New Balance is lobbying to preserve a U.S. tariff on shoe imports from Vietnam, saying its removal would jeopardize domestic shoe manufacturing operations that employ 4,000 people across the country.
The Boston sneaker company is set to co-host a Washington news conference Wednesday with Massachusetts and Maine legislators in advance of a 14th round of negotiations in September for a free trade agreement between the United States and eight Pacific Rim countries that would cut tariffs on a range of goods and services.
Those tariffs include duties on athletic footwear made in Vietnam, where production and labor costs are significantly lower than in the United States, according to Matt LeBretton, New Balance’s director of public affairs. Behind China, Vietnam is the second largest footwear maker in the world and the fastest growing, he said.
“We have 1,300 people making shoes in the United States right now, and what we’re saying … is don’t change a system that isn’t broken and don’t endanger the livelihood of these folks,” LeBretton said.
About 7 million pairs of New Balance sneakers are made annually at the company’s manufacturing facilities in Boston, Lawrence and Maine, 25 percent of North American sales, while the rest are made in China, Vietnam and Indonesia.
U.S. Sen. Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts) is scheduled to attend today’s news conference. “I’m proud to stand with manufacturers in Massachusetts to raise awareness of an important issue affecting the Massachusetts economy,” he said.
(c)2012 the Boston Herald
Distributed by MCT Information Services
New Balance is what I buy and where, supporting MAINE jobs.
A handful of Maine jobs, jobs in other states, profits to MA and the largest amount of manufacturing in Vietnam? Looks like they’re just another corporation bent on outsourcing whatever they can. They want our help protecting the few remaining jobs they have in the U.S.? How many jobs did they already send overseas?
That’s why you check the labels on the shoes before buying them. If it doesn’t say Made in the USA, I choose a different make/model.
Made in the USA is required to mean something by the FTC, other close facsimiles do not have the same requisite rules. Regardless, follow the money, while some stays in Maine, it’s certainly not enough to get me to wear their products exclusively.
So, what other “Made in the USA” footwear do you recommend?
That’s the problem, and made in the USA doesn’t mean much. A shirt made and assembled in another country can bare the made in the USA logo, if the made in the USA tag is attached in the USA. I would like to see what percentage is Made in the USA.
Not my point o dissuade anyone from buying New Balance, I’ve had them and been happy.
So go buy your Nike’s. They paid Tiger Woods 40 million a year to promote their products. That’s 4 times what it cost Nike for the labor to manufacture every thing they make and sell. Of course those jobs are all over seas. China and Vietnam along with the rest of S.E. Asia are more than happy to take over all of our textile and shoe manufacturing needs. It’s sort of a protection against being attacked by the US military. Could you imagine the Army calling a truce with China if we were at war with them? You know that soldiers don’t like to fight bare footed.
Which is why the military can’t wear foreign shoes. Yeah, the gps chip on NIKE shoes is a dead give away of location. Hey, the guy must be off duty here, if he is running in NIKEs. We need an American made athletic shoe too. Military, especially high ranking officials must be wearing New Balance for safety? Wonder why there isn’t more military influence to keep manufacturing in the USA?
Oh, I feel safe……….?…?…..
Uh… what? So you’re for or against this trade tariff issue? As was noted New balance employees 1300 Americans, including 900 Mainers. Do you think Nike employees 900 American’s? Maybe no Mainers, I’ll give you that. How many Americans benefit from Tiger Woods spending his $40 Million? I’m certainly for supporting Made in the USA but one must look at the overall picture to see if we as a country can do better in a global economy.
I’m for the tariff remaining. Nike employees ‘0’ Americans in the manufacturing of their products.
It’s nearly 900 jobs in Maine alone. Nice try.
That’s a good number and one I hope is kept up, forgive me if I distrust Corporate America’s assertion that maintaining trade tariff’s is better for US workers. I don’t buy it.
I hope New Balance can outbribe –sorry, there I go again– I meant to say I hope New Balance can donate more campaign contributions than their competitors so we can keep these jobs at home.
Do you mean like Nike?
I didn’t know Public Officials were allowed to take gifts.
I think gifts under a certain value are acceptable? If this is the case I’m sure their gifting them at the price they pay for them in Vietnam, not their retail price here.
New Balance is one of the few, if not the only manufacturer, still making sneakers in the U.S. They are the only brand we buy.