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News Tue Jan 10 2012
Rolf's Patisserie Faces Class Action Lawsuit
Rolf's Patisserie, one of the area's largest contract and wedding bakeries, abruptly closed on Dec. 10, citing "sharply higher operating costs, the cost of financing an expansion project and the inability to operationally meet the seasonal demands of our customers." Rolf's was the subject of two FDA recalls around Christmastime 2010, when cream-filled éclairs from the bakery caused more than 100 cases of food poisoning.
The bakery's 136 employees learned of the closure via the company's website, after being sent home while the bakery went through an intensive weekend cleaning. According to a news release from Arise Chicago, the workers' last paychecks bounced when they tried to cash them. This morning at 11am, the workers plan to announce a class action lawsuit against Rolf's for unpaid wages and its failure to give 60 days notice of the closing, in violation of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act and the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act.
UPDATE: Attorneys for the workers announced that Rolf's has agreed to pay last paychecks and vacation pay.
