Textile execs plan grassroots efforts against Chinese imports
By Susan M. Andrews -- Furniture Today, August 18, 2003
Greensboro, N.C. — Swamping mailboxes, fax machines and e-mail addresses in Washington with letters from textile workers is one of several grassroots initiatives outlined by more than three dozen textile executives who met here last week to keep pressure on the Bush administration to help protect the domestic industry from Chinese imports.
Stressing they are not opposed to free trade — just unfair trade — the group said they planned voter registration drives, educational programs and lobbying efforts at all levels from local to federal.
"Since January 2001, nearly 300,000 textile and apparel jobs have been lost, and that number doesn't include the job losses from the tragic Pillowtex bankruptcy," said Allen Gant, chief executive officer of Glen Raven.
"If the federal government refuses to change the flawed trade policies that generated those numbers, the U.S. textile and apparel industry is in grave danger," he said.
The executives said that 810,600 U.S. textile and apparel jobs, or about 52% of the total, have vanished since December 1994. If the losses continue on their current track, the industry stands to lose another 630,000 jobs and 1,300 plants.
The Chinese government's heavy subsidization of its textile sector, and manipulation of the country's currency, creates an unfair advantage, the executives said.
Last month, 14 textile and fiber trade groups petitioned the U.S. government to invoke a special textile China safeguard in a trade agreement, and slow the surge of Chinese imports on knit fabric, dressing gowns, brassieres and gloves. Socks are being added to the list of products.
In Washington, the U.S. Assn. of Importers of Textiles and Apparel disagreed with the textile coalition and said the Bush administration should not take action until there is "overwhelming evidence" that imports from China are harming the U.S. industry. The association said Chinese garments just appear to be replacing imports that used to be made in other countries.
