“MADE IN VIETNAM”: The company contracted by the City of Tulsa uses non-union, overseas labor. (Photo: Courtesy Peggy Mulvihill)

The uniform vendor selected by the City,  Eagle Outfitters, was hired by the City of Tulsa to produce new uniforms for the municipal workforce. According to Peggy Mulvihill, who has been handling the issue, the order was placed in February with a promise of a 90 day turn-around time. But almost nine months later, less than half the workforce has been supplied their new uniforms. When asked about the delay, Mulvihill says, “The City gave one excuse after another. But we’re still not sure what the problem was exactly.” She went on to explain, “Once the uniforms started coming in, their was no consistency about who got them and who didn’t.” Over the year, frustration over the issue grew as some workers were forced to wear their own street clothes to work. Adding insult to injury, the City’s choice of vendors utilizes non-union, Vietnamese labor, in spite of assurances that the uniforms would be “Made in USA.” The Labor and Trades unit members were particularly frustrated over these issues, but all departments are affected. Vince McGee and Peggy Mulvihill have been responsible for solving the problem and, as other members began vocalizing their frustration, the City agreed not to use the same company in the future. In addition, Secretary-Treasurer, Jamie Anderson has been appointed to represent AFSCME at the City’s new High Performance Government Study Committee to speed-up the process and prevent future issues with uniforms.