02/04/2009 09:38 AM
Hundreds of garment workers and childrenswear manufacturers held a rally yesterday against new federal standards they say will cripple the industry.
A new federal law set to take effect next Tuesday mandates that all children's items from clothes to toys to shoes be tested for lead and other dangerous chemicals. Any products that are untested would be banned.
But those rallying yesterday outside Macys in Herald Square say they object to regulations retroactively affecting millions of products already on store shelves.
They say it would cost thousands of jobs and drive companies out of business.
"The industry is already struggling as it is," said worker Cecilia McInerney. "The company I work for laid off a bunch of people already and I have a feeling if this goes though the way they plan on doing it, it's going to completely kill it altogether."
"It's virtually impossible and extremely costly to go back and test thousands and thousands of products that were produced in some cases years ago, only to prove that they are safe," said Steve Levy of the group Safe and Affordable Childrenswear.
The Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act was prompted by the recall of millions of tainted toys made in China.
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