Feelgood story: Meatpackers now millionaires

Meatpackers now millionaires

By Jeff Zeleny
Chicago Tribune

LINCOLN, Neb. ?- They made hams for a living. They worked inside a sprawling, brick factory near the downtown business district, logging time on the second and third shifts of a plant that doesn't sleep.

They stepped forward as millionaires Wednesday.

Eight co-workers at a ConAgra ham-processing center, who each had contributed $5 to buy a pool of lottery tickets late last week, emerged from three days of seclusion to claim a $365 million Powerball jackpot, the largest in U.S. history. They wore bright, yet anxious, smiles as they talked about their good fortunes and pondered their not-so-anonymous futures.

"I've been retired for about four days now," said Eric Zornes, 40, who learned of his newfound wealth after an unsuccessful trip to a casino.

The winning alliance opted for the one-time cash payout and will receive $15.5 million each after taxes.

The gang of eight was introduced at a televised news conference at the Cornhusker Hotel as if they were contestants on a game show. As they made their way to a makeshift stage, the voice of a lottery official boomed: "Michael, come on down. Our next individual is Quang Dao. And we're happy to introduce Rob Stewart!"

The faces of the new millionaires represented a tapestry of the U.S. industrial work force: Two are Vietnam refugees who immigrated to Lincoln 16 years ago; one is a political refugee whose family fled the Congo in 1999. Five are married. Three are single.

The Nebraska governor and other assembled dignitaries led the applause as the group of seven men and one woman strolled before television cameras. Three wore sunglasses and took questions with refreshing humor.

"We're still thinking we're going to wake up from a dream," said Chasity Rutjens, 29, who has worked at the plant for nine years. "You always think, 'Geez, it would be nice not to work anymore,' but it's a lot different when it happens. We'll see how it turns out."

Not all of the winners, though, stepped immediately into early retirement. At least three said they would stay on the job ?- for now, anyway.

"They would have been short of help," said David Gehle, 53, a supervisor who has worked at the plant for two decades. "The managers, we think a lot of them. We couldn't just leave them."

Four hours before the news conference, Gehle had finished working the overnight shift. He said he planned to report to work Wednesday for his 10 p.m. shift and politely asked not to be disturbed until then. "I need to get some sleep," he said.

Powerball tickets are sold in 28 states ?- including Oregon and Idaho ?- the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For the past five years, workers at the Lincoln meatpacking plant pooled their resources every time the jackpot eclipsed $45 million. They employed a careful system of bookkeeping, photocopying their lottery tickets and keeping a log of the $5 investors.

As the latest payoff grew to $365 million, the group of eight formed their lucky alliance. Shortly after 3 p.m. Friday, Dung Tran, 34, walked into the U-Stop convenience store two blocks from the plant and bought the winning ticket.

The winning numbers were 15, 17, 43, 44 and 48, with a Powerball number of 29 ?- a 1-in-146 million shot.

"I held onto ticket," said Tran, who wore a red Nebraska Cornhuskers stocking cap. "I can't sleep. I scared."

After the numbers were drawn Saturday night, word slowly spread that one of the group's tickets was golden. Alain Maboussou said his wife wondered if he had missed a shift because co-workers had called "like 20 times" before he woke up Sunday.

Maboussou, 26, who fled the Congo in 1999 to escape civil war in central Africa, said he planned to quit his job and pursue a college business degree. His winnings, he said, would provide for his wife and 3-month-old daughter.

"She's going to be happy for the rest of her life," he said.