AMERICAN LABOUR- CLEVELAND:

A BOSS YOU WANT TO KEEP:

Most bosses you want to get rid of. This boss is one the workers want to keep. I'm speaking of the suit manufacturer Hugo Boss. Over three hundred workers in Cleveland are being threatened with layoffs because Hugo Boss wants to close the factory and relocate to places of cheaper labour. Their union Workers United isn't taking this laying down, and has been waging a long campaign to pressure the company to keep the facility open. This action has enlisted the support of many celebrities, especially actor Danny Glover, and it seems to be having an effect. Here's the story and appeal from Workers United.

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Tell Hugo Boss to keep making suits in the USA
Hugo Boss says it needs to close its U.S. suit factory in Cleveland and fire more than 300 dedicated workers. They say they want to make suits more cheaply in Turkey or Eastern Europe. They don’t even claim the Cleveland factory is losing money -- they just say they need to make a bit more money.

We are already making a difference in the fight to keep this plant open. When we joined Danny Glover and asked celebrities not to wear Hugo Boss on the Oscar Red Carpet, they listened. Hugo Boss wrote, “Due to the recent boycott spearheaded by actor Danny Glover, our wardrobing efforts were significantly diminished for this year’s Academy Awards.”

Recently faced with the threat of a formal National Labor Relations Board complaint, Hugo Boss has agreed to return to the bargaining table. But we need to keep the pressure on Hugo Boss not to close the plant as planned on April 27. Sign this petition, and we'll make sure it gets to Hugo Boss, its investors, and to celebrities who still need to get the message that it’s best to be UnBossed.

Read more…

http://www.thewrap.com/article/labor-strife-follows-hugo-boss-red-carpet-14938
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/oscars/7394612/Oscars-2010-Danny-Glover-calls-on-nominees-to-boycott-Hugo-Boss.html
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/taking_down_the_boss_OEnYmTrCBpF44QITpECbaP HBHBHBHBHBHBHB

The Petition:

Please go to this link to sign the following petition demanding that Hugo Boss' Cleveland factory remain open

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Petition to Hugo Boss, investors and stars:

We the undersigned urge Hugo Boss and the Permira fund that controls Hugo Boss to keep the Boss suit factory in Cleveland, Ohio open. Preserve the jobs of over 300 dedicated employees who contribute to the company’s revenues, dividends and profits. We urge celebrities to continue supporting the Hugo Boss workers by remaining UnBossed. Don’t wear Hugo Boss clothing to public events and ceremonies. We urge pension funds and other investors in the Permira private equity fund that owns Hugo Boss to press Permira and Hugo Boss to keep the Ohio factory open.

AMERICAN LABOUR-CLEVELAND:

HELP WORKERS AT HUGO BOSS:

Sometimes a "personal appeal" can really get to you. Hence the power of the following from a member of the Workers United Union in the USA about the closing of the factory where she works. Read it and see if you, just like Molly, don't want to help out as best you can.

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Tell Hugo Boss: Don't close our factory:‏
You may have heard of my employer: Hugo Boss. It's a company that makes a lot of money selling clothing to some of the most successful and most recognizable people on the planet.

For 25 years, I've made men's suits in Cleveland, Ohio. I've worked hard and earned an honest wage. And now Hugo Boss wants to close the factory, put more than 300 people out of work, and move the Cleveland jobs overseas.

Don't let Hugo Boss close our factory.
Can you write Hugo Boss' Chief Operating Officer Dr. Andreas Stockert and tell him not to close our factory?
Write him at http://action.seiu.org/page/m/18a1e142/16db6c9/5a415600/388f365/1695761614/VEsH/

Hugo Boss spends big bucks on fancy ads and corporate sponsorships like the Davis Cup tennis tournament. Yet they complain that they are subsidizing our factory and they complain that our wages and benefits take too big a bite out of their profits.

My co-workers and I take pride in our work. We support ourselves and our families. And our jobs are important to the economic future of Cleveland and the state of Ohio.

We want to keep our good jobs here in Cleveland so we can put food on our tables and take care of our families.

Tell Hugo Boss Chief Operating Officer Dr. Andreas Stockert to keep Hugo Boss manufacturing jobs here in Cleveland.
Write him at http://action.seiu.org/page/m/18a1e142/16db6c9/5a415600/388f365/1695761614/VEsE/
Sincerely,
Tina Vasquez Hugo Boss factory worker and President of Workers United Local 168C

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THE LETTER:

Please go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to management at the Hugo Boss company.

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Dear Dr. Stockert:
I am writing in support of workers at the Hugo Boss men's suit factory in Cleveland, Ohio.

Your company has profited from the high-quality job done by these manufacturing workers.

If you close the factory, you will devastate not only the workers, but their families and the economic health of Cleveland and Ohio.

I urge you to explore all options with local, state and federal agencies to keep your plant in Cleveland open and keep manufacturing jobs here in the U.S. It is time to resolve this dispute while being fair to workers and continuing to make high-quality clothes manufactured in the U.S.
Thank you.