Moving On: How Sensata Workers are Planning for When the Jobs are Gone

FREEPORT - Despite countless protests and subsequent arrests of Sensata workers and supporters, Sensata Technologies say they will not be bringing back jobs to their Freeport location that have been outsourced to China.  Now those people have to move on, and moving on isn't always an easy task.

Ron Homan was laid off from Sensata 16 months ago, when the company was still owned by Honeywell.  He's been on unemployment since then.

"I was a 35 year employee," said Homan.  "It was a great job and throughout most of my career at Honeywell I worked in the pressure sensor group and for most of that time I was also a team lead and group leader."

Homan says he searches the internet and newspaper for jobs, but he mentions finding work in Freeport is no easy task.

"You know there's such a big influx of unemployed people here now that the competition is pretty intense," Homan acknowledged. 

Homan says he's worked multiple part-time jobs, but they've been temporary.  Some of the jobs he's applied for won't take him because his former income was greater than they say they're willing to offer him, but he mentions that he'd still take the job even if it were at a lesser pay.  The former Honeywell employee says even at the age of 55, he's toyed with the idea of going back to school, but he says he doesn't have the money to do that.

"If I go back to school now, since I didn't take it immediately after my term at Honeywell ended, I will have to pay that myself, so there's no state assistance for schooling if you want to go back now," Homan revealed.

The skills Homan says should be able to get him a job.  He says he has management experience, retail experience, even floral experience.  Standing at over six feet tall, Homan adds he's a big man and could do heavy lifting in a job if need be, but he says the jobs that are out there aren't for him.

"They want the younger crowd is what I'm finding as far as employment," said Homan.

If Homan's unemployment benefits run out before finding something in Freeport, he says he is willing to move out of the region for work.

"My family's still here, you'd like to stay around family," commented Homan.  "I love this area, it's beautiful here but I've got to think of myself too.  I've still got 20-30 years to work, hopefully."

Sensata protests continue through the week.  The president of the United Auto Workers union will speak to supporters on Saturday and Jesse Jackson will be back in Freeport next Monday.