|
May 27, 2010
Bill provision will save Garland Shirt Co. jobs
Sherry Matthews
Sampson Independent
A tax extenders bill, which could get an approving nod from the U.S. Senate later this week, includes a provision that would help secure nearly 200 jobs at the Garland Shirt Company
U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., said in a conference call Wednesday that the bill, which would also extend tax cuts for middle class families and businesses and supports Americans still looking for work, would reauthorize the Cotton Trust Fund which, in effect, allows manufacturers, such as Garland Shirt, to remain competitive in the global marketplace.
Hagan, who was joined by Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. in support of the provision, said it was included after she spoke with Garland Shirt general manager Don Teel.
Teel, she said, talked about the company's need for duty relief in order to keep the doors open and the nearly 200 employees in jobs.
"I wanted to do everything possible to see that the Garland Shirt Factory and other manufacturing companies like it, had every opportunity to remain competitive. We needed to keep those jobs if there was any way possible," Hagan said.
The senator said she talked it over with Finance Committee members and Burr, and the provision was secured in the Senate.
In essence, this provision will allow the Garland Shirt Company to continue to produce shirts and products, thus securing the jobs of its employees.
"It is estimated," Hagan said, "that more than 800 textile and apparel employees will be positively impacted by this provision."
The provision, the senator emphasized, extends the Cotton Trust Fund enacted by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush in 2006 through Dec. 31, 2013. It provides duty funds to eligible manufacturers and spinners of certain pima cotton products, allowing, Hagan said, them to remain competitive in the manufacturing marketplace.
Teel said Wednesday the company really appreciated the efforts of the congressional delegation, which included Sen. Hagan, Sen. Burr and Congressmen Bob Etheridge, who have "worked hard to make certain that our trade policies provide a level playing field to compete with the rest of the world."
"While it's hard to keep, let alone grow, U.S. apparel manufacturing jobs," Teel stressed, "we are dedicated to making as many shirts as possible here in Garland, N.C."
The government, he attested, has allowed shirts to be imported duty free from many countries while keeping a duty on the fabrics that the Garland Shirt Company must import to make shirts in Garland.
"That simply makes no sense," he pointed out.
That, he added, is why the current legislation is important.
"This legislative effort makes every job here at Garland more secure," Teel said.
In addition to the extension of the Cotton Trust Fund, Hagan announced during her conference call her support for the full tax extenders bill, which also includes a $1.15 million settlement of the Pigford class action lawsuit involving African-American farmers, helping support state government through continued economic struggles, providing extended subsidies to middle-class Americans so they can afford COBRA health insurance premiums until the end of this year and halting a 21 percent cut in Medicare physician reimbursements through 2013.
"I certainly hope this will pass," Hagan said, noting that she was certain there would be some opposition to the bill she calls a "crucial piece" of legislation.
"This bill will help North Carolina and its citizens, many who are still struggling in this economy."
Hagan was adamant, too, about the Pigford settlement, saying it was long past time for this issue to be put to rest and farmers' needs met.
"For years, the federal government has failed to live up to its obligations to our African American farmers, including more than 4,000 North Carolinians," Hagan said. "As one of my first pieces of legislation, I worked with Senator Chuck Grassley to right this wrong for our farmers. Since the settlement was agreed to in February, I have been working with my colleagues to secure this crucial funding. The upcoming tax extenders bill will finally give our farmers the compensation they have been denied for decades."
Last year, Hagan cosponsored the Pigford Claims Funding Act of 2009 to ensure that African American farmers who were unfairly discriminated against when applying for loans, credit and other forms of financial help would receive their due settlements. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack reached a settlement agreement for $1.15 billion with black farmers in February, but Congress must follow though with the funding.
The tax extenders bill also includes an extension of expanded unemployment insurance and a number of expiring tax cuts. It is expected to soon be voted on in the Senate.
|
