GARMENT CENTERReader comment on: Steel, Fashion, and Entrepreneurship Submitted by NORMAN KAFFEE (United States), Mar 27, 2012 17:54 I AM NINETY TWO YEARS OLD, STARTED TO WORK THE GARMENT CENTER, AT FIFTEEN, CAN RELATE TO ALL THAT HAS BEEN WRITTEN. TRUTH OF THE DEBACLE THAT OCCURED TO GARMENT INDUSTRY WAS THE PROBLEM HAD BETWEEN MANUFACTURERS AND THE UNIONS THEY WERE BEHOLDEN TO. MANY MANUFACTURERS BELONGED TO ASSOCIATIONS, THE ASSOCIATIONS HAD CONTRACTURAL AGREEMENTS WITH THE UNIONS,, AND WERE BEHOLDEN TO OBEY , IF NOT THEY WERE SUBJECT TO STRIKE AND ACTION IN THE COURTS. THE UNIONS , OF COURSE, HAD MANY INTERLOPERS, SUCH AS THE MAFIA, WHICH CONTROLLED MANY OF THEM. DEALS WERE MADE WITH FIRMS THAT OPERATED OUTSIDE OF NEW YORK CITY , AND MOSTLY IN PENNSYVANIA, WHERE NON UNION MANUFACTURING SHOPS WERE OPERATING AND WERE CREATING A CHEAPER PRICE ON LABOR, THAN THE UNION BOUND , NY OPERATORS. THIS FORCED MANY OF THE UNION EMPLOYERS A PLACE TO BE ABLE TO COMPETE AND THEY TURNED TO THE SOUTHERN STATES, THAT BARRED UNION ACTIVITIES. THEY ALSO FOUND THAT THEY COULD DO BUISNESS,IN JAPAN AND CHINA AND OTHER FOREIGN COMPANIES, BUT AT THE OUTSET IT WAS JAPAN THAT THEY INITIALLY TURNED TO. THE NATIONALLY LARGE DEPARTMENT STORES AND THE LARGE SYNDICATED FIRMS , LIKE PENNEY AND SEARS , WERE EAGER PARTICIPANTS IN THIS ROLE TOO. THE MANUFACTURERS SENT NEW MACHINERY AND PEOPLE TO TEACH JAPAN THE WAY TO SEW WITH NEW TECHNIQUES ,RATHER THAN THE OLD WAY TO SEW. AFTER SOME TIME THE LARGE DEPARTMENT STORES AND THE SYNDICATED SENT THEIR OWN PEOPLE AND CUT OUT THE DOMESTIC MIDDLE MAN , WHICH WAS THE NEW YORK MANUFACTER . SHIPMENTS WERE MADE DIRECT TO THE STORES, AND THAT ENDED THE NEED FOR NY INVOLVMENT, WHICH SOON CAUSED THE FEW LOCAL FIRMS TO EXIST. THAT WAS THE CAUSE OF THE DEMISE OF THE GARMENT INDUSTRY IN NEW YORK CITY. Note: Comments are moderated by the editor and are subject to editing. Other reader comments on this item
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