Republic Windows Workers Occupy Factory2

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 heading into bankruptcy 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

[ostrc]

Working people in this country need to stick together. We've been ignored and trampled on too long. How we can help:

Members of Local 1110 need your support. Make checks payable to the UE Local 1110 Solidarity Fund, and mail to: 37 S. Ashland, Chicago, IL 60607. For more information, call UE at 312-829-8300.

[stoneydude37]

oh shut up. its B of A's job to bailout this company. hell, B of A didn't even want the bailout money from the government. why should B of A lend money to a company that is going bankrupt. they won't get there money back. Your company fucked you over, not B of A.

[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!

[Videofrigate69]

That's what I'm talkin' 'bout folks!! We DO NEED TO STICK TOGETHER. I AM A NON-UNION semi-professional and I support what you are doing! What happened to the money the gov't appropriated? Where's it going?

[OrmEmber]

Yeah, sticking your finger in the face of a teller trying to do her job and saying "You got bailed out, we got sold out" is really cool. Of course Bank of America employees are in the process of getting downsized too, regardless of the bailout. So this jerk's action is doubly insulting.

I'm a big union supporter, but taking it out on a teller just trying to get by serves no purpose; and is being a bit of a bully yourself.

[peterfdrucker]

See wikipedia for interesting example of what can be done in similar situation: "After the closure of the Zanon factory, workers took control of the factory in a desperate attempt to keep their jobs. They justified this by the large amount of money they were owed in back pay, the fact that the Zanon factory had been built with public funds, as well as worries about asset stripping. These events occurred in the general context of the turmoil created by the 2001 economic crisis."

[Freedom4u2talk]

Something like this happen before, it was the ford sit-down strike,

I don't care weather your Union or non, Okay,

Look at Bank of America, and the bail out, They are out party-in or the funds of the Tax Payer, and not giving money to the companies, And Republic short on cash, Not sure, but they sold off equipment, and move jobs, or sold new jobs to there friends in the business, I Know I did it in the 70s sold equip, to pay labor, and did much to keep afloat,