Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - As laid off Sumitomo Rubber workers struggle to find new jobs, the state labor commissioner says her office is looking to determine if the company violated the state's WARN Act.
Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon says the state received word of Sumitomo's shutdown on Nov. 7, when the WARN notices went out.
"We haven't concluded the investigation. It's not a straight one to one decision, but we are assessing what they may have done improperly, and if we find that they violated the more notice provisions, then they will have to pay the penalty," said Reardon in an interview with WBEN.
Reardon was stunned when she heard of the Sumitomo shutdown.
"The idea that you would close such a significant facility in Western New York that's been there that long on no notice, and put all of these people out on the street was just horrifying," Reardon said.
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Reardon is heartened by the outreach from other area employers seeking to help the employees who suddenly lost their jobs.
"We had employers call us as soon as the news was out there to say, 'What can we do to help?', which was really remarkable and really speaks to the quality of people in Western New York," she said.
The State Labor Department is holding ist own job fair for the employees affected by Sumitomo's closure on Tuesday, Dec. 3 from 10 a.m.-to-1 p.m. EST at the Wiliamsville Career Center at 4175 Transit Road. She says more than 40 employers have already signed up for the job fair.
"For a lot of these workers, they may have been employed here for 10 or more years, so they certainly have not been out in the job market. So this is going to be a shock, and as we all know, the job market has the way the means of getting a job has changed, certainly in the last 10 years," Reardon explained.
Reardon adds the Labor Department will help them write resumes, give them interview techniques and all the available job postings in Western New York, plus any kind of training upskilling that they want to do.
1,550 employees woke up this past Thursday to learn their workplace was closed effective immediately.