DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — The sudden closure of Akorn Pharmaceuticals in Decatur was one year ago this week. It left 400 people without jobs and violated the federal WARN Act when the company failed to give a sixty-day notice to employees.
“For Akorn employees, they not only got their pay terminated but at the end of that very month they were going to lose their health insurance,” according to Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski, (D-Illinois).
Related Links
- Akorn Pharmaceuticals closes without notice to employees
- Officials weigh in on sudden Akorn layoffs
- Class action lawsuit filed against Akorn
- Akorn fallout: Local businesses impacted by unexpected closure
Representative Budzinski is sponsoring a bill in Congress called the Fair Warning Act which will put more teeth into the WARN Act. She says tougher financial penalties are needed to force companies to comply with the 60-day notice requirement.
“They need to be dollar amounts so that company feels the pain in their pocketbook,” Budzinski said in Decatur. “These companies are making record profits in this country right now.”
In addition to Akorn, Budzinski also pointed to U.S. Steel in Granite City, Illinois which she says violated the rights of about 400 workers during the layoff process in that city.
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