at the employee list right now.”
“How many?”
“Four hundred twelve.”
My stomach tightened.
“Which location?”
“Pennsylvania.”
That was only one plant.
“How many total?”
“We don’t know.”
I looked at the clock.
8:31.
The company had twelve thousand employees.
Their paychecks were not just numbers on a spreadsheet.
Mortgages.
Rent.
Childcare.
Car payments.
Medication.
Groceries.
Utilities.
People had bills scheduled around payday.
Some employees lived paycheck to paycheck.
Missing one deposit wasn’t an inconvenience.
For some families, it was a crisis.
I sat down.
“Listen carefully,” I said.
