Dave Snider installs cabinets in a new motor home Thursday at Winnebago Industries' main manufacturing plant in Forest City. BOB FENSKE/Forest City Summit
So the rural Crystal Lake man who has worked for the Forest City-based motor home manufacturer for more than 32 years accepts the fact that lately his Winnebago schedule has gone something like this: Work a four-day week, take two weeks off and repeat the cycle.
“I’ve been through worse situations,” he said, “and I think people have to remember that Winnebago has learned from its mistakes. I do remember when we just kept building them and this place was just crammed with motor homes. That didn’t work, and I know we’re going to come out of this.”
Snider, who installs cabinets in motor homes, said that while he knows many Winnebago employees have fretted over their job security, he said there are many on the line who have his attitude.
“I can worry about it, but what good does that do?”
Winnebago, which employed more than 4,200 in 2004, now has a workforce of 1,700. A little more than a year ago, there were more than 3,300 jobs at its plants in Forest City, Charles City and Hampton, which means its workforce has almost been cut in half.
The effects have been felt in Forest City, where Winnebago is headquartered and employs most of its workers.
The number of houses for sale has increased in the past year, and the use of social services has increased. The Neighborhood Food Bank, for example, served more than double the number of families in November than it did the previous year.
Yet Forest City Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kathy Rollefson said she has heard positive comments from members about business during the Christmas shopping season.
“I think we’re more diverse than people think,” she said. “We have 3M, Krysilis, the school district, Waldorf … we’re not just a Winnebago town. Does it hurt us? No one would say it doesn’t, but I do think we’re holding our own right now.”
Rollefson said her organization planned several new Christmas events this year, but that Winnebago’s woes aren’t the only reason the community has rallied together.
“We felt it was important to emphasize the positive in light of all the bad economic news that’s been happening here and around the country,” she said.
And while Dave Snider continues his cycle of working a week and collecting unemployment for two weeks, he said he is not alone when it comes to Winnebago employees. He remains grateful for his job and the benefits like health insurance that come with it. And he feels bad for those who have lost their jobs.
So does that mean he’s feeling a little less Christmas spirit this year? Not in the least, he said with a smile.
“Christmas isn’t just about presents,” he said. “It’s about the birth of our Savior. And that hasn’t changed because we’re weathering a storm here at Winnebago.”
Bob Fenske is editor of the Forest City Summit, a Lee Enterprises newspaper.
