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Economy

Fired Workers Picket Brandt Construction

Dozens of people picketed a construction company in Milan after eight employees were fired for going on strike. This morning at Brandt Construction, pastors, union officials, and others joined the employees to support their efforts to meet with President Terry Brandt.

Dakota Upshaw worked for Hy-Brand Industrial Contractors for about two years and says Hy-Brand is a division of Brandt. He says supervisors and other company officials treated him poorly.

Last summer, Upshaw sent Hy-Brand a notice of intent to strike, and a week later was fired.

Last spring, Brandt Construction hired Nicole Pinnick as an apprentice through an Illinois Department of Transportation grant program. She says safety was a problem and her training should have included hands-on work with supervision, but most of it was reading books.

Pinnick1.mp3
When we worked with tar, we had no respirators, led to having headaches for hours.

Last fall, Upshaw, Pinnick, and the other fired employees filed twelve complaints with the National Labor Relations Board in Peoria. It found ten of the complaints have merit, and is investigating.

An office employee told WVIK News that Terry Brandt wasn't available for an interview and had no comment on the picketing and labor complaints.

Officially, Michelle's title for 28 years was WVIK News Editor. She did everything there is to do in the newsroom and whatever was needed around the radio station. She also served as Acting News Director from September 2023 - January 2024.
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