With the arrest of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, attention veered off events at the Republic Windows and Doors factory — perhaps dangerously so for the strikers, who seemed about to get their way, due in large part to intense public attention. Kari Lydersen, of The Washington Post‘s Chicago bureau, files her second exclusive report for MobyLives (read part one here) in a series that will continue until events conclude ….

Chicago, December 9, 2008 — Less than 24 hours after Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich visited the occupied Republic factory to voice support for the workers and tell state agencies to boycott Bank of America until it bailed out the company, the governor was arrested at his home by FBI agents and faced a criminal complaint alleging massive and brazen corruption aimed at accumulating personal wealth.

Meanwhile the news took the spotlight off the Republic workers’ struggle, took the wind out of the weight the governor’s support had given them and meant the Illinois Attorney General’s office, which has launched an investigation into Republic, will probably be occupied with more pressing matters for the foreseeable future. The irony could not have been lost on the workers, who welcomed Blagojevich’s words of solidarity with struggling working people (see my Post story) only to hear how he allegedly threatened to withdraw funding from a children’s hospital and to allegedly essentially “sell” President Elect Obama’s Senate seat, among other things, for personal gain.

Nonetheless, the workers’ struggle continues. Bank of America, company and union officials resumed negotiations Tuesday afternoon, and the bank released a statement saying they were extending limited credit to the company, though presumably not enough to reopen the factory. That was followed by a dispatch from the UE union noting that the bank had released the information prematurely, and no settlement would be agreed upon until all 200-plus workers had a chance to consider and vote on the proposal. As a slushy snow blankets Chicago, the occupation continues.

Thinking about the Republic occupation and how it compares to other recent Midwestern labor struggles, I feel a strong sense of déjà vu regarding a walk out at a soap factory on the far south side of Chicago employing mostly temporary immigrant workers. (See my report for In These Times.)

The situation was overall fairly different — the workers were not unionized and they were temps rather than employees with decades of experience as at Republic. Many were undocumented, compared to Republic workers who are citizens and permanent residents.

The Cygnus soap factory workers were fired allegedly because of No Match letters (see the explanation here) the company had received, though it appeared more likely an excuse to fire workers organizing for better pay and rights. Anyway despite the differences in the situations, like Republic it was an example of workers with little to lose organizing and taking action to protect their rights, in a fairly spontaneous and very bold manner. As with Republic, the Cygnus management appeared to be caught totally off guard by resistance from workers who they thought would leave without a fight.