Laid off Central Freight employee in Waco sues, claiming 2,100 workers owed 60 days' pay
Central Freight Lines, after confirming last week it will close after 96 years in business, has begun layoffs in Waco and elsewhere, prompting a lawsuit by a former employee claiming Central violated labor laws.
Central informed the Texas Workforce Commission it will eliminate 153 jobs in McLennan County, 292 in Tarrant County, 162 in Harris County and 66 in Bexar County, according to a WARN Act submission the Workforce Commission released. Generally, the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act requires companies with more than 100 full-time employees to provide written notice at least 60 days before mass layoffs.
Callers to Central’s Waco offices hear a message the company is now closed. In a press release, company President Bruce Kalem said shuttering the 96-year-old freight hauler founded by Waco’s W.W. “Woody” Callan became a necessity as debt mounted and efforts to secure financing for near-term operations proved futile.
Central lost $67 million this fiscal year and $250 million the last few years, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Read more: https://wacotrib.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/laid-off-central-freight-employee-in-waco-sues-claiming-2-100-workers-owed-60-days/article_2e6ef720-637c-11ec-947b-7b851bc6b06a.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1
(Waco Tribune-Herald)
