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Chicago, IL – The accompanying photos are were taken by Fight Back! photographer Kim DeFranco at the Dec. 10 noontime protest here, at Bank of America. About 700 people participated in the picket to back the workers at Republic Windows. At about 10:00 p.m. that evening the leaders of UE Local 1110 announced the victorious end of the occupation.

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Chicago, IL – After a six-day occupation of the plant which brought them nationwide attention, the Republic Windows and Doors workers met inside their factory tonight, Dec. 10, to vote on the settlement offer from their employer. A roomful of politicians watched and a knot of supporters waited for the results with great anticipation.

After a few minutes, the chants of “Sí se puede!” were heard in the halls and all the workers streamed out. Cheers went up. The settlement was announced: The Bank of America and CHASE had agreed to a $1.75 million loan. The workers will receive the eight weeks of pay due to them by the WARN act, two months of health insurance and their earned vacation pay.

Their cause had become a symbol of the anger that workers everywhere felt over the Wall Street bailout and the rising unemployment rate. Their fight was with an employer which was secretly setting up a low-wage factory in another state, but also with the Bank of America, which had received $25 billion in taxpayers’ bailout money.

Armando Robles, president of United Electrical workers Local 1110, remarked in summation, “You can do anything when you have the support of every one of your co-workers.” He added, “This is not a victory just for us. It is a victory for every worker in the country.”

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Bank of America has attempted to sow confusion about the state of negotiations. They put out a press release that the dispute between the 260 workers and the company over the unpaid wages, vacation pay and health coverage has been settled. However, the bargaining committee has continued to demand that the company also meet the terms of the WARN Act. In Illinois, the WARN Act requires a company to give 75 days of notice to their employees before closing. Therefore, Republic owes their employees 75 more days of work or 75 more days of pay.

For more information on the rally tomorrow, go to the web site of the United Electrical workers union: http://www.ueunion.org/uenewsupdates.html?news=434

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Milwaukee, WI – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) demonstrated outside a Bank of America office in downtown here, Dec. 9, in an afternoon show of support for the United Electrical Local 1110 Chicago workers.

The Chicago workers, largely Latino, were laid off Dec. 5 by Republic Window and Door after Bank of America refused to continue credit to the company, despite having just received a $25 billion taxpayer bailout. The workers occupied their work site, earning international attention.

Armando Robles, President of UE Local 1110, speaking at the Fight Back! annual fundraising event, People’s Thanksgiving, on Dec. 6 stated, “We're not going to leave [Republic Window and Door] until we get every penny we deserve.”

Milwaukee SDS members who attended People’s Thanksgiving visited the occupying workers at the Republic Windows plant later that night. A 20-year company employee stated the place was his “home away from home” and that the fellow workers were “his family.” The occupying workers, arriving in 30-person shifts, were very encouraged by the local and national support of their occupation.

The National Working Committee of SDS has endorsed the workers’ bold and militant occupation. Numerous student protests have since taken place all over the country to support these working class heroes.

Despite a blizzard, about 20 people attended the Milwaukee rally. SDS students who just got back from an overnight visit to the occupying workers spoke over a loud speaker. The crowd also chanted, “Bank of America – you got bailed out, we got sold out!”

Natasha Morgan, an SDS organizer who visited the occupying workers and was attending the rally, said, “This is the end of the Bush era!”

Learn how you can directly help the workers by donating and signing their petition here: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/bankofamerica

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Chicago, IL – Women inside the Republic Windows plant raise their fists, Dec. 5. The occupation of this Chicago factory by mainly Latino workers is inspiring people around the world

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Chicago, IL – Sunday night, Dec. 7 in Chicago brought more good news to the workers occupying the Republic Windows and Glass factory. The enormous outpouring of support was instantly noticed in the front room outside the worker-guarded doors by the wall to wall notes of solidarity from the hundreds of people who have come by. The workers described how happy they were to get Reverend Jesse Jackson’s support earlier in the day and the cheers that happened in the cafeteria when they heard about President-elect Obama’s statement of support for their cause. They then set their sights on getting Governor Blagojevich to weigh in on the demands for the over $1 million owed these 200 workers.

There was talk that Monday would bring a proposal to the Chicago City Council to take its money out of Bank of America until the Republic workers’ demands are met. The meeting is still set for Monday at 4:00 with Republic representatives, Bank of America and the workers.

The Tuesday rally planned has been expanded to an even larger rally on Wednesday, Dec 10 at noon at Bank of America headquarters 231 S LaSalle Avenue in Chicago.

The workers are noticeably more organized and more confident as they do filmed interviews just outside the worker secured doors. Passersby come in with small bakery boxes of cupcakes at the same time that restaurant owners carry in carloads of prepared food. A cardboard donation box sits on a chair by the door and later SEIU Local 73 called in their support with a check of $2000.

Vice-president of UE Local 1110, Melvin Macklin, outside briefly for a cigarette in the sub-zero weather explained that inside the plant is still an estimated $3 to 5 million of inventory and that they do not believe that the company has been honest with them about its finances. He laughs with the other workers; Ron Bender with 14 years at the plant, Luis Moreno also with 14 years and Erik Ramos with 15 and a half years that they will not let the company change names, declare bankruptcy or any other trick to get out of their responsibilities. When asked how he felt when he got the news earlier this week, he answered “Shafted!” When asked what message he was sending he said, “Fight back!”

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Armando Robles, December 7, 2008, Part 1

Armando Robles, December 7, 2008, Part 2

Armando Robles, December 7, 2008, Part 3

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Chicago, IL – Saturday, Dec. 6 brought more inspiration from workers at Republic Windows and Doors who are occupying their plant in Chicago. The workers’ union, Local 1110 of the United Electrical workers (UE), held a rally at noon outside the plant doors. By then, the workers’ militant action had already become international news.

Lalo Muñoz, a worker in the plant for 34 years spoke to the rally and explained that they had just been given notice on Tuesday that the plant would close Friday. The company had no plans to pay them the 75 days pay required in the Illinois WARN Act, nor their sick pay or vacation pay, and their health insurance would end immediately. Behind him were other occupying workers with blankets wrapped around them to protect them from the below zero temperatures.

Reverend CJ Hawking from the Interfaith Committee on Workers’ Issues called up speaker after speaker to express the importance of the plant occupation for all workers across the U.S. Teamsters Local 743 President Richard Berg, AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Larry Spivak, SEIU Local 73 executive board member Joe Iosbaker, Michelle Aymold, an officer with the Graduate Employees Organization at UIC, Moises Zavala from UFCW, Martin Unzueta from The Chicago Workers Collaborative and Jobs with Justice director James Thindwa called these 260 workers true heroes.

Leaders from the United Electrical workers, Carl Rosen and Leah Fried, explained that the workers were told that Bank of America would not loan the company money. Bank of America denied the loan despite the $25 billion taxpayer bailout the bank had recently received. The 200 person crowd assembled on hours notice chanted, “You got bailed out, we got sold out!”

By the end of the rally, Congressman Luis Gutierrez promised to stick with them until they got justice. People left with concrete plans to return to the 1333 N Hickory Street factory with food, supplies, money, endorsements and ready to get more people for the planned Monday and Tuesday events.

Local 1110 President Armando Robles and his family spent the late afternoon explaining to Chicago activists the details and history of their struggle. As he walked into the packed room at the 17th annual People’s Thanksgiving fundraising dinner for Fight Back! newspaper, the ecstatic crowd chanted “Si se puede!”

The room included people from the disability rights group Access Living, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Southside Together Organized for Power, Sector Latino, the activist fan club of the Chicago Fire, SDS, Palestine Solidarity Group, National Lawyers Guild, Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism, and even the staff of the Venezuelan Consulate.

The crowd made it clear that the workers’ action on Friday had inspired folks far beyond the traditional labor movement. The fundraising bags circulating the room were filled as people came forward to put in $100 donations. After the event a group of 25 people drove to the factory to personally deliver the $1500 raised.

By late night the factory had numerous TV trucks parked outside and was busy with Mexican community members bringing in large silver pots of homemade soup through the barricaded front doors of the main plant filled with expensive equipment and merchandise. The workers had already developed their own food, housekeeping, security and media committees. Vicente Rangel, a union steward with 15 years in the plant, was on his way to a live CNN interview.

Next steps

Sunday morning, Rev. Jesse Jackson of Operation PUSH met with the workers in the plant cafeteria and stated his intention to press Bank of America to reinstate Republic’s line of credit. UE has set up a website for this as well: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/bankofamerica

A labor rally will be held at the factory door on Monday, Dec. 8 at noon, called by Chicago Federation of Labor president Dennis Gannon and SEIU state council head, Tom Balanoff.

The next negotiations between the company, the bank, Local 1110 and Representative Gutierrez will take place on Monday, Dec. 8 at 4:00 pm. If the company does not agree to the workers’ demands for justice, the occupation will continue. The workers will rally on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at noon in front of the Bank of America, 231 South LaSalle Street in Chicago.

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The mostly Latino employees, who are members of United Electrical workers, have worked at Republic – some for over 30 years – and are not even being compensated with continued health insurance or the holiday and sick pay already owed them. They are also legally due wages for 60 more days after the announced closing today.

Vicente Rangel, a United Electrical workers steward and a worker for 15 years in the maintenance division said tonight, “We are sending a message to all the workers in America. We will try to keep the fight and we ask for your support.”

The workers chanted, “Sí se puede!” when they got news updates or solidarity visitors and made plans to stay up all night and prepare for a noon vigil on Saturday as well as a meeting with management and the bank representatives promised for Monday. As the word spread quickly today, plans were put in place for a Tuesday, Dec. 9 rally if their demands are not met.

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