CHATSWORTH FIRM TO FACE LAYOFFS SUIT; WORKERS' LAWYERS SEEK 60 DAYS' PAY.Byline: Ben Sullivan Daily News Staff Writer Attorneys representing former employees of Chatsworth-based Micropolis Inc. say they will file a multimillion-dollar class-action lawsuit against the defunct disk drive maker today in U.S. Bankruptcy Court bankruptcy court n. the specialized Federal court in which bankruptcy matters under the Federal Bankruptcy Act are conducted. There are several bankruptcy courts in each state, and each one's territory covers several counties. in downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or . David Affeld, a partner with Los Angeles-based Affeld & Mallen LLP LLP - Lower Layer Protocol , said late Thursday that the suit seeks 60 days' pay for approximately 325 employees laid off in November when Micropolis' parent company, Singapore Technologies, abruptly closed the Chatsworth facility. He put the value of the suit at $1 million to $3 million. Singapore Technologies cited losses and fierce competition in the disk drive market when it shut the research and development center. The firm's employees were given an hour's notice to leave the facility. A skeleton crew The term skeleton crew is used to indicate the minimum number of personnel needed to operate and maintain an item at its most simple operating requirements, such as a ship or business, during an emergency and, at the same time, to keep vital functions operating. of about 20 workers has since been brought back to complete the shutdown. Micropolis has offered its former employees three weeks' pay in exchange for them forfeiting rights to seek further damages. But Affeld said that because the plant closure came with little notice, the employees are due 60 days worth of back pay under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act) is a United States law protecting employees, their families, and communities by requiring most employers with 100 or more employees to provide sixty- (60) calendar-day advance notification of plant closings and mass of 1988. Micropolis and Singapore Technologies officials could not be reached for comment. The suit also will ask the court to force Micropolis and Singapore Technologies to rescind a letter sent to employees this week accompanying checks for accrued vacation pay that said the workers were not entitled to more than the three weeks' severance. Micropolis has given the employees until Dec. 31 to accept their offer, or risk losing all benefits, Affeld said. David Tovey, a former Micropolis purchasing manager A Purchasing Manager is an employee within a company, business or other organization who is responsible at some level for buying or approving the acquisition of goods and services needed by the company. , said the company's offer is timed to coincide with the holidays and to catch workers at their emotional and financial lows. ``Everybody's looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. relief at the holidays,'' Tovey said. ``This is intentional.'' |
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