Sixteen hundred workers in Galesburg will soon lose their jobs at Maytag.
It’s part of the company’s plan to shut down their Galesburg plant and move production to another country.
But Saturday, many of those workers fought back in a huge show of solidarity
Hundreds of workers, their families, and a handful of state and local leaders showed up to protest massive job cuts in Galesburg–their own.
The workers believe their jobs at the Maytag plant are worth fighting for.
But it’s a fight they are losing, because soon, Maytag will pull production out of Galesburg and send work to Mexico, where labor is cheaper. And while the company made the announcement some time ago, it still stings.
“We made this company successful–the workers, the middle class, the people that actually got in there and did the labor,” says Jerry Wilmouth, former Maytag worker.
U.S. Senate Candidate Barack Obama says the struggle of workers is always on his mind.
“How do I make sure a situation like what’s happening in Galesburg does not happen again? How can I make sure ordinary folks get a decent shot at life?” says U.S. Senate Candidate Barack Obama to hundreds of cheering Galesburg residents.
And those at Saturday’s rally say all the support from lawmakers is crucial, especially now, because they feel like they are victims of corporate greed.
“I realize my job is gone. I mean, we’re looking for some accountability from corporations,” says Wilmouth.
So the hope is rally’s like this one can help fix the growing problem of companies leaving the U.S. for cheaper labor in other countries. It’s a problem everyone involved says can be solved, but not overnight.
“Because it took us 20 years to get in this hole, it’s taking 20 years to get out, but its starts right here, it starts right now, and it starts with us,” says Obama.
Some workers say they hope state leaders can brainstorm some incentives for companies, like Maytag, to keep production in the U.S.
And the State’s Attorney says he hopes a lawsuit he filed against Maytag will be settled by the end of this month.
State’s Attorney Paul Mangieri filed a lawsuit against Maytag for more than a million dollars in un paid taxes.
At Saturday’s rally Mangieri said if he win the suit, he plans to use the money for the local school district.
“I hope the message that it sends is that ‘What’s right is right.’ if they have the money, which I believe they do, then it ought to be paid when your talking about winding up business and they chose not to do business anymore. Then we should be business lined and make sure everything is balanced,” says State’s Attorney Paul Mangieri.
Maytag says it repaid all state and city loans when it announced plans to close its plant in Galesburg.
From HOI News