Progress Illinois

It’s sundown on the fifth day of a historic sit-in at Republic Windows and Doors, but workers at the Chicago factory aren’t going anywhere.

We’re hearing that representatives from United Electrical Workers (UE) have yet to strike a deal with Republic management, despite an apparent commitment from the company’s lender, Bank of America (BOA), “to provide a limited amount of additional loans” to cover the pay and benefits still owed to workers.  While this development appears to be a sign of progress, the dispute isn't resolved until the union leaders say it is.  From the AP:

Leah Fried, a spokeswoman for the union representing the workers, said Tuesday that it was too soon to know whether the sit-in will be called off. She said that workers would have to vote to end the action but that negotiations among the bank, the company and union representatives continued.

During a rally tomorrow, workers, labor leaders, and an increasingly disillusioned public will take their disgust with BOA to the bank’s front door. It’s likely that some influential allies will join too. As we wrote yesterday, there’s no shortage of public officials -- aside from the conspicuously absent Mayor Daley -- willing to stand on the side of the Republic employees.

Check back for updates tomorrow.