12-11-2012, 07:49 AM
(This post was last modified: 12-11-2012, 08:06 AM by Adele Edisen.)
VICTORY! These workers aren't just fighting for their jobs. They want to buy the factory.
(US and UK-only campaign)
Background: Serious Energy, owned in part by Mesirow Financial, was planning to shut down a Chicago-area factory and sell it off for scrap. The workers wanted to buy the factory themselves and keep it in business, but Serious gave them the runaround while it wooed vulture capital companies.
Partners: The Working World
What we want: Members of SumOfUs.org called on Serious Energy and Mesirow Financial to come back to the bargaining table and work with the workers' cooperative to reach a fair deal to save the factory.
Current status: Following months of stalling tactics and backroom deals with outside companies, our petition helped wake up Serious Energy, and achieved the huge step of getting the company to sit down with workers and negotiate in good faith. After weeks of talks, Serious finally agreed to let the workers buy their factory. In the words of our allies, "the petition was instrumental to making it happen." The workers' new cooperative, New Era Windows, will start production of energy efficient windows and doors mid-autumn this year as a fully worker-owned and worker-run enterprise. New Era Windows is continuing to look for donations as it gets its fledgling factory off the ground, and those who want to help out can donate below, or if you're in the Chicago area, go on New Era's website to look into pre-ordering its products.
Read More: The original petition | Fundraiser for the workers | New Era Windows company page (http://www.newerawindows.com/ and http://www.newerawindows.com/our-story)*
Press coverage: The Nation
* added by Adele
(US and UK-only campaign)
Background: Serious Energy, owned in part by Mesirow Financial, was planning to shut down a Chicago-area factory and sell it off for scrap. The workers wanted to buy the factory themselves and keep it in business, but Serious gave them the runaround while it wooed vulture capital companies.
Partners: The Working World
What we want: Members of SumOfUs.org called on Serious Energy and Mesirow Financial to come back to the bargaining table and work with the workers' cooperative to reach a fair deal to save the factory.
Current status: Following months of stalling tactics and backroom deals with outside companies, our petition helped wake up Serious Energy, and achieved the huge step of getting the company to sit down with workers and negotiate in good faith. After weeks of talks, Serious finally agreed to let the workers buy their factory. In the words of our allies, "the petition was instrumental to making it happen." The workers' new cooperative, New Era Windows, will start production of energy efficient windows and doors mid-autumn this year as a fully worker-owned and worker-run enterprise. New Era Windows is continuing to look for donations as it gets its fledgling factory off the ground, and those who want to help out can donate below, or if you're in the Chicago area, go on New Era's website to look into pre-ordering its products.
Read More: The original petition | Fundraiser for the workers | New Era Windows company page (http://www.newerawindows.com/ and http://www.newerawindows.com/our-story)*
Press coverage: The Nation
* added by Adele