Updated: 3/1/2007 10:40:39 AM
A TN Guardsman is involved in a strike at the Loudon company where he normally works, even though he's serving on the other side of the country. Willie Burris told 10News by phone that he'd be walking the picket line with the machinists union outside Maremont, if he hadn't been deployed to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border.
Burris has been on leave from Maremont for nearly four months now. He left his job once before to serve in Iraq.
Still, earlier in February, Burris received a certified letter from Maremont about the strike, explaining you "are invited to report for work at the start of your shift immediately."
The letter goes on to explain, "the company will begin to hire and employ permanent replacements for those employees who do not report for work."
"What I thought it meant was if I didn't return on that certain time, I'd be replaced sooner or later," Burris said.
Burris said he thought it was a mistake for the company to send him the letter.
He admitted that he has not contacted Maremont for clarification.
Maremont owner Ken Banks also talked to 10 News by phone.
"If employees are on disability or serving their country, we have jobs for them," Banks said.
The company's attorney pointed to a line later in its letter to Burris: "Those employees on worker's compensation leave, FMLA, medical leave or other leaves which began prior to February 5, 2007, are not affected, and are not expected to report for work until such time as the leave of absence ends."
Meanwhile according to Banks, about 175 union members have been permanently replaced.
Not Burris.
But he said he'll join the union's fight, if it's still going when he comes home in June.
"There's no way I would go back in with my co-workers standing out there," Burris said. "It's just the principle of the thing."
On Thursday, Maremont and union representatives are sitting down with a federal mediator for the second time since the strike began to try to reach a contract agreement.
