Palmer – April 4, 2017 – State Senator Lisa Boscola today praised today’s announcement that will save the production of Major League Baseball (MLB) jerseys and jobs at the VF Majestic in Palmer Township.
“I am thrilled with today’s announcement that Fanatics will be acquiring Majestic from VF Corp and that major league baseball uniforms will continue to be produced by the outstanding employees of this plant,” Boscola stated. “The over 500 employees currently employed here have produced the highest quality uniforms that MLB players have worn for over a decade. These employees deserve recognition for fighting to keep these uniforms and uniforms wore by baseball fans across America here in the Lehigh Valley.”
Earlier on Tuesday, VF Corp announced that it had agreed to sell its Licensed Sports Group division, which included VF Majestic, to Fanatics, the global leader in licensed sports merchandise. This follows the December 2016 announcement that Major League Baseball had awarded the exclusive contract for all uniform components to Under Armour beginning in 2020, which left the jobs at the Palmer plant in jeopardy.
Today’s agreement will have Fanatics manage the manufacturing and distribution of Under Armour licensed jerseys and other components.
“I would like to thank Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred for fighting to keep these jobs here in Palmer Township. America’s pastime must have jerseys worn on the field by the world’s best ballplayers in stadiums across America made in the United States,” Boscola added. “This would not have happened with the collective efforts of many across the Lehigh Valley and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
The current contract to produce MLB jerseys at Majestic expires December 31, 2019 with the Under Armour contract to begin on January 1, 2020.
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