Workers staging a sit-in on the factory floor of their former Chicago employer to protest abruptly losing their jobs last week awaited a meeting between their union and the company yesterday.
The 200 workers demanding severance and vacation pay have become a national symbol for thousands of employees laid off across the US as the economy continues to sour.
On Sunday, they received words of support from US president-elect Barack Obama and a visit from the Reverend Jesse Jackson.
PHOTO: AP
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan also said her office was investigating their former employer, Republic Windows and Doors.
“We never expected this,” said Melvin Maclin, a factory employee and vice president of the local union that represents the workers.
“We expected to go to jail,” he said.
At a news conference on Sunday, Obama said Republic should follow through on its commitments to its workers.
The workers say they would not leave the plant until they are assured they would receive their severance and vacation pay.
“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,” Obama said.
Jackson delivered turkeys, pledging the support of his Chicago-based civil rights group, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.
“These workers deserve their wages, deserve fair notice, deserve health security,” Jackson said. “This may be the beginning of long struggle of worker resistance finally.”
Leah Fried, an organizer for the United Electrical Workers union that represents the workers, said the company told the union that Bank of America had canceled its financing.
The bank had said in a statement that it was not responsible for Republic’s financial obligations to its employees.
Republic has not commented on the sit-in.
One of the factory’s workers, Silvia Mazon, said in Spanish she needs the money owed her for an US$1,800 monthly house payment.
The 40-year-old from Cicero said she has enough money saved to survive for one month.
“We’re making history,” she said.
Illinois Democratic Representative Jan Schakowsky called it the start of a movement.
“This story has resonated around the world,” she said.
WAITING GAME: The US has so far only offered a ‘best rate tariff,’ which officials assume is about 15 percent, the same as Japan, a person familiar with the matter said Taiwan and the US have completed “technical consultations” regarding tariffs and a finalized rate is expected to be released soon, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference yesterday, as a 90-day pause on US President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs is set to expire today. The two countries have reached a “certain degree of consensus” on issues such as tariffs, nontariff trade barriers, trade facilitation, supply chain resilience and economic security, Lee said. They also discussed opportunities for cooperation, investment and procurement, she said. A joint statement is still being negotiated and would be released once the US government has made
NEW GEAR: On top of the new Tien Kung IV air defense missiles, the military is expected to place orders for a new combat vehicle next year for delivery in 2028 Mass production of Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles is expected to start next year, with plans to order 122 pods, the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) latest list of regulated military material showed. The document said that the armed forces would obtain 46 pods of the air defense missiles next year and 76 pods the year after that. The Tien Kung IV is designed to intercept cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to an altitude of 70km, compared with the 60km maximum altitude achieved by the Missile Segment Enhancement variant of PAC-3 systems. A defense source said yesterday that the number of
‘CRUDE’: The potential countermeasure is in response to South Africa renaming Taiwan’s representative offices and the insistence that it move out of Pretoria Taiwan is considering banning exports of semiconductors to South Africa after the latter unilaterally downgraded and changed the names of Taiwan’s two representative offices, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. On Monday last week, the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation unilaterally released a statement saying that, as of April 1, the Taipei Liaison Offices in Pretoria and Cape Town had been renamed the “Taipei Commercial Office in Johannesburg” and the “Taipei Commercial Office in Cape Town.” Citing UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, it said that South Africa “recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the sole
Taiwanese exports to the US are to be subject to a 20 percent tariff starting on Thursday next week, according to an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump yesterday. The 20 percent levy was the same as the tariffs imposed on Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh by Trump. It was higher than the tariffs imposed on Japan, South Korea and the EU (15 percent), as well as those on the Philippines (19 percent). A Taiwan official with knowledge of the matter said it is a "phased" tariff rate, and negotiations would continue. "Once negotiations conclude, Taiwan will obtain a better
RSS