Another Lesson in Perception

DWM contributing writer Alan Goldberg visited the Republic plant last Monday to gain a firsthand look at the unfolding news story. His news coverage appeared in last week's DWM newsletter.Below are his personal observations gained from covering this story:

It had been nearly five years since I had visited Republic Windows. (Click here for that story.) The drive to the plant was long enough for a few reflections. I thought about my initial trip, not knowing what to expect since it was my first plant tour article for DWM. Because the sit-in at the plant had become headlines on all the national networks, I didn't know what to expect when I arrived. My wife had expressed her own concerns as I left, especially with my tendency to be opinionated.

"Be careful and don't be confrontational," she warned.

The first of many pleasant surprises was easy access to the employee entrance, the epicenter point of this event. The availability of people to interview was another as was their willingness to answer questions and offer blunt opinions. They were unified in their cause and consistent in their theme.

"Give us the severance and vacation pay that is legally due to us and we will leave; otherwise, we're not going anywhere without what is rightfully ours," they said.

At first glance, it was obvious that the culprit, both visually and verbally, was Bank of America for cutting off credit to pay the salaries. But when employees described the events leading up to the plant closing, at least some culpability seemed to be more with the owner than his lender. According to some of the workers, the owner was gone and Bank of America was refusing to release the funds. The bank's denial that they had nothing to do with severance and vacation pay fell on deaf ears. The rhetorical question, "How could Bank of America receive billions of dollars in taxpayer money and refuse to support working people?" was like an echo among the employees. One union representative pointed out that the bank owned everything at Republic-even the chairs.

Obviously, this was neither the time nor the place to discuss whether the bank was within its rights to withdraw its latest loan. Heeding the words of wisdom of my wife (a Bank of America retiree) I listened to each version of what went wrong and kept my opinion to myself. Although every employee was very concerned about finding another job--that was an issue to be addressed once this one was resolved.

When I left the plant that day, rush hour traffic gave me ample time to reflect on what I had witnessed. The questions that were inappropriate to ask under the circumstances haunted me. Where does the responsibility of the lender end? If Republic Windows proved to be a bad risk, was Bank of America legally (or simply morally) obligated to pay more than a million dollars for the severance of 240 employees? What about the legal obligations of the owner, whose focus was on forming another company in another state, while leaving his employees to fend for themselves?

For all the negative views about unions, this incident was a reminder of why they remain necessary today … and another lesson in perception.

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