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The Republic Windows and Doors Factory Occupation was a December 2008 factory occupation by members of Local 1110 of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) who had been employed by Republic Windows and Doors.

The Nation columnist John Nichols dubbed the UE the "Most Valuable Union" of 2008 for their protest at Republic.

Background

Republic Windows and Doors had been founded in 1965 and had at times employed over 700 people. In recent years it had produced "energy-efficient doors and windows." When new home construction declined (fallout in part from the subprime mortgage crisis that was apparent by 2007 and which itself had helped trigger a global financial crisis), so too did the financial fortunes of the company—particularly in the last months of 2008. By early December 2008, workers at the factory had noted the nighttime removal of various pieces of machinery, and feared that Republics' ownership would sell off the factory and fail to provide severance or vacation pay.

UE Local 1110 had organized in 2004 "after dumping a company union that had agreed to a wage freeze and had allowed dozens of workers to be fired with no protest."

Roughly 80% of the Republic employees were Hispanic, and they earned an average of $14 per hour while receiving health-care coverage as well as retirement benefits.

Occupying the factory

On Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008, workers at the Republic factory were told in a meeting that the facility was closing that Friday and that the employees would be laid off. Workers refused to leave on December 5th when the factory closed, and voted unanimously to occupy it.

Workers voiced dissatisfaction with their employer, with Bank of America (a creditor of the company), and with the federal government's corporate bailout plans, such as the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Some, such as Silvia Mazon, who had worked at the factory for thirteen years as an assembler, expressed a determination to continue the occupation until their demands were met. "We’re here, and we’re not going anywhere until we get what’s fair and what’s ours. They thought they would get rid of us easily, but if we have to be here for Christmas, it doesn’t matter."

One reporter at the scene described the occupation as "relatively quiet" and noted that the workers sitting-in arrived in shifts throughout the day and night, tidied the factory, and received notable visitors such as Illinois Democratic Representatives Luis V. Gutierrez and Jan Schakowsky. Food and other supplies were donated by supporters.

Initial reaction

The plant occupation reportedly led to protests at a number of Bank of America branches across the country, and statements of solidarity came in from other nations including France and Argentina.

Then-President-elect Barack Obama came out in favor of the members of Local 1110 the Sunday after the occupation began, stating in a news conference his belief that "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."

The Rev. Jesse Jackson deemed the UE response to the plant shutdown "the beginning of a larger movement for mass action to resist economic violence" and visited the workers at the factory.

Workers at the factory expressed surprise at the high-profile support their protest received. Republic employee, and union local vice president, Melvin Maclin noted of the reaction, "We never expected this. We expected to go to jail."

Comparisons to the legendary Flint Sit-Down Strike and similar actions during the mid-1930s were not uncommon. Historians Nelson Lichtenstein and Christopher Phelps argued in a CNN.com piece that the Republic factory occupation "recalls one of the most storied moments in American history, when thousands of Depression-era workers took over their own workplaces, seeking union recognition and better wages."

Resolution and aftermath

The occupation of the Republic factory came to an end on Wednesday, December 10th when Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase agreed to lend upwards of $1.5 million dollars to Republic Windows and Doors. This amount was sufficient to cover 60 days worth of severance for the laid off workers as well as vacation time they had previously accrued. After the agreement the workers voted unanimously to end their occupation, with Local 1110 president Armando Robles remarking "The occupation is over. We have achieved a victory."

See also

• United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America
• Republic Windows and Doors
• Occupation of factories
• Sitdown strike