NTA Personnel Policy Committee Meeting

Wednesday, Dec. 15, 1999

10:00 a.m.

Best Western, Lord Wakefield Hotel

Wakefield, MA

The NTA Personnel Policy Committee met on December 15, 1999 in Wakefield, MA. In attendance were: Mike Schwotzer and Ami Esquivel, BF Goodrich Performance Materials; Herb Gray, Cranston Print Works Company; Mimi Brunelle, Guilford of Maine; Dan Brown, L. W. Packard & Co., Inc.; and David Trumbull, Northern Textile Association

David Trumbull reported on OSHA's recently published Proposal for an Ergonomics Standard. The deadline for commenting on the Proposal is February 1, 2000. Information on the Proposal can be found on the OSHA web site--www.osha.gov. In addition, there is an industry-sponsored web site critical of the proposal--www.ncergo.org. Mr. Trumbull also shared a newspaper clipping about a non-member textile mill in New Hampshire that recent was fined $54,000 by OSHA for safety violations.

Rosemary White, Strong Financial Group, presented information on retirement planning. She distributed packets of information on why to have a retirement plan, the types of plans available, maximizing retirement for key employees, and the cost range.

David Trumbull presented an update on international trade legislation in light of the failure of the Seattle WTO talks. Trade issues that may see action in the coming year include: WTO membership for China, permanent Normal Trade Relations for China, Caribbean Basin trade benefits, Sub-Saharan Africa trade benefits, and wool fabric tariff cuts.

Herb Gray, Cranston Print Works, spoke on the particular issues facing New England textile operations. He recounted how Cranston's New England facility was able, through management-labor cooperation, continue in operation and thrive, while the Cranston facility in the South--a newer facility with lower labor cost, lower energy cost, lower taxes, and lower level of government regulation--had to close. Mr. Gray shared with the group a column on international trade written by Cranston president George Shuster for The Providence Journal. A copy of the column is enclosed. Mr. Gray’s notes are also enclosed.

The next meeting has been tentatively set for March 22, 2000, and will be a plant tour of Cranston Print Works' Webster, Massachusetts facility. Mr. Gray will also assist by recommending a speaker from the Webster area for a presentation on recent changes to the COBRA law.

Respectfully submitted,



David Trumbull