Union Protests Hugo Boss Fashion On The Red Carpet

The Service Employees International Union has organized a boycott of Hugo Boss fashion products on the Academy Awards' red carpet Sunday, decrying the German company's shuttering of its Cleveland, Ohio suit factory in favor of overseas manufacturing.

Actor Danny Glover has joined the "No Hugo Boss On The Red Carpet" boycott, and the SEIU is asking other Hollywood luminaries to sign a pledge stating that they won't wear the brand on Oscar night. The union is passing out pins pledging support for the cause, hoping that stars will wear them to the ceremony.

Danny Glover.

"Hugo Boss suits have been a favorite at the Oscars for decades, and for years Hugo Boss has been making high-quality suits at a factory near Cleveland that employs nearly 400 hard-working women and men," Glover writes in a letter to fellow celebrities. "But over the winter holidays, Hugo Boss sent letters to these dedicated employees saying that they would no longer have jobs by April."

The SEIU argues that the Cleveland plant was profitable, but not as profitable as moving the suit-making operation to Turkey or Eastern Europe. States the union:

"Hugo Boss says it wants to expand sales in the U.S., but the high-price brand will heavily depend on its Hollywood cache in order to do that. And right now, Hugo Boss is probably working hard to promote iconic celebrities to wear their clothing line at the March 7th Oscars. We need you to ask that each Hollywood star in attendance publicly refuse to wear Hugo Boss clothing, so long as the company continues to put its own greed over the interests of American workers."