A quaint throwback to the 1930s, the sit-down strike, is back. Republic Windows and Doors of Chicago's North Side closed its doors a few days ago after the Bank of America cancelled Republic's line of credit. The collapse of the real estate market has wreaked havoc on all segments of the home building industry. All 300 employees of the plant, 260 of them union members, are out of work.
Today Jackson, and my congresscritter, Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston), visited the shuttered plant. Yes, television cameras were there.
The union members are represented by the United Electrical Workers, a group with a long history of far-Left politics.
The federal plant closing law, which mandates that employers give workers a 60 day notice before closing large facilities, doesn't apply here. Republic closed the factory because of the cancelled line of credit.
I have great sympathy for the former employees who've suddenly lost their jobs and their health care benefits. However, and I didn't know this until I read it in Peoria Pundit, but sit-down strikes don't occur much anymore because they are illegal.
That's something the union, Jackson, and Schakowsky, probably didn't mention while they were grandstanding on the North Side.
Republic's former employees aren't getting their jobs back. Their union needs to tell them that--and it needs to tell them to go home. I imagine the workers will do that on their own, but if they don't leave, they risk getting arrested for trespassing.
UPDATE 10:10am December 8: Illinois' embattled governor, Rod Blagojevich, who has been very media shy since US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald began closing the corruption ring around him, is expected to meet with the strikers any minute now.
President-elect Barack Obama has expressed support for the former employees.
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Jesse Jackson is a real jem in the
ReplyDeletecommunity isn't he?
Ol Jesse needs to check the mic
ReplyDeletebefore he opens his mouth.
Turn out the lights and turn off the heat, The party's over. Guess the unions will wish they had to $300 million plus the sent to Hussein O back pretty soon.
ReplyDeleteFirefighter
you and your commenters seem like you don't get it- this isn't about the legality of a sit in, or if you like jesse jackson- this is real people being pooched by a company and a bank that was supposed to have been helped by the bailout you all are going to be paying for courtesy of your esteemed leader bush. (which may have had to be done- but if it goes south you cannot blame it all on the leftists). and firefighter needs to not be so blatantly icky- hussein o- what the hell? is that what the people on your right call him because they can't argue ideas so they namecall badly. unreal. i came here by accident- really am glad i am leaving.
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