Page 109 - BWM March 2013

March 2013 | Business World Magazine | 109
footwear. Priest says this make current tariff
rates “doubly recessive.”
To overcome these policies, the FDRA
was instrumental in creating a bill known as
The Affordable Footwear Act. Introduced
in Congress in 2006, the bill garnered sup-
port from more than 157 legislators on both
sides of the political aisle, but never emerged
from committee as necessary to allow for of-
ficial vote. The measure was recently pushed
for, with more than 91 legislators approving,
with similar results. Priest says little is being
focused on in the way of trade legislation at
the moment, but he is ultimately confident
the bill will gain traction and be passed. This
is one of the FDRA’s greatest priorities.
Studies show the shoe industry generates
some $60 billion in annual revenues, and rep-
resents more than 10 percent of the billions
annually collected by customs. Priest says the
industry is not only an important part of the
national economy, but an essential driver of
jobs, whether it is a forklift driver in Cali-
fornia involved in distribution, a shoe de-
signer working out of St. Louis or New York,
a warehousing employee in Tennessee, or a
shoe retailer working out of Topeka, Kansas.
“This industry has a long history as a driver
of jobs, so our point is if we’re constantly go-
ing to pay these duties which line the pock-
ets of government, it undermines our ability
to drive job growth.”
STEPPING-UP TO SAFETY
In April, the FDRA will host the 2013 Prod-
uct Safety and Environment Workshop in
Washington D.C., which is just one example
among the plethora of educational programs
and workshops FDRA routinely conducts
throughout the world. The FDRA has been
the industry’s fundamental source of infor-
mation and intelligence allowing members
to have greater insight into issues that im-