ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, January 13, 1996 TAG: 9601150042
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LAWRENCE, MASS.
SOURCE: ROBIN ESTRIN ASSOCIATED PRESS
note: below
HIS DECISION to pay salary to those left unemployed has workers singing his praises.
It's getting to be that every time the president of the mill complex talks to his employees, they start to cry.
They love him.
On Thursday, hundreds of factory employees erupted in cheers as Aaron Feuerstein announced that he would continue paying salary and benefits to the approximately 1,000 workers left unemployed by a fire that devastated Malden Mills Industries Inc. in Methuen one month ago.
``It's unbelievable what the man's doing for us,'' said Teresa Perkins, who, even on crutches, raced up to her boss to give him a huge hug.
Since the Dec. 11 fire, Feuerstein has stood behind his workers. Within hours, he pledged to rebuild. Within days, he promised his employees paychecks for 30 days and health insurance coverage for 90 days while he tried to resume operations. He even gave his union employees a $275 holiday bonus, which had been promised before the blaze.
Soon after, he extended the salary benefits for another week. And on Thursday - the one-month anniversary of the fire - he extended them for 30 days more.
``You're a saint!'' Perkins yelled. ``I love you, Aaron,'' another woman cried.
``Why am I doing it? I consider the employees standing in front of me here the most valuable asset that Malden Mills has,'' Feuerstein said. ``I don't consider them, like some companies do, as an expense that can be cut. I know in the long run that what I'm doing today will come back tenfold and will make Malden Mills the best company in the industry.''
The weekly payroll for all hourly employees totals $1.5 million, a company spokeswoman said.
``He could have taken the money and gone south and left us all stranded here without a job,'' said Velma Pouliot, of Plaistow, N.H.
Three of the nine buildings at the 130-year-old Malden Mills complex were destroyed in the fire, which injured 33 people and put about 1,800 employees out of work just before Christmas. Six workers remain hospitalized.
Feuerstein's company, which produces fabrics including Polartec and Polarfleece, employs 3,200 people worldwide and has annual sales of $400 million.
About 65 percent of all employees were back at work by this week, and Feuerstein said he expected many more would be recalled within the next few months.
``Do you have a corporate chief willing to give you $300 or so a week for doing nothing?'' asked Rene Gingras, 74, of Derry, N.H., who has worked at Malden Mills for 25 years. ``It might make AT&T think twice about laying off 40,000 people.''
Individuals and other corporations and labor unions have donated $600,000 to a fund for Malden Mills employees, Feuerstein said. Bank of Boston, Raytheon and L.L. Bean each gave $50,000; Patagonia gave $30,000; and the employees' union, $100,000.
Feuerstein said he has received between 3,000 and 5,000 letters of sympathy and good wishes from all over the country.
Gov. William Weld lauded him in his state-of-the-state address Tuesday for his commitment to his workers and the commonwealth.
LENGTH: Medium: 67 linesby CNB