I am republishing Earl Silbar's commentary and analysis here because, for one, I agree with it completely... and two, I think there is much all workers can learn from this struggle.
This struggle requires a book, at least a pamphlet, blog or website written collectively by all those who were participants in this struggle--- first and foremost the workers who made the decision to fight rather than accept an injustice along with those who acted in solidarity as Earl Silbar did and continues to do in writing and distributing his thoughts and observations.
Alan L. Maki
-----Original Message-----
From: WCS-A@yahoogroups.com [mailto:WCS-A@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Red1pearl@aol.com
Sent: Friday, December 12, 2008 11:06 AM
To: chi-labor-against-the-war@yahoogroups.com; anticapdiscuss@yahoogroups.com; chicagomayday@yahoogroups.com; Working_Class_News@yahoogroups.com; RailroadWorkersUnited@googlegroups.com; core@lists.riseup.net; WCS-A@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [WCS-A] Re: Workers Republic -- upcoming video/discussion
The Republic Windows plant occupation and victory has raised some issues (and a video clip ) below with my comments here, fyi.
The Republic Windows workers took "matters into their own hands"yes, but not outside of or against their union, the UE. To suggest otherwise is, from everything I saw and heard, simply wrong. My understanding- based on going to both major rallies, listening to a few workers inside the plant, and talking with one worker there for a while, watching the UE refuse to support settlement until the workers voted on it- is this: the workers discussed the situation and voted unanimously to occupy the plant as part of a union- called meeting, with union organizers there and with the active, actually vital, support of their union at all levels. Same with the unanimous decision to accept the settlement: it was at a union-called meeting as well. To portray this otherwise is simply inaccurate, misleading and unintentionally harmful
While some of us on the left might want this to have been a 'workers republic' (as the video title calls it), it was not a worker-run plant, let alone a republic,however cute the play on words, this being Republic Windows. Nor a workers action outside of union leadership/control (as comrade Sean puts it here). Imposing our ideas on reality harms everyone's ability to understand what did happen and learn from it.
In fact, this was a defensive fight to win pay/benefits owed them under federal (and state) law. There was concern for the switch of work to the newly-bought plant in Iowa, hence occupation to use the equipment and inventory as 'collateral' or hold it hostage to a settlement for those wages/benefits. The workers chose to bypass the legal system, violate property laws, and put themselves at risk of arrest and serious charges to win what the law _said_ was theirs. Thus, it was both legally-based and illegally fought. They had little/nothing to lose; they were out of work with 3 days notice; they got no severance pay despite the WARN federal law mandating 60 days notice of closings, their medical insurance was cancelled the last day of work; and their vacation pay was killed. What did they expect? To be taken to jail.
Several workers told me that they were simply astonished at the solidarity they experienced, with hundreds at rallies, people and groups of union workers coming to the plant with coffee, food, blankets, money, comradeship, solidarity greetings, and cheer. The Republic workers' bold, organized, and self-disciplined action thrilled millions who are sick with fear and filled with anger at billions for bankers, nothing for workers. Their fight was our fight; in a very real sense, their actions were the flame of worker resistance so many have been waiting for. After decades of defeats where the unions' leaders have sabotaged the struggles, from PATCO on, we stood our grounds and won with union support, not sabotage.
At the same time, Sean asks where were the leaders of the Chicago Federation of Labor, with their huge membership numbers? Good question.In fact, the Fed and its unions did nothing visible to build the rally either at the plant on Saturday or at the Bank of America on Wednesday. No Fed officials spoke, no union banners, no visible delegations except a few AFSCME staffers while hundreds of AFSCME nearby members likely were not even told of the rally. I did see some from Teamsters 705. The SEIU, invisible despite they too having many members downtown, reportedly struck a deal on Tuesday with the Bank of America /Republic owners for just the vacation pay. The workers/UE did not even vote on this reported deal; from that failure, some longtime worker-activists deduce that SEIU pulled out its support of the Bank of America rally. Perhaps this accounts for the failure of the Chicago Fed officers to also show up. Can't say. Asks them.
Politically, the Republic/UE slogan "Bank of America, you got bailed out, we got sold out!" was astute and on every UE picket sign. It tapped into the huge resentment and anger at the (bi-partisan) giveaway to the thieves. It connceted this fight with larger class forces and feeling. In fact, the union was intimately involved, from beginning to end, top to bottom. If one has criticisms of UE's leadership, be specific and not project our wishes onto that reality. Making Procrustean beds is no substitute for concrete analysis.
And wishful thinking is no substitute for building on the actual developments with all their potential and limitations. This was not a 'Workers' Republic' despite the video title: they did not attempt to run production. Nor was it a workers' fight without or against their union as suggested below. Personally, I wished this had developed into a fight to stop the union-busting move to switch production to a non-union plant, but it did not. That was not the workers' objective as voted and acted on.
Did the union leadership encourage this limitation? I don't know. Was there worker sentiment to fight to keep the plant open? Some. Was the decision to limit the occupation to what was the workers' legal rights correct, given the actual forces on both sides? Could a fight for keeping the plant here open have won? I don't know that either. Only people or groups with contacts in the plant and able to estimate what kind of action-solidarity on many fronts was available for such a major confrontation. Another life-lesson on the need for an organization devoted to worker-socialism, revolution, etc.
In any case, this fight was a great development and a powerful sign of what workers can do with action. Our power comes as workers,not litigants or consumers. The potential of workers' struggle and solidarity came through. This fight was our fight, and we WON!
in solidarity,
Earl Silbar
And for those conflicted about undocumented/illegal immigrants, I have a question: these were mostly Mexican workers, so did you worry about their immigration status, or did you support their fight as just and as our fight? Maybe the fact that they were Mexican and Black meant that they were more willing to take such action. Maybe N. American (white) workers and others have lots to learn from those pressed down, such as our brothers and sisters from Republic Windows.
In a message dated 12/12/2008 8:57:06 A.M. Central Standard Time, LOUGHFINN@AOL.COM writes:
This is a great victory. I am excited to see the video. But i would like to ask those reading this to consider one detail . You mention that the workers took "matters into their own hands." It is very good they did. because if they had not the union leaders would not have moved to occupy. As far as I know there are up to $1 million workers affiliated to the Chicago Federation od Labour. Where were the leaders of this huge force. It was left up to the workers themselves, the left and religious groups who supported them to take action. And of course the odd capitalist politician who saw the way the wind was blowing and decided to take wing. Thanks for making the video.
Sean
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-----Original Message-----
From: Larry Duncan
To: mail@laborbeat.org
Sent: Fri, 12 Dec 2008 6:33 am
Subject: [chi-labor-against-the-war] Workers Republic -- excerpts from upcoming Labor Beat show -- YouTube link
Workers' Republic - excerpts
Click here to see on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiFzP48UHYw
When the workers at Republic Windows and Doors were notified their factory would close in three days, they took matters into their own hands. The union work force seized control of the factory for 6 days to demand the severance they are owed by law. On the sixth day of their occupation, they won all their demands, and showed the world's working class a classic example of people power (something not seen in the USA for decades).
This short video from Labor Beat represents a fraction of our coverage of this historic event. The full 30-minute episode, "Workers' Republic," will be uploaded soon.
Copyright 2008 Labor Beat. Produced by Labor Beat. Labor Beat is a CAN TV Community Partner. Labor Beat is affiliated with IBEW 1220. Views expressed are those of the producer, not necessarily of IBEW. For info: lduncan@igc.org,www.laborbeat.org. 312-226-3330. For other Labor Beat videos, visit Google Video or YouTube and search "Labor Beat".
Scenes during the occupation
Photo: Andrew Freund / Labor Beat
Arguing for nationalizing the banks, he argued,
"...no effective control of any kind over the individual banks and their operations is possible ... because it is impossible to keep track of the extremely complex, involved and wily tricks that are used in drawing up balance sheets, founding fictitious enterprises and subsidiaries, enlisting the services of figureheads, and so on, and so forth."
Vladimir Lenin, Sept. 1917, "The Impending Catastrophe and How to Combat It." Collected Works vol. 25.
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