Alsip Plant Workers Haven't Been Paid In Weeks
ALSIP (CBS) -- It's just five days before Christmas, and many of us are spending lots of money on gifts.
But what if you haven't gotten a paycheck in weeks? And before that, they bounced?
That's the nightmare some suburban employees are living through at Consumer Product Services, but now they plan to fight back, CBS 2's Jim Williams reports.
They've all suffered an enormous hardship. Andres Restrepo leans on his relatives.
"I've actually had to borrow money from my brother just so I can make some of the purchases for the kids in the family," he said.
Chris Kroplewski agonizes over what he'll tell his young daughters, just days before Christmas.
"I'm going to have to say that Santa's not coming," he said.
Their plant in south suburban Alsip restores large appliances. It's hard work, technical work, yet the 18 workers there say they haven't been paid for several weeks.
"I'm in the hole. It's really messed up," Rich Hermosillo said.
The workers say even when they receive checks, there's no guarantee they'll clear. Restrepo says a couple of his checks bounced.
The company is based in New York state. On its website, CPS touts its integrity.
The workers say the company has struggled to pay its bills since opening offices in other parts of the country.
"I know it's tough right now, but at the same time, they can't really float their company on the backs of their workers," Restrepo said.
One of the managers, Paul Paliwoda, said he also hasn't been paid, but his bosses in New York promise checks are on the way.
"We are getting paid tomorrow," he said. "There an envelope in the mail overnight."
The workers vow if they don't get their checks Friday, they will stage a sit-in at the plant and will stay there until they are paid in full.
The company did not return phone messages to CBS 2.
