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Union Rally in SavannahCome support the Labor Movement in Georgia!
WHAT: Press Conference/Union Rally
WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 17 at 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Johnson Square, Savannah
“The American Dream is not to work hard, productive hours for low wages and poor benefits. I call for executives at Hugo Boss to do what’s morally right; agree to a fair contract with a livable wage and pension plan.” - Rev. Jim Nelson
First District Congressional Democratic Party Nominee Rev. Jim Nelson will speak at a union rally on Thursday, August 17, 1:30 p.m. at Johnson Square in Downtown Savannah. Nelson will join several community leaders in demanding that Hugo Boss USA give workers at its Midway, Ga. distribution center a fair contract.
Others scheduled to speak include State Rep. Al Williams (D-Midway), Union Leaders, Hugo Boss employees, local clergy and other concerned citizens.
Hugo Boss’ Midway distribution center employs 80 workers, mostly African-American women, who earn an average wage of $7.63 an hour and have no retirement plan. They have been working without a union contract for nearly three months because Hugo Boss refuses to offer more than a thirty-cent raise, which won’t even pay for the gas cost increase employees have incurred on their drive to work.
At the same time, Hugo Boss is charging $1200.00 per suit for the company’s new line of designer suits. In fact, Hugo Boss workers must cope with low-wages and no pension at a time when the company is making record profits. In the first half of 2006, sales increased by 19% with the strongest gains in the company’s American division. Last year, the German luxury apparel giant had sales of $1.57 billion and net profits over $120 million. Their stock price shot up more than 30% over the past year. (source: UNITE HERE and www.behindthelabel.org)
Nelson said, “The American Dream is not to work hard, productive hours for low wages and poor benefits. I call for executives at Hugo Boss to do what’s morally right; agree to a fair contract with a livable wage and pension plan.”
Workers at the Midway distribution center are represented by the labor union UNITE HERE. Lorenzo Walker, a Hugo Boss employee and UNITE HERE member, said: “We work very hard to make our company prosper. All we want in return is a fair wage increase and a start for our pension.”
Brett Hulme, president of the Savannah Central Labor Council, said, “The 34 unions that make up the Savannah Central Labor Council support any workers with bona fide labor disputes, especially the workers at Hugo Boss.”
Nelson is the First District Congressional Democratic Party Nominee. The First District covers most of Southeast Georgia, including Midway, stretching along the coast from Savannah to St. Marys, and inland from Valdosta to McRae.
posted by Cousin Pat from Georgia @ 10:30 PM
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