MEDFORD, N.J. - A recently out-of-business New Jersey cabinetmaker is being sued by its former employees.
DuBell Lumber, which shut down last month after 97 years of business, gave only three days of notice before terminating its 157 employees, the lawsuit alleges. Under the WARN Act, New Jersey businesses are required to provide a 60-day notice before a major layoff.
Representing all 157 workers, the lawsuit wants DuBell to pay wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, accrued holiday and vacation pay, 401k, pension, and other benefits for a 60 day period. The lawsuit alternatively demands every employee receive one week of severance pay for each year of employment.
Philly.com reported that DuBell Lumber, a maker of cabinetry, mouldings, stairs, and custom millwork, shut down all of its operations "because of mismanagement and investment issues."
The company was founded in 1922 in East Camden, moving to Medford in 1981 after a fire. Expansions were planned two years ago after DuBell received $18 million in tax credits from New Jersey. Philly.com says those tax credits never came through because DuBell never certified that it maintained at least 80 percent of its job commitments - a requirement of the program.
The company was also fined more than $100,000 by OSHA last year for combustible dust hazards and other safety violations.
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