Republic Workers Sit-In Ends in a Win

clipped from www.nytimes.com The occupation of a window-manufacturing plant here by employees who were laid off last week ended Wednesday after a six-day standoff that brought them to national attention amid growing anxiety about the plight of workers in the deteriorating economy. Bank of America, which had cut off financing for the company, Republic Windows and Doors, said it would lend the company $1.35 million to help it meet the demands of the disgruntled workers. In addition, JPMorgan Chase, which owns 40 percent of the windows company, pledged an additional $400,000. The money will enable the company to pay 60 days of severance to more than 200 laid-off workers, who had been occupying a warehouse on this city’s North Side, as well as vacation time they had accrued but which the company had previously said it would not pay, union officials representing the workers said.

The piece goes on:

The resolution came after six days of negotiations among the bank, company owners and union leaders. The workers voted to end their sit-in on Wednesday evening, emerging from their factory chanting, “Yes we did!”

“The occupation is over,” said Armando Robles, a factory worker and president of Local 1110, of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, which represented the workers. “We have achieved a victory.”

Of course, they're still out of work in this job market, but a win's a win.