The production staff of more than 30 employees walked off the job Wednesday at the Hoopa Modular Building Enterprise.

Financial struggles and an inability to find and keep qualified personnel has put a dark cloud over the company that was supposed to ease economic hardship for the Hoopa Valley Tribe. The factory builds solid modular homes, which appreciate like regular homes. The investment of millions of dollars by the Hoopa Valley Tribe was an attempt to not only provide jobs and revenue for tribal members, but also provide affordable housing options.

Doug Goodwin, who was the factory production manager until Wednesday, said the factory has been through four chief executive officers and countless other management level employees. Goodwin said that Hoopa Modular Building Enterprise board director Leona Colegroe recently told him that pay increases to staff he and a former CEO instituted were unauthorized. Goodwin argued that company financial struggles were not caused by a handful of production and management salaries -- which included $30,000 for himself for a full-time production manager position with chief operating officer duties.

Goodwin said that at a recent board meeting, board members discussed ways to encourage stronger work ethic and spur production to help the plant make money. The plan, he said, was to bring employees back down to their previous salary with the incentive of more pay for harder work over time. Goodwin said he was asked to keep the plan a secret, but told the staff on Wednesday anyway and organized a walkout in protest.

Goodwin told the Times-Standard that he was fired for the action.

Colegroe said that the board had no intention of lowering production salaries and that the action Goodwin organized was unfortunate but it did not disturb plant operations.

”This was a personnel issue, which somebody from our upper management team turned into something bigger than it should have been,” she said. “We had some disgruntled employees leave, but no massive strike.”

Another board member for Hoopa Modular Building Enterprise is Humboldt State University President Rollin Richmond. He said he was aware of Goodwin's actions and said that he had no knowledge of a plan to lower production salaries, but said there was a plan to lower Goodwin's salary. Richmond admitted to financial struggles with the plant in Hoopa including an inability to secure credit needed.

Richmond said that the struggles felt at the Hoopa plant are like many other start-up companies and the isolation Hoopa has exacerbated some of those personnel issues. Despite the struggles Richmond said he remains committed to the company because of the economic boost it will be able to offer the community.

Ann Johnson-Stromberg can be reached at 441-0538 or astromberg@times-standard.com.