Made in America News Flash

Manex Corporation has created "Made in Northern California" page.  

Manufacturing is an integral part of California’s economy. The Golden State is home to more than 44,000 manufacturers who employ approximately 1.4 million people!  Manex is proud to highlight the importance of manufacturing in the state by launching the NEW Made in Northern California program! The goal of the program is to support the manufacturing sector by raising awareness of the products made in our state and providing resources for the manufacturing community.

WeatherTech products are an American success story

Dave MacNeil founder of WeatherTech is a serious American patriot. "In an age when much manufacturing has been outsourced to China and other low-wage nations, WeatherTech's entire line of more than 5,000 car floor mats, rooftop cargo carriers, side-window deflectors, license plate frames and mud flaps is made in America, much of it in the 400,000 square feet of factory and warehouse space in Downers Grove and Bolingbrook he built in the past five years. He reminds everyone of that fact in an almost-impossible-to-miss outpouring of print ads, billboards and television commercials."(source) 

Madera manufacturer launches 'Made in USA' line

Nemat Incorporated from California's San Joaquin Valley has created a line of products entirely made in the USA.  They will be manufacturing the "Mighty Mount" television mounting system in America.  The television mount with the "Made in USA" label is constructed of anodized aluminum and can handle a wide range of tv's up to 2,500 pounds.  Available in three sizes: mini, small, medium, large. 

Tektite Flashlights, LED bulbs, Dive Gear, Strobes all made in USA!

Founded by current ownership in 1990, Tektite manufactures a product line featuring more than 200 SKUs. Our TEKTITE brand lights and strobes are made in the U.S.A. and feature HIGH-TEK™ lamps, space age polymers, computer-designed reflectors and other features that makes Tektite the best choice when quality, reliability and performance is required. Purchase Tektite products here.

Walmart adds Veterans jobs and Made in America products (not)

Yesterday I wrote a post accusing Wal-Mart of being anti-American.  As America's largest retailer and employer we must insist that they act socially responsible.  Yesterday we learned that Wal-Mart has created a PR stunt designed to make consientious consumers like myself happy.  Wal-Mart claims that they are willing to hire 100,000 veterans over the next five years within 12 months of the service person being honorably discharged.  They also claim they will increase the dollar amount of American-made products they purchase by $50 billion over the next ten years.  Don't get excited, these aren't changes.  In fact, Americans should be insulted.  I stand by what I said that Walmart is anti-American.

Allow me to explain why the Walmart initiatives aren't worth applauding.  The following quotes and data come from an article by Christopher Matthews in Time. 

Walmart employs 1.3 millions sales associates in the U.S., and because of their horrible pay and treatment of employees they have an astonishingly high turnover rate of 37%.  Therefore Walmart needs to hire 480,000 people per year to replace the outgoing workers.  They are boasting that they will hire 100,000 veterans over 5 years, or 20,000 workers per year, this represents 4.16% of their inbound workforce.  But veterans make up a much larger portion of the population than 4%.  In fact the civilian veteran workforce is over double that number at 9% of the working population.  If Walmart wants to impact the unemployment problem amongst veterans they would need to hire a larger percentage of veterans than 9% of new hires, they're not.  Even if we give Walmart the benefit of the doubt, let's pretend for a moment that Walmart is a good place to work (far fetched I know but work with me), and we assume that all of the veterans who are hired stay at the company, they will still make up only 7% of the associates.  Shame on Walmart for releasing this as if they were helping, they're actually acting socially irresponsible again, but this time they're preying on people who pride themselves on being patriotic.  Walmart is not patriotic, Walmart is anti-American.

Walmart also claimed they will buy $5 billion more in American products per year over the next 10 years.  They want us to believe they are doing Americans a favor when they mention that they already spend 66% of their money on products made stateside.  However, a huge portion of Walmart's business is grocery and if you ever notice, it is very easy to find American produced products in the grocery store.  It is not as easy to find American made products in a clothing store.  Walk the aisles of apparel, sneakers, slippers, electronics, sporting goods, housewares and note that those products made in America represent far below the 66% number Walmart is boasting.  Last year grocery and consumables (the almost all American department) comprised 55% of Walmarts net sales.  

"According to Walmart’s 2012 annual report, the firm increased its cost of sales (an accounting term that basically tells you what it pays its suppliers for products) by more than $21 billion from 2011 to 2012. This figure is more or less in line with annual increases in Walmart’s recent history. In other words, in a typical year of late, Walmart buys $21 billion more products than it did the previous year. Walmart doesn’t break out what percentage of these incremental costs are attributed to Walmart U.S., Walmart International, or Sam’s Club, but if we assume that the proportions mirror those of the firm’s operating profits, that would mean Walmart U.S. spends about $15 billion more each year on products than it did the year before.

So by promising to buy $5 billion more each year in U.S. sourced products, Walmart is promising to spend one-third of its annual new spending on U.S.-sourced products. Not bad, right? But Simon claimed in his speech yesterday that “items that are made here, sourced here, or grown here account for about two-thirds of what we spend to buy products at Walmart U.S.” If this is true, then shouldn’t Walmart promise — at the very least — to maintain that two-thirds proportion in its new spending?" - Time
 

Don't believe the hype, it's only hype.  Walmart isn't doing us any favors.  They are still a driving force behind outsourcing, the income disparity between rich/poor, dwindling benefits, the increase of part time workers over full time workers, and the destruction of the American small business.

“No other company has played as pivotal a role as Walmart has in the demise of U.S. manufacturing over the last 30 years,” senior researcher Stacy Mitchell said in a statement. “Its relentless insistence that suppliers provide ever lower prices has forced countless companies to shift production overseas, eliminating jobs and undermining America’s industrial capacity.” - ABC News

Americans should want better out of our largest employers, we are turning into a nation of have nots, and we are doing it to ourselves. 

Jolly Time American Pop Corn Company

Jolly Time makes popcorn in America!

Founded in 1914, the oldest popcorn company in America is still proudly representing the Made in America tag on their products. Jolly Time was a grass roots organization started in the basement of Cloid Smith's house with the help of his son Howard. Cloid developed the first way to correctly package popcorn and sell it to the masses. As time went on, popcorn was considered the perfect snack food and more people began falling into the popcorn craze.

Over time the market became more competitive for Jolly Time. They forged new marketing strategies by hiring spokespeople and having their product advertised on American game shows. Because of competition, Jolly Time decided to get innovative.They ditched their famous metal container that was used to cook popcorn on a stove, and replaced it with a plastic bag suitable for microwaving. They were the first company to make this change that the entire industry uses today.

Today, Jolly Time still manufactures their popcorn in America exactly where they started at Sioux City, Iowa. Jolly Time offers multiple different flavors including healthy 100 calorie popcorn bags, original, 94% fat free, white kernel, yellow kernel, and over 7 different kinds of butter flavors. With the amazing variety and taste Jolly Time offers on top of it being made in America, buying this popcorn over other companies is a no-brainer!

Popular competitor Orville Redenbacher is also made in the United States and is a wholly owned subsidiary of ConAgra Foods.

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Visit the Jolly Time website here: http://www.jollytime.com/products

Orville Redenbacher website here: http://www.orville.com/

Made in America Movement Growing

Since 1979, 19.6 million manufacturing jobs have been lost to outsourcing. The amount of Americans now living below the poverty line is the highest in over 40 years. About 16% of Americans are impoverished, or about 47 million people.  As the number of people who rely on government assistance grows, and those people fall into the lowest tax bracket, the middle class and wealthy are relied on more heavily to help cover the large debt that America has accumulated.  The American landscape is much different today than before outsourcing.  Small business has disappeared and been replaced by mega-corporations that often have one business principle and one alone: massive profits.  And if poorly compensating employees and finding ways to avoid providing benefits helps add to the bottom line, then you can bet that big business is doing it.  The wealthy stock holders are getting wealthier, the poor employees are getting poorer.  In the last 5 years America has lost 6.9 million full time jobs while part time jobs increased by 3.1 million.

Companies like Wal-Mart have become an extreme detriment to American society.  Forget for a minute that they've made profiting at a small business nearly impossible, Wal-Mart is America's largest employer and it's least patriotic.  By the numbers it is clear that Wal-Mart leadership is Anti-American.  The average Wal-Mart employee is so poorly compensated that they require about $2,000 in government assistance for healthcare, foodstamps, and susbsidized housing.  They have a higher percentage of people on government assistance than any other American company.  Clearly Wal-Mart illustrates a total lack of social responsibility.

Not only does the Wal-Mart CEO make more in an hour than his average employee makes in a year, but try finding American products in a Wal-Mart.  I can not name a business that has contributed to sending American manufacturing jobs overseas more than the "high cost of low prices" business model advocated by the anti-American Wal-Mart Corporation.  Even the American flags at Wal-Mart are made in China. 

While companies like Wal-Mart destroy your way of life, Americans have been searching for answers.  A movement is gaining steam, one that is not unknown but has been forgotten for quite a few years.  The "Made in America movement" is slowly forcing business to rethink how it makes it's profit.  Albeit slowly, people all around this beautiful country realize that their collective purchasing power is strong, and we can make an impact simply by diverting some of our purchases of foreign products to American products.  Why buy Chinese clothing when we can buy American clothing?  Why buy foreign import beer when craft breweries here at home will pay taxes here at home?  Why buy foreign TV's when Element Electronics makes TV's here in the United States?  The list goes on and on.

At a time when the American economy needs a boost more than ever before, many incredible American citizens are spending more money on made in America products.  This movement is growing!  Alex Smith and Aaron Lorell are part of the movement.  They are currently on a cross country journey in a firetruck to advertise the need to buy American.  They call it the "Made in America" tour.  AS they travel the country they are advocating for business to make it easier for us to buy American by creating "Patriot Zones" or aisles that sell nothing but products that are made in America. 

I don't think any of us expect the anti-American Wal-Mart to add a "Patriot Zone" but maybe you can play a role in encouraging small businesses near you to help segregate the items made in America.  Tell your local business owners that you want them to purchase more products made in America.  Sign my petition to ask Amazon to make a "Made in USA" search option.

Save the American economy, buy American!

American Made Bird Feeders featured in news

Kare 11, Siren Wisconsin just released a story about North States Industries.  North States Industries builds bird houses in the United States.  They also build childrens play areas and protection gates for stairs.  The company has stayed American through thick and thin, even after a tornado destroyed the factory and the workers assumed they were going to move production overseas, they didn't.  Instead they rebuilt and all American employees kept their jobs.

The company is even owned by the American employees!!

There are USA Made products from North States Industries featured on Amazon. 

Made in USA Baby Gates, Play Yars, Pet Gates, Pet Yards,Bird Feeders and Bird Houses from North States!

Amazon needs to add a search option for "Made in America"

Amazon.com is America's largest online retailer, but they don't make it easy for you to buy American.  I think they should.  If you agree, please sign these petitions and spread the word.

 

AMERICAN PATRIOTS SIGN THESE 2 PETITIONS:

 

PETITION AMAZON TO ADD MADE IN USA SEARCH

 

PETITION OBAMA TO GET INVOLVED

Made in USA stuff is sponsoring the first petition, every signature sends an email to the CEO and VP of Amazon. The Made in America store is sponsoring the petition to get Obama involved.

There is a growing number of Americans willing to help solve our economic woes by purchasing American made goods.  It would be easy enough for Amazon to add a search option for "Made in America" and allow retailers to mark their items as such.  If they don't want to alienate international business they could offer a search option for other "made in X" as well.

Adding the "Made in America" designation is not just patriotic, it's a smart business decision.  Chinese consumers have recently shown they are willing to pay a premium for products made in America.  Much of the world likely feels the same way.  And if the old rumor that American made goods are more expensive, this is a chance for Amazon to generate more revenue, since people are willing to spend more for the USA label.  I don't believe the rumor is true, in fact I posted an example last week of kitchen spoons, that you save a ton of money buying American.

Do your part, sign and spread the link to this page so others can easily find both of these important petitions.

THE LINK TO THIS PAGE: http://madeinusastuff.blogspot.com/2013/01/petitions.html

REDDIT LINK TO THIS PAGE: http://www.reddit.com/user/PhiladelphiaPatriot/saved

Letter from Chinese Slave Laborer "Made in China"

Did you ever hear the one about the guy who opened a fortune cookie and inside the fortune read "Help, I'm an imprisoned worker in a Chinese Fortune Cookie Factory."  Well the joke no longer seems so funny as we learn about the real life version.

This Christmas we learned about Halloween items sold in the USA produced in Chinese slave labor camps under threat of violence.  Julie Keith of Damascus, Oregon found a handwritten letter placed in old Halloween decorations from an imprisoned worker imploring her to help by giving the letter to the World Human Right Organization.

This story caps off a year muddled in stories of poor working conditions in China.  Conditions are poor enough for the laborers who make your iPod to commit suicide.  Is it really worth the small savings?   Inexpensive Chinese goods come at a price.  In October we learned that Foxconn put up to 200 14-16 year old "interns" on the manufacturing line.  The minimum working age in China is 16.  They will likely be working 60 hours at 18.  It's not enough that paid workers make next to nothing and work in horrible conditions but they need to get kids to work for free?

Foxconn manufactures the iPad, iPhone, iPod, Kindle, Playstation 3, and the Xbox 360.
 

Today many Americans are asking themselves what do we do?  What is our responsibility as ethical consumers?  We might not have realized it is this bad as we now learn of a unique letter placed in Halloween decorations by an imprisoned Chinese worker. 

The letter that Julie Keith found in old Halloween decorations urged her to take action to help the workers who are now slaves after committing small crimes.  Many of these Chinese workers are held without a trial.  They're held without trial for crimes like theft, prostitution, and abusing drugs. The United Nations Human Rights Council reports that 190,000 Chinese citizens are locked up in 320 "re-education" centers in 2009, this is in addition to the 1.6 million people who were jailed in their prison system.  The 50 year old "re-education" through labor program is known as "laodong jiaoyang." Isn't this enough for you to spend a little more energy seeking American products when utilizing your buying power?

The letter from the imprisoned worker reads,


"If you occassionally buy this product, please kindly resend this letter to the World Human Right Organization.  Thousands [of] people here who are under the persecution of the Chinese Communist Party Government will thank and remember you forever.  This product produced by Unit 8, Department 2 Mashanja, Labour Camp, Shenyang, Liaoning China.  People who work here, have to work 15 hours a day without Saturday, Sunday break and any holidays, otherwise they will suffer torturement beatings, rude remarks, nearly no payment (10 yuan/month).  People who work here suffer punishment 1-3 years on average without Court Sentencing many of them are Falungong practitioners who are totally innocent people only because they have different beliefs than the Chinese Communist Party Government.  They often suffer more punishment than others."

The Halloween decorations were purchased at Kmart, they released a statement:

"Sears Holdings has a Global Compliance Program which helps to ensure that vendors and factories producing merchandise for our company adhere to specific Program Requirements, and all local laws pertaining to employment standards and workplace practices. Failure to comply with any of the Program Requirements, including the use of forced labor, may result in a loss of business or factory termination. We understand the seriousness of this allegation, and will continue to investigate."