Kane Beef employees could return to work by next week.
But a Kane Beef employee tells KRIS 6 he’s anxious to get back on the job, but for him, it’s been tough to make ends meet financially.
Edward Aguirre says it’s been nearly three weeks since he and hundreds of other co-workers have gotten a paycheck.
“It sucks,” said Aguirre. “I’m sorry to say, but it does suck.”
Aguirre, who’s a full-time employee, has been with the company since July 2018. Although Kane is a great company to work for, he says, the past few weeks have been a challenge for him and others.
“I finally ran out of money,” said Aguirre. “The money that I had saved up to buy a car, I had to use that.”
Since his last full day of work on Jan. 21, Aguirre has been looking for other jobs and even filed for unemployment. But even before that, the father of two had been living paycheck to paycheck.
“It’s been pretty hard on me,” he said. “I’m going to need to get a job or mow lawns, or do whatever I can to at least support my family.”
Until then, Aguirre mentions he’s hopeful about returning to a job he enjoys.
“I love the company,” said Aguirre. “I love doing what I did.”
But for now, it’s still a waiting game for him and more than 700 co-workers.
“If I’m going to have to keep waiting, I’m going to have to start looking for other opportunities out there,” said Aguirre.
The company was recently sold at auction to JDH Capital, but there are some details that still need to be finalized. The sale is now expected to close on Thursday, and the plant would then re-open shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, the court has extended the closing date to Friday.
