Republic Windows - Owner Skipping Town?

The workers at Chicago’s Republic Windows are staying put at the factory until they get a chance to vote on any offer that Bank of America and the company owners make. During the second negotiating meeting Tuesday, a BoA statement was released but apparently it was released in error. While the media jumped on it, the union says that negotiations were still continuing late Tuesday night– and no resolution was yet in place.

While BoA may offer some form of extended credit to the company owners and JP Morgan Chase which has a 40% interest in the company has offered $400,000 – that does not mean that the workers are getting justice. In fact it looks like the owner has been making a plan to skip town and set up shop elsewhere, leaving the workers in the lurch - after taking $10.4 million in city development funds up to the end of 2007 which may have been contingent on the owners "maintain[ing] certain employment levels through 2019."

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