LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Former employees of the new Stellar Snacks factory in west Louisville joined two Metro Council members Friday to describe safety issues and "unsafe" conditions there.
The men and women outlined concerns such as loose wires hanging over their heads and metal shavings in the dough and said they were pressured from the company's human resources office not to speak up.
A spokesperson for Metro Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins, D-1, provided reporters with a photo that former employees claim was taken inside the plant and show metal shavings in the mix. The complaints date back to when first group of employees at the plant started last fall, they said.
A spokesperson for Metro Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins, D-1, office provided a photo that former employees claim were taken inside the plant and showing metal shavings in the mix.
"The allegations these former employees have stated are unacceptable," Hawkins said.
Company co-founder Elisabeth Galvin released a written statement Friday that didn't address the allegations, simply saying they've "cared deeply about doing things the right way "reiterating the company's efforts to build and grow in west Louisville.
"Stellar Snacks is a family business, built on the belief that kindness, fairness, and opportunity are not just values—they are the foundation of everything we do," she said in the statement. "... Let me say something clearly and from the heart: We're honored to be part of this neighborhood. We're proud to call West Louisville home. And we're just getting started."
A company spokesperson hasn't responded to a request for specific reaction to the allegations.
"We want answers and we will get them," Hawkins said.
'Unacceptable'
Robert Lee said he used to work at Stellar Snacks but recently quit after complaints of unsanitary practices and improper employee training went ignored.
"I ultimately decided to come to Stellar to work just to find out I was lied to the whole time," Lee said.
Kaila Brent said complaints to human resources officials were marked against them, and, in some cases, they were told to quit or be fired.
"We were getting penalized for it," she said. "They were putting a new rule into action about us speaking on how we feel."
None of the employees said they'd made formal complaints to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Stellar Snacks hasn't been investigated for workplace safety concerns in Kentucky, but the Nevada-based company was fined $56,000 last year in its home state over "serious" and "repeat" violations, online records show. In all, Stellar has faced eight violations in Nevada since early 2023.
Stellar has retrofitted the 434,000-square-foot building in the Park Hill neighborhood since moving in in 2023. It installed equipment, hired and trained new staff, added a rail spur and connected a piping system that moves flour from arriving rail cars into nearby silos.
More than half the company's employees live in walking distance, which, co-founder Gina Galvin previously said, is by design.
"The way we found west Louisville was by looking for the right footprint — so the right building, the right rail access ..." she said in November. "But we fell in love when we came here and we met people."
Other employees who spoke Friday voiced concerns about machines not working properly and other safety hazards.
"They have wires over our heads ... it's just unsafe," Jamya Murphy said. "They would have electricians working above our heads while we are working."
A state incentives board last year approved $2.25 million in grant funds for Stellar, including up to $1 million for work on the rail spur and related improvements and $1.25 million in job credits. The company stands to get additional job credits — $300 per job — for workers hired from the nine nearby neighborhoods of Parkland, Shawnee, Park Duvalle, Russell, Portland, California, Chickasaw, Park Hill and Algonquin.
The company must hire its first 100 employees by the end of 2026 and invest at least $60 million by 2030 or start paying back a public subsidy, according to its agreement with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. Galvin said late last year that Stellar was on track to meet those targets. Â
Metro Councilman J.P. Lyninger, D-6, said Friday he's advocating for worker protection and putting unions in place to ensure it.
"This facility received significant incentives to be in the Louisville community and significant promises were made ... about good jobs," he said.
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