Workers Republic (in production)
Andrew Friend
"Workers' Republic is a 60-minute documentary that chronicles one of the most important labor victories in recent memory.
Three weeks before Christmas 2008, in the depths of the economic crisis, Chicago company Republic Windows and Doors announced the factory's closure. They informed their work force that they would not be paid for their final week or receive their accrued vacation pay. Insurance benefits were cut immediately, and the workers were denied the 60-day severance guaranteed under the federal WARN Act.
What those ordinary people did next reminded the working class it possesses a power long forgotten. In a move that harkened back to the sit-down strikes of the 1930s, they occupied the doomed factory day and night for nearly a week, declaring they would not leave until they were given what their employer owed them.
The workers won over the public to their cause and the story made headlines all over the world. 'Workers' Republic' conveys the courage, the creativity, and the solidarity of those window-builders who vowed to stand up for their rights. From the opening moments to the eventual victory, and culminating in the surprise fate of the Chicago factory, the film shows radical action can be a solution to exploitation.
First time filmmaker Andrew Friend has assembled the accounts of several of the main fighters in the Republic struggle, including front line workers, the organizers of their small union, and a few of the thousand people that supported them through small acts of solidarity.
In our turbulent times of economic strife, 'Workers' Republic' is an anthem of future possibility and opportunity."
Please consider donating funds for the completion of this film, more information is available at http://workersrepublic.tv/
Andrew Friend
"Workers' Republic is a 60-minute documentary that chronicles one of the most important labor victories in recent memory.
Three weeks before Christmas 2008, in the depths of the economic crisis, Chicago company Republic Windows and Doors announced the factory's closure. They informed their work force that they would not be paid for their final week or receive their accrued vacation pay. Insurance benefits were cut immediately, and the workers were denied the 60-day severance guaranteed under the federal WARN Act.
What those ordinary people did next reminded the working class it possesses a power long forgotten. In a move that harkened back to the sit-down strikes of the 1930s, they occupied the doomed factory day and night for nearly a week, declaring they would not leave until they were given what their employer owed them.
The workers won over the public to their cause and the story made headlines all over the world. 'Workers' Republic' conveys the courage, the creativity, and the solidarity of those window-builders who vowed to stand up for their rights. From the opening moments to the eventual victory, and culminating in the surprise fate of the Chicago factory, the film shows radical action can be a solution to exploitation.
First time filmmaker Andrew Friend has assembled the accounts of several of the main fighters in the Republic struggle, including front line workers, the organizers of their small union, and a few of the thousand people that supported them through small acts of solidarity.
In our turbulent times of economic strife, 'Workers' Republic' is an anthem of future possibility and opportunity."
Please consider donating funds for the completion of this film, more information is available at http://workersrepublic.tv/