Erwin Porter has worked at Noranda Aluminum in New Madrid, MO, for 33-years as a steel worker. He thought he would be there forever.
The company makes aluminum from raw materials and while there are 800 people, most employees who work with him are on an hourly rate. 
Noranda plant supplied aluminum for the auto industry and while management has threatened lay-offs for quite some time, nothing had happened. But then an unexpected thing happened: an ice storm shut down the plant and is power, interrupting its production.
When power was restored, the plant resumed only 25 percent of its output capacity. Because the economy is so bad and the price of aluminum so low, it is not certain if Noranda will be back to 100 percent any time soon. And that means trouble.
Today, even with 33 years seniority, Erwin has no sense of job security. Unless the demand for aluminum gets stronger, everything is up in the air.
While Erwin doesn’t know what he will do if his plan were to shut down, he is taking precautions. He’s altered his lifestyle and become more conscious of his spending.
And while he may be frustrated at the plant’s management, his company did allow him and several of his co-workers to come to the Cape Girardeau whistle stop for the Keep it Made in America Tour and not lose any pay. And for that he is grateful.
