IKEA Workers Strike As Joliet City Councilman Juan Moreno Stands In Solidarity With Them

JOLIET, IL — As practically everyone in the area knows, Joliet is a proud union city and when laborers take to the picket line, they often get lots of support. On Monday, Joliet City Councilman Juan Moreno shared photos to his Facebook page showing him "standing with workers in Joliet."

The picket lines being held up outside the IKEA facility off Laraway Road read, "Teamsters Local #179 On Strike Against IKEA No Signed Contract."

"Over 100 IKEA workers are on strike here in Joliet, standing together for their right to organize, better wages and a fair contract," Moreno announced. "I stopped by the picket line this morning before work to show my support and stand in solidarity with these workers.

"Every worker deserves to have their voice heard and to be treated fairly at the bargaining table. When workers stand together, we stand with them. Hold the line!" Moreno exclaimed.

Separately, Catherine Segar, public relations manager for IKEA U.S., reached out to Joliet Patch to explain that Monday's early afternoon incident that sent one of the protesters to the Silver Cross Hospital did not involve anyone who worked as a supervisor for IKEA. Joliet Patch has produced a separate story on that incident after speaking with Joliet police.

"We've reviewed footage of the incident, and it shows an unidentified vehicle — not linked to any IKEA leader, manager, or personnel — approaching our checkpoint, turning around before the entrance, and being stopped by people standing in the street," Segar explained. "The footage doesn't show any physical contact between the vehicle and anyone in street. We can't identify who the driver was, but we can say with confidence it was not an IKEA supervisor or an IKEA-affiliated vehicle.

"IKEA respects our co-workers' right to engage in lawful, protected activity, and we equally respect the right of any co-worker who chooses to come to work. We're committed to maintaining an environment of mutual respect and ensuring all co-workers' rights are protected, and the safety of our co-workers remains our top priority."