SIT-IN STRIKERS TO SPEAK AT COMMUNITY FORUM

MEDIA ADVISORYrnrnFor Immediate Release: rnApril 14, 2009rnContact (DC Jobs with Justice): Ruth Castel-Branco: 202-489-2273 rnrnSIT-IN STRIKERS TO SPEAK AT COMMUNITY FORUMrnRepublic workers call for “Resistance and Recovery” to fix economic crisisrnrnWHAT: A community forum on “Resistance and Recovery,” featuring workers who staged and won a six-day sit-in strike at Republic Windows and Doors in Chicago. The forum will tell the story of how this shop-floor action by UE members, combined with nationwide support and mobilization, led to victory for workers, including benefits and a plan to reopen the plant. The workers will encourage others to resist corporate greed and call for an economic recovery that works for everyone, including collective bargaining, health care for all and investment for good green jobs.rnrn“We took this action because we really had no choice for our families,” said Armando Robles, president of UE local 1110. “We won this struggle with popular support, but we are not stopping until we win good jobs for everyone across the country.”rnrn“This is a historic victory for our labor movement, a new wave of worker organizing emerging from the depths of the economic crisis.” said Joslyn Williams, President of the Metropolitan AFL-CIO and DC Jobs with Justice board member. “Working people are uniting behind an economic recovery that puts Main Street before Wall Street, that restores workers’ right to organize, ensures health care for all, creates good green jobs and holds bailed out banks accountable to the people.”rnrn“The struggle of Republic Windows and Doors workers had popular support,” said Virginia Leavell of the Washington Peace Center. “Now more than ever we must follow their lead and take workplace justice into our own hands. Rather than spending $1.1 trillion dollars shoring up International Financial Institutions responsible for the crisis, we need a people’s bailout.”rnrnWHEN: Thursday, April 16th 2009. 6:30-8:30pmrnWHERE: First Rising Mt. Zion Church, 602 N St NW.rnrnWHO: International Labor Rights Forum, Jobs with Justice, Students for a Democratic Society, United Electrical Workers, Washington Peace Center.rnrnVISUALS: Video, Posters, banners, …rn