More than 1,775 people have signed an online petition to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan requesting that American Woodmark close its cabinet manufacturing plant in Allegany, Maryland.
A statement about the petition on change.org reads:
“The Maryland governor ordered all residents to stay at home to prevent the spread of a global pandemic, COVID-19. Obviously there are some essential businesses that need to stay open. American Woodmark and now the governor has decided that kitchen and bathroom cabinets are essential due to construction infrastructure.
“Upper management has instructed us to clean work stations more frequently, wash our hands frequently, and to keep social distance to a 6 foot minimum. The Allegany plant has approximately 500 employees who are at risk daily.
“It is not physically possible to keep a 6 foot distance at all times. We all work in close proximities, and we pass off parts constantly to perform our jobs. We could potentially be sending contaminated parts and/or cabinets to our customers.
“You have to trust that everyone is doing their part to prevent the spread, but you don’t truly know if they are doing so. Many employees are worried and/or scared about their health and their family’s health that they go home to every day.
“The employees who do the physical work are at a high risk every day, and we don’t understand how cabinets can be considered essential. The fear and anxiety at our plant is very apparent. We would hope you would reconsider re-closing our plant and take into consideration the effect this could have on our employees and their families and our community. American Woodmark has many dedicated employees who go above and beyond daily, and this is like a slap in the face. The company is making it very apparent that they are not concerned with our well-being or the well-being of our families and now the Governor has (done) the same by allowing them to reopen.”