Chicago Factory Occupiers Face 'Serious' Challenge
Infantile Disorder | 24.02.2012 21:27 | Workers' Movements
Tonight, representatives from the United Electrical union are claiming victory, after Serious agreed to keep operations going for ninety days, with a view to selling on the business yet again.
But if this is a victory, so far it is only a very marginal one. As Serious declared in their original statement:
"Ongoing economic challenges in construction and building products, collapse in demand for window products, difficulty in obtaining favorable lease terms, high leasing and utility costs and taxes and a range of other factors unrelated to labor costs, have compelled Serious to cease production at the Chicago facility"
Given the current state of the both the US and global economies, these conditions will likely be very similar - or even worse - three months from now. The relatively small proportion of the Republic workers rehired by Serious in 2009 was an indication that in an economic depression, it is necessary for industrial capitalists to drastically 'downsize' - that is, attack jobs, wages and conditions - if they are to maintain or increase their profitability.
It seems quite likely that no buyer will be forthcoming by the end of May. But if one does come forward, they will surely want to further increase the rate of exploitation at the factory. If so, yesterday's showdown could be a mere dress rehearsal for struggles to come.
Infantile Disorder
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