RAVENSWOOD, W.Va.— Karen Gorrell will readily admit she was ready to give up on more than one occasion. Gorrell, whose husband was a retiree of Century Aluminum, became the face of the long battle to win healthcare benefits for more than 700 retirees of the Jackson County plant after the company cut them off.
“There were days I didn’t think I could do it any more,” she said on MetroNews Talkline Tuesday. “All I had to do was see Bryce Turner’s face and remember the promise I made on his bedside the night before he died. I promised him as long as I had breath in my body, I was going to fight Century Aluminum until we got justice. February 9th, I kept my promise.”
Turner had been diagnosed with leukemia not long before he received notification from the company the healthcare benefits for which he had worked many years were lost. He died amid the long struggle led by Gorrell. The struggle ended last weekend when Century agreed to pay $23 Million dollars to fund the healthcare benefits. The settlement still needs court approval, but Gorrell felt confident it would be approved and end a difficult six year struggle.
“It started out just me against the world and I built a wonderful little silver haired army and we didn’t have any boundaries,” she said. “No matter what I asked of them. I mean, we slept in tents for 78 days at 75 and 80 years old. No matter what I asked, they were behind me.”
There were plenty of setbacks and disappointments along the way. The retirees lost their lawsuit in court. They hung their hopes on Century’s plan to restart the operation with heavy influence from the West Virginia legislature. The plan fell apart and Century closed the operation for good. Gorrell admitted closing the plant permanently may have been the lowest of the low points in the ordeal.
“We were left with nothing but hope and the only thing we had left was to make Century believe we were human beings with beating hearts,” she said. “For two entities that started out as mortal enemies, we developed a relationship over these many years and I can say today we have a genuine mutual respect for one another.”
Gorrell in fact credits the respect the retirees earned during the struggle for ultimately changing the company’s mind.
“I believe they did this because they thought it was the only right and moral thing to do,” Gorrell explained. “After six plus years of trying, they finally got what I tried to tell them back in California years ago; we’re human beings and we deserve better than this. Three cheers for Mike Bless and the board at Century for coming across with $23 Million they didn’t have to do….but they did.”
Retirees will receive a letter soon to explain the settlement once finalized by the court. Gorrell said the company appropriated $3 Million dollars in back pay to help restore some of the retirees’ losses during the past six years without coverage. The other $20 Million will be to fund the retirement healthcare benefits going forward.