Coalition seeks to save manufacturing jobs
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, May 26, 2003
Huntingburg, Ind. — Industry and government officials met here this month to kick off an effort to save U.S. furniture manufacturing jobs.
One step, the group concluded, will be to lobby for higher tariffs or duties on furniture imports and also on raw materials the United States exports to overseas manufacturers.
Executives from nine companies, including residential and contract furniture and equipment manufacturers from Indiana and North Carolina, met with local, state, federal and economic development officials in this southern Indiana city.
Companies represented included Lexington Home Brands, Councill Cos., Best Chairs, Kimball International, Mobel, Klem Furniture, OFS, machinery producer Thermwood and media consulting firm The Media Matters.
"We simply want to retain jobs in our industry and we're eager to discover whatever can be done," said Bill Mitchell, vice president of manufacturing for Lexington Home Brands, one of three top executives the company sent to the meeting.
Two economic development officials came up with the idea for the meeting. Bed Ross, president and chief executive officer of Davidson Vision in Davidson County, N.C., and Tom Utter, executive director of Lincolnland Economic Development Corp., had seen furniture plants close in their areas. Ross and Utter are unofficially chairing the group, which doesn't have a name.
In addition to generally supporting tariffs or duties on finished goods imports and raw materials exports, the group identified four other "action steps:"
-
Request the economic development groups look into what's necessary to have the International Trade Commission, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, review whether Chinese furniture imports are hurting U.S. companies. If so, the government might assess duties on the imports.
-
Enlist the help of industry organizations such as the American Furniture Manufacturers Assn. and the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Assn. in seeking the International Trade Commission review.
-
Communicate with textile industry groups about their efforts on fair trade.
-
Work together to report findings and progress of the economic development corporations' efforts, and pursue viable actions.
The meeting in Huntingburg included a session at which several local, state and federal officials talked about government services available to help U.S. manufacturers be competitive.
U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., was represented by two senior staff members, who said they would carry the group's concerns to the senator, and that he would work on the industry's behalf.
After the session involving the public sector, industry representatives met and concluded that action was needed to preserve U.S. furniture manufacturing jobs.
