Complaint Filed by Former JEB Employees Alleging WARN Act Violations is Amended

A complaint in the class action suit  filed by two former  J.E. Berkowitz (JEB) employees has been amended to add SSI Consolidated Holdings, which includes two CGH glazing companies. Consolidated Glass Holdings (CGH) and Czech Asset Management (CAM), parent companies for Predricktown, N.J.-based JEB, are also listed as defendants.

The fomer employees claim the companies violated the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) and the New Jersey Millville Dallas Airmotive Plant Job Loss Notification Act (New Jersey WARN Act).

The newly-revised complaint states that at the time CGH purchased JEB, CGH owned and operated CCBP Columbia, Solar Seal, Dlubak Specialty Glass and Global Security Glazing. The subsidiaries of CGH advanced two core business operations of the company. Those businesses were identified as the Architectural Glass Division and the Security Glazing Division.

Former JEB employees Glen Wojnar and Barry Blumenfeld  are listed as the plaintiffs in the suit individually and on behalf of their full-time coworkers at the Pedricktown, N.J., facility, where employment was suspended and then terminated due to the facility closing. The complaint estimates the number of employees affected is estimated to be more than 100 individuals, which notes that plaintiffs suffered a loss of employment without notice, violating both WARN acts.

The purpose of the WARN Act is to ensure advanced notice in cases of qualified plant closings and mass layoffs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The New Jersey WARN Act states that employees have certain rights and employers have certain obligations to give proper notice to their employees and others before taking certain employment actions, including mass layoffs and termination of operations.

On behalf of their coworkers and as individuals, Wojnar and Blumenfeld filed the claim in hopes of being provided a money judgment equal to the sum of all unpaid wages due in accordance with the law as well as  costs and expenses of this action and reasonable legal fees as provided under applicable law; Named Plaintiffs and Class Plaintiffs are to be awarded any and all other equitable and legal relief as the Court deems appropriate; and Named Plaintiffs and Class Plaintiffs’ claims are to receive a trial by jury.”

This story is developing. Stay tuned to USGNN™ for updates as they are made available.