New York, NY, Sept. 4--As they did last month in Greensboro and other areas hit by the rapid drop in U.S. manufacturing, textile interests hope to expand on growing grass-roots support to pressure Washington for new and more protective trade policies, according to the High Point Enterprise.
Lloyd Wood, a spokesman for the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition, said more than 70 senior executives from the textile and fiber industry are expected to attend a press conference in New York City today as a show of support for China safeguard petitions now under consideration by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The petitions are midway through a 30-day public comment period, after which trade administrators will have 60 days to decide whether or not import quotas should be implemented on select textile and apparel items.
"We're trying to take this to the media capital, and hopefully it will work out," Wood said Tuesday.
Industry notables expected to be on hand include billionaire financier Wilbur Ross, chief executive officer of W.L. Ross & Co. and new owner of Burlington Industries.
In an August interview with the High Point Enterprise, Ross said he intends to form a coalition of elected federal representatives.
Citing an ever-growing trade deficit and U.S. manufacturing job losses--more than 2 million since 2001--Ross said elected leaders need to pressure the administration into enforcing protective trade rules and rethinking the wisdom of free trade agreements.
As a recognized leader in the steel industry and now textiles, Ross is in a unique position to bring together some fairly nontraditional allies.
"Historically, each industry has only been able to marshal help in from legislators in their own specific area," Ross said in August. "But now the situation is significantly desperate. As a result, everyone needs to marshal their forces collectively." Ross said a big part of the problem is free trade initiatives have been abused, thereby opening the door to illegal trade practices amid lack of enforcement of international regulations.
Also at today's rally UNITE, reportedly the largest textile and apparel labor union in the United States, is expected to announce it is joining the coalition backing the safeguard petition.
Representatives of the organization–-a member union of the AFL-CIO and formerly known as the Union of Needle Trades, Industrial and Textile Employees--are expected to announce they are joining the coalition backing the safeguard petitions.
Along with several industry representatives from North and South Carolina, attendees at today's rally are expected from related manufacturers in the northeastern United States.
