Hartmarx workers vote to stage sit-in

May 11, 2009 (DES PLAINES, Ill.) Workers at Chicago-based Hartmarx Corp. rallied inside a Des Plaines plant Monday and voted unanimously to stage a sit-in if Wells Fargo liquidates.

Hartmarx filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January. A Hartmarx spokesman says the company has interested buyers and is weighing offers.

Union officials say the factory's 500 jobs could be lost, and they're prepared to fight.

In a statement, San Francisco-based Wells Fargo says it sympathizes with workers, but Hartmarx is unable to pay the $114 million it owes the bank.

The company wouldn't say when a liquidation could take place.