Bain Workers Bus Tour Stops in McCandless

The Bain Workers bus tour made a stop Wednesday morning in McCandless, parking in a lot directly across from the headquarters of Republican congressional candidate Keith Rothfus.

On board were five former employees of Bain Capital-owned companies, along with several dozen of their supporters.

The group has been traveling the country, hoping to influence swing voters to support President Barack Obama . 

Bain Capital was founded by Mitt Romney and several partners in 1984. Since its inception, it has invested in or acquired hundreds of companies.

Simara Martinez, who works for Bain-owned Dunkin Donuts in Boston, said the minimum-wage salary she earns is simply not enough to pay the bills. 

"I would always work over 40 hours but I never got paid for it, and I realize that it was so Mitt Romney could have more money in his pocket. That's how Bain runs," she said.

The three remaining speakers, all from western Pennsylvania, had similar criticisms of Romney, Rothfus, and Bain capital, even though none of them had ever worked for a Bain company.

"Keith Rothfus wants to try the same Republican playbook that we've had from Reagan to Bush and the idea of cutting taxes while we have a huge deficit does not work," said John Dougherty, of Greensburg.

Carol Urban, of Beaver Falls, said she couldn’t work because of a central nervous system disorder.

 "I rely on Medicaid and Social Security disability to live," she said. "We know that a Rothfus-Romney-Ryan economy would mean sacrifice for the middle class while the rich get richer. Every single program that helps the working poor would receive severe cuts from the Romney/Ryan plan, including Medicare, Medicaid, social security, Pell grants and children's nutrition programs." 

Rothfus campaign manager Jonathan Raso countered that current White House policies are to blame for the situations spurring the workers' complaints.

"What's hurting the middle class and the poor are rising gas prices, rising energy costs, and above 8-percent unemployment with no end in sight," he said.

"Keith Rothfus knows how to create jobs, will fight against President Obama's war on coal and is determined to save Medicare and keep the promises we made to our seniors."

One of the bus rally's final speakers was Louis Essey, of Aliquippa, who worked for the former St. Joe Resources zinc plant in Monaca until it shut down. 

"Just like of other steel mills that were around here, the steel company I worked for was outsourced by Bain capital," he said. "The mill is probably in China now, making steel, and bringing it back into this country."

According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette , the St. Joe zinc plant in Monaca shut down in 1979, five years before Bain Capital came into existence.

Raso said while the Bain bus was visiting his candidate's headquarters, Rothfus was in Beaver County.

"Keith Rothfus was touring DB&S Steel  in Beaver Falls, which is struggling in the Obama/Critz  economy with rising health care cost, rising electrical costs, and an overall stagnant economy that is not creating jobs," he said.

"Keith Rothfus will fight the Obama agenda with policies that empower our manufacturers and job creators and workers right here in southwestern Pennsylvania.

The Bain bus tour's next scheduled stop was a Burlington Coat Factory store in downtown Pittsburgh. Burlington is also owned by Bain Capital.