With 170 workers at a Bain Capital-owned plant in Freeport, Ill., facing the loss of their jobs because of Bain’s decision to outsource to China, a coalition of community, religious, and labor leaders came together last week in an effort to fight back and save the workers’ jobs.

The coalition announcing their support for the Freeport Sensata workers included ARISE Chicago, Action Now, Freeport NAACP, Citizen Action/Illinois, Jobs with Justice, Stand Up! Chicago, the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, Grassroots Collaborative, and Lakeview Action Coalition. The groups announced that they will sign a letter supporting the Sensata workers’ campaign to stop the outsourcing of their jobs.

“For a family, losing a job means worrying how to pay the rent or put food on the table,” said Katelyn Johnson of Action Now. “But the ripple effects of unemployment go far beyond the laid off worker and his or her family. In the many communities across our state suffering from layoffs, you will see firsthand what happens when companies outsource good jobs.”

Workers recently held a protest outside the plant to call attention to the impending layoffs and urge former Bain CEO Mitt Romney to intervene on their behalf. The coalition’s announcement comes as debate over Romney’s record of outsourcing jobs to China while at Bain is bringing national attention to the outsourcing issue. The workers’ plight gives a first-hand look into how the public policies that allow good American jobs to be outsourced by private equity companies affect our communities.

“Since Romney says he cares about creating jobs, my co-workers and I decided to reach out to him,” said Cheryl Randecker, a Sensata employee who has worked at the plant for 33 years.

Sensata Technologies, which was purchased by Bain Capital in 2006, bought the Freeport plant in 2010. The plant manufactures sensors and controls for major auto manufacturers such as Ford and General Motors. The final layoffs are set to occur just before the holidays, in December. The workers are currently training their Chinese replacements, who have been flown in by the company.