Republicans and Donald Trump supporters stood out in the rain to protest Hillary Clinton’s visit to Johnstown. More chants were heard on social media including that the campaign stop was staged.
There were a number of claims on Facebook that Johnstown Wire Technologies told its workers to stay home and that paid actors were brought in.
Jim Barber, who is the general manager of operations services at the wire mill, told WTAJ there is no truth to the rumor.
“All employees were welcome to come. We just asked them to come to the Human Resources Department to sign up. We had about 20 people signed up. We did not tell anyone not to come. We did not force anyone to come,” Barber added that Johnstown Wire Technologies has not endorsed either candidate in the upcoming election.
Several men wearing hard hats stood near the stage as Clinton addressed the small crowd inside the wire mill. Dan Fecko and Mike Lux were among them. Together they have more than 20 years of service. Lux did not tell us which candidate he supports, but said he has a family and hopes to retire at the mill. Both men said they were scheduled to work Saturday and did not believe there was any truth to the rumors.
The crowd that gathered to listen to Clinton’s plan to bring jobs to the middle class were not all union workers. There were invited dignitaries including Johnstown Mayor Frank Janakovic, Cambria County Commissioner Tom Chernisky, and former democrat congressman Mark Critz.
Volunteers of the Clinton campaign were also invited to the closed door event, some traveled from as far as Philadelphia.
During her speech Clinton said she and the democrats will continue to fight for the middle class. If elected she vowed to bring the biggest increase in manufacturing jobs since World War II.
There is no evidence that the Clinton campaign staged the event, but Saturday’s visit did reveal she will have to work hard to win over blue collar workers in Western Pennsylvania.
“I’ve been a democrat all my life, but i am voting republican. I think Donald Trump understands the working class,” said Jeff Baxter, a former union worker who was among the few dozen protesters outside the mill on Saturday.
About 250 people work at the Johnstown Wire Technologies. The century old building is located in the city’s west end.