By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Labor advocate groups plan to present a signed petition Dec. 1 to the owner of ATMI Precast, the Aurora concrete company that locked out more than 100 union workers on Nov. 14 due to failed contract negotiations.
A march also has been organized at 11:45 a.m., Dec. 1, at Plaza Mexico, 700 E. New York Ave., Aurora. The march has been organized by the workers themselves with support from the Chicago Workers’ Collaborative, Northern Illinois Jobs with Justice, and Moveon.org.
The workers range from welders to carpenters to laborers and custodial staff. They found themselves locked out from work and replaced by temporary workers after they refused a contract that would only give them a 5 percent pay increase, after agreeing to a 20 percent concession last year.
Tim Bell, executive director of the Chicago Workers’ Collaborative, said sympathy for the workers has been pouring in from the community.
“It’s really immoral for the company to throw the workers out at this time of the year,” he said. “It’s cold, the kids are asking for presents — it’s just a bad situation.”
Bell is asking for people sympathetic to the locked out workers’ cause to sign the petition, which will then be delivered to ATMI’s owner, Jim Armbruster during the march today.
“These guys need a living wage, not paying them enough hurts all workers,” said Bell. “These workers need relief, it’s Christmas time.”
Bell said the men had no choice but to organize the march and the petition.
“They really had no choice, they decided it’s time to get aggressive. They are really in dire need of getting their jobs back. This company has lots of work. Precast is doing well right now when lots of other tradesmen are out of work and seeing falling profits. This company can afford to pay its workers.”
Workers on the picket line in front of ATMI Precast say they will tough it out until they get their jobs back. Some had been working there for 20 years and were still making minimum wage with just two weeks of paid vacation.
To donate food or money to the locked out workers of ATMI Precast, contact Tim Bell at 773-230-0351.

Pat Barcas’ e-mail address is pat@foxvalleylabornews.com.