A former supervisor in training at Hope Baking Co. has filed a civil complaint against the company, alleging that it violated federal law by not giving employees sufficient notice before permanently closing last week.

Background

Travis Box, of Hope, Arkansas, filed the complaint in the Texarkana division of U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. The complaint also names Hope Baking’s parent company, East Baking Co., as a defendant.

Box claims that he and approximately 250 other employees were abruptly terminated without proper notice on July 25, the company’s last day of operations. The company cited financial difficulties, including not securing financing, as the reason for the closure.

The shutdown came more than two years after the bakery company announced a $37 million investment that was expected to bring nearly 300 jobs to Hempstead County.

Alleged Violation of Federal Law

Box contends that the layoffs violated the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which requires employers with more than 100 employees to provide written notice 60 days before a closing or mass layoff.

None of Hope Baking’s terminated employees received such notice, according to the complaint. Instead, they were notified in writing on July 18 that the company would permanently cease operations on July 25, following a brief wind-down period.

The complaint includes two letters sent to employees on July 18, one of which announced the plant closure and the other of which informed employees that their employer-sponsored insurance had been terminated.

Seeking Class Action Status

Box is seeking to have the complaint certified as a class action and is asking for back pay and lost benefits. Another former Hope Baking employee, Christopher Estrada, filed a similar complaint on July 22.

The Hempstead County Economic Development Corp. organized a job fair for Hope Baking’s former employees, which was held on Tuesday.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.