ARCHDALE, N.C. (WGHP) — Employees at an Archdale furniture company had their benefits terminated without warning or notice.
The employee parking lot at UFI in Asheboro normally would be filled with cars.
Around 11 a.m. on Monday, it was empty about a week after thousands of employees including 500 here in the Triad got a text message saying they were terminated effective immediately and were no longer allowed to return to work.
Before the lone security guard asked FOX8 crews to leave the property, we spotted a sign on the door with the company’s attorney’s name and number and a message saying the business is permanently closed.
A former employee said he put the contact information on the door to help colleagues.
We called at least three times Wednesday afternoon and were promised our phone call would be returned but never got a callback.
Our next stop led our crews to the Winston-Salem facility. A guard stood near the entrance along with half a dozen police cars.
The guard told FOX8 no one was allowed on the property even to gather their belongings.
A spokesperson from the Department of Commerce said they have not received a WARN notice from the company.
That would allow employees to have a full 60-day notice requirement.
Many of you called and emailed our newsroom asking how the company was able to terminate all its employees without any warnings.
Although we don’t know which category UFI layoffs fell under, we learned from the Department of Commerce that there are three exceptions to the notice.
- “Faltering company” — When, before a plant closing, a company is actively seeking capital or business and reasonably in good faith believes that advance notice would preclude its ability to obtain such capital or business, and this new capital or business would allow the employer to avoid or postpone a shutdown for a reasonable period.
- “Unforeseeable business circumstances” — When the closing or mass layoff is caused by business circumstances that were not reasonably foreseeable at the time that 60-day notice would have been required (i.e., a business circumstance that is caused by some sudden, dramatic and unexpected action or conditions outside the employer’s control like the unexpected cancellation of a major order).
- “Natural disaster” — When a plant closing or mass layoff is the direct result of a natural disaster such as a flood, earthquake, drought, storm, tidal wave or similar effects of nature.
FOX8 tried calling UFI’s company owner, the chief operating officer and the company’s attorney, but our calls have not been returned.
