Levi Strauss shuts last US factories - Democratic Underground

La_Serpiente

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Sat Jan-10-04 05:50 AM
Original message

Levi Strauss shuts last US factories

Levi Strauss shuts last US factories

Levi Strauss, the California Gold Rush outfitter whose blue jeans are a globally recognised symbol of America, closed its last two US factories on Thursday.

About 800 workers at the sewing plants in San Antonio, Texas, lost their jobs in the move, which was announced in September. At their peak, the plants produced more than 4 million pairs of jeans a year.

The financially troubled company, based in San Francisco, has been shifting production to overseas contractors for years to offset drooping sales in the ultra-competitive apparel market. Only two decades ago it had 63 US manufacturing plants.

Levi Strauss spokesman Jeff Beckman said the 150-year-old company was making an unavoidable business decision.

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Levi Strauss shuts last US factories

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0007

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Sat Jan-10-04 05:56 AM
Response to Original message

1. Who will be the new slave workers?

Now I hope Americans will make that unavoiable choice and quit buying levis

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imax2268

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Sat Jan-10-04 05:57 AM
Response to Reply #1

2. That's to bad...

it's the only brand of jeans that I wear...dammmmm...

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Dimsdale

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Sat Jan-10-04 08:43 AM
Response to Reply #1

3. Links to union-made outlets.

Got this from Malloy's show on ieamerica radio.

http://www.nosweatshop.com/

Sources for US-made clothing.

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GoddessOfGuinness

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Sat Jan-10-04 11:58 AM
Response to Reply #3

6. Thanks!

Well worth passing along...

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Enraged_Ape

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Sat Jan-10-04 09:27 AM
Response to Original message

4. Levis used to be cheap, GREAT pants; now they are just cheap crap

I had to toss two pairs of Dockers recently because the seats wore out after just two months. Two months! And it's not like I break stallions in them.

Now I have a pair of Levis jeans in which the watch pocket is wearing through. How the f*** does a watch pocket wear out when you don't even use it?

Needless to say, I've had it with them.

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cheapbeemr

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Sat Jan-10-04 11:31 AM
Response to Reply #4

5. The middle class no longer deserves quality......

Maybe the Japanese should start making jeans for us?

Levi's gross profit was running at 40% while running American plants, which doesn't seem like 'money losing' to me. Problem is with the commercial lenders, who demand that everyone follow the model of moving manufacturing overseas - money calls the shots.

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GoddessOfGuinness

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Sat Jan-10-04 12:00 PM
Response to Original message

7. "We have to operate as a global company."

When did the US drop off the globe?

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