11 Iconic American Products That Are Now Mostly Made Overseas
Nothing is more American that baseball, blue jeans, and apple pie. Except, almost all those things are not primarily manufactured in America anymore. You can help keep the American workforce going strong by signing this petition from the Communications Workers of America.
While there still are some baseball companies manufacturing on American shores, the official baseballs used by the MLB have actually come from a factory in Costa Rica since 1986.
The first blue jeans were made in San Francisco in 1873, and they have been an iconic American fashion since, but the largest American manufacturer of jeans began to move their production facilities overseas in the 1990s, and stopped making jeans in America altogether in 2003.
The official apparel supplier for the NBA kept all manufacturing of NBA jerseys in America until 2009. Now the jerseys are mostly made in Thailand.
Thanks to certain labor unions, there are still factories making light bulbs in America, but most of the large manufacturers have moved their production facilities overseas.
Despite being one of America’s most iconic heroes, G.I. Joe toys have never been made in America. Classic G.I. Joe toys had parts made in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan.
Although its predecessors date back to the 1930s, the first true automobile to be called a minivan was made in America, and instantly became a big hit with soccer moms across the country. However, because of a waiver to the Buy America Act, most minivans are no longer manufactured in America.
There are still some American companies making little red wagons, but the major manufacturers have moved their facilities to China.
Everyone has owned at least one pair of the classic high-top, rubber-soled canvas sneakers in their life. Up until 1997, these iconic kicks were still made in America, but now they are made in Indonesia.
For a long time, the steel industry was the backbone of the American economy. (We’ve even got an NFL team named for it.) These days, most steel manufacturing has moved overseas.
Some of the more high end guitars are still made in California, but almost all new Stratocasters are coming from production facilities in Mexico these days.
The last American-owned TV manufacturer declared bankruptcy in 2004 and closed its doors shortly afterwards.
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ahrenb a year agoMost of these companies make these decisions based on market pressure, and some (Levi’s for example) Face the choice of bankruptcy and closure or outsourcing production. Signing petitions to companies is all well and good, but if you really want your voice to be heard, vote with your dollar and support companies that make products here, even if it means paying way more. Let’s be honest, many americans have been spoiled by cheap foreign goods and have more “stuff” than we need. Save your scruples and support american labor.
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- seannyfleming thinks 11 Iconic American Products That Are ... is WTF & OMG
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