Comptroller Tom DiNapoli is hitting his Republican challenger, Harry Wilson, with two web videos today – each of them featuring interviews with employees of the FiberMark paper and fiber manufacturing firm in Lowville, NY.

The employees describe the harsh work conditions they were subjected to after Wilson’s former investment firm, Silver Point, acquired FiberMark debt during bankruptcy.

Robert McCarthy of the Buffalo News reported on the controversy in Monday’s paper.

DiNapoli’s campaign says the videos will ultimately be trimmed down and made into TV spots.

The transcripts for the videos appear after the jump.

Transcript of FiberMark Employees Speak Out

Text: Silverpoint Capital, Harry Wilson’s firm bought the Fibermark company in 2005, and implemented devastating changes. Now some of the employees talk about his business practices.

Jon Walesman (FiberMark employee): When Silverpoint came in, they just started chopping.

Roger Turck (FiberMark employee): We lost our medical insurance after we retired, they froze our pension, they cut our wages—actually some people lost up to six dollars an hour.

Jim Ridgeway (Local USW Representative): Harry Wilson and his group of people that did what they did, they need to be held accountable for this.

Roger Turck (FiberMark employee): Employees asked how they could live on such a paycut, and the CEO said you guys have to eat more rice.

Jim Ridgeway (FiberMark employee): When you hear/hire an individual who looks you directly in the eyes across the table and said I don’t care about you, I don’t care about your families, I don’t care about your retirement, and then you ask yourself, is this the kind of person I want to choose to vote for?

Transcript of FiberMark Workers Speak to Harry Wilson

Text: Silverpoint Capital, Harry Wilson’s firm bought the FiberMark company in 2005, and implemented devastating changes. Now some of the employees talk about his business practices.

Jon Walesman (FiberMark employee): Even on Mr. Wilson’s website it says, he takes out waste and inefficiencies in companies. And, he took out people.

Roger Turck (FiberMark employee): This is people who had been with the company for 30-35 years, had to refinance their mortgages because they took such cuts in pay.

Jim Ridgeway (Local USW Representative): Their sole objective was to maximize their profits for the Wall Street people.

Roger Turck (FiberMark employee): I would tell my fellow New Yorkers don’t vote for Harry Wilson. I mean, if he does to New York what he did for FiberMark, it’ll be devastating.

Jim Ridgeway (FiberMark employee): Harry, I’m holding you accountable.

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