New Era Cap Workers Need Your Help!

Across our union, CWAers can make a difference and help save jobs at New Era Cap Company. The challenge: Stop the shutdown of one of two remaining New Era facilities in Demopolis, Ala., and Derby, N.Y. CWA represents workers at both locations; New Era now is shutting its Jackson, Ala., plant.

CWAers are contacting elected officials, United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) and other groups, asking them to press universities and colleges to buy only American-made ball caps for their sports teams and sales to students. CWA activists also can contact their local university and alumni groups to spread the word that U.S. colleges should buy only American-made ball caps, and that means caps made by New Era.

New Era says because of the economic downturn, its production of Major League Baseball caps can be done in one facility. In a letter to New York's U.S. senators, representatives and state legislators, CWA District 1 Area Director Dave Palmer said CWA wants both facilities to remain open and that means increasing demand for the U.S.-made ball caps.

Palmer asked the lawmakers to contact university and college leaders and ask them to require all school-licensed products to be American-made.

USAS played a major role in supporting New Era workers in 2002 when members of CWA Local 14177 were forced into a long strike.