Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Hundreds of Workers, Activists Hold Funeral Process Through The Streets of Montreal!

Last Saturday, we were joined by more than 600 workers who took to St. Hubert Street in Montréal to rally in front of a Moores clothing store. The rally was organized to protest the recent announcement that Montréal's Golden Brand factory will be closed this summer. Angry workers called on Montrealers to denounce the decision of Men's Wearhouse to shut the factory down despite the company's high profits over the past two years.

We're also pleased to report the strong support of other unions in the Québec Federation of Labour, and political parties the Bloc Québecois, Parti Québecois, New Democratic Party, and Québec Solidaire.

The Golden Brand workers carried a coffin that symbolized not only the loss of their 540 jobs but also the state of the clothing manufacturing industry in Canada.

"It's a day of mourning for our members, they are literally burying their jobs," said Lina Aristeo, director of the Québec Council of UNITE HERE and vice president of the Québec Federation of Labour. "Men's Wearhouse is abandoning its 540 workers so that they can make even higher profits. It's corporate greed and it's an insult to all workers."

April 14: Made in Canada "FASHION POLICE" to Conduct Label Check on MPs

Garment workers on Parliament Hill ask MPs to save jobs in the Canadian apparel industry and show leadership by wearing suits made in Canada

UNITE HERE, Canada's largest apparel union, came to Parliament Hill to conduct an MP LABEL CHECK. Workers and union representatives challenge MP's to "show us your label" as a test of whether Canada's political leaders are really committed to buying Canadian-made suits and jackets. At a special news conference, UNITE HERE asked all MPs to intervene to save jobs in the Canadian apparel industry. Read More

Workers Protest Men's Wearhouse Announcement That It Will Close Its Canadian Factory

UNITE HERE launches North American Campaign Against Retail Giant to Save Hundreds of Apparel Jobs

UNITE HERE announced that it will campaign across North America to save nearly 600 Canadian manufacturing jobs at a Montreal plant that Men's Wearhouse announced it would close in July. Hundreds of workers, represented by Quebec Council of UNITE HERE, rallied at a press conference outside the Golden Brand Factory and vowed to fight the closure. Workers and activists reached out to customers in a dozen cities including New York, Toronto, LA, and Philadelphia. Read more