CONOVER, N.C. — Former employees at Kroehler Furniture are plaintiffs in a lawsuit alleging that workers were not provided 60 days of advanced written notice of their termination as required by the WARN Act. Nearly 300 workers were informed on Dec. 29 that their jobs were being terminated Dec. 31 

According to a local report by WSOC, an employee, Trey Finger, a shipping manager with Kroehler, and one of the former workers named as a plaintiff, said he and hundreds of other employees were "blindsided" by the news that the plant was shutting down. "Blindsided," Finger told the news station, "It was unfortunate. A lot of people were affected. We have people now that still don't have any insurance, they still haven't received any benefits yet." 

According to the report, the workers are asking for any benefits owed to them, which may include back pay and any civil penalties that might be leveled against Kroehler.

The plant in Conover, which reportedly has been there for four decades, made furniture for Value City Furniture stores, but that retailer's ownership, American Signature Furniture, announced late last year that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Kohler says it was closing because of the significant reduction in business traffic.

In a letter dated Dec. 29, 2025, the company said operations at the plant, located at 1800 Conover Blvd. E in Conover, would end effective Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. According to the letter, the short timeframe between the WARN notice filing and the plant shutdown was due to efforts by management to seek new capital or the potential sale of the business. Kroehler Furniture stated it believed early notice could have hurt those efforts and said notice was provided “as soon as was practicable.”

“It is expected that certain affected employees will remain employed for a limited time after the December 31, 2025, window to assist with administrative and business tasks related to the mass layoff. Other than these certain employees, the entire Facility is being closed,” Kroehler Furniture Co. stated in its letter.