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Paychecks covering two months' wages and accrued vacation time were distributed to UE Local 1110 members, on Friday, December 18. The checks averaged about $6,000. | |
Only nine days after ending the occupation of their former workplace — and winning a worldwide outpouring of support for their courage — members of UE Local 1110 gathered at Chicago’s UE Hall on the afternoon of December 19 to receive the money they had fought for and won in their struggle with Republic Windows and Doors and Bank of America.
The checks averaged about $6,000 each, covered 60 days of pay, as required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) and accrued vacation time. By their five-day sit-in they also gained two months of health insurance coverage.
In the days after the plant occupation and before Chistmas, workers attended workshops to help them search for new jobs, unemployment assistance and social services.
ANXIOUS FOR EMPLOYMENT
Workers say they're anxious to find new employment. While waiting for their checks, Raul Flores told a reporter from Chicago’s ChiTown Daily News that it's hard not going to work every day at Republic. His wife had found part-time work, and Flores was staying home with their son.
"I've been learning to do the dishes and cook the meals," says Flores. "I miss my job and my friends and co-workers."
Besides their severance checks, workers have continued to get help from community organizations, including another delivery of turkeys, scheduled to be handed out on Monday.
"It's been moving smooth. We have been getting a lot of calls from different departments and universities," says Robles. “We have received a lot of support from the community."
While workers have been dealing with day-to-day survival and finding new jobs, union leaders have continued efforts to reopen the plant.