Save Hartmarx Jobs

Hartmarx workers, represented by Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union, demonstrated at Target’s annual meeting in Waukesha, where Wells Fargo Chairman Richard Kovacevich was expected.
Hartmarx is a major Chicago men’s suit manufacturer that has been in business for over a century, but it has recently gone into bankruptcy due to the recession. The company’s main creditor, Wells Fargo, a major recipient of federal bailout money, has suggested it prefers to liquidate the business rather than allow it to restructure and continue operations.
Kovacevich is on the board of Target and is running for reelection. The Hartmarx workers wanted to deliver a message to him demanding that the bank save thousands of jobs rather than liquidate the business for its short-term interests.
“We want to have a discussion with the board of Wells Fargo to keep our jobs at Hartmarx not only here in Illinois but across the country,” said Joe Costigan, treasurer of Workers United.
“We’re concerned that all along the bank has been trying to liquidate these jobs,” he said. “The banks have a hell of a lot of power over working families when it comes to people’s mortgages and our jobs. And Wells Fargo is a key player in deciding if this company stays open.”
Costigan continued, “We make some of the best suits in the country and these are jobs that working people’s livelihoods depend on. These are our jobs and we want Wells Fargo to know they’re worth fighting for.”