Thirteen employees at South Whitley’s Artistic Holiday Designs are on strike, citing unsafe work conditions, poor pay and lack of benefits as their reasons for the strike. Photos by Dusty Morin.

By Liz Adkins
InkFreeNews

SOUTH WHITLEY — Workers at South Whitley’s Artistic Holiday Designs have been on strike since Aug. 19.

Employees citied unsafe work conditions, poor pay and lack of benefits as some of their reasons for the strike.

Artistic Holiday Designs specializes in holiday lighting. The South Whitley location focuses on expanding the company’s distribution efforts in the Midwest, with their main office located in Illinois.

Thirteen workers, including warehouse workers, forklift drivers and repair specialists, are all on strike.

Dusty Morin, an Artistic Holiday Designs employee, said the company doesn’t provide holiday or vacation pay.

“We work in severe, unsafe conditions,” said Morin. “We have had people get sick from mold exposure. We have a leaky roof. There’s just a list. It goes on and on and on. They want us to 1099 ourselves basically (for taxes), but don’t tell us that when we sign up. It’s a mess out here.”

Morin said the issues have been ongoing, with employees sticking around because they believed Artistic Holiday Designs would address the problems. She also alleged the company didn’t have licensed contractors come in to take care of mold damage.

Morin’s worked at Artistic Holiday Designs for a year but was out sick for a month and a half due to an abscess in her throat.

“Nobody could explain where it came from,” said Morin about the abscess. “My doctor yesterday said that he’s almost 100% sure that it came from the mold here. There’s mushrooms, fungus growing up the walls … dead rats laying around. It’s horrible.”

According to Morin, the 13 employees on strike are the only employees working out of the South Whitley location.

“(Artistic Holiday Designs is) trying to say there are more employees that work here, and there are not,” said Morin.

Morin said management has not responded to the strike. As of Aug. 21, a union representative joined the workers. The union representative also attempted to speak with management but was unsuccessful.

“They don’t care,” said Morin. “They believe that we are replaceable.”

Morin said the strike will continue until there are safer working conditions, higher pay, and additional benefits.

“We tried this morning to go to them with a proposal to try and get a contract drawn up that wouldn’t cause any lawyers’ fees for anyone,” said Morin. “They didn’t want to respond. We’re going to be here bringing awareness to this company until they do something different.”