On a conference call this afternoon, SEIU officials at both the national and state level announced the launch of a hotline for workers across the country whose companies are facing "liquidation threats from big banks."  The ongoing Hartmarx situation -- and the Republic Windows sit-in before it -- inspired the idea, which seeks to document how banks are abruptly cutting off credit to American businesses despite taking billions in federal bailout dollars.

Tom Balanoff, president of the SEIU Illinois State Council (which sponsors this website), said he believes there may be hundreds of similar situations across the country.  "We know this hotline will connect workers and small business owners to resources to help them take action to save their companies and save their jobs," said Balanoff.  The idea is to use the hotline to identify such situations and then enlist local organizations and unions to raise awareness about them. SEIU President Andy Stern said the hotline "will allow us to begin collecting the information that will allow us to hold these banks accountable." 

It will be interesting to see what this turns up.  Here's the info on the hotline:

800-286-1562
Live Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. CT
http://www.keepworkinghotline.org/

So what's next? Rep. Jan Schakowsky was also on the call and mentioned that, along with Rep. Phil Hare, she has been soliciting congressional signatures for a letter to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner regarding the Hartmarx situation.  She said the letter -- which they hope to send next week -- "asks for his help in making sure that Wells Fargo does what it ought to do and accept a bid from a company that will keep Hartmarx going."  We'll have more details on that as they come available.