THIS IS PART TWO of a three-part series. Part one was published Sunday, click here to read.
Part three will appear Friday.
The Dominion Post recently spoke to a number of Mylan Morgantown plant employees who reflected on their uncertainty as the July 31 plant closure approaches. Several spoke on condition of anonymity, concerned about possible repercussions. One of those is presented today – we’ll call her Julie so we don’t have to keep saying “the employee” – along with Bill Hawkins.
Julie
Julie has worked at the plant for 13 years and described the December day when Viatris – the product of the union of Mylan and Upjohn – announced the plant closure during a town hall.
“The day that I got that message [of the town hall] all of us were actually excited, thinking, ‘OK, we’re going to hear from the new company, new direction or something, looking forward to it.”
She was caring for her ill mother and her grandson and logged on remotely. “Within 10 minutes it was like our whole world collapsed, as far as our security.”
Her mother has a number of serious health issues and requires 24-hour care, she said. Julie also provides financial assistance for her mother.
“I remember thinking, ‘How am I going to face them? I’m going to walk out there and have to tell them this news.’ I couldn’t hold back the tears when I came out of the room.”
Mylan’s pharmacy program covered her mother’s chemotherapy pills, which would cost $7,000 a month otherwise. She had to search for alternative coverage for that and her mother’s insulin.
“It just added a whole lot more stress to our family,” Julie said. “We have strong faith. That gets us through.”
Julie reflected on the previous presidential administration’s emphasis on American self-sufficiency, and the Viatris plan to make the Morgantown plant’s products elsewhere. “We need to make our medicines here and not rely on the other countries. It’s just going in a different and wrong direction, I feel.
“I don’t want to take medicine that’s made in India, myself. I don’t want to take anything that’s made in China. I’m not ashamed to say that. I don’t want my family to take medicines from those other countries. I want made in America.”
Julie’s husband is retired, resulting from his employer shutting down. Julie envisioned retiring from Mylan when she began, but now she’s 61 and can’t see herself returning to school for training for a new career, especially when she cares for her grandchildren and and mother.
“Everything’s up in the air right now, personally and career-wise,” she said. “It’s going to be more challenging for us at our ages.”
Another loss: USW Local 8-957’s Women of Steel program. Built on Milan Puskar’s legacy of community outreach, it’s raised thousands of dollars over the years through candy sales.
“Now it has to come to a stop and that makes us really sad.” They’ve decided to give the program’s remaining funds to area food pantries.
Bill Hawkins
Hawkins is Local 8-957 vice president and has worked at the plant for 14 years.
“The day the news hit was unbelievable, actually,” he said. The plant had corrected the issues arising from the FDA inspection. It produced more last year than during the prior 2½.
He was puzzled the day before the announcement, when Thursday afternoon shift workers were told to leave early. HR wouldn’t say anything except that a town hall was planned for Friday.
Officers gathered Friday morning at the union hall, he said, and got the news five minutes before the general town hall. “There was a lot of a silence, believe it or not. I felt kind of numb, how was this even happening?”
His answer is not uncommon among those The Dominion Post has spoken to. “It goes back to corporate greed.”
The plant operates under strict COVID protocols, he said, and its self-imposed cleanliness standards far exceed FDA requirement. So why outsource products to India, where COVID is running rampant, make them there and ship them back here to increase profit?
“Why are you going to depend on another country to send you your medicine?”
His thinking turned to economics. “I hate for this to happen. I love my job. Most of the people over there love their jobs. To me, it’s going to devastate this community, I really think so.”
For a prior story, The Dominion Post spoke to WVU Bureau of Business and Economic Research Director John Deskins about the economic ripple effects of the plant closure. Deskins believes the community will recover but it will take several years.
Hawkins spent time time thinking along those same lines, first lamenting that so far the vast majority of politicians haven’t been helpful. Why is no one working to get a new employer in the plant, he asks.
Plant employees spend $220 million per year in the area. That’s money that won’t be spent at retail stores, grocers, restaurants, car dealers, health care offices.
“It’s just a trickle-down effect,” he said. And while there are jobs, they don’t pay anywhere near as well. “You can’t raise a family on $11 an hour, you can’t do it.”
He’s thankful he has some flexibility. His wife will graduate from nursing school in November as an RN. He may go work in another pharmaceutical plant, he may go back to school.
“I haven’t really decided yet. I have a chance and opportunity to make that decision for myself because my wife does have a good job.” Others – some couples who both work at the plant, for instance – will have to wonder about paying for child care with lower-wage jobs.
“Decisions are made. That’s big business. I don’t agree with it. Two thousand people over here don’t agree with it. It’s big business, I just want to know why. Why are you doing this to a town? Why are you doing this to the townspeople. … It’s not just our job. It’s going to be these 2,000 plus whatever it affects here on the outside.”
Politicians, he said, right up to the Biden administration, need to step up.
TWEET David Beard @dbeardtdp EMAIL dbeard@dominionpost.com
