Local News for Will County, Joliet, New Lenox, Manhattan, Wilmington, Peotone, Beecher, Elwood, and Frankfort Illinois. All Photos Copyright, All Rights Reserved, Unless Otherwise Noted. Email requests for use with attribution to willcountynews@gmail.com.
Caterpillar Strike in Joliet
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By Ann Baskerville
JOLIET--Striking machinists at the Caterpillar plant in Joliet were joined on the picket line Saturday July 14, 2012 by several community members and two steelworkers who work at a Caterpillar plant in South Milwaukee. The Wisconsin workers stated their contract with Caterpillar is up in the coming months and they fear they may be in the same boat as the striking machinists at the Joliet plant.
Picket line outside the Caterpillar plant in Joliet, Illinois. The machinists have been on strike since May 1, 2012.
Steelworkers from Milwaukee came down to Joliet to stand on the picket line with the machinists
Picket line on Route 6 outside the Caterpillar plant in Joliet
Machinists on strike at the Joliet Caterpillar plant
Picket line outside the Joliet Caterpillar plant
Around 7 p.m., two large buses left the Caterpillar plant to shouts of "scab" from the picket line:
Caterpillar has advertised for temporary workers for its Joliet location while the machinists are on strike, and has stated the plant has operated well using both the temporary labor and Caterpillar managers. Caterpillar advertised for temporary workers in local papers and on a digital billboard on I-80 and the Des Plaines River Bridge:
After reports of buses from Texas dropping off asylum-seekers at Metro stations in Will County, the Will County Emergency Management Agency released the following press release : "The Will County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is working to provide information and coordinate with municipalities and state agencies as the Chicagoland region is experiencing an increase in buses transporting asylum-seekers from the State of Texas. “Our municipalities have seen an increase in buses from Texas disembarking passengers at Metra stations and other locations throughout the county,” said Will County EMA Director Allison Anderson. “We are working to coordinate information between public safety agencies, the State of Illinois, and the City of Chicago. Our priority is ensuring humane transportation of asylum-seekers to the official Chicago landing zone.” An official landing zone for asylum-seekers is being operated by the City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communication at
As of 9:00 a.m. Friday March 8 2024, online bidding for the historic Gemini Giant stands at $45,000. The statue is up for online bid at the Grafe Auction website . The Gemini Giant has greeted Route 66 travelers to Wilmington for decades:
The Wilmington VFW Post is joining the local effort to keep the Gemini Giant in Wilmington. The statue is up for online bid at the Grafe Auction website . Wilmington's VFW Post 5422 posted to their Facebook page on March 8, 2024 that: " The Wilmington VFW Post 5422 along with Save the Gemini Giant have teamed up to make an effort to keep the Gemini Giant in Wilmington and relocate it 1 mile west on Route 66 to the VFW. We need your help. " Read the full post here . The Gemini Giant has greeted Route 66 travelers to Wilmington for decades:
