Local

Workers of Palm Bay company still not paid, turned away from work

PALM BAY, Fla. — Dozens of workers at a Palm Bay battery-making company who said they haven’t been paid in nearly two months tried to go back to work Tuesday, but were turned away.

The CEO’s at Oakridge Global Energy Solutions in Palm Bay promised to expand in 2015.

Gov. Rick Scott was in Palm Bay for the announcement that the company would go from 30 positions to 1,000 much-needed jobs by the end of next year.

Worker Andrea Kunert doesn’t have hope the company will keep its promise.

“I’m going to have a hard time getting another job, I’m sure,” she said.

She’s worked at the company for almost a year, but hasn’t been paid since mid-November.

“I’m reliable. I showed up every day. That’s another thing that hurts,” said Kunert.

Kiel Mann said he walked away already and is still owed $2,600.

“I couldn’t afford to work for them anymore because they were not paying me,” said Mann.

Kunert said 30 employees at the company were scheduled to go back to work Tuesday, but were turned away.

They were told to come back Jan. 30.

Kunert said she can’t wait that long and now feels she’ll never see her money or maintain her job.

“We couldn’t quit because of unemployment. If you quit, then you can’t get your unemployment so we had to keep working, hoping that they’ll pay us,” Kunert said.

CEOs Steve Barber and Suzanna Barber are in Australia and have not returned calls from Channel 9 reporter Ty Russell.

It’s not clear if the Federal Department of Labor is investigating.