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Former VC Summer Employee: "I Loved What I Was Doing"

Many Winnsboro residents say the massive job loss from VC Summer reminds them of the Mack Truck plant closing down 15 years ago. 

Winnsboro, SC (WLTX) - Many Winnsboro residents say the massive job loss from VC Summer reminds them of the Mack Truck plant closing down in the town 15 years ago.

Dozens of people came in and out of the SC Works building in Winnsboro on Tuesday filing for unemployment and looking for what their next step is going to be.

The Department of Employment and Workforce does have a rapid response team that will go into a company that is expecting to lay off a lot of people to help them begin to find their next step before they lose their jobs. Since this decision was so unexpected, that had not happened.

Derin Johnson, a former VC Summer employee, says he had just started working at the plant 5 months ago.

"It was just out of the blue," Johnson said, "just a regular day. They told everybody at 1 o clock, 'everybody go to the turnstile, put your badges in the trash bags, [you've] got to go.'"

Going with him was a huge chunk of Winnsboro residents.

"I'm sure everybody here has family and friends that worked there," said Patricia Johnson, a worker at Best For Less in downtown Winnsboro.

Patricia Johnson says she knows plenty.

"Well I have a daughter that worked there, brother, nephews, niece, and cousins," Patricia said.

Patricia says the best way to describe them is hurt.

"They closed down," Johnson said, "that's it, without a warning or anything. They were hurt, it's a big hurt to the town, it is."

"I loved what I was doing," Derin said, "I was just a laborer, a utility worker. And now, I've got to go to another interview now."

Winnsboro residents say one of the biggest concerns is that they don't know what's next.

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