2008 Woodie Awards
NAACP calls on MLB to fight discrimination in Alabama
Courtney Essett
Issue date: 2/6/08 Section: Sports
Last week NACCP president Julian Bond joined forces with Teamsters president Jim Hoffa to ask Major League Baseball (MLB) to intervene in discriminatory practices by its exclusive on field cap producer. New Era Cap manufactures major league baseball's official caps and is also a supplier for a number of NBA, NHL and collegiate teams. Its Mobile, Alabama distribution center is being accused of racial discrimination and worker rights violations.
The NAACP released a report on Jan 28 titled "Racial Discrimination, Repression and Retaliation at New Era Cap." It is an investigative report documenting conditions including a lack of promotion of experienced black workers and poverty level wages with a significant pay difference between black and white workers. The report also names "a fierce retaliatory anti union campaign" during which 20 workers were fired. Despite these conditions, the 111 New Era Mobile employees voted last July to join the Teamsters. "New Era's Management tactics in Mobile date back to the bad old days of the Old South, or the factory systems of the turn of the century," Hoffa said. "They have no place in today's America. And they have no place in the company that makes the official team caps for the All American pastime."
Hoffa and Bond's request follows the rising upsurge of protest against New Era's worker and human rights abuses by student groups, civil rights organizations, labor and religious groups. These groups have taken their campaign to consumers and the universities that do business with New Era to demand a change in its policy.
"I am confident that Major League Baseball will join us in demanding that New Era end the disgraceful and discriminatory situation at its Mobile, Alabama facility," said Bond.
To find out more about New Era or to read the NAACP's report, go to www.naacp.org.
The NAACP released a report on Jan 28 titled "Racial Discrimination, Repression and Retaliation at New Era Cap." It is an investigative report documenting conditions including a lack of promotion of experienced black workers and poverty level wages with a significant pay difference between black and white workers. The report also names "a fierce retaliatory anti union campaign" during which 20 workers were fired. Despite these conditions, the 111 New Era Mobile employees voted last July to join the Teamsters. "New Era's Management tactics in Mobile date back to the bad old days of the Old South, or the factory systems of the turn of the century," Hoffa said. "They have no place in today's America. And they have no place in the company that makes the official team caps for the All American pastime."
Hoffa and Bond's request follows the rising upsurge of protest against New Era's worker and human rights abuses by student groups, civil rights organizations, labor and religious groups. These groups have taken their campaign to consumers and the universities that do business with New Era to demand a change in its policy.
"I am confident that Major League Baseball will join us in demanding that New Era end the disgraceful and discriminatory situation at its Mobile, Alabama facility," said Bond.
To find out more about New Era or to read the NAACP's report, go to www.naacp.org.
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