November 3, 2007

(Washington, D.C.) – Teamster members protested Friday and today at New Era Cap stores in Atlanta, New York City, Buffalo, London, and Toronto. The protesters called on New Era, one of the country's leading baseball and urban fashion cap manufacturers, to end discriminatory practices and ongoing violations of workers' union rights at its facility in Mobile, Alabama.

United Students against Sweatshops, community groups, and labor advocates here and abroad joined in the protests. Passing out flyers that said, "Some things don't fit in a New Era Cap," the protesters said they want to alert customers to the racism and intimidation the Alabama New Era workers face.

"It's time for a new day at New Era," said Jim Gookins, Teamsters Local 991 Secretary-Treasurer. Local 991 is the bargaining representative for the 111 workers who voted last July to join the Teamsters.

Black workers at the Mobile plant with years of experience have been passed over for promotion in favor of white workers. All but one manager at the Mobile plant, out of a management/administrative staff of more than 20, is white.

"When workers wanted to address this discrimination by forming a union, New Era management used every means in its power to bully them out of a free choice. Management ran a systematic intimidation campaign. They even told workers that workers would jeopardize their food stamps by voting for a union.

New Era's bullying and racism is not the behavior American sports fans expect from the company that makes their teams' caps. Sports should be colorblind. New Era has shown that it is not." Gookins said.

"Our demands are simple and just," said Felicia Walker, a union activist and former New Era employee, who was among more than 20 workers fired from the Mobile facility during the course of the union campaign. "We want New Era to reinstate the fired workers, and to give black workers a fair chance to compete side by side with white workers for promotions and job assignments."

The union has received reports that conditions at the Jackson, Alabama New Era plants are even more repressive and harsh than those at the Mobile facility. Several workers have told the union that sweatshop-like conditions are prevalent in the Jackson facility.

"With these actions, we are calling New Era to end the racism and repression of a bygone era and live up to the values its customers trust this company to honor," said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa.

New Era Cap is the manufacturer of Major League Baseball official caps, and for a number of NBA, NHL, and collegiate teams. The company also makes popular caps for hip-hop fans.

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States and Canada.