Garment Workers Announce Strike at Two Midwestern Suit Factories; Workers United members cite unfair labor practices for stalled contract talks

CHICAGO, Feb. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 450 workers at W. Diamond Corporation, makers of Hart, Schaffner & Marx men's suits in Des Plaines, IL, and Keystone Tailored Manufacturing in Cleveland, OH, will be going on an Unfair Labor Practice strike, after the company blatantly violated federal labor law.

The members of Locals 39C, 61 and 272 in Des Plaines, IL and Local 168 in Brooklyn, OH, of the Chicago and Midwest Regional Joint Board (CMRJB) of Workers United, an SEIU affiliate, are striking in protest of the company's unlawful behavior throughout negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.

On Monday, February 11, at 11:00 am (EST), Workers United members will meet outside their suit factories at 901 W. Oakton, Des Plaines, IL, and 4600 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, OH, to walk the picket line and to demand justice at their workplace.

"This employer has lied to the Union, has lied about the Union, has lied to our members, and is lying to the community," said Kathy Hanshew, Manager of CMRJB and International Vice-President of Workers United. "A local at the heart of the labor movement in Chicago deserves better." Hart, Schaffner & Marx suits have been made in Cook County for over 131 years, and its workers were active during Chicago's 1910 strike.

Both corporations are owned and managed by the same group of owners. W. Diamond Corporation received a tax abatement from Cook County for the next ten years, with the promise of creating and keeping jobs in Cook County. On the other hand, Keystone Tailored Manufacturing received a jobs grant for $150,000 from the city of Brooklyn. Keystone just announced that they will be closing in less than two months.

About Workers United
We are an American and Canadian Union with over 100 years of history. We are the Union of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, the 1910 Chicago Strike, Sidney Hillman, and Amalgamated Bank. Our history is rich with victories made possible by our loyal members. We are the sons and daughters of ACTWU, ILG, HERE and UNITE!, and now, along with SEIU, we continue to fight for the rights of the working class.

SOURCE Workers United