This time, however, that smaller, roving band of survivors, who had lost some of their pack due to some of those earlier pacts, came back with another tack: Let’s try to work with the government rather than against it to see if we can get something out of this unstoppable global train – or at least try to keep it from flattening us.

 

And they came armed with tons of “surprising” facts: We’re the third largest exporter of textile products in the world …  we’re exporting at record levels … we provide a major source of tax revenue and employment for our surrounding towns and cities … we represent a strong manufacturing base in the U.S. … and on and on.

 

In the end, the industry didn’t get everything it had sought, Tantillo said. But as with any negotiated contract, there are benefits and there are concessions. And the TPP, as a whole and on paper, looks more favorable than previous agreements in terms of strong rules of origin, tariff phase-outs on sensitive products and stability for the Western Hemisphere’s textile and apparel pipeline.

 

In other words, it’s palatable.

Posted January 27, 2016

 

Do you know how it feels to have dinner at a new acquaintance’s house with a table full of strangers? And they serve a plethora of exotic dishes, none of which you really find appetizing but are willing to try in order to get something you came for. And that something is the right to speak openly and freely and, you hope, have a vote in what’s on the menu next time you gather?

 

Feels a little uncomfortable, for sure. But that’s something for which the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) and its predecessor association, and by extension the U.S. textile industry, has wished for many years – a seat at the table, particularly when the fare includes international trade agreements.

 

Rather than shout from outside the room as it has during past trade negotiations, the NCTO politely asked for that chair when the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was announced, with a promise of perhaps supporting it if it included certain language that could help mitigate any damage that may result from its passage. And, believe it or not, the council was granted access to the big dining room and was ultimately given something akin to a gold, engraved nameplate on its chair – that being a permanent spot and a say-so in the matter.

 

Often, as a lone voice in the room, the NCTO was shouted down by the fat cats – the retailers, brands and importers, who wielded a hefty amount of clout and a history of getting their way. But for whatever reason – perhaps by being cordial, clear and succinct and holding a sound argument that resonates with American manufacturing – the council and its members got much of what it was seeking in the TPP.

 

Auggie Tantillo, president & CEO of the organization, said as much, save the aforementioned analogy, during the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance’s Textile Summit last week in Spartanburg, S.C. (Read more here.) After a detailed review of the agreement, council members formally voted to support the TPP the day before, and its board affirmed the decision with its yea vote. This after determining the U.S. had come back with a “reasonable” agreement that included several provisions the council had recommended for several years.

 

I remember previous trade agreements – NAFTA, CAFTA, KORUS – in which the U.S. textile industry was not only left out of the room but was locked out of the house. Government officials, opponents and other countries probably looked at the industry as merely a distraction, like a tiny, whiny bunch of Chihuahuas with little bite and a lot of bark.

A seat at the table