{"id":1125340,"date":"2021-12-16T13:14:51","date_gmt":"2021-12-16T18:14:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1125340"},"modified":"2021-12-16T13:14:54","modified_gmt":"2021-12-16T18:14:54","slug":"kentucky-candle-factory-workers-are-suing-claim-they-werent-allowed-to-leave-before-tornado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kentucky-candle-factory-workers-are-suing-claim-they-werent-allowed-to-leave-before-tornado\/","title":{"rendered":"Kentucky Candle Factory Workers Are Suing, Claim They Weren\u2019t Allowed To Leave Before Tornado"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fkentucky-candle-factory-workers-are-suing-claim-they-werent-allowed-to-leave-before-tornado%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1125340&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Several workers who were injured when a Mayfield, Kentucky, candle factory collapsed due to a tornado are suing their employer, claiming they were told they\u2019d be fired if they left the factory before the tornado hit \u2013 a claim their employer denies.<\/p>\n<p>WLKY-TV <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlky.com\/article\/injured-kentucky-mayfield-candle-factory-workers-lawsuit\/38530381\">reported<\/a> that the lawsuit argues the factory, owned by Mayfield Consumer Products, had \u201cup to three and half hours before the tornado hit its place of business to allow its employees to leave its worksite as safety precautions.\u201d The factory, the lawsuit claims, showed \u201cflagrant indifference to the rights\u201d of its workers by refusing their requests to leave and going so far as to threaten to fire those who left their shifts early.<\/p>\n<p>WLKY-TV also reported: \u201cThe lawsuit also alleges serious violations of worker safety laws and a massive cover-up scheme to protect the interest of the candle factory in western Kentucky. One of the attorneys representing the survivors, William Davis, calls the factory \u2018a modern-day sweatshop.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As The Daily Wire previously <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/kentucky-candle-factory-employees-reportedly-told-theyd-be-fired-if-they-left-work-ahead-of-deadly-tornado\">reported<\/a>, Bob Ferguson, a spokesperson for Mayfield Consumer Products, denied that employees were told they would be fired if they left their shifts early ahead of the tornado.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s absolutely untrue,\u201d Ferguson said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a policy in place since Covid began. Employees can leave any time they want to leave and they can come back the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ferguson also said managers wouldn\u2019t have told employees they risked their jobs by leaving early, saying supervisors are required to undertake emergency drills, and that employees have access to hazard pay, grief counseling, and more.<\/p>\n<p>The Daily Wire also&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/more-than-90-workers-at-the-collapsed-candle-factory-in-kentucky-have-been-located-8-dead-8-still-missing\">reported<\/a> that more than 90 of the 110 workers who were in the factory when it collapsed have been found alive. Eight have been confirmed dead, with another eight still missing.<\/p>\n<p>Ferguson, the spokesperson,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/m.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2021\/dec\/12\/kentucky-candle-factory-revised-death-toll-more-90\/\">told<\/a>&nbsp;the Associated Press that more than 90 people have been located, even though officials initially told the outlet that just 40 of the workers had been accounted for. Ferguson expressed hope that the eight missing would be found alive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany of the employees were gathered in the tornado shelter and after the storm was over they left the plant and went to their homes,\u201d he said. \u201cWith the power out and no landline they were hard to reach initially. We\u2019re hoping to find more of those eight unaccounted as we try their home residences.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Daily Wire previously&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/candle-factory-destroyed-by-tornadoes-in-kentucky-trapping-more-than-100-people-inside\">reported<\/a> that the candle factory was one of the many buildings destroyed after tornadoes and severe weather swept across the Midwest Friday night.<\/p>\n<p>Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said at a news conference on Saturday that around 110 people were inside the factory when the tornado struck, the Associated Press&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/tornadoes-kentucky-illinois-arkansas-severe-weather-67b9acfb9d83e2e7139ae9de01618a21?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe believe our death toll from this event will exceed 50 Kentuckians and probably end up 70 to 100,\u201d he said at a news conference Saturday. \u201cIt\u2019s very hard, really tough, and we\u2019re praying for each and every one of those families.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One factory employee, Kyana Parsons-Perez, was \u201ctrapped under five feet (about 1.5 meters) of debris for at least two hours until rescuers managed to free her,\u201d the AP reported. She told \u201cThe Today Show\u201d that this was the \u201cabsolutely the most terrifying\u201d thing she had ever experienced, adding, \u201cI did not think I was going to make it at all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Parsons-Perez explained that employees had been gathered in a section of the factory meant for storm emergencies. She said the lights started to flicker and \u201call of a sudden,\u201d they felt a gust of wind and her ears started popping as if she were in an airplane. She said everything started swaying and then the roof collapsed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll I heard was screams,\u201d she said as images of the destruction was shown on screen.<\/p>\n<p>Parson-Perez also explained that some local prisoners worked at the factor as part of a work-release program with the prison, and that they were \u201cworking their tails off\u201d to help rescue their coworkers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey could have used that moment to try to run away or anything, but they did not. They were there, helping us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><em>member<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/p>\n<p><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Several workers who were injured when a Mayfield, Kentucky, candle factory collapsed due to a tornado are suing their employer, claiming they were told they\u2019d be fired if they left the factory before the tornado hit \u2013 a claim their employer denies.WLKY-TV reported that the lawsuit argues the factory, owned by Mayfield Consumer Products, had \u201cup to three and half hours before the tornado hit its place of business to allow its employees to leave its worksite as safety precautions.\u201d The factory, the lawsuit claims, showed \u201cflagrant indifference to the rights\u201d of its workers by refusing their requests to leave and going so far as to threaten to fire those who left their shifts early.WLKY-TV also reported: \u201cThe lawsuit also alleges serious violations of worker safety laws and a massive cover-up scheme to protect the interest of the candle factory in western Kentucky. One of the attorneys representing the survivors, William Davis, calls the factory \u2018a modern-day sweatshop.\u2019\u201dAs The Daily Wire previously reported, Bob Ferguson, a spokesperson for Mayfield Consumer Products, denied that employees were told they would be fired if they left their shifts early ahead of the tornado.\u201cIt\u2019s absolutely untrue,\u201d Ferguson said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a policy in place since Covid began. Employees can leave any time they want to leave and they can come back the next day.\u201dFerguson also said managers wouldn\u2019t have told employees they risked their jobs by leaving early, saying supervisors are required to undertake emergency drills, and that employees have access to hazard pay, grief counseling, and more.The Daily Wire also\u00a0reported that more than 90 of the 110 workers who were in the factory when it collapsed have been found alive. Eight have been confirmed dead, with another eight still missing.Ferguson, the spokesperson,\u00a0told\u00a0the Associated Press that more than 90 people have been located, even though officials initially told the outlet that just 40 of the workers had been accounted for. Ferguson expressed hope that the eight missing would be found alive.\u201cMany of the employees were gathered in the tornado shelter and after the storm was over they left the plant and went to their homes,\u201d he said. \u201cWith the power out and no landline they were hard to reach initially. We\u2019re hoping to find more of those eight unaccounted as we try their home residences.\u201dThe Daily Wire previously\u00a0reported that the candle factory was one of the many buildings destroyed after tornadoes and severe weather swept across the Midwest Friday night.Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said at a news conference on Saturday that around 110 people were inside the factory when the tornado struck, the Associated Press\u00a0reported.\u201cWe believe our death toll from this event will exceed 50 Kentuckians and probably end up 70 to 100,\u201d he said at a news conference Saturday. \u201cIt\u2019s very hard, really tough, and we\u2019re praying for each and every one of those families.\u201dOne factory employee, Kyana Parsons-Perez, was \u201ctrapped under five feet (about 1.5 meters) of debris for at least two hours until rescuers managed to free her,\u201d the AP reported. She told \u201cThe Today Show\u201d that this was the \u201cabsolutely the most terrifying\u201d thing she had ever experienced, adding, \u201cI did not think I was going to make it at all.\u201dParsons-Perez explained that employees had been gathered in a section of the factory meant for storm emergencies. She said the lights started to flicker and \u201call of a sudden,\u201d they felt a gust of wind and her ears started popping as if she were in an airplane. She said everything started swaying and then the roof collapsed.\u201cAll I heard was screams,\u201d she said as images of the destruction was shown on screen.Parson-Perez also explained that some local prisoners worked at the factor as part of a work-release program with the prison, and that they were \u201cworking their tails off\u201d to help rescue their coworkers.\u201cThey could have used that moment to try to run away or anything, but they did not. They were there, helping us,\u201d she said.The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a\u00a0member.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":126,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1125340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1125340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/126"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1125340"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1125340\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1125340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1125340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1125340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}