***** News Advisory for Thursday, May 7 ****
Contact: Chris Mahin, (773) 726-1284, cma...@cmrjb.org
Margarita Klein (312) 738-6100, mkl...@cmrjb.org
Union Plans Vigil to Help Save 1,000 Jobs
Des Plaines Factory Where Workers Made the Suit that President Obama Wore on Inauguration Day Will Be the Scene of All-Day Event
DES PLAINES – On May 7, Chicago-area union workers will conduct a vigil at Hart, Schaffner, and Marx, a men’s suit-making company whose workers made the suit that President Obama wore on Inauguration Day. The company filed for bankruptcy protection on Jan. 23.
WHAT: An all-day vigil
WHEN: Thursday, May 7, from 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Hart, Schaffner, and Marx,
1680 E. Touhy Avenue, Des Plaines
BACKGROUND: Hart, Schaffner, and Marx is a men’s suitmaker whose workers are represented by the union Workers United. The workers at Hart, Schaffner, and Marx made the suit which President Obama wore on Inauguration Day. The company filed for bankruptcy protection on Jan. 23. The company’s primary lender – Wells Fargo – has been trying to force the company to liquidate. U.S. Representative Phil Hare has called this move particularly upsetting because Wells Fargo has received $25 billion in federal government-backed money.