Two Latino factory workers filed a complaint against Ideal Snacks Corp for violating the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act of 1988. The complaint, filed in the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York, describes a mass layoff by the company in May 2015 affecting over 200 employees, exceeding half of its then work force, in violation of the WARN Act.

Defendant Ideal Snacks Corp. is one of the Northeast’s largest snack foods manufacturer with a 250,000 square feet production facility in the Village of Liberty, Sullivan County, New York. The company operates 24/7 with employees doing processing, manufacturing, mixing, flavoring, packaging, and distributing various types of snack foods.

It also manufactures snack foods for well-known U.S. company brands. The company is, a division of BFY Holdings, and owned by an international equity firm.

Plaintiff Alejandro Ramirez said, “When I was laid off after so many years, my family suffered greatly. I supported a family of six people so it was very hard to pay our rent and necessities.” Plaintiff Eduardo Valencia added, “Many workers were loyal hard workers there. We were very sad and upset.”

Jackson Chin, Senior Counsel at LatinoJustice PRLDEF, said, "Federal law requires that employers provide 60 days advance written notice to affected workers when mass layoffs and job terminations are to take place. Sadly, these workers were given less than a day’s notice."

Stuart Miller of LANKENAU AND MILLER, LLP lead counsel for the plaintiffs added, "We will seek class certification status to represent all of the affected employees. Having handled hundreds of WARN Act matters, this case seems to be particularly egregious. We are hopeful that Ideal Snacks will do the right thing and pay these employees the 60 days’ pay and benefits they are entitled to under the law.”

Andrea Callan of THE WORKER JUSTICE CENTER OF NEW YORK, co-counsel on the case, stated:, "As one of Liberty’s largest employers, the abrupt lay-offs at Ideal Snacks devastated the local community. The company turned its back on its loyal workers, many of whom had worked at the factory for several years. Ideal Snacks must be held accountable."

The complaint was filed on Monday, January 30, 2017.