Chicago Public Radio reports:
Two Chicago-area labor disputes are inspiring plans for a national hotline. The aim is to stop banks that have received federal bailout money from closing down companies in financial trouble.
Employees at a Hartmarx Corp. suit factory in northwest suburban Des Plaines on Monday threatened a sit-in. They’re afraid the company’s main lender, Wells Fargo & Co., is pressing for an owner who will liquidate the plant.
The sit-in tactic helped laid-off employees of Republic Windows and Doors win severance packages in December after Bank of America Corp. cut off the Chicago company’s credit.
Services Employees International Union, the nation’s second-largest union, is setting up the hotline. Jerry Morrison directs the union’s Illinois council.
