Hartmarx workers sit-in vote spreads to Rochester, NY

http://transitional.pww.org/article/view/15641/

Author: Pepe Lozano
People's Weekly World Newspaper, 05/14/09 13:49

In a powerful rising movement to save jobs, union workers are flexing their muscle these days nationwide by voting unanimously to sit-in at factories and not let bailed-out banks decide their fate.

More than 450 workers at Hickey-Freeman in Rochester, NY, voted unanimously May 13th, to stage a sit-in at their factory if the company’s main creditor Wells Fargo & Co. decides to liquidate the business. The vote comes one day after more than 600 workers at Hartmarx Corp. in Des Plaines, Ill. voted to sit in at their plant.

The company is in the process of being sold. Union leaders fear the new owners being sought by Wells Fargo will shut down the operation which has been operating since 1872.

The Rochester workers are joining with the workers at Hartmarx, Hickey-Freeman’s parent company. The Rochester Regional Joint Board of the Workers United Union, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union represent workers there.

Debbie Glinski has worked at Hickey-Freeman for 15 years.

“There are a lot of married couples that work here,” said Glinski in a press release. “If they lost their jobs, their families would be devastated. These banks received bail out money and that came from taxpayers like us. We helped them out and they need to help us out too.”

FULL story at link.

You threaten workers, we threaten you. Period.