When good things happen to good people, it's time to rejoice. You may recall that, in the late fall, threatened with layoffs, union workers at Republic Windows and Doors sat-in at the Chicago factory . They won wages and severance but the factory closed.

After months of negotiations, a new owner has bought the place and will reopen it as a union shop. How sweet it is! Oh me of little faith. In this climate of job loss, I never thought they'd win so complete a victory! (The union press release is here. )

I've met some members of the United Electric Workers (UE) who sat in at Republic Windows. The union took them on tour and, in a NYC church basement, they told hundreds of union supporters about their struggle and showed interesting videos which -- to my mind -- are well worth watching. Find the videos, photographs and more materials here . They were wonderfully smart, funny guys -- totally unused to the idea that they'd become, at least to us aging lefties, rock-stars.

Is it inappropriate schadenfreude to note that the former Republic owners -- who looted the plant to start up a non-union operation elsewhere -- failed in their enterprise? It is. Shame on me. The 100 non-union workers they hired are out of work now.