Posted on 01/30/2002 6:39:06 PM PST by Newton
WASHINGTON - Likening the loss of their Enron jobs to a natural disaster, former employees pleaded with congressional members for immediate help so they could pay mortgages, college tuition and everyday expenses.
The employees traveled to Washington by bus with the Rev. Jesse Jackson on what they called the "Journey for Justice" to tell congressional members and regulators how their American dreams had been lost, or as several said, snatched from them.
Dennis Vegas, 48, former vice president of brand management and strategic marketing, said the Enron scandal not only wiped out 4,500 jobs but also wreaked havoc on the lives of the former employees' family members, which he said numbered some 20,000.
"If we had a storm or a hurricane where 20,000 lives had been affected ... I'm sure (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) would be on the ground, representatives from Washington would be on the ground trying to provide some relief," Vegas said.
The workers met with Democratic members of Congress, including Minority Leader Richard Gephardt.
After the meeting, Gephardt promised to visit Houston soon and meet with former employees.
Lawmakers pledged to pursue bankruptcy law changes, investigation of the Enron collapse, and retirement income and pension reforms. While employees cheered those moves, they also said they need help paying bills that will come due Feb. 1.
"They need homeland security," Jackson said.
Debra Johnson, 44, worked for Enron for seven years and said she will not be able to pay her son's college tuition.
"I have come here from the big city of Houston to get some relief now," she said.
Katherine Benedict, 34, a former marketing specialist who worked at Enron seven years, and others said they want to work but are having trouble finding jobs.
"We don't want a handout," Benedict said.
The employees said that the job and retirement income losses have happened to people who were dedicated employees, who came in on weekends to finish work and answered calls from Enron's international division in the early morning.
Louis Allen, 42, said he had won numerous awards from Enron, including an integrity award. He spent nine years at Enron and was the supervisor of transportation and parking when his job disappeared. A single father, he and his 11-year-old daughter have had to move in with his mother.
"I loved Enron. Enron was a good company. I loved them ... Everything is gone. My daughter's education is gone," Allen said.
Gwen Gray, 42, who worked as a Human Resources assistant, described how she wrote what she thought were bonus checks for high-level employees.
She later learned the checks were retention payments. Meanwhile, employees like her were laid off without severance pay and with near worthless 401(k) accounts.
"My heart aches. Everyone has a vacant look in their eyes because we don't know what to do," Gray said. "We did not rob a bank. We just went to work."
It's not up to the government to bail people out. As bad as I feel for the 9/11 victims I fail to see where the government should pay them ANY money. It's outrageous. I saw a cartoom that had a crane digging money out of the WC crater and handing it to survivors. Did I mention the name for the crane company was Uncle Sam?
Timothy McVeigh was a terrorist and the government DID NOT open the couffers for them. Money given to these folks was frm private charities.
It's becoming dusgraceful how people love to victimize others for their misfortune. Leave it to racist and class warfare advocate, Jessie Jackson to look for a way to exploit this. Maybe Jessie ought to give up some of his homes, cars or stop screwing around and give child support to a few families.
After the CFO ran off with the company fiannaces.
All I got was unemployment and got another job.
they can do the same thing.
Maybe they could use a little cheese.
I'd think twice before putting that one on my resume. That's the sort of thing that causes a resume reader to burst out laughing, and then start passing the resume around to colleagues so they can have a good laugh too. Everyone will be too busy laughing to remember that the guy wanted to be considered for a job.
Bella
Integrity award from Enron..........that's like a morality award from Clinton...ROFLMAO
Supervisor of parking.........? Did this guy really believe that he had a "real job"?.........what an 'efing' joke.
And Jackson doesn't want any publicity and a cut of the pie ----- Riiiiiiiggghht.
Which brings me to Enron. Why is it that government is the answer to everyone's problems? Is it because government is moreabout the redistribution of wealth than looking out for it's citizens? That is all this is. The Enron problem wasn't a government caused problem, so why are the tax payers going to have to assume the liability? I mean, I have my own fledgling company, and if I go under, is the government going to bail me out? NO, for one reason and one reason only, I'm responsible for my own problems.
These yuppie wannabe's with their mortgages, and college tuition sob stories irk the hell out of me, because these people should have noticed the signs and did something about it months before the collapse. Anyone in upper management of Enron should have done or said something to prevent this, or to help investigators find who was to blame. We are watching all kinds of businesses taking a hit because of two companies impropriety, Enron and Arthur Anderson. Both companies management should be prosecuted, for enabling this fraud that we as taxpayers are being asked to bail out.
I'll be putting in my paperwork when my company fails, so that way I can get a federal bail out package. Of course I have a couple part time employees who I pay with pizza and sodas, but that shouldn't matter. I can demand a bail out because after all, I'm a company in America who wishes to remain BLAMELESS!!!!
I tried parking at a Fedgov building downtown and found out that the parking nazis are WAY serious about their jobs.
They are still alive. And, yes, the sun'll come out tomorrow (maybe not in Houston, though, come to think of it). It's only a day away.
Oh, please! The child is 11 and her education is "GONE"??? I don't think so, unless daddy is teaching his little girl that SOMEONE ELSE is responsible for her making something of herself. The victim mentality makes me ill.
Having experienced a company that went under, and RIF'S at my present Company, I don't believe Enron employees deserve any more (or less) than any of the millions of other American's similarly affected.
Please cite a source which proves silicone breast implants did anything. Dow was court ordered to pay out the money but mainly because of whiny women and faulty science.
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