STICKLEY FURNITURE IN MANLIUS OWED MILLIONS FROM FEDS IN UNCOLLECTED FEES ON ILLEGALLY DUMPED CHINESE FURNITURE –DEMANDS SWIFT REPAYMENT TO PROTECT 850 JOBS & ALLOW CNY LANDMARK TO COMPETE ON LEVEL PLAYING FIELD, EXPAND PRODUCTION
Schumer Reveals That Stickley Furniture & Others Are Owed Tens of Millions In Import Fees On Chinese Wooden Furniture That Is Illegally Dumped on Market – Customs & Border Protection Has Failed to Collect Fees That Allow Domestic Manufacturers Like Stickley To Compete on Level Playing Field
Schumer Demands Customs & Border Protection Crack Down & Repay Stickley An Estimated $2 Million –Company Would Use Funding to Increase Production & Hire New Workers Schumer: Stickley Furniture Is Symbol of Central NY, Feds Must Have Their Back
Yesterday, at the L. & J.G. Stickley facility in Manlius, U. S. Senator Charles E. Schumer joined employees and revealed that Stickley Furniture and other furniture manufacturers in the U.S. are owed tens of millions of dollars in antidumping fees that the federal government has not collected from illegal Chinese wooden furniture imports. Schumer previously worked to impose antidumping fees on companies, many based in China, that unfairly compete with domestic furniture producers and damage businesses like Manlius’s landmark company, Stickley Furniture. However, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has not collected these fees, and has also failed to disclose which companies are missing out and what they are owed. Stickley estimates it is owed about $2 million – non-taxpayer resources it needs to boost production, keep its 850 Manlius jobs, and hire workers. Schumer demanded CBP immediately begin to publicly identify and collect the fees he helped impose on Chinese wooden furniture producers, and in turn deliver the hundreds of millions of dollars owed to Stickley and other wood furniture companies across the country.
“It is simply unacceptable that Customs and Border Protection officials have been asleep at the wheel when it comes to collecting the mandated fees on illegal Chinese furniture imports, which are intended to level the playing field for domestic furniture manufacturers that are playing by the rules. The CBP cannot even identify the bad actors that continue to break the law. This negligence has cost furniture manufacturers tens of millions of dollars across the country, and it is felt deeply at home where Stickley Furniture, one of Central New York’s landmark companies, has been denied an estimated $2 million dollars in uncollected fees,” said Senator Schumer. “This lost revenue not only prevents Stickley from being able to expand and grow, but it also creates unfair competition for this home-grown business. I am calling on the CBP to swiftly reconcile the damages owed to Stickley so they can expand production, maintain and grow their workforce.”
“Stickley Furniture is a global brand and a time-tested company that remains strong,” said Aminy Audi, Owner, Stickley, Audi & Co. “That’s why Stickley is proud to join Senator Schumer in saying no more time should be wasted on this issue at the expense of the American furniture industry and the American jobs that rely on its success. These antidumping fees help to fund Stickley’s growth, assist in maintaining our world-class manufacturing workforce and support the things we do here to keep the focus on the customer and community. We appreciate Senator Schumer’s constant push to level the playing field for us by fighting for these dollars which we will reinvest in New York State and help to make Stickley better than ever.”