On March 14, a federal judge rendered a verdict holding Infusion Management Group, Inc., the operator of the Signature Room, accountable for breaching the WARN Act. The judgment mandates the payment of $1,520,762.75 in back pay and benefits to terminated restaurant employees, along with attorney’s fees for UNITE HERE Local 1.
This decision follows a complaint filed by UNITE HERE Local 1 in October 2023 on behalf of approximately 140 unionized workers who were abruptly terminated without notice when the renowned restaurant space on the 95th and 96th floors of the John Hancock Building closed on September 28th.
The majority of those affected by the closure are people of color who served in various roles such as cooks, servers, bartenders, barbacks, concierges, housekeeping attendants, bussers, and expeditors at the establishment. Thirty percent of the terminated employees had dedicated 15 years or more to their service, with eight individuals commemorating their 30-year work anniversary the previous summer.
Irene Luna, a pastry cook with 29 years of tenure at the Signature Room, expressed her satisfaction with the judgment, stating, “To know that a federal judge believes we deserve to be made whole feels great. I’m proud that my coworkers and I stuck together with our Union to stand up for what we deserve. I know we’ll stand together no matter what comes next.”
According to the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, employers are obligated to furnish 60-days written notice of any closure or mass-layoff. Alternatively, they must provide terminated workers with wages, health insurance benefits, pension benefits, life insurance premiums, accrued holiday pay, and accrued vacation for 60 days post-closure and termination.
Karen Kent, President of UNITE HERE Local 1, asserted, “When the Signature Room closed last year, our Union vowed to pursue every avenue to see justice served for Signature Room workers. This judgment is an important step forward in the journey toward justice for these workers. We will continue to fight tirelessly to see that each Signature Room worker gets what they are owed.”
UNITE HERE Local 1 is represented by attorneys from Asher, Gittler & D’Alba, Ltd.
