Money set aside in the new government stimulus bill to increase greener living has helped the effort to create Chicago green jobs. That in turn has helped one Chicago plant reopen and many unemployed workers gain hope.

In December 2008, the Republic Windows and Doors plant shut down, leaving 250 people without work. The plant was supposed to give its workers 60-days notice, but Bank of America cut the company’s credit line, leaving the company no choice. However, the workers refused to leave and managed to strike a deal with the company.

Most recently, those workers have become even more lucky. Serious Materials, a California-based company that produces energy efficient building materials, purchased the plant. On top of that, the company decided it would rehire some of the plant’s former union workers and pay them their former union wages, according to an article by MercuryNews.

(more…)