"So I called New Balance and talked to Catherine Shepard in the press relations department. She told me that 70 percent of their shoes are made in the United States, at four plants in Massachusetts and Maine; the rest are made in Europe and Asia. New Balance’s plants aren’t unionized, but all are run on a modular manufacturing plan — meaning no assembly-line piece work. Employees are paid between $10 and $12 per hour, plus bonuses and benefits. “We’re working toward being 100 percent U.S. made, she said."