rivals such as Delta had long since switched their U.S. plants to more advanced forms of manufacturing. In 1996 Price Pfister shut down its foundry in the U.S. as they began moving jobs over into Mexico, laying off 300 of the 1200 U.S. jobs at their plant in Pacoima, California. To protest the layoffs and limited severance packages, ten of the workers went on hunger strikes, and on day ten of the strike one of them collapsed and required medical attention. The company blamed the cutbacks on state regulations that limited the amount of lead allowed in faucets. A local labor activist group leader stated that the company was "using environmental issues as a scapegoat" since rival companies had already managed to improve their manufacturing within the U.S. The Teamsters local negotiator claimed that the move was due in part to the cheaper cost of labor over in Mexico, stating that the wages at the plant were $17 an hour including benefits, while in Mexico the wages were $1 or less. The new president, Ron Cooper, stated that the remaining 900 jobs might soon be moved as well, since the Pacoima plant would be too large for their needs. Regardless of where they moved, the 450 factory workers would be laid off and a new staff would be hired. In March 1997, Price Pfister moved more of its manufacturing operations from the Pacoima plant over to Mexicali, Mexico, laying off approximately 300 U.S. workers. Many of the former workers protested the layoffs outside the plant, and later called for a boycotting of Price Pfister while protesting a nearby Home Depot, a home improvement store that sold Price Pfister products. The Pacoima plant closed down completely in 1997. In 2005, Lowe's planned to build a home improvement store on the lot of the former plant. LA Weekly writer Steven Mikulan said that the move was ironic: the plant used to serve as a hub where U.S.-made Price Pfister products were shipped out from, and the place would instead now be selling those items received from elsewhere. The plant was once the city's largest employer and left the area with severe amounts of pollution. After its closing a survey found that 28% of nearby residents had chronic respiratory problems. Spectrum Brands Holdings Incorporated Joining Kwikset security hardware in 1999, Price Pfister and Kwikset formed the Black and Decker Hardware and Home Improvement