Workers file lawsuits over West Sacramento beverage plant closure
Former employees of a West Sacramento beverage manufacturing facility have filed lawsuits related to the plant’s closure, alleging the company failed to provide required notice to workers ahead of layoffs.
Manna Beverages notified the state on Oct. 3 that over the next four days it planned to close plants and warehouses in West Sacramento, Anaheim and Chino, where 638 people collectively worked.
Two complaints, filed on Oct. 9 in California’s Eastern District, allege that employees were informed on Oct. 2 and Oct. 3 that they would be terminated with less than 60 days’ notice. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, or WARN Act, requires 60 days’ notice ahead of mass layoffs in many cases, though there are exceptions.
One lawsuit was filed on behalf of three plaintiffs, two of whom worked for the company in West Sacramento, and one of whom worked for the company in Anaheim, according to the filing. It names MBV-CA LLC, which in California business filings is registered to Manna Beverage’s address in Louisville, Kentucky. Attorneys listed for the plaintiffs did not comment in time for publication.
The second lawsuit was filed on behalf of a Sacramento County resident and Manna employee of two years. The attorney who filed the case, Paul Pfeilschiefter, a partner with Bailey Law Partners who focuses on employment litigation on behalf of workers, said he is still waiting on the company’s response.
“As far as meeting the numerical thresholds required by WARN, it seems like a pretty clear violation,” Pfeilschiefter said. But, he continued, the company may look to take advantage of the carveouts in the law, which makes some exceptions, like for unforeseeable business circumstances.
Manna Beverages did not return messages seeking comment in time for publication. The company did not have attorneys listed in the federal court system, as of Thursday afternoon.
Greg Ball, president of the Nor Cal Beverage Employees’ Union, which represented workers at the West Sacramento plant, said Thursday that the union was aware of the first lawsuit. Both were filed on Oct. 9.
Ball reiterated that the plant closure took employees by surprise.
