The Girl Scouts of the USA announced Monday its uniforms will continue to be made in America following a public uproar over reports it was considering bids from overseas manufacturers.
The owners of a family run Passaic, N.J., factory that has been the main supplier of Girl Scout uniforms and sashes for years were told recently that the organization would be seeking bids for the job — including from a company in China.
Girl Scouts spokeswoman Michelle Tompkins said the organization, which has its national headquarters in New York City, had been contacted by parents, members and volunteers urging it to keep the uniforms American-made. She said the contract hadn’t been awarded but the bid request had been modified to require that the uniforms be made domestically and that companies adhere to strict guidelines regarding worker age, treatment and safety.
“We thank the many Girl Scout parents and volunteers who stood up for their beliefs and showed our 2.4 million girls that every voice makes a difference,” Tompkins said. “They are the role models who help build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.”
The announcement was welcomed by the owners of the Jackie Evans Inc. factory, which has been the main supplier for Girl Scouts uniforms for nearly a decade.
“That’s great that they’re doing that,” said Mario Monaco, who works alongside his father and brother in the business. “We wanted to keep jobs in the United States and keep jobs in Passaic. Now we have to see what happens.”
Monaco said the family would be submitting a bid and hoped the process would be fair and transparent.
In a story first published last week in Woodland Park’s Herald News newspaper, the owners of the factory said the loss of its sole client could mean layoffs for its more than 90 workers and could force it to close.
Girl Scouts of the USA calls itself the world’s pre-eminent organization dedicated solely to girls. It says it helps girls build character, values and leadership skills for success in the real world.
Since the Girl Scouts organization was founded in 1912, it has grown from 18 members in Savannah, Ga., to 3.4 million members throughout the United States, U.S. territories and more than 90 countries worldwide, its website says.
With every politician under the sun claiming the be the “jobs…fill-in-the-blank-position”, you’d think it would be a no-brainer for Illinois pols to put “made in America uniforms” with the “small business bankrupted by military trying to make uniforms in Illinois” story that ran recently:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-1010-toluca-tailoring–20101010,0,1051963.story
Toluca Tailoring of Minook, Illinois has the sources lined up for all-American cotton and other parts of all-American uniform parts, as well as the equipment, workers and knowledge needed. But I’m sure all of our glorious “I’m all about JOBS” pols will ignore a small business in Illinois that’s just another blot on the landscape they fly over on their way between Chicago and Springfield…no Gibson’s or Rosebud to clog their arteries in around Minook….just a few jobs in the offing.
Finally something made in America. Looks like WalMart won’t be selling the uniforms.
Western Europe is courting China and looking for them to buy their debt and act as trading partners. What a joke. If these countries think they are going to sell their goods to China they are sadly mistaken. China is all about exports, not imports.
More organizations, especially military veteran orgs should have all their shirts, hats, jackets, etc. made in the USA. Let’s take back our heritage and jobs.
Forget about China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and their crappy material and sewing. Maybe the day will come when you buy a pair of pants made in the USA and not some foreign junk-thread palace a size 42 waits will actually be 42–not 52 or 36!