National
News
- April 2006
Washington , DC , March 15, 2006 (Washington Post) -
U.S. military uniforms are being made by workers who are
poorly paid and lack health insurance coverage, the union
that represents garment workers asserted in a report released
yesterday.
Many of the workers must rely on government programs,
such as Medicaid and food stamps, according to the report
from Unite Here, which said starting pay at the companies
it surveyed averages $5.49 an hour. The average wage of
those who sew uniforms is $6.55 an hour. The average for
U.S sewing machine operators is $9.24 an hour, according
to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Although 20,000 workers at several hundred companies
in the United States make military uniforms, the report
collected data from a relatively small pool of 88 workers
at eight companies. Information was also collected from
the Labor Department, Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
and the Defense Department.
The Defense Department did not return calls for comment
yesterday.
Bruce S. Raynor, Unite Here general president, said the
union attempted unsuccessfully to meet with Kenneth J.
Krieg, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology
and logistics, about the findings "weeks ago."
American Power Source Inc. of Fall River , Mass. , and
J.H Rutter Rex Manufacturing Co. of Metairie , La. , two
companies cited in the report, also did not return calls.
Of the 20 to 25 workers who were interviewed at those
two companies, about 86 percent at Rutter Rex have no health
care coverage, while 59 percent at American Power Source
have no coverage, the report said.
Workers who rely on government programs, according to
the report, cost the government about $300,000 for a typical
factory and more than $45 million for the entire industry.
Many of the workers are in Alabama , Mississippi , Arkansas
and Tennessee ; more than 90 percent are women and 87 percent
are black.
Military uniforms, by law, are made in the United States
with U.S. labor and materials. The contractors discussed
in the report received $456 million for military apparel
contracts from 2003 to 2005.
At a news conference yesterday, Annie Williams of Columbus
, Miss. , said she was laid off from American Power Source
a year ago. She earned $6.50 an hour.
"I take pride in what I was doing," Williams
said. "I was excited because I was doing something
to support our soldiers." She said many of her co-workers
could not pay for electricity or child care.
(Editor’s note: Readers of UniformMarket who
supply military uniforms - we’d like to hear from
you! Are you paying what can be considered a fair wage?
Is this article an adequate portrayal of the industry?
There are two sides to a story - let us report the other
side. Drop us an email and we’ll contact you with
a follow-up call.)
Penn Yan , NY , March 9, 2006 (PRWEB) -- A California-based
healthy food developer has shown that an Upstate New York
company, Sassy Scrubs, has been able to market their products
far beyond their normal use. Sassy Scrubs, a manufacturer
of custom made scrub uniforms usually worn by nurses and
doctors, was recently part of a kick-off celebration for
a new product developed by the west coast company, Corazonas
Foods.
As innovators of natural food products, the launch of “Corazonas” marks
the first heart-healthy tortilla chip on the market. These
chips contain natural plant sterols which have been credited
in helping to lower cholesterol. They offer a tasty alternative
to fat-laden snacks and help consumers become more health
conscious in a fun, delicious way.
The company ordered Sassy Scrubs outfits in the print
named “Celebration” to wear to their launch
party and called them their “Party Heart-y” scrubs.
With the focus on heart-healthy products, Corazonas also
offered cholesterol screenings at the launch. Sassy Scrubs
President, Karen Bradley, states “It was such an
honor to have our product linked with such a healthy food
product and a company looking out for the health of us
all.”
Sassy Scrubs recently received another order from the
food developer for more party-themed scrubs. This print,
named “Ah, Balloonie”, features heart-shaped
balloons which will be worn at the company’s trade
show in March. It is expected that over 40,000 attendees
will see Sassy Scrubs’ bright and colorful items
worn by the food developer’s staff while they celebrate
the unveiling of their newest product.
The Penn Yan, New York scrub manufacturer and internet
retailer offers its products through an online store and
sells to a broad international audience of medical, dental,
veterinary and food service customers. Sassy Scrubs’ Bradley
states “We asked why this particular company chose
Sassy Scrubs to help them with their product launch and
were told our website had the largest selection of fabrics
and the most “fun” prints found on the internet.
With over 1,000 prints from which they can choose their
scrubs, we hope to be with them for their next new product
launch as well.”
SanMar Corp, a leading supplier of wholesale apparel
and accessories, has hired three new representatives to
its sales force with a combined industry experience of
over 48 years.
Fred Hickman, SanMar’s new Illinois rep, has been
in the wholesale apparel industry for nearly fifteen years,
most recently as a senior salesperson for DMI, a promotional
products distributor. Hickman began his career in the wholesale
apparel world with an embroiderer and screen printer, and has an intimate understanding
of many of the challenges facing customers day-to-day.
Parvaneh Frilot currently lives in Corna, California with her husband and two
children, and will focus her sales efforts in Southern California . Frilot
has worked in the imprinted apparel industry for the past seventeen years,
most recently with Hanes.
Barb Herman has been hired as SanMar’s Western regional sales representative
for their new CornerStone™ work wear line. Herman, based in Los Angeles
, has been in the industrial rental laundry and allied supplier markets for
over 16 years, most recently at Penn Companies, the nation’s leading
industrial emblem provider to industrial laundries.
For more information, or to contact one of the new sales reps, please call
SanMar customer service at 800-426-6399.
SanMar Corporation is a leading supplier of wholesale apparel including Port
Authority®, Port & Company®, District Threads™, CornerStone™,
Sport-Tek™, Nike Golf, Ping®, Lee®, Hanes®, and Jerzees®.
A family owned business since 1971, SanMar is based in Seattle , WA with six
national distribution centers.
Last month, Ohio-based Fire-Dex announced the hiring
of Tony Scheufler to the position of Regional Sales Manager.
Tony Scheufler will be managing Fire-Dex protective apparel
sales to the Midwestern United States, including Iowa ,
Illinois , Indiana , Kansas , Minnesota , Missouri , North
Dakota , Nebraska , South Dakota and Wisconsin . Tony is
a former Marine who brings to Fire-Dex over 15 years experience
as a factory sales manager, helping both end users and
distributors meet their goals.
Tony resides in St. Charles , Illinois with his wife,
son, and three daughters. He can be reached via email at
tony@firedex.com or phone at (330) 723.0000 x352.
Fire-Dex, Inc. is a quality manufacturer of protective
firefighting clothing and emergency response apparel. Fire-Dex
also manufactures two models of NFPA compliant ParaDex™ EMS
gear and is the only turnout manufacturer to also manufacture
premium quality NFPA hoods and gloves.
Orlando, FL, March 23, 2006 (ClickPress) - In an eleventh
hour decision, Julian Joffe, president and founder of Pad
Print Machinery of Vermont, thought it might be a good
idea for his company to exhibit at last February's Imprinted
Sportswear Show in Orlando, FL. He's glad he did. "I
am overwhelmed at the amount of activity we had surrounding
our booth over those three days," said Joffe. The
2006 Orlando show is considered the leading event for the
decorated apparel and imprinted products industry.
"Textile industry pad printing is nothing new," said Joffe, explaining
that the process has been available for years, "but I think the reason we
were getting so much attention is that the people at the Florida show weren't
aware of the automation our company has developed in recent years." Joffe
said there were a number of other pad printing machines displayed on the exhibition
floor, but that they were all the rather fundamental manual models.
Jon Hale, Pad Print Machinery of Vermont COO, said, "I think there are
a number of reasons our machines attracted so much interest, but I would guess
most of them are related to efficiency and capability." Hale points out
that the company's XE Series is a Windows-based system that drives a completely
servo-controlled print head and conveyor. Its 20-gig hard drive allows storage
and instant recall of unlimited job parameters including down stroke, print
and cliché pauses. "A change from one job to the next is an extremely
fast undertaking with these machines," continued Hale.
Michelle Heleba, Pad Print Machinery of Vermont's Sales and Marketing Director
described a North Carolina-based sports jersey manufacturer as he watched the
company's XE-16 print hat after hat with automated precision. "He kept
saying, 'Holy moly; holy, holy moly! I've got to get one of those!'" She
understands the man's enthusiasm. "A lot of people had the same reaction
when they saw our machines in action," she said.
"These machines can print one color on top of another without drying in
between. They can print four-color process images up to 8" by 14".
They're ideal for tagless shirts and underwear and are extremely cost-effective
with imprints as low as $.002 each. They provide exceptional clarity even on
font sizes as small as 4 points. I'm glad we gave the textile industry an update
of pad printing's capabilities," Heleba said, smiling as she leafed through
a BMW brochure.
To view the full range of Pad Print Machinery of Vermont products
and their portfolio, visit www.padprintmachinery.com
Miami , March 19, 2006 (Miami Herald) - Miami Beach lifeguards,
firefighters and golf course attendants will soon be sporting
name-brand polo shirts and cargo-style pants.
The price tag for what Assistant City Manager Robert
Middaugh refers to as a ''classier'' look and design: $0.
New York-based Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. and its subsidiary,
Izod, have signed a three-year deal with the city to provide
$240,000 worth of uniforms each year to 335 city employees
for free. In exchange, the company will receive free advertising
by manufacturing the uniforms with the Izod and Miami Beach
logos.
City commissioners unanimously approved the contract
at their March 8 meeting. The first shipment is expected
to arrive in November. Middaugh said the uniforms will
have a ''unique'' look with blue, green and white hues.
Adonis Garcia, president of the Miami Beach Firefighters
Union, which represents 200 firefighters, said they are
looking forward to the new uniforms.
''We have no dilemma with it, we just want the uniforms
already,'' he said.
The city had been in talks with the company since 2002.
Negotiations stalled when Richard McKinnon, president of
the Communications Workers of America union, which represents
lifeguards, said the contract required uniforms to be 100
percent cotton.
That restriction was removed when the new contract was
approved March 8.
''We discussed it at the bargaining table during negotiations
and we decided to go ahead with the Izod contract,'' McKinnon
said. ``We haven't seen the final product.''
Though the uniforms are provided at no cost, the contract
does allow the company to waive the $2,500 application
fee for four special events permits in which they are the
sponsor, and also includes 20 rounds of golf at the Miami
Beach Golf Club or any city-owned golf course.
Middaugh said the savings may not amount to much. ''Our
expenditures on lifeguard uniforms are limited to a handful
of pieces [that total] between $25,000 to $30,000 a year,''
he said.
Even so, ``it will help them look better and stand out.''
There also may be marketing spin-offs, he said, as the
city will receive below-market prices on different colored
shirts to sell to the general public.
''It depends how far we want to take this,'' Middaugh
said.
In 2000, the Los Angeles County Ocean Rescue struck
a similar deal to outfit their lifeguards in what Middaugh
called ''Baywatch style'' swimsuits by Izod.
Don't expect that look to make its way to the East Coast.
''Oh no, ours will be much classier,'' Middaugh said.
``We're gonna go above and beyond.''
Washington, DC, March 13, 2006 (The Business Journal
of the Greater Triad Area) - A North Carolina member of
Congress will introduce legislation Wednesday that would
require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to find
American suppliers when it buys uniforms, tents and other
textile products.
The rules would be similar to the so-called Berry Amendment,
a law that requires the Department of Defense and U.S.
Coast Guard to buy textile products, hand tools and certain
other goods from U.S. suppliers.
Rep. Robin Hayes, R-N.C., will introduced the legislation
at a press conference Wednesday, according to a release
from the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition,
a textile-industry backed lobbying group.
Triad companies sold about $241 million in goods and
services to the Department of Defense last year. The Pentagon
is now a key customer for some area textile companies that
have been battered in the last several years by cheaper
imports.
Kansas City , MO , March 24, 2006 (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
- Anne Wedow and Kathleen Kline were among the first three
women to join the Kansas City Fire Department, in 1977.
Wedow said they were met with such hostility that one male
cadet said, "If you want to be a guy so bad, we'll
all chip in and you can get surgery."
Beyond hostility, they said in a lawsuit dating to 1999, they were issued poorly
fitting protective clothing and forced to share sleeping and bathing facilities
with men.
On Friday, they won a landmark decision from a federal appeals court in St.
Louis that says fire departments must provide female members with appropriate
physical facilities and gear.
"Adequately fitting firefighting clothing and sanitary and private facilities
are essential to the job of a firefighter, and inadequacies in these areas compromise
job efficiency as well as safety," said a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals.
The ruling has the force of law in Missouri and five other states but not Illinois
, which is in the 7th Circuit. Federal appeals courts often do follow one another's
rulings.
"This is a fantastic decision for female firefighters across the country," said
Jennifer K. Brown, vice president and legal director of Legal Momentum. She said
it was the first federal appellate level ruling to say inadequate equipment and
facilities amount to unlawful sex discrimination.
Kansas City Assistant City Attorney Douglas McMillan said the city will review
its options. In court, he had denied accusations of differential treatment
for women.
The appeals court upheld a trial judge's ruling in Kansas City , including
a refusal to order a speed-up of that city's existing 15-year firehouse renovation
plan. But Brown said that departments without adequate facilities or plans
in place now risk "being ordered to do it by the court."
Missouri and Illinois fire chiefs interviewed by the Post-Dispatch on the subject
this year and last said that any female firefighter seeking better-fitting
equipment would get it.
Buildings are another matter. Many fire stations in St. Louis , Kansas City
and elsewhere were built decades before the first woman applied, and many have
communal bedrooms and bathrooms.
But the assimilation of women dovetails with an emerging trend in the construction
or renovation of fire stations. In St. Louis , for example, officials say the
older buildings are being renovated for a shrinking population of firefighters,
with designers mindful of privacy and health considerations.
Wedow said the pioneering women in Kansas City suffered daily indignities of
harassment and groping and bad duty assignments. They had to compete with men
for bathroom space and wear ill-fitting equipment that allowed scalding steam,
hazardous materials and asbestos to seep in.
The 8th Circuit ruled that they were denied opportunities for advancement and
that officials retaliated against them for complaining. A jury had awarded
Kline $50,000 and Wedow $285,000. Wedow got more primarily because she had
repeated, documented injuries caused by steam and hot gas entering her ill-fitting
protective gear and falls caused by baggy clothing.
Milwaukee , March 24, 2006 (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) - A company that provides
corporate uniforms and other products to businesses will build an $8.5 million
facility on Milwaukee 's northwest side, eventually creating up to 125 jobs.
Cintas Corp. will build the 57,800-square-foot facility
on 6.5 acres north of W. Mill Road and west of N. 62nd
St. , according to information released Friday by the Milwaukee
Economic Development Corp., a business lending agency affiliated
with the city.
The agency's Land Development Committee approved the
sale of the city-owned site to Cintas for $60,000 per acre.
Based in Cincinnati , Cintas provides company uniforms,
restroom supplies, promotional products, first-aid and
safety products and other goods to businesses.
The Milwaukee facility will cost $4 million to build
and will have $4.5 million worth of equipment, including
an industrial laundry, according to the city lending agency.
The facility will include a distribution center and offices.
Cintas, which also operates a facility at 9828 S. Oakwood
Drive , in the Franklin Business Park , will initially
employ 45 to 50 people, including 30 new hires, said James
Scherer of the Department of City Development.
The Milwaukee facility could eventually have up to 125
employees working on three shifts, Scherer said. Cintas
will pay wages ranging from $7.50 to $11.75 an hour, he
said.
The site is part of 19 acres owned by the city. The vacant
land is north of W. Mill Road , between N. 60th St. and
N. Industrial Road .
Cintas reported last week that it earned $235.2 million
on revenue of $2.5 billion during the first three quarters
of its current fiscal year. The company has more than 350
facilities throughout the United States .
The Mill Road facility will use more than 120,000 gallons
of water daily, Scherer said, creating a good customer
for Milwaukee 's Water Works.
March 13, 2006 (Emerging Textiles) - According to recently
released US department of Commerce data, US apparel imports
in January from China have clearly been hit by large falls
in sensitive quota categories. This comes following embargoes
last year created a sense of uncertainty among US retailers.
Orders have instead been redirected to other low-cost Asian
producers such as Bangladesh and India .
Apparel imports from China into the US have been affected
by significant decreases in limited categories, the US
Department of Commerce recently confirmed.
There were large falls in sensitive categories of Chinese
apparel as US importers placed orders elsewhere. As a result,
overall shipments from China increased by only 15 per cent
in volume in January compared to the same month last year.
China 's share of the American market has fallen 2 per
cent from the 2005 average as a consequence. It is also
small when compared with China 's doubling of volume for
2005 as a whole.
Asian countries such as Bangladesh , Indonesia , India
and Cambodia significantly increased exports to the US
in January.
Bangladesh was placed third overall in terms of volume
which was 32 per cent more than one year earlier.
Indonesian and Cambodian exports to the US were also
30 per cent higher in the first month of the year whilst
India 's rose by a bigger 46 per cent.
Also profiting at the expense of China was Pakistan whose
shipments rose by an impressive 35 per cent.
It is still too early to confirm as to whether China
will continue to lose orders from the US .
Some insiders believe that it is "unlikely" China
will regain them in the short term.
While several Asian nations were celebrating better performance,
Latin American countries saw their shipments to the US
decline.
Mexico , the second largest US supplier, lost 15 per
cent volume from last year and Honduras and EL Salvador
were also down by similar amounts.
Other countries losing out included Guatemala and the
Dominican Republic .
Imports from Jordan also declined by 15 per cent in volume
terms despite having preferential US access via its QIZ
(Qualified Industrial Zones) system.
In addition, the US last month announced it was taking
stronger measures to enforce the three-year textile deal
with China .
China is also concerned that it may face anti-dumping
measures as companies reduce export prices in order to
get export quotas.
Best Manufacturing Group LLC has announced the launch
of its new online catalog. This will serve as a supplement
to the print catalog, which is scheduled to be released
in mid-March and can be ordered directly from Best’s
website. The new catalog will feature Best’s designer
hospitality career apparel collection, which was officially
unveiled at the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant
Show in November.
This is the first time that a major North American uniform
company is offering a designer label apparel collection
at a mass level. No U.S. hotel, or uniform provider has
ever expanded into this un-chartered fashion-forward territory.
The cornerstone of Best’s new collection is being
presented in partnership with Hartmarx who has exclusive
rights to market selected products under a number of premier
brands such as H&W, XMI, Claiborne, and Palm Beach
. This high-profile collection defines the modern workplace
and has been specifically designed to bring name-brand
tailored apparel to hotel employees and guests.
The new apparel collection extends well beyond the standard
colors, fabrics and styles the industry has come to expect.
Best is offering luxurious stretch fabrics and tailored
apparel in new shades like red and chocolate brown for
solids as well as textures like mini-check and herringbone.
Separate soft components in knit tops, men’s shirtings
and ladies blouses are available in 6 styles and over a
dozen colors like cornflower, pumpkin, and cobalt. Pinstripes
will be offered in color combos like mint, lemon, and coral.
Ladies apparel is available in Petite, Missy, Women’s
and Women’s Petite sizes resulting in a better fitting
garment and less alterations.
Best, founded in 1914, services the hospitality, textile
rental, healthcare and image apparel markets. The company
is headquartered in New Jersey and has operations based
in Massachusetts , Georgia , Mississippi , Illinois
, Texas , Nevada , Canada , Mexico and Asia .
To see Best’s new catalog and to request a printed
copy please visit www.bestmfg.com .
Seattle-based SanMar, a leading supplier of wholesale
apparel and accessories, is introducing a new 54-page catalog
which focuses exclusively on headwear and accessories.
This attractive, easy-to-shop catalog has been designed
to act as a single resource for customers’ hat and
accessory needs across a broad range of markets.
“Headwear and accessories are a key part of every niche—from the
workplace to the playing field. With our new Headwear & Accessories 2006
catalog, customers will have an award-winning collection of over a hundred hats
and accessories at their fingertips in a single catalog,” said Dan Tushar,
SanMar’s national sales manager.
The Headwear & Accessories 2006 features over 50 different hats and caps—a
collection that has garnered ASI’s top award for “Hats & Caps” two
years in a row. Designed so that customers can quickly find products that meet
their needs, the catalog features quick-read charts that give key stats. Bags,
blankets, towels and other essential accessories are laid out according to
product category for ease of shopping. In order to accommodate the needs of
so many schools, teams, corporations and organizations, the catalog contains
dozens of different colors from which to choose.
SanMar’s new catalog is now available for pre-order and will be shipping
to customers at the end of March.
SanMar Corporation is a leading supplier of wholesale
apparel including Port Authority, Port & Company,
District Threads, CornerStone,
Sport-Tek, Nike Golf, Pin, Lee, Hanes, and Jerzees.
A family owned business since 1971, SanMar is based in Seattle , WA with
six national distribution centers.
For more information, or to order the catalog, call
SanMar customer service at 800-426-6399.
Wilmington, MA, March 30, 2006 (AP) -- UniFirst Corp.,
a provider of workplace uniforms and protective clothing,
on Thursday said a revenue drop at its specialty clothing
unit sent its quarterly earnings tumbling 37 percent.
UniFirst's net income in its second fiscal quarter ended
Feb. 25 fell to $6.33 million, or 33 cents share, from
$10.1 million or 52 cents per share last year, badly missing
the 51-cent average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson
Analytics.
Revenue rose 6 percent to $202.2 million, beating the
Street estimate of $201 million, as the company's core
laundry business posted a gain of 8.5 percent .
The company attributed its decline in income to a 24-percent
drop in revenue from its specialty clothing unit, which
provides outfits worn in clean rooms or when handling radioactive
material, fell 24 percent in the period, leading to a $2.8
million decline in the unit's operating income.
UniFirst shares fell 20 cents to $33.30 in morning trading
on the New York Stock Exchange.
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