BUFFALO, NY, (January 21, 2008) – New Era Cap Company today issued the following statement in response to rallies organized by the Teamsters Union in Alabama:

o New Era is the only major cap manufacturer making headwear in the United States and employs approximately 1,500 Americans in its four U.S. facilities

o Eighty-one percent of New Era’s Alabama workforce are African-American and 39 percent of the administrators and managers at the three plants are minorities


o New Era’s Mobile facility has not received one discrimination complaint since 2005; no complaints have been filed at the company’s three Alabama plants in the last two years; and the two complaints filed earlier with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission were dismissed without merit


o New Era spent the last five years working in concert with its labor union, the Fair Labor Association and the university community to demonstrate its commitment to abide by and embrace the codes of conduct


o New Era has excellent labor relations with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) at its Derby, New York, facility and the two were joint recipients of Cornell University’s “Champions @Work” award, in recognition of the ongoing cooperative relationship


o Since 2003, New Era has maintained a highest approval rating with the FLA


o New Era conducts annual, third-party, unannounced audits of its facilities


o New Era offers a compensation and benefit package above the average for the industry and above the median for Alabama


o Employment at New Era’s Alabama facilities includes a full array of benefits including health insurance, company contributions to a 401k plan, bonus program, company paid life insurance and employee perks like discounts, sports reimbursement and gifts

o To date, 20 negotiation sessions with the Teamsters have occurred

“We are working in good faith to reach a contract agreement at the bargaining table,” said Tim Freer, Human Resources Vice President, New Era Cap. “Instead of trying to work through legitimate contract issues in an appropriate way, the Teamsters have turned to PR tactics and stagecraft. We believe that if the Teamsters were to put as much effort into contract negotiations as they are into organizing rallies and media events, we would be able to reach an agreement in a reasonable time frame.”



###


About New Era Cap
Since 1920, New Era Cap, located in Buffalo, New York, has been the world’s premier headwear brand with products that transcend time, culture, sport and fashion. Producing more than 30 million caps per year, New Era is the exclusive manufacturer and marketer of the official on-field cap worn by every Major League Baseball team and their Minor League affiliates and maintaining agreements with other licensed entities. Some of the Company’s core markets include Action Sports, Children, Fan, Suburban, Women and Fashion/Lifestyle. The Company employs people in New York, Alabama and at its operations in Canada, Europe and Japan.

CONTACT:
Dana Marciniak
Corporate Communications Manager
(716) 536-9913
dana.marciniak@neweracap.com