Iiattrhpblpr M M Lji Manchester, Conn
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20 - MANCHESTER HERALD. Saturday, Oct. 6, 1984 BUSINESS Thousands losing Jobs Airline denies its jet Mercier backs district Play Bingo! neared Soviet base on firehouse land issue . and win cash! ... page 5 Shoe industry in Maine faces extinction ... page 10 ... p ag e 2 By Jeffrey J. SImek panies can fight the dragon.” has closed two plants and laid off United Press International In the first week of September hundreds. alone, one shoe factory in Maine Maine’s shoeworking jobs are AUGUSTA, Maine — For 15 announced it was closing and going to Brazil, Hong Kong, Puerto years, Jeanne Hebert worked at another announced layoffs affect Rico, Korea, Taiwan^— locations Cloudy tonight; the Bass shoe factory in Wilton, i■J r Manchester, Conn. ing more than 200 workers — where men and women work for Now she has a new job — trying to no change Tuesday typical of the trend that is sending ektremely low wages — averaging save the heritage that she's shared Monday, Oct. 8, 1984 the shoe industry into a slow and 25 to 33 cents 'aKhour, Hebert said. with generations of other Maine — see page 2 painful retreat. "The companies will survive by Single copy: 25« shoe workers, iiattrhPBlpr Mm lJi "W e never thought this was going offshore. What happens to Hebert is head of Shoe Workers going to happen,” said Mary the people? They’re throwing them of Maine — a group formed last away,” she said. spring to build a legal dike to stop Zukauskas, an employee at Ban gor’s Spot-Bilt Inc., which an Cohen said the auto industry the flood of cheap foreign-made nounced a new round of layoffs cried that it was a catastrophe shoes that now dominate the Friday. when imports took 26 percent of the domestic market. Closer to home, market, and the steel industry she hopes to protect the livelihood "The situation is -more serious than many people realize. There forced action when imports hit 18 of friends and relatives still percent. With nearly 75 percent clinging to their jobs. are husband and wife teams at Spot-Bilt that could lose their penetration by foreign shoes, he W h o w o n “ I have my children and grand jobs,” she said. said, action was certainly children and I want them to be able warranted. to stay in this state. 1 love this In a letter to its employees, A The decline of the domestic shoe state,” Hebert said. "M y friends — Marvin Ungar, executive vice UPl photo industry began in 1981, when the people I ’ve worked with for so president of Hyde Athletic Indus President Reagan vetoed an ITC many years — what are their These happy shoe workers of the Bass tries, Spot-Bilt’s Cambridge, forced the industry to seek relief from recommendation that quotas be [or alternatives? I don't want to see a Mass.-based parent company, said the debate? Shoe Co., shown in a 1981 file photo, are the International Trade Commission in imposed. By no coincidence, forced mass migration” because the jobs were not being eliminated, now seeing their jobs end as more Maine Labor Department figures llou.se. tmt the president was \ of the recent spate of layoffs. the form of new quotas on foreign just moved overseas where wages By Laurence McQuIllen show employment in the Maine unratticd as he dealt with .some Hebert fears the Maine shoe plants in Maine close. The closings have shoes. are lower. United Press International shoe industry peaked in 1981 and times sharp .ittacks from his rival. industry — the largest in the To compete with imported have since shown a massive V LOUISVILLE, Ky. — President "I did wh.it I w.uited to do.” United States — is mortally tional Trade Commission when Hours after that decision, he he said. wounded. shoes, we are planning to import decline. Reagan and Walter Mondale both Mondale s.iid afterward He said they and their counterparts across submitted a bill that would have Time is of the essence. Since that he had ,1 cluuce "to make my ca.se In the past 12 months, more than all of our uppers and complete the Hebert said laid off shoe workers iire claiming victory in the first, the country asked the federal the same effect by limiting the ITC ruling, another 30 shoe facto and to let the .American (H'liple 2,000 shoe workers have been laid shoes here in Bangor. This will are not only proud, but optimistic. crucial presidential debate of t984 agency to reimpose quotas on number of importes to 50 percent of ries have closed down nationwide. compare I lie two ol us ” off — among the nearly 7,000 who unfortunately eliminate two of the- — a freewheeling exchange that 8 foreign shoes. all shoes sold in the United States. Hebert said. And many are struggling on departments in our factory,” Un underscored their differeiu-es on While Mouse spokesman lairry have lost their jobs in the state When the ITC issued its unanim With only three weeks left in the Three out of every four pair of limited incomes as they wait for gar wrote. issues ranging from taxes and the Speakes quoted the president as since 1970, ous decision that, in effect, ruled congressional session. Cohen calls shoes sold in the United States are the phone to ring, hoping for a call federal deficit to religion and .saying Heel great I II .sliH'p well Nationwide, more than 450 shoe American shoe companies were the bill "a longshot.” imported, industry officials say. from the shoe plant telling them That followed by two days the abortion. toiiighl ” - factories and 100,000 jobs have not unduly affected by the imports. "B ui whether it’s this session or "T hey've hung on as long as they everything’s all right. announcement that the Joseph M. The vit;il question which Mondale picked up a favorable vanished in the past 15 years. Sen. William S. Cohen, R-Maine, first thing brought up in the next could,” Hebert said, “ Without Herman Shoe Co. in Pittsfield "Unless our industry receives contender won — will remain aiipraisal from ,111 unlikely .soiirix' Maine shoe workers had hoped termed it “ nearly unprecedented session, we're ging to bring it up. import quotas. I don’t know how would close forever. Bass Shoe Co., relief — and very soon — there will unre.solved for a while, at least Terry Dolan, chairman of the for some relief from the Interna- for its glaring illogic.” This issue is not going to go away,” much longer the remaining com one of Maine’s largest producers. be no calling back.” until pollsters have time to ask National I’on.servalive Political voters whether or not Mondale cut Action ('oiiimittee, who .said the into the large lead that Reagan Democrat did ''mucli iH'ller” than held going into the clash. Reagan Administration hails jobless rate dip Both candidates, however, are "1 lliiiik Reagan was consumed Business In Brief trying to build on the nationally with facts and figures and not with By By Dennis G. Gulino Reagan said was "intolerable” in Labor Statistics Commissioner broadcast showdown, with Reagan either reminding iH'opIc how had things were under Waller Mondale Firm bCiys Skate Fantasy United Press International 1980. Janet Norwood said, however, that Unemployment today planning a victory foray to "He was right then,” the labor a 125,000 loss factory jobs was ‘‘the North Carolina and Maryland, or in preseiiliiig iH'ople with a A Boston-based firm has bought the former Skate Fantasy Rate vision ol the future.” Dolan WASHINGTON - The nation’s spokesman said. "T o call it good first statistically significant over- while Mondale hits New York, building on Broad Street and will turn it in to a paper goods store by M onthly complained unemployment rate dipped news now that 8.5 million people the-month decline in nearly two Pennsylvania and Ohio, the end of the month, a company representative said Friday. Rates slightly to 7.4 percent in Sep are out of work is wrong.” years” in that category. An estimated 100 million televi The Sunday night clash was Mh' The store, called "Paperam a,” will sell stationery, party goods, tember, with women making The politically sensitive jobless More farmworkers were on the sion viewers tuned in for the first of two debates iH'lwrvn 4he household and seasonal items, according to James Kirby gains, but factory workers hurt by figures will be measured one more unemployment rolls as well', as debate, in which neither candidate candidates The final confronta advertising director for the John S. Cheever Co. the most job losses in nearly two / time before Election Day when their jobless rate jumped to 15 made a major gaff. It was one of tion is .set for Oct 21 in Kansas Mondale’s strongest performan City. Mo , on foreign (Xilicy and The Manchester store will be the eighth "Paperama " toopen in years, the Labor Department said October’s rate is reported on Nov. percent from August’s 12.8 9%- New England and the first one outside the Boston area, Kirby said Friday. 2, four days before the balloting. percent. / ces in his long quest for the White national .securilv issues "Our marketing and research firm told us that Manchester was Coming a little more than a The total of unemployed re one of the types of area these stores do best in, in terms of income month before the Nov. 6 presiden mained at 8.5 million despite the Service employment, from UPI photo 8%- and population density, ” Kirby said.