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CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - What was otherwise a little known labor dispute involving a small clothing factory in Cleveland has now become a national story, thanks to the involvement of a Hollywood actor. The dispute involves some 400 workers at the Hugo Boss suit factory in Brooklyn who are set to lose their jobs next month when the German owners of the company move the work overseas.
The Workers' United Union, in a last ditch attempt to drum up support for the workers, brought in actor and activist Danny Glover to visit the plant this week. I don't know the details of the negotiations between union and management that led to the company's decision to close the plant, but it's hard not to sympathize with skilled and semi-skilled workers like those at the suit factory whose jobs are disappearing because companies can hire cheaper labor elsewhere.
But we can't kid ourselves, companies are in business to increase profits and if they can lower labor costs by taking advantage of today's worldwide marketplace - then that's what they are going to do. Labor and management in industries across the region need to find some common ground that keeps jobs here and I'm not sure Danny Glover elevates that conversation.
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