HR1658 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1658 LRB095 23147 GRL 53888 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Republic Windows & Doors, Inc. is the owner of a factory that manufactures vinyl windows and sliding doors in the Goose Island community in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, On December 5, 2008, Republic Windows & Doors suddenly closed its factory and laid off about 260 employees employed there; and

WHEREAS, The laid-off employees are members of Local 1110 of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE); and

WHEREAS, Republic Windows & Doors gave the laid-off employees only three days' notice of the factory shutdown, in violation of the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act of 1988, which requires employers with 100 or more employees to provide 60 days' advance notice of a plant closing involving 50 or more employees; and

WHEREAS, Republic Windows & Doors also owed the laid-off employees severance and vacation pay under their contract; and

WHEREAS, Bank of America Corp. did not offer enough credit to Republic Windows & Doors to allow it to keep its factory operating; and

WHEREAS, Bank of America has received at least $15 billion in federal bailout money from the federal government under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP); and

WHEREAS, A major purpose of TARP monies was to enable financial institutions to stimulate the economy by providing credit which they could not have otherwise extended; and

WHEREAS, Bank of America's hoarding of TARP monies by withholding credit to Republic Windows & Doors violated the intent of TARP; and

WHEREAS, Based on common knowledge of banking practices, it is evident that Republic Windows & Doors must have known about Bank of America's withholding of credit long before it gave the three days' layoff notice to its employees; and

WHEREAS, In protest against Republic Windows & Doors' illegal actions, its employees refused to leave the factory worksite; and

WHEREAS, The employees' peaceful occupation of the factory gained the support of President-Elect Barack Obama, as well as political, labor, and religious leaders throughout Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Late on December 10, 2008, six days after occupying the plant, the employees of Republic Windows and Doors voted to accept a settlement offer; and

WHEREAS, Under the terms of this settlement, the employees will receive eight weeks of pay which they are owed under the federal WARN Act, in addition to two months of continued health coverage and pay for all accrued and unused vacation; and

WHEREAS, Of the total settlement amount of $1.75 million, $400,000 will be contributed by JP Morgan Chase & Co. and the rest by Bank of America; and

WHEREAS, Although the settlement monies will be provided as a loan to Republic Windows and Doors, it will go directly into a third-party fund whose sole purpose is to pay the workers what is owed them; and

WHEREAS, Although Local 1110 did not succeed in its efforts to keep the factory in operation, the UE has started the Window of Opportunity Fund dedicated to reopening it; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the employees of Republic Windows & Doors for their success in obtaining wages and benefits to which they are legally entitled through peaceful and concerted action that has inspired the nation; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commend the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, the union's Local 1110, and Local 1110's president, Armando Robles, for courageous and decisive representation that serves as a model for organized labor in these difficult economic times; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commend Republic Windows and Doors, Inc. for agreeing to a just and equitable settlement and express our hope that the Goose Island factory will be re-opened for production in the near future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commend Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase for agreeing to contribute the needed funds to implement the settlement agreement, and call upon these banks, in compliance with the intent of Congress, to henceforth use TARP monies to promote, rather than hinder, economic recovery.