from other countries and a Toyota will include American made parts.
In other words, "made in the USA" doesn't mean anything nowadays. I myself look for quality, not where a product is made.
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