Chicago Factory Occupied
December 6, 2008 -- WORKERS OCCUPYING the Republic Windows & Doors factory slated for closure are vowing to remain in the
In a tactic rarely used in the U.S. since the labor struggles of the 1930s, the workers, members of United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) Local 1110, refused to leave the plant on December 5, its last scheduled day of operation.
"We decided to do it because this is money that belongs to us," said Maria Roman, who's worked at the plant for eight years. "These are our rights."
Word of the occupation spread quickly both among labor and immigrant rights activists--the overwhelming majority of the workers are Latinos. Seven local TV news stations showed up to do interviews and live reports, and a steady stream of activists arrived to bring donations of food and money and to plan solidarity actions.
Management claims that it can't continue operations because its main creditor, Bank of America (BoA), refuses to make any more loans to the company. After workers picketed BoA headquarters December 3, bank officials agreed to sit down with Republic management and UE to discuss the matter at a December 5 meeting arranged by U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill), said UE organizer Leah Fried.
BoA had said that it couldn't discuss the matter with the union directly without written approval from Republic's management. But Republic representatives failed to show up at the meeting, and plant managers prepared to close the doors for good--violating the federal WARN Act that requires 60 days notice of a plant closure.
The workers decided this couldn't go unchallenged. "The company and Bank of America are throwing the ball to one another, and we're in the middle," said Vicente Rangel, a shop steward and former vice president of Local 1110.
Many workers had suspected the company was planning to go out of business--and perhaps restart operations elsewhere. Several said managers had removed both production and office equipment in recent days.
Furthermore, while inventory records indicated there were plenty of parts in the plant, workers on the production line found shortages. And the order books, while certainly down from the peak years of the housing boom, didn't square with management's claims of a total collapse. "Where did all those windows go?" one worker asked.
Workers were especially outraged that Bank of America, which recently received a bailout in taxpayer money, won't provide credit to Republic. "They get $25 billion from the government, and won't loan a few million to this company so workers can keep their jobs?" said Ricardo Caceres, who has worked at the plant for six years.
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THE MEMBERS of Local 1110 have a history of struggle. In 2004, they decertified the Central States Joint Board--a union notorious for corruption and sweetheart contracts with management--and brought in UE, a far more democratic organization.
In May of this year, Local 1110 mobilized for a contract by organizing a "practice" picket, and 70 workers used their lunch break to confront the boss with a petition listing their demands. The workers were able to turn back company's effort to win major concessions and won solid pay increases.Now, management is trying to get revenge by pocketing money that belongs to the workers.
UE officials and workers acknowledge that it will be difficult to stop the plant from closing. But they're determined to get the money owed to them--and they believe that by fighting, they can set an example for other workers facing layoffs and plant closures as the recession deepens.
Negotiations are set for Monday, December 8. Whatever happens, however, the workers have already sent a message to employers that if they violate workers rights and the law, they can expect a fight.
"This is a message to the workers of
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What you can do
If you live in the Chicago area, come to a rally on Saturday, December 6, at 12 Noon at Republic Windows, 1333 N. Hickory in Chicago, on Goose Island. If negotiations with Bank of America fail to resolve the issue, there will be a picket of BoA's
Members of Local 1110 need your support. Make checks payable to the UE Local 1110 Solidarity Fund, and mail to: 37 S. Ashland,
At the Jobs with Justice Web site, you can send a message of protest to Bank of America (http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/bankofamerica/).
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Keeping the factory open and productive
By Davidson, Carl at Dec 07, 2008 18:15 PM
This factory occupation is interesting in more ways than one, the most important being the militancy of the workers in the immediate sense.
From the above--and I'm not sure its the whole story from where I am, things are changing rapidly--the demands are still within the bounds of liberal redistributionism--the workers asking for prolonged severance gains won under the WARN Act, and the union and company trying to get a loan with pressure from the feds, or from the feds.
One worker on TV was shown saying, 'We make windows; we don't make business decisions.'
But why not? In exchange for public funds, why not put the workers on the board? Why not bring in the community, put them there to, tie it to an area-wide Green Jobs program 'Green Energizing' homes of the working class and small businesses with new windows? If all the politicians showing up for a photo opt want something productive to do, the the programs, funding and enabling legislation together. Make it a model for the whole Obama Green New Deal in the works, and spread it elsewhere.
In the past, in the Stewart Warner battle, the UE balked at going into this territory. But it would be a pity if the workers won their severance under the WARN Act, and the place still shuts down in the end.
This is where the role of structural reform and economic democracy come into play, strengthening the workers and pointing to the future. If you what to raise some socialist tasks in the context of mass struggle, here's the way to do it.
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Re: Keeping the factory open and productive
By Jones, David at Dec 08, 2008 13:04 PM
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