Milwaukee's finest are poised for a fashion overhaul that a New York City-based uniform manufacturer says will replace the cops' current "Mayberry" image with a cutting-edge look.
But the company's path to outfitting the Milwaukee Police Department's 2,000 officers with new trousers and shirts is getting bumpy.
An alderman and a labor group recently won a delay in the selection of a local supplier for replacement uniforms, complaining that bid documents specified a favored manufacturer -- I. Spiewak & Sons, the New York firm. The century-old company is non-union and says it would make the uniforms in China.
Milwaukee labor activists who pushed through a pioneering anti-sweatshop clothing ordinance here would like to see another manufacturer, Pennsylvania-based Elbeco, get the chance to outfit Milwaukee police.
Elbeco does not claim that all its uniforms are made in the United States, but it has several unionized domestic facilities. Spiewak defends its record on working conditions...