Rev. Jesse Jackson Arrested At Sensata Technologies
By: Robert Burke
Updated: October 24, 2012
FREEPORT - Rev. Jesse Jackson is among 14 arrested this afternoon at Sensata Technologies in Freeport.
Facing threats from Sensata management, at least a dozen activists risked arrest and demand a meeting with plant management. The activists there included Rev. Jesse Jackson, representatives from the UAW, Steelworkers, SEIU and NAACP and three Sensata workers.
The protesters were warned that they would be arrested if they came onto company property and leaders have threatened to shut down the plant immediately if the protests continue to escalate. Those threats prompted workers to file unfair labor practice charges against Sensata this morning.
They are protesting the outsourcing of all 170 jobs at the plant to China. Workers who have put in decades of service are also asking for full severance. The plant is owned by Bain Capital, the investment firm started by Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney, which has made it a flashpoint in this election year even though Romney has not worked for Bain in more than a decade.
