Former Spirit Airlines employees are suing the airline, claiming workers were laid off without proper notice, and are still owed pay and benefits, according to a lawsuit filed this week.
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Spirit Airlines shut down operations on May 2, leaving about 17,000 employees without jobs. The lawsuit claims former workers were not given the advance notice required under federal law known as the WARN Act.
“We’re suing for, first of all, 60 days of unpaid wages, which is essentially a penalty for failing to provide notice prior to the closure of the company under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act of 1988,” attorney Eric Lechtzin said.
Lechtzin said the lawsuit also seeks compensation for benefits and other unpaid compensation employees say they are still owed.
“In addition to the 60 days of pay, we’re also looking for 60 days of employee benefits, so that would be continuation of medical coverage, retirement contributions, that type of thing, and finally, we’re trying to get recovery of unused vacation and sick time,” Lechtzin said.
He said many former employees are not only scrambling to find work but also maintaining healthcare coverage after the sudden shutdown.
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“They tell me that they have chronic medical conditions or family members with medical conditions, and they don’t know what they’re going to do for medical coverage,” Lechtzin said. “They’re scrambling for a lifeline like unemployment, but you know that doesn’t cover that only a fraction of what they earned in their job, so it’s a hardship to say the least.”
Some former employees have told him they still have not received their final paychecks, adding that the lawsuit could expand if that issue is not resolved.
“We’ve got 17,000 people who are now unemployed and don’t have medical benefits, and you know they’re scrambling,” Lechtzin said.
The lawsuit is being pursued as a class action in bankruptcy court because Spirit previously filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
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NBC6 reached out to Spirit Airlines for comment but have not yet heard back.