Republic Windows Workers Come to Connecticut

by Dorothy Johnson

UE Local 1110 president Armando Robles and other officers recently toured the country to make public their sit-in at Republic Windows and Doors in Chicago which won a severance package.

In early February they came to Connecticut. The tour was sponsored by Jobs with Justice chapters to let workers know if companies don’t abide by the law you must make them do the right thing.

While in Connecticut they told their story at a press conference at the state capitol and at a community and labor meeting at the First and Summerfield Methodist Church in New Haven.

Workers at Republic Windows and Doors refused to accept the owners closing of the plant without getting their due advance notice and benefits. Several weeks before the plant closing was announced workers discovered that equipment had been leaving the facility. Some of the workers decided to follow the truck driver to find out where they were taking the equipment. They spoke to the driver and he said he was told to move the equipment. Workers realized that the plant would be closing very soon.

About 240 workers were employed there at the time. Disregarding the law requiring a WARN notice, Republic Windows called the workers and told them the plant was going to close and this is your last pay check.

Robles and Local 1110 vice president Melvin Macklin said they responded, “no way, the workers are going to get what is due to them.” They went to the union office and did a little strategy. They decided to sit in for as long as it takes to get what’s due to them and their respect.

They began a 24 hour sit-in in early December. The company called the police to tell them they had to exit the building. Robles stated to the police this is not your fight, it is between the company and the workers. The police went back to their cars. Worker brought their children to help in the protest. Numerous visitors come into the shop to bring food, sleeping bags, and music.

Robles said that when his shift was over he would go home, take a shower, and then quickly return. The Rev. Jesse Jackson was there in support of the workers.

Macklin said when he told his wife about the plan to sit in, she said “no, you will be arrested.” He replied, “ what do you have to lose?” Once President Obama threw his support to the workers, his wife said it was okay. Some workers didn’t want to take part in the sit-in. Once seeing their co-workers on tv they decided to join their co-workers.

Sit-ins in America don’t happen that often. Since the 1930's we haven’t had many. When you’re forced to sit-in for your bread and butter workers realize it’s the right thing to do.

As a result of the sit-in the workers achieved a victory. They got a severance package, but knowing how the economy is today that won’t last long.

UE Local 1110 has been in negotiations with a California company to see if they could re-open the plant. They are hoping that if this happens all the workers will be hired back. They will have to go through bankruptcy court to get it approved. They are hoping that by March they will have confirmation for the company to re-open.

Reprinted from the on-line edition of the People's Weekly World, Feb 23, 2009

No Cuts in Services - No Layoffs of Workers

A big mobilization is underway in Connecticut to stop dire cuts in services and layoffs of state workers proposed by Gov. Rell. One state union, SEIU, called together 200 members for a legislative accountability session. The meeting was led by Carmen Boudier, President 1199 New England Health Care Employee Union and Paul Filson, SEIU State Council Director. Five State Legislators attended the meeting and promised to work with SEIU and the coalition of unions and community groups.

Carmen Boudier noted that a series of legislative accountability sessions are planned for all over the State of Connecticut. She said that SEIU will join with others to fight for a budget that defends jobs and services in these bad economic times. There was a clear message to pass a progressive income tax and to close tax loopholes. All the state unions are meeting with their members to mobilize for a budget that meets peoples needs. It is past due time for a progressive tax structure in our richest state so that the needs of all those who live in Connecticut are met.

-- Tom Connolly

Support Economic Recovery -- Call Today

TEN WAYS the Economic Recovery Plan helps CT

45,960 jobs saved or created by 2010

54,300 people benefit from new SSI funding

44,560 people get emergency unemployment comp

51.992 Pell Grant recipients for college at $3,287

$152,000,000 increase in food stamp benefits

$601,032,043 for infrastructure (highways, transit)

$718,194,000 state fiscal stabalization fund

$175,591,000 school modernization

$1,207,187, 000 Medicaid funding

$1,217,000 Make Work Pay Tax Credit

Tell Senators Dodd and Lieberman
Pass the Jobs & Economic Recovery Plan
The economy is in serious trouble. Every day we delay taking action means more people are losing jobs, homes and healthcare. President Obama's Jobs and Economic Recovery Plan will create more than 3 million jobs by making major federal investments in transportation, energy efficiency, health care and schools.

The House passed this bill.
Now the Senate must act. Call today!

SEN CHRIS DODD (800) 334-5341

SEN JOE LIEBERMAN (800) 225-5605.

Tell them you vote in Connecticut and top priority is passage of the Jobs and Economic Recovery Plan for relief, good jobs and economic growth.

High School Arts and Writing Competition

Area high school students are invited to enter an arts and writing competition for African American History Month around the theme “Dear President Obama, My dream is.....”

Entries must be received by February 13. Students are asked to express in artwork, poetry, essay or song the change they want to help make happen to realize the dream of good jobs, peace and equality for all.

Savings Bonds and other prizes will be awarded to first, second and third place winners on Sunday, February 22 at the 35th annual African American History Month celebration sponsored by the People’s Weekly World at the New Haven People’s Center, 37 Howe Street, New Haven.

Artwork should be on paper not larger than 12" x 18". Written contributions should be not longer than two pages. Name, address, phone, age and school should be submitted with each entry to 37 Howe Street, New Haven, CT 06511.

This is the second annual competition held in memory of Dalzenia and Virginia Henry who dedicated their lives to the well-being of New Haven's children.

For further information call 203-624-8664.

Call to Action -- Where From Here?

Election of Our Lifetime--Where from Here?, Dec 7, 2008
Call to Action by Blair Bertaccini

On November 7 of this year, we the people of the United States took a great step forward to make an economic and social agenda for the workers of this country. How many of us have said to ourselves and others, “I never thought I’d see it in my lifetime”?

The “it” not just refers to the election of Barack Obama but to the movement that was created to elect him and host of pro-worker candidates at the national, state and local level.

To make this moment truly incredible we have still have a lot left to do.

The corporations and the rich have controlled our politics for decades to win many changes that have benefited a miserable minority of our population to the detriment of everyone in this room and the tens of millions like us around our great nation.

On November 7 we put a halt to this agenda. Now it is time to make the changes that our nation cries out for.

So what should be on our agenda now?

Our struggles over a long span of years show where we need to go. We have many heroes and heroines of the people’s struggles that have shown the way. Merrilee Milstein was certainly one of these. Her efforts and those of thousands of others who were not with us in the flesh on November 7 were certainly in our hearts and minds.

Merrilee was certainly a bold fighter and we must be bold now. We cannot listen to many of those in the media and positions of power who tell us that these times are so dire that we must moderate our agenda because the resources are not available to accomplish many goals that were spoken about during this recent political campaign.

Here are some that I am sure our on the minds of everyone in this room.

We must get the Employee Free Choice Act on President Obama’s desk as soon as possible. This act will give those of us in the union movement new tools to organize tens of millions of workers into unions. Every worker in America deserves to have one of these: a union contract. This is mine. It gives me respect on the job and decent standard of living. In fact I felt that maybe my local isn’t doing something right when some political pundits recently complained the United Automobile Workers inch thick contract. I measured mine and its only 3/8 of an inch. We shouldn’t be apologetic about inch thick contracts, that’s an inch of protection, an inch of rights on the job and good wages!

So the workers of America need EFCA. It is a vital part of any economic stimulus package.

We must be clear to our elected officials, now is not the time to cut spending, now is the time to spend lots of money on legislation that creates jobs in the sectors of our economy that need it; rebuilding our infrastructure, our mass transit systems, our streets and roads, sewers and water treatment plants; green industries that are almost necessary to save our planet and ourselves.

Universal health care is something else that cannot wait. We need health care system that brings affordable and comprehensive health care to every person living in this country regardless of income or immigration status. We do not have a health care system now, the word system means some type of coordinated program, we don’t have that. We can fight for this change on both the state and national level. We have to tell our representatives that this change that cannot wait to some undetermined point in the future. We must end this national disgrace as soon as possible.

The Iraq war must end as soon as possible. This war is a crime against the people of Iraq for all the death and destruction that has been inflicted on them and it is a crime against the American people for all the resources that have been wasted there and continue to be wasted no matter how well the situation has supposedly improved.

We must prepare ourselves for these struggles and we cannot let up until we win. Our enemies will not give up easily.

We need to keep ourselves informed about what is happening around our nation and the world how our fellow workers are engaging themselves to win the victories that we can achieve.

The People’s Weekly World is important and I would say an indispensable tool to do this. It is a paper that declares its allegiance to the people’s struggles that calls for the unity of the working class that says a people’s agenda can be achieved.

It is a paper that said that united working class could win this election long before others thought it possible.

Everyone here should have a subscription to this paper. You’re making a political statement when you get a subscription to the PWW. You’re saying “I’m ready to fight”.

I want to thank everyone for coming here this snowy afternoon and I look forward to seeing you all on the frontlines of our battles for a better world.