Union Plans Protest at Federated Headquarters
The Cincinnati headquarters of Federated Department Stores Inc. will be the site of a demonstration Friday when employees and union officials from Fingerhut will gather on the same day that the retail giant is scheduled to lay off 3,300 workers from the Minnetonka, MN-based catalog operation, according to the Star Tribune of Minneapolis.The Associated Press reported that Noel Beasley, Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees international vice president, asked for the protest and possibly the beginning of a nationwide union boycott.
He also asked for state and federal investigations claiming that "Federated has not been sincerely trying to sell the catalog retailer intact," and that the parent company established an unrealistic timeline for Peter Lytle's Business Development Group Acquisitions Inc., Wayzata, MN, to buy Fingerhut.
Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-MN, hopes there is no need for investigations. However, as chairman of the Senate committee dealing with health and labor issues, he was ready to lead them.
