Foxtrot’s Lake View store at 2801 N. Broadway Ave. The grocer abruptly closed all of its locations on Tuesday in Chicago and other states.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Former workers from specialty grocer Foxtrot are holding a rally Friday morning in Pilsen to demand 60 days of pay after the Chicago-based company abruptly shuttered all its stores this week.
The workers will be joined by Arise Chicago, a workers rights organization, and supporters at Foxtrot Commissary, 2136 S. Peoria St. The former employees contacted Arise and filed charges with the Illinois Department of Labor on Tuesday, according to the organization.
They said the grocer failed to follow the state and federal Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act by not properly notifying employees that they would be laid off.
Meanwhile, a second class-action lawsuit was filed Thursday against Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen & Market in the Northern District of Illinois. The filing said the companies “failed to provide 60 days advance written notice as required by the WARN Act.” Another class-action lawsuit filed earlier this week in the same court made similar claims.
The Illinois WARN Act requires employers with 75 or more full-time employees to give at least 60 days’ notice before any mass layoff or closure. The federal WARN Act applies to companies with 100 or more employees.
On Tuesday, Dom’s Kitchen & Market and Foxtrot announced the immediate closure of all their stores in Chicago and beyond, less than six months after the two Chicago-based companies shared plans to merge.
Foxtrot operated 15 locations in Chicago and 17 stores across Dallas and Austin, Texas, and Washington D.C. Dom’s Kitchen had two Chicago locations, 2730 N. Halsted St. and 1233 N. Wells St.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.