Water Gremlin employees protested the state-ordered shutdown of their plant at the Minnesota State Capitol Tuesday.
ST. PAUL, MInn. (FOX 9) - A few dozen Water Gremlin employees converged on the Minnesota State Capitol Tuesday to urge state officials to reopen the company’s embattled lead manufacturing line. The state Department of Labor and Industry and the Department of Health temporarily shut down the plant in White Bear Township Monday after a number of children of employees were found to have dangerously high lead levels in their blood.
Investigators determined the children may have ingested “take-home lead”—lead dust that accumulates on their parent’s bodies, clothes, shoes and other personal items while they are working making lead battery terminals and fishing sinkers and is unknowingly brought home.
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Water Gremlin employees protest shutdown of their plant
The employees protested the government-mandated shutdown, saying they just want to go back to work.
At the protest Tuesday, the workers insisted the plant is safe and their kids are healthy. They said they just want to get back to work.
“If you follow procedure and protocol, you’ll be fine. Wash hands, common sense stuff—know you’re working with lead,” Leng Vue, one of the Water Gremlin employees protesting the shutdown, said.
The state wants Water Gremlin to make immediate and lasting safety upgrades.
“You need to understand that it is Water Gremlin’s responsibility to insure that their workplace is safe,” DLI Commissioner Nancy Leppink said. “That the work their workers are performing is safe. And that when workers go home at night, they don’t bring the hazards of work home with them.”
Officials from DLI and MDH will go to court later this week to extend their 72-hour shut down order."
Water Gremlin released the following statement Tuesday afternoon:
It is not true that:
- Water Gremlin has told its employees to not seek state benefits.
- Water Gremlin has told its employees to not cooperate with state regulators.
- Water Gremlin threatened repercussions to its employees who are working with the state to receive assistance.
- Water Gremlin employees are required to use vacation time to get compensated during the temporary shutdown.
Water Gremlin is proud to employ 340 Minnesotans, and we are working hard to ensure that their livelihoods are not impacted during this challenging time. We are working cooperatively with state agencies to protect and improve the health and safety of our employees and their families. We will continue our efforts to work with state and county officials to resolve concerns and get our employees back to work.