On Saturday a group of 250 unionized workers peacefully shut down the Republic Windows and Doors plant after they were given 3 day’s notice that their factory was closing. They were also told that they would not be getting their severance packages or their vacation pay. With the thought of losing their jobs in an already unforving economy, workers decided to take action and are still protesting at this very moment.
So what started this mess in Chicago? As the workers closed down the plant in shifts, union leaders talked to the press outside and criticized the bailout of the plant that is leaving ordinary laborers behind while the head honchos on top leave with millions. The company claims that it can’t pay its employees because cancelled loans from the Bank of America won’t let them.
The Bank of America received $25 million by the US government in order to give out to corporations in the form of loans. Republic Windows and Doors was one of the many factories that was given tax payer money by the government during the bailouts, and their loans were to come from the Bank of America. When their loan money was cancelled and their monthly sales had almost fallen by half ($2.9 million), CEO Rich Gillman decided to close the doors of the factory. The Bank of America responded that they were not responsible for the factory’s financial obligations to its employees, therefore resolving itself of any guilt. It does seem rather ironic doesn’t it… taxpayer money being handed out to banks and corporations and not being used to better the working conditions for the TAX PAYING workers. Workers and protesters outside the factory realize how badly they had been exploited and carrying signs that say: “You got bailed out, we got sold out.”
Workers along with US Representative Luis Gutierrez (D) arranged for a meeting with company officials on Friday, but were angered when no officials showed up. Another meeting was scheduled for today in the afternoon.
The workers of the Republic factory are finding themselves in the national spotlight, providing hope and encouragement for workers across the country that find themselves without jobs. Many of the workers are surprised to see support coming from Rev. Jesse Jackson who has delivered food for the striking workers, the governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich who has urged all corporations in Illinois to not accept loans from the Bank of America, and even Barack Obama who spoke in favor of their strike. “The workers who are asking for the benefits and payments that they have earned, I think they’re absolutely right and understand that what’s happening to them is reflective of what’s happening across this economy,” he said at a news conference on Sunday.
Such action is reminiscent of the workers’ struggles in the 1920s and 30s. It has been compared to the 1936-37 sit down strikes by General Motors factory workers in Flint, MI as a way to unionize the Auto Industry. As the United States finds itself on the brink of another depression, is this a sign of things to come? Will similar protest be seen around the country as the economy continues to get worse?
We can only hope so.
It may be the only hope for the working class people of this nation.
1 comment:
Again, I'd like to juxtapose my comment against a larger theme. This time I'd like to address sustainability. It's an episteme that has transformed from a singular word with a definition into something that encapsulates the essence of a whole market evolution: greening products to make our resources last longer.
Not to marginalize the sort of work undertaken by the window workers, but I see their jobs as part of an "unsustainable" American market. Of course, when times are tough corners need to be cut, but the scale of production undertaken in the window/door market has produced output beyond consumption, so losses are cut and unemployment results. Certainly when the housing market was bubbling, lots of doors needed to be made for all the shiny McMansions, but that is again an unsustainable means to operate an economy.
So the key here is how to avoid "greening" our economy. Don't get me wrong: "greening" is good when it comes to promoting environmental awareness and supporting the concept of sustainability in a social consciousness. However, examine the approach "greening" has occured. Has fundamental change in individual consumption habits come to establish a new status quo? I argue no, that individuals consume and dispose just as ravenously as they did pre-global warming. Now, "sustainable" products have become commodified and a new market niche created for them. Again, not a bad thing, but where is the real change? When will our market and its BEHAVIOR and OPERATION become sustainable, and go beyond shallow endeavors to make its products marketable as such?
So with this big metaphor I'm really asking a question. This economic downturn has shown us that we can't and won't consume windows and doors at the previous rate we now can deem unsustainable. So what sort of re-creation of the market can we imagine? I would warn against sending these laid off workers to the Clorox factory to make more "green" bleach or whatever, because they are still working within a market that caters to unsustainable consumption patterns.
*How do we create a sustainable economy?
I think if there is ever a challenge Democratic Socialists should rise up to, it is to answer this question. How do you empower workers to control their own means of production and contribute to an economy that can bear its own weight in the long run? If capitalism is collapsing upon itself, how does Democratic socialism practically apply itself and generate solutions that ultimately work in tandem with the "praxis" we discuss?
On a personal anecdote, I think if there was ever a time to attempt a second "black wall street," the time is now/soon. That would be my solution to the questions I pose. What are your thoughts?
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