Progress Illinois

Add Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Dick Durbin to the list of officials heralding Serious Materials for its efforts to revive the former Republic Windows factory.

In separate statements released last night, both Biden and Durbin applauded Serious’ ingenious plan to scoop up the troubled company with some help from the economic recovery package and reshape the focus of the plant, creating 250 “green-collar” jobs in the process. As we noted last week, the California-based company will soon put the former Republic employees back to work manufacturing energy-efficient windows.  These types of windows are now in high demand thanks to the $16 billion worth of stimulus funding for retrofitting and weatherization projects. First, from Biden:

“The reopening of this factory and the rehiring of these workers provide an excellent example of how the money in the Recovery Act is targeted to spur job creation quickly,” said Vice President Biden. “These workers will not only earn a paycheck again; they will go back to work creating products that will benefit America’s long-term economic future.”

We watched Durbin walk the factory floor back in December, personally lending support to the workers as they staged a six-day sit-in to take back their wages and dignity. At the time, Durbin cited their struggle as a national symbol of how corporate greed negatively impacts American workers. He also chided Bank of America for refusing to extend enough credit to cover the laid-off workers’ back-pay, despite receiving billions in federal bailout money.

Fast forward two months and Illinois’ senior senator is now pointing to the small factory on the North Side -- and its new owners -- as a shining example of how the private sector and the government can successfully partner to reshape the economy. From a statement:

“When Republic shut its doors in December, the jobs Illinois lost were not only good paying jobs, they were good for the environment too,” said Senator Durbin. “Those are the very jobs we need to preserve in order to put our economy back on track. The economic recovery package has recreated a market for energy efficient materials that virtually disappeared as our economic crisis deepened. With $16 billion available for weatherization programs, companies like Republic will be able to reopen their doors and put people back to work.”

While Serious certainly deserves kudos, the strength of the Republic workers and the support of their union, UE Local 1110, must be recognized as well. Had they not stood shoulder to shoulder late last year, the Serious owners would never have caught wind of the opportunity and the factory could still be sitting idle.