Corporations Seek to Bar 80 Percent of Mattress Imports--Including Medical Mattresses
NEW YORK, April 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Mattress Alliance announced today their response to an official petition filed March 31 with the International Trade Commission by a group of U.S. corporations including Brooklyn Bedding, Corsicana Mattress Company, Elite Comfort Solutions, FXI Inc., Innocor Inc., Kolcraft Enterprises Inc., Leggett & Platt Incorporated, and others. These petitioners are suppliers and producers for major mattress brands such as Tempur-Pedic, Serta, Simmons, Sealy, Casper, Purple, Tuft & Needle, and others.
The petition aims to bar imported mattresses—including medical-grade mattresses under a number of HTS codes including 9404.21—by imposing insurmountable tariffs up to 1,008 percent. Seven countries known as strongholds of mattress manufacturing were targeted: Vietnam, Thailand, Turkey, Serbia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia—representing 80% of all mattress imports in the U.S in 2020.
News agencies are reporting that beds are one of the most essential medical devices hospitals need now. COVID-19 projections from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation indicate American hospitals will not have 87,674 hospital beds and 19,863 intensive care unit beds in time to save lives.
If this ITC case reaches the preliminary hearing on April 21, it ends U.S. importers' ability to supply mattresses to help throughout the pandemic.
"If we shut down the supply of hospital beds, the immediate effect would be catastrophic as more and more hospitals and emergency centers are calling out for more beds," said Michael Roizen, MD, emeritus chief wellness officer at Cleveland Clinic. "We are in this for the long run and should be planning for additional peaks later this year and into the future."
This global crisis is the worst possible time for corporate power moves to increase market share. Imported mattresses make up a significant percentage of beds in hospitals. And American importers need to continue ordering beds to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said, "In the midst of a global health crisis, this opportunistic corporate warfare could cost many American lives. This is not the time to be restricting these supplies."
Maven, a U.S. importer and member of the American Mattress Alliance, is currently supplying thousands of beds to hospitals and crisis centers across the country. Maven has distribution channels in place for overnight and two-day fulfillment across North America to get beds in hospitals and emergency centers immediately.
Matt Poyma, account manager for a leading healthcare equipment company, said, "We are in the process of converting doctor office exam rooms into patient rooms to care for COVID-19 infected patients at this critical time. Our normal suppliers could not meet the urgent need for beds and we had to look elsewhere for these critical supplies. Maven was able to send the rollaway beds we needed to help our patients."
Steve Douglas, vice president of operations for Maven, stated, "These petitioners are willing to put American lives at risk for their personal gain. It is abusive. It is immoral."
To learn more about the American Mattress Alliance and this issue, visit americanmattressalliance.org.
About American Mattress Alliance
The American Mattress Alliance exists to provide high-quality products to American consumers with an emphasis on innovation and accessibility. The American Mattress Alliance was created in response to an antidumping petition filed on March 31, 2020. Members include Maven, Lucid, Linenspa, and others. The communications chair is Bryce Larsen. Learn more at americanmattressalliance.org.
SOURCE American Mattress Alliance
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