Guess Workers Protest Efforts to Unionize
More than 300 Guess employees and other garment workers took to Los Angeles streets Wednesday protesting efforts to unionize local manufacturing employees.
Clapping their hands and shouting “No union! Leave us alone!” the workers marched from Guess headquarters at 1444 S. Alameda St. to the nearby offices of UNITE, a textile and garment union attempting to organize the factory employees.
Guess employs about 1,300 people in Los Angeles.
Union officials charged that Guess management organized the event in an effort to stop unionization.
“There’s no question that Guess has coerced workers and orchestrated today’s activity,” said Hillary Horn, spokeswoman for UNITE.
A company spokesman vehemently denied any involvement. “That is rubbish,” said Bill Barnes, spokesman for Guess. “This was a spontaneous outpouring . . . and they had a very loud and clear message: ‘UNITE, leave us alone.’ ”
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