“If you leave, you’re more than likely to be fired,” Emery said she overheard managers tell four workers standing near her who wanted to leave. “I heard that with my own ears.”
leave the building. But at least five workers said supervisors warned employees that they would be fired if they left their shifts early., as many as 15 workers beseeched managers to let them take shelter at their own homes, only to have their requests rebuffed, the workers said.At least eight people died in the Mayfield Consumer Products factory, which makes scented candles. The facility was leveled, and all that is left is rubble.
“People had questioned if they could leave or go home,” said Emery, who preferred to stay at work and make extra money. Overtime pay was available, but it wasn’t clear whether those who stayed were offered additional pay. Initially, Conder said, team leaders told her they wouldn’t let workers leave because of safety precautions, so they kept everyone in the hallways and the bathrooms. Once they mistakenly thought the tornado was no longer a danger, they sent everyone back to work, employees said.Elijah Johnson, 20, was working in the back of the building when several employees wanting to head home walked in to speak with supervisors. He joined in on the request.
He also denied that managers told employees that leaving their shifts meant risking their jobs. Ferguson said managers and team leaders undergo a series of emergency drills that follow guidelines of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.A 24-hour hotline is available as of Monday for employees to call about hazard pay, grief counseling and other assistance, he said.
“Some people asked if they could leave,” but managers told them they would be fired if they did, she said. Mark Saxton, 37, a forklift operator, said that he would have preferred to leave but that he wasn’t given the option.
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