(May 14th, 2009) —
As we toured Europe and North America with the film, every Q&A ended up with the question, "that’s all very well in
Well, with the world economy now looking remarkably like
[This week] (May 15) at Cooper Union in
We’ll be joined by people from the movement in
It’s a great way to hear directly from those who are trying to rebuild the economy from the ground up, and who need meaningful support from the public, as well as policy makers at all levels of government. For those who can’t make it out to Cooper Union, here’s a quick round up of recent developments in the world of worker control.
In
One example:
– Arrufat, a chocolate maker with a 50 year history, was abruptly closed late last year. 30 employees occupied the plant, and despite a huge utility debt left by the former owners, have been producing chocolates by the light of day, using generators.
With a loan of less than $5,000 from the The Working World, a capital fund/NGO started by a fan of The Take, they were able to produce 17,000 Easter eggs for their biggest weekend of the year. They made a profit of $75,000, taking home $1,000 each and saving the rest for future production.
– Visteon is an auto parts manufacturer that was spun off from Ford in 2000. Hundreds of workers were given 6 minutes notice that their workplaces were closing. 200 workers in
Over the next few weeks, Visteon increased the severance package to up to 10 times their initial offer, but the company is refusing to put the money in the workers’ bank accounts until they leave the plants, and they are refusing to leave until they see the money.
– A factory where workers make legendary Waterford Crystal was occupied for 7 weeks earlier this year when parent company Waterford Wedgewood went into receivership after being taken over by a
The
As the Big Three automakers collapse, there have been 4 occupations by Canadian Auto Workers so far this year. In each case, factories were closing and workers were not getting compensation that was owed to them. They occupied the factories to stop the machines from being removed, using that as leverage to force the companies back to the table – precisely the same dynamic that worker takeovers in Argentina have followed.
In
The 3M executive was brought a meal of moules et frites during his overnight ordeal.
A comedy hit in
A French union official said in March, "those who sow misery reap fury. The violence is done by those who cut jobs, not by those who try to defend them."
And this week, 1,000 Steelworkers disrupted the annual shareholders meeting of ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel company. They stormed the company’s headquarters in
Also this week, in Southern Poland, at the largest coal coking producer in
And then there’s the famous Republic Windows and Doors story: 260 workers occupied their plant for 6 world-shaking days in
And this week,
The business is in bankruptcy. Its biggest creditor is Wells Fargo, recipient of 25 billion public dollars in bailout money. While there are 2 offers on the table to buy the company and keep it operating, Wells Fargo wants to liquidate it. On Monday, 650 workers voted to occupy their
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