United Furniture Industries laid off all 2,700 workers while they were sleeping
United Furniture Industries laid off all 2,700 workers while they were sleeping (NY Post)A big US furniture company this week fired all of its 2,700 employees while they were sleeping, telling them in texts and emails not to come to work the next day, according to reports.
The mass firing on Tuesday by United Furniture Industries, which makes budget-friendly sofas and recliners for Simmons Upholstery, left thousands of employees including truck drivers and factory workers in North Carolina, Mississippi and California unemployed just two days before Thanksgiving.
At the instruction of the board of directors we regret to inform you that due to unforeseen business circumstances, the company has been forced to make the difficult decision to terminate the employment of all its employees, effective immediately, on Nov. 21, the company said in messages to employees.
...
On Wednesday a former employee in Mississippi, Toria Neal, filed a lawsuit against UFI, alleging that the company violated federal law by failing to give 60 days notice before dissolving the operations.
Nothing in the article mentions unions.
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)no_hypocrisy
(55,398 posts)Whose right to work?
TlalocW
(15,675 posts)Over the border or overseas?
Backseat Driver
(4,671 posts)manufacturing in UAE...unforeseeable investor "adios"?
Ray Bruns
(6,776 posts)Turbineguy
(40,214 posts)Backseat Driver
(4,671 posts)Political stuff w/an investing Lane partner in DuBois; mfging in UAE saying "adios"?
XanaDUer2
(15,772 posts)Nice
multigraincracker
(38,063 posts)where is the Union Label?
Pete Ross Junior
(404 posts)Farmer-Rick
(12,787 posts)Most furniture factories moved overseas, China mostly, in 2008 because of the cheap labor. I had friends layed off in North Carolina, in 2008 that didn't find new jobs for at least 5 years.
But there are still some furniture factories in North Carolina, just not as many as used to be there. But most of those companies bring in partially processed furniture wood from China and don't build as much from scratch as they used to.
Kick in to the DU tip jar?
This week we're running a special pop-up mini fund drive. From Monday through Friday we're going ad-free for all registered members, and we're asking you to kick in to the DU tip jar to support the site and keep us financially healthy.
As a bonus, making a contribution will allow you to leave kudos for another DU member, and at the end of the week we'll recognize the DUers who you think make this community great.