Republic Windows factory sold; to re-open soon

The factory where laid-off workers staged a highly publicized sit-in last year has been sold to a California company that hopes to rehire workers and reopen the factory in about a month.

The sale of the former Republic Windows and Doors plant to Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Serious Materials, a green-oriented windows manufacturer, was approved by a bankruptcy judge Wednesday.

Former Republic workers are ecstatic, said Mark Meinster, a spokesman for their union, United Electrical Workers.

Serious Materials CEO Kevin Surace said Thursday that much needs to be done before work can resume: A lease must be renegotiated with the factory building's owner, and plant equipment needs urgent repairs. He added, however, that despite the economic downturn, demand for his company's energy-efficient windows remains strong.

About 200 of the 240 laid-off workers occupied the Republic factory for nearly a week in December after the company gave them just three days notice before closing the plant down. The protest drew national attention and drew supportive words from then President-elect Barack Obama, and Republic ultimately agreed to the workers' demands for severance and accrued vacation pay.

Republic's main creditor, Bank of America, was criticized for cutting off funds to the plant, and then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich had ordered all state agencies to stop doing business with the bank.

The workers had argued that the shutdown violated federal law because employees were not given 60 days' notice.