Republic Windows and Doors

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Republic Windows and Doors was a Chicago, Illinois-based producer of vinyl replacement windows. The company was founded in 1965 by William Spielman.^[1] The company was declared bankrupt on December 2, 2008. The property was put under the control of its major creditors, Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase.

1 Precursor
2 Announced bankruptcy
3 Echo Windows
4 Sit-in
5 Change of ownership
6 Book
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

[edit] Precursor

Several months before the bankruptcy announcement, workers at the company's Goose Island warehouse had noticed that key pieces of equipment were being removed. The leaders of United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America [1] (UE) Local 1110, workers in the factory, contacted the national union, concerned that the plant was going to be closed. Despite company assurances that the missing machinery had merely been removed to make way for more modern equipment, the union began covertly monitoring the plant. One night, while monitoring the plant, UE Local 1110 President and Republic maintenance worker Armando Robles and UE union organizer Mark Meinster plotted a strategy to occupy the factory in the event of a plant closing.^[2]

[edit] Announced bankruptcy

On December 3, 2008, the executives of the company announced to its workers that it would end operations on December 5 due to Bank of America, its main lender, canceling its line of credit due to a severe downturn in business at the plant.

When the company's 260 employees learned that the plant was indeed closing permanently on December 2, 2008, they came to collect their paychecks. The company informed them that the employees would not be compensated for their accrued sick or vacation days and that their health insurance would be terminated on December 5.^[3]

The union lodged a complaint that the company was acting in violation of the WARN Act, a Federal law that requires companies to give workers 60 days' notice before mass layoffs.^[4] In total, the union claimed that the workers were owed $1.5 million in vacation and severance pay, as well as an extension in their medical benefits.^[5]

[edit] Echo Windows

Public records show that shortly before the closure of Republic Windows, the owners have purchased Echo Windows and Doors, a non-unionized window factory in Red Oak, Iowa.^[2]^[6] The union at Republic Windows has since filed charges against this action.^[7]

[edit] Sit-in

Beginning on the day of the closure, 200 of the the 240 workers of the Goose Island factory began an organized sit-in to protest alleged violation of federal labor law by Republic in that the company did not give the workers 60 days notice prior to the announcement of closure (this, however, was allegedly based upon the lack of lending from Bank of America).

The sit-in lasted until the workers reached a settlement with the factory over severance, vacation time, and temporary health care benefits; the settlement, which was reached on December 11 and amounted over $1.75 million^[8], was negotiated by the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (of whose Local 1110 branch the workers were members), Republic owners and Bank of America over three days.

On December 10, Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase agreed to create a $1.75 million fund to pay the workers their back pay and benefits and to provide two months of health insurance coverage.^[9]

On December 15, 2008, the company officially declared bankrupt and filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy^[10].

[edit] Change of ownership

In February 2009, Serious Materials, a Sunnyvale, California-based company that produces environmentally friendly building materials, announced that it had purchased the buildings and assets of Republic Windows. The company announced that it intended to hire back all of the former factory workers.^[11]^[12] This deal would have to be approved by the Republic Windows creditors and the bankruptcy court.^[13]

[edit] Book

On December 12, Melville House announced that Kari Lydersen's blog^[14] on the sit-in would be expanded into a book titled Revolt on Goose Island^[15]^[16]; the book was released june 30, 2009