Day 53 and it's coming down to the wire. Our lease with the Stephenson County Fairgrounds, where Bainport has been established, expires today at 4pm. We have been informed that our request for an extension has been denied.
In the last five months we have petitioned, protested and even taken 23 arrests to bring attention to the devastating effect that the vulture capitalists, Bain Capital and Sensata Technologies will have on our community though outsourcing our jobs. The economic impact will be a net loss, for our area, of just under 8 million dollars. Freeport can't afford this.
We firmly believe that it is our responsibility to our community to continue the fight for the 8 million dollars that Freeport desperately needs and that workers were promised. We will continue this fight.
The rub is that we know Sensata is making record profits. This is motivated by blind greed. Paying us the full, fair severance we were promised is a drop in the bucket to a billion dollar outfits like Bain and Sensata. But doing the right thing is not how it works in the global economy.
The vultures take our jobs, take our severance and leave our communities high and dry. That's how Mitt Romney does business.
We are having a community potluck today and discussing our options when they come to kick us out. Win or lose, go or stay, we are in this fight for the long term. The thousands of Bainport supporters have shown us that we are standing for more than just our severance.
We shall not be moved.
3:23 PM PT: Check out Gina Levy's excellent short film about Bainport. http://www.youtube.com/...
9:07 PM PT: Update: 11:04 pm and Bainport stands. No eviction today and no contact from the police or fair board. We had a delicious potluck today and the Bainport community and Sensata workers had public conversation about our resolve to stay here until this fight is won.