Politics & Government

Former Bain Employee Says Romney is 'Without Moral Compass'

Randy Johnson, who was laid off from a company after it was purchased by Bain Capital, spoke at an Ames campaign office Tuesday.

Randy Johnson, a former employee of a company purchased by Mitt Romney's Bain Capital, almost broke down in tears Wednesday when he recalled helping his fellow laid off employees.

In 1994, the paper plant Johnson worked for in Marion, IN, was purchased by Ampad through Bain Capital. Everyone was fired and told to reapply if they wanted their jobs back, Johnson said  during a press conference held at Obama for America's campaign office in Ames.

Johnson was one of the employees who was rehired, but he like other employees saw their wages cut, increased insurance premiums, an elimination of their retirement benefits and a 401k plan without a company match.

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It was a union shop prior to the purchase, so once 50-percent of employees were rehired, union negotiations could begin. But when an agreement couldn't be reached, despite employees asking Romney to intervene, the plant closed.

Johnson received a temporary position at the Indiana Workforce Development Office to help the dislocated workers and said people were crying at his desk not knowing what they would do next.

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“We all got together for one Christmas party with donations and was able to have a decent Christmas,” Johnson said stopping almost in tears.

“That's why I am doing what I am doing. Fighting. You don't forget. That's just a memory in your mind You see the people. You see the faces,” Johnson said adding that his workers were never given a fair chance.

Johnson said his workers were never given a fair shot and he felt Bain Capital simply wanted to purchase the company's customer base.

“I feel like he is without a moral compass,” Johnson said of Romney.

Johnson now works for the United Steel Workers union in Pittsburgh and is allowed to take time off to campaign for President Barack Obama.

Johnson said he also campaigned against Romney when he ran for Governor of Massachusetts. He traveled throughout Iowa Tuesday to speak with members of the press. The Democratic Party had purchased his plane ticket and his hotel room, but he said he paid for everything else.

Romney's campaign said Romney was on leave from Bain Capital at the time because he was running for Senate and that his own lawyers prevented him from intervening in the strike because his judgment had been influenced by the fact he was running for election.

Shawn McCoy, Romney's Iowa Communications Director said, “Mitt Romney has a record of job creation and real-world experience that President Obama can't match. And his plan for a stronger middle class will accomplish what President Obama has failed to do - grow the economy and create good jobs.”

McCoy and some Romney supporters say they think that Romney is the best solution for the economy because he is a businessman and knows what it takes to grow a business, but Johnson said Romney is looking at business from a different set of eyes.

“He's never worked a on shop floor, he's never been a supervisor, he's never been a CEO of a company that's made something with his hands,” Johnson said.

State Rep. Beth Wessell-Kroeschell said Bain Capital was a pioneer in outsourcing jobs and shutting down plants.

“If (Romney) is running on his business record it's legitimate to question the values Romney lived by,” she said.  


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