Union Leader in Guess Campaign Quits

David Young, 38, the apparel industry labor leader directing the union-organizing campaign at Los Angeles jeans maker Guess Inc., has resigned. No replacement was named by the union, which is called Unite. Young, who was with Unite and one of its predecessor organizations 11 years, said he quit “because of the failure of the union to provide the promised support and resources for the Guess campaign.” He declined to elaborate. A Unite spokeswoman said a “reorganization” of the campaign is underway and that the union remains “very committed” to the effort. The campaign at Guess, the biggest apparel manufacturer in Los Angeles, and at its contractors has become one of the nation’s highest-profile organizing drives. Guess recently announced it would shift most of its production from Los Angeles to Mexico and South America, but it said the labor situation was not a major factor in its decision.