Editor's note: Workers sitting in at Republic Windows and Doors in Chicago after the company tried to close its doors permanently on Dec. 5 told us what led up to the occupation. The six-day sit-in succeeded in reining in an outlaw company as each worker received pay for accumulated vacation and 60 days severance pay, though their jobs were gone.

Chicago--Jose: Maria assembles materials going into windows, and has worked here over 20 years. I have worked here in maintenance. For a long time I worked in production too--both of us have worked on the glass line.

What happened here is that every week the company was taking out the machines and the lines. The people saw this and said, Maybe this company is going.

The company was closing. The law in Illinois is that they have to warn us 60 days before shutting the plant down. The company did not pay vacation, did not pay our checks, did not pay nothing. The company gave only two days notice, and said no more.

Maria: They moved to Iowa, leaving us all without work. They didn't pay us our vacation pay or severance pay. We occupied the factory because if we had stayed outside, we would have lost everything. We got paid nothing. So we decided to stay inside.

If the people had not stayed inside, everything would have been gone with no warning. If enough people stay here, they can't move more machines, windows and materials out.

I think the company will pay us. The company says, no, I can't pay, Bank of America won't pay us. The bank says, no, it is the company that won't pay. It's crazy. We saw them three days before they closed the plant down. This organizing is good for everybody.

Congress Hotel strikers standing up for workers occupying Republic Windows and Doors

Chicago--We are workers on strike at the Congress Hotel in Chicago. We're here at Republic Windows and Doors giving support to workers sitting in. We are their comrades in the same struggle and we are fighting for the well-being of our families.

I went on strike five years ago. We went on strike because the Congress Hotel cut our wages and benefits, and we're fighting for equality and respect. I am a single mother of three children. We have been on strike five and a half years. President-elect Obama has walked the picket line with us twice. He has promised to help us. We have hope that we will solve the problems with his help.

We walk the picket line at the hotel every day, seven days a week. We have hopes that in the next year we will be inside at work. We stand in mutual support with our brothers and sisters in the same struggle and together we are strong.

--Congress Hotel striker

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