The "Made in USA" merchandise label will continue to mean just that.
On December 1, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said it was abandoning its efforts to
weaken the "Made in USA" label. Last May, the FTC had asked for public comment
on its proposal to lower the standard to allow products with 25 percent or more foreign
content to be labeled and advertised as "Made in USA."
The FTC said it received more than 1,000 written comments with the majority
"strongly supporting" retention of the "all or virtually all" standard
now required for use of the "Made in USA" label.
"Seldom have we seen the kind of outrage that Americans expressed when they
learned about the Federal Trade Commission's proposal to weaken the standard governing use
of the label," said Charles Mercer, president of the AFL-CIO Union Label &
Service Trades Department. "Unions, union members, other workers, business owners,
consumers, members of Congress and others are to be applauded for letting the FTC know of
that outrage in unprecedented numbers."
Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Stabenow, co-sponsor of a House resolution opposing the
FTC proposal, said the FTC's reversal is "a huge victory for American workers and
businesses."
From the Michigan AFL-CIO News January 1998. |