Republic Windows & Doors:
fired workers speak out for justice
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Chicago – Last Tuesday, when William Lane arrived home from work from Republic Windows and Doors, he received several phone calls. The nine-year-veteran was baffled when he heard a voice mail message that demanded that he return to work for a very important meeting, his shock heightened when he was dealt the final blow. “That’s when I got the news that the plant was going to shut down that Friday,” Lane said. “I was like, Oh wow, how is that? It was real sudden and real quick.”
The nearly one week standoff between the 200-plus terminated employees, the owners and Bank of America has drawn national attention and has garnered visits from President-elect Barack Obama and Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.
The federal government requires that every employee receives a 60-day notice of their release. Republic’s workers were notified three days before their jobs terminated.
For workers like Dante Washington, an employee of eight years, the firings present a hardship. “I’m still trying to have a Christmas for my son [Dante Jr.],” Washington said, adding that the company seems to have no remorse for the people on the ground level.
“It’s not right what they did to the people that were working here,” he said. “People put a lot of blood, sweat and tears in here. They just didn’t care. All of the time we were here we did everything we could to make these people rich and they just took the money and ran, slammed the door in our faces.”
Negotiations were said to have come to a close last night, with a press conference set for 6 p.m., which never took place. As of now, no agreements have been reached.
Even with the high-profile political figures checking in, the real story is that of the workers. They’ve stood their ground, fighting for justice for workers across the country. Ricard Caseres, an employee for 15 years said he had a hard time explaining the situation to his nine-year-old, but says it was his 18-year-old daughter that put it all in perspective.
“My daughter understands what’s going on right now,” Caseres said. “I talked to her yesterday explaining what happened and she said, ‘I’m sorry dad, but right now you are [making a big stand] outside the company for the other people inside.’ This is [a time] for everybody to stand together united.” –gavin philip godfrey
