Republic Windows Workers Occupy Factory1

United Electrical Workers at the Republic Window and Door factory in Chicago's Goose Island neighborhood were notified on Wednesday, 03 December that they were laid off as of Friday. No warning, nothing. On Friday 05 December workers showed up to get their paychecks, and staged a sit-in. They have now occupied the factory.

Republic is in financial trouble and Bank of America is running the show there now: and they instructed Republic to ignore their duty to their employees--state and federal law require notice--and their contract with the workers' union and deny them any severance or their vacation pay.

This occupation represents workers in this country finally saying "no more!" This video was taken Saturday morning, 06 December

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• chicago
• republic
• windows
• and
• doors
• workers
• labor
• movement
• strike
• luis
• gutierrez
• UE
• seiu
• afscme
• ibew

[Gongsunsheng]

In our hands is held a power

greater than their hoarded gold

Greater than the might of armies

magnified a thousand-fold

We can bring to birth a new world

from the ashes of the old

'CAUSE THE UNION MAKES US STRONG!

[tikinkss]

Thanks to these people for beginning the fight for the millions of us that may have this happen to us in then next few months.

[apoyojuicios]

Good!!! finally america is waking up!!!

[pulppeeler]

hmmm either you have seperate accounts to try an conceal you identity...or you cant think for youself and have to cut and paste someone elses post...either way...sad

[pterryn]

Great struggle, great victory!Gongratulations.

But maybe the workers should not give up the occupation right now. If the factory is about to close, they could run it themselves as workers are doing elsewhere.

Look up on the experience of factories under workers control in Argentina, e.g. Zanon, Brukman and many others. Because bosses need workers, but workers don't need bosses!

[AcaiBerryMONAVIE]

BANK OF AMERICA shall SUCK SATAN'S COCK now

[parisrai]

The US government and workers are asking BOA to extend a line of credit(loan) to a failed business. Average worker due $3500 X 300 workers for $1,050,000.00 in loan to a FAILED business. Banks making bad loans is part of what got us into this mess. So, it the bank just going to write off this million dollars. Or are they going to expect the failed business owner to pay it?

[Warhorse46]

Large US banks and federal reserve need a course correction. National debt is now $34000 dollars for every American (google "national debt clock"). Congress is complaining about Chrysler needing 7 billion but they just gave the banks 100 TIMES AS MUCH (700 hundred billion).  Defend the workers, F the bankers, abolish the fed reserve.

[t1201971]

And if you think some people should have fewer rights than others because of where they were born, then maybe YOU should be the one to leave the country, asshole!

[t1201971]

So wait, it's OK for the company to completely disregard federal law (the WARN act) in lying to the workers about the shutdown of the factory, and it's OK for Bank of America to piss away billions of taxpayer dollars while crying poverty when it's time to loan out a couple million to save jobs, BUT the big problem comes when some workers have to have a sit-in to defend their jobs? Hunh? You know what? FUCK RACISM!!! Workers have a property right to their jobs no matter where they were born!!

[PlastikBlakLawnJocky]

i want to know if these workers are here legally or not. every interview i have seen has a hispanic with such a heavy spanish accent you can hardly understand them. if they are here illegally then they need to GTFO and quit acting as if they have rights, but those here legally more power to them