Biden In Chicago For Urban Forum, Visit To Occupied Factory
UPDATE 6:00 P.M.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Vice President Joe Biden on Monday visited a reopened Chicago window factory that had been a symbol of the plight of the American worker but now is touted as an example of economic reinvigoration thanks to the federal stimulus.
A California company has reopened the former Republic Windows and Doors factory that received national attention last year when workers briefly occupied the building after the former owners gave them just a few days notice before Christmas that they were shutting down.
The new owner, Serious Materials, has started rehiring some of the more than 200 laid-off workers to make energy-efficient windows at the plan.
"We're trying to march as quickly as possible to get these people back to work," said Sandra Vaughan, chief marketing officer for the company that makes green building materials. Chicago is the company's fifth plant.
Biden said the demand for such energy-efficient building materials will only increase because of federal stimulus money and tax credits for weatherization and energy programs.
"The optimism here is palpable, it's real. ... It's encouraging and it brings to life directly, immediately and profoundly the real impact of the Recovery and Reinvestment Act and ... its impact on families," Biden said after a tour of the factory in an industrial area on Chicago's North Side.
Biden was joined at the factory by some of the first workers rehired since the plant went back online last month after it was closed for a few months.
"When I lost my job in December and I couldn't support my family that was the worst feeling in the world. It was awful," worker Frank Edwards said.
Serious Materials bought Republic's assets after it filed for bankruptcy.
Serious Materials CEO Kevin Surace said his company is creating the green-collar jobs the nation needs to pull itself out of recession.
"Highly skilled manufacturing work like this is a triple win. It will save families money by helping reduce their energy use, protect our environment by reducing carbon emissions and create new paths for economic growth and energy independence," he said.
The sudden closing of the plant last year was the cause celebre with politicians, many of them stopping by the plant to lend their support to workers, including U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who attended Monday's event with Biden.
Among the other dignitaries at the event were Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Durbin's colleague, fellow U.S. Sen. Roland Burris.
It was Burris' duty to introduce Durbin, Illinois' senior senator, during a program at the plant, but Burris committed a gaffe and instead called him "the senior citizen of the great state of Illinois."
The audience laughed, and Burris quickly corrected his error.
Apparently, it wasn't the first time Burris had made that slip. He told the crowd he made the same faux pas at a committee hearing once.
The window factory was the first of Biden's two public events during his stop in Chicago.
He later was the keynote speaker at an urban forum about the global economic at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
UPDATE 12:20 P.M.
Vice President Biden toured the Serious Materials factory Monday morning. The AP's account:
Vice President Joe Biden is in Chicago at a window factory that was the site of a labor dispute last year.Biden visited the former Republic Windows and Doors plant where workers camped out to protest the shuttering of the facility by the old owner.
The new owner, Serious Materials, makes energy efficient windows and is in the process of hiring back the old workers.
Biden stopped in to talk about stimulus money for green initiatives.
U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Roland Burris, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley are all attending the event.
Biden also is scheduled to give a speech later in the day at an urban forum at the University of Illinois in Chicago.
Burris committed a Biden-like gaffe while introducing Senator Durbin at the event, referring to Illinois' senior senator as the "senior citizen" from Illinois.
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Vice President Joe Biden is in Chicago Monday to keynote the Richard J. Daley Urban Forum. While here, Biden will make an appearance at the former Republic Windows and Doors factory that became a symbol of the workers movement in December when laid-off employees staged a week long sit-in in demanding their legally-owed notice and compensation.
From the AP:
Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the Chicago Global Cities Forum today at the University of Illinois at Chicago.The goal of the event is to address issues such as economic recovery and urban planning. For instance, one session is on short-term stimulus strategies that can help local economies.
Leaders from nearly 30 cities worldwide are expected to attend. The cities include Paris, Moscow and Beijing.
Other expected speakers are Mayor Richard Daley and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin.
Biden is making a stop at a Chicago factory where workers once staged a weeklong sit-in to tout federal stimulus legislation.
Biden is scheduled to speak Monday at Serious Materials, which was formerly known as Republic Windows and Doors.
The factory garnered national attention in December when hundreds of laid-off workers occupied the factory after Republic gave them short notice before shutting down.
In late February, California-based windows maker Serious Materials bought Republic's assets.
Biden has said the factory was an early beneficiary of stimulus legislation. He has said the plant's reopening shows how quickly stimulus dollars can create jobs.
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First Posted: 04-27-09 09:17 AM | Updated: 05-28-09 05:12 AM