LIVONIA, Mich. – The 100-year-old Awrey Bakeries may close because union members have rejected another concession proposal from management.
Awrey Bakeries began in Detroit as a family business and moved to a production facility in Livonia in the 1970s.
The company, known for its windmill logo, fell on hard times and filed for bankruptcy protection in 2005. An investment group purchased it in bankruptcy, but in recent years demanded concessions from unionized workers to keep the company going.
The latest demand, for a $2 per hour pay cut and the loss of some jobs, was rejected this week by union members.
Tom Kurras is a union member who says workers have been giving back for the past five years. He said this demand was just too much.
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"We're just done. I think we're done. I think the vote was unanimous, I hope it was," Kurras said.
Lillian Triplett was one of the customers at the Awrey outlet store Wednesday. She said she hopes the bakery will not shut down.
"I don't want that to happen. We lose enough jobs as it is in this area, so no, I don't want it to go away," Triplett said.
Awrey's management has talked of shutting down the Livonia facility and moving production to a facility it owns in Indiana, but there has been no comment from management since the union vote was reported.