Posted February 1, 2017

About a year and half ago, Auggie Tantillo told a U.S. textile industry audience that perhaps someone else from the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) would be addressing the group in the not-so-distant future – implying his neck was potentially on the line if the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) turned into a nightmare for his membership.

Indeed, the council, of which he serves as president & CEO, had put its neck – and, in effect, Tantillo’s – in a vulnerable position as it was pushing to support the massive, 12-country trade agreement, but only if certain “fair-play” provisions were written into the pact’s language. On the surface, supporting TPP didn’t seem to make sense for an industry that had been decimated by certain free trade agreements for a quarter of a century. And especially since one of those signatory countries was Vietnam, a nonmarket, state-controlled economy with enough textiles and apparel manufacturing to overrun what’s left of U.S. production. And some of his members let him know as much.

But, after having failed to earn the virtual “seat at the table” in many of those previous trade negotiations, the NCTO took a different tack this go ‘round. It decided to work with the federal government to ensure the best possible outcome for a trade agreement that was bound to have an impact on U.S. textile manufacturing. Call it mitigating the damage, but that seemed like the right approach for a sector that was in the early stages of a small revival – and on a continued quest for survival.

NCTO was going up against major forces in Washington that were spending millions of dollars working against the NCTO and the U.S. textile industry, refusing to support its terms in the TPP’s textile chapter. “If they get their way, not only will I not be here next year, but there are going to be fewer of you here,” he said in August 2016.

Then last January, after an “exhaustive analysis” of the then-recently negotiated TPP, council members voted to formally support the deal. The NCTO’s principle objectives, which have been outlined on these pages on numerous occasions, were met as part of the finalized terms of the agreement, so the NCTO stayed true to its word to back the pact.

But what a difference a year makes.

The day before Donald Trump’s inauguration, there was Tantillo, standing at the dais during the South Carolina Manufacturing Alliance’s annual Textile Summit, and still talking TPP – but mostly in the past tense. On the campaign trail, Trump, with an assist from Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, brought awareness to the TPP and a negative perception of it among much of the electorate. In June 2016, Trump didn’t mince words when he said, “The TPP is another disaster done and pushed by special interests that want to rape our country.”

It’s probably safe to say that Tantillo, the NCTO and the broader U.S. textile industry are somewhat relieved that TPP is toast for the time being (as Trump would ensure just a few days later when he withdrew the U.S. from the ambitious agreement). But that’s no reason to leave it for dead, Tantillo told SCMA members.

“I would said TPP is in a deep hibernation,” he said. “I don't think anyone believes that in the first three months, six months, year or even two years that there will be an opportunity to revitalize it. But don't expect these people to go away. They will look for opportunity, and they have plenty of allies on Capitol Hill who don't really believe in the ‘Trump Doctrine,’ so to speak, on trade.”

Yet, Tantillo did sound upbeat as the nation stood on the precipice of a Trump Administration.

“What an exciting time to work on federal policy as it relates to the manufacturing base,” he said. “What an interesting time to be in the manufacturing sector, with the ushering in of a new paradigm, a new president and hopefully a new reality in terms of how the manufacturing sector is viewed in the context of policy deliberation. No longer, evidently, are we going to be the last group in line waving our hand in the back of the room asking for people in Washington to take us seriously and to address the issues and concerns that we confront and that affect our competitiveness both here in the U.S. market and abroad.”

But with TPP off the table for the time being, don’t expect Tantillo and his staff to take up the role of Maytag repairman, either. Even after spending the majority of its time the last five years working on this issue, its efforts on behalf of the industry is far from done. He outlined several of those looming issues in his presentation, including the potential renegotiation of NAFTA (and possibly other FTAs), the assessment of border tariff, a possible balance of payment surcharge and, of course, the council’s #WeMakeAmazing public relations campaign.

As we enter the Trump Era, greater things could indeed lie ahead for U.S. manufacturing. And we’ll continue to need Tantillo and the NCTO fighting the good fight for the industry’s interests. For me, I’m glad to see Tantillo still standing as we plow ahead and break new ground on a more fertile American textile production environment.