Bedding Industry Leaders Take Pro-Manufacturing Message To Capitol Hill

Furniture World Magazine

Sleep Products Association (ISPA) and six of its member company executives participated in a two-day legislative Fly-In and Forum held by the Coalition for the Future of Manufacturing February 10-11 in Washington, D.C. The event brought over 200 industry executives from various manufacturing sectors together for meetings with key members of Congress to promote the importance of manufacturing to the U.S. economy. Manufacturers joined forces in their appeal to more than 120 lawmakers to enact policies that would reduce the non-production costs of manufacturing in the U.S. The Coalition’s event was an extraordinary opportunity to educate members of Congress about our businesses,” notes Richard Diamonstein, executive vice president of King Koil Mid- Atlantic and Chairman of the ISPA Board of Trustees. “The most important message we communicated was how important it is to compete fairly on a level playing field.” Loss of export potential and unfair trade are significant obstacles that ISPA’s manufacturing members have been forced to confront. Allen Podratsky, senior vice president of the Simmons Company and President of the Sleep Products Safety Council, says that “the experience was exceptionally valuable, especially with regard to the insight we gained about how the legislative processes relate to certain issues that are most important to us.” Key bedding industry issues discussed with policymakers included the American Home Fire Safety Act, indoor air quality, and drivers behind rising business costs. Other issues raised by the Coalition during the Fly-In which are important to all ISPA members and to the manufacturing community as a whole include: fair trade, product liability reform, stabilizing health care and insurance costs, and amending the tax and regulatory structure to encourage domestic investment and employment. Lady Americana vice president Kerry Tramel notes that the legislative forum “was time wellspent. Our concerns were well-received and the policymakers we met with were interested and receptive.” Legislative offices that Tramel and the other ISPA member company executives met with included those of: Senator George Allen of VA, Senator Barbara Boxer of CA, Senator Saxby Chambliss of GA, Senator Jon Dolan of MS, Senator Elizabeth Dole of NC, Senator Russ Feingold of WI, Senator Lindsey Graham of SC, and Senator Joe Lieberman of CT. “It was a tremendous effort for ISPA members and all manufacturers,” notes Mike Murray of Sealy and Co-Chairman of ISPA’s Government Relations Committee. “Clearly, we are raising the visibility of the mattress manufacturing industry through ISPA’s efforts to enhance its advocacy programs on issues that are critical to our companies.” ISPA strongly encourages its members to help promote policies that will help their businesses by supporting the bedding industry’s advocacy efforts and by joining the Coalition for the Future of Manufacturing. Information about participating in the Coalition, which will continue to advocate strong manufacturing through various programs and initiatives, can be found on the National Association of Manufacturers’ Web site at www.nam.org. Established in 1915, the International Sleep Products Association, www.sleepproducts.org, is the trade organization for mattress manufacturers and their component suppliers around the world. ISPA hosts the biennial ISPA EXPO trade show and publishes BedTimes and Sleep Savvy magazines. The Sleep Products Safety Council, www.safesleep.org, is a non profit organization established in 1986 by the mattress industry. SPSC’s mission is to provide consumer safety information, support research, and promote activities aimed at reducing hazards associated with mattresses and other sleep products. The Coalition for the Future of Manufacturing is dedicated to raising awareness of the critical importance of a strong manufacturing base to American prosperity and the challenges facing U.S. manufacturers today, and to seeking pro-growth public policy changes that will ensure a vibrant U.S. manufacturing base in the future. It is open to all manufacturers, associations, and allies of the manufacturing sector.