Former Foxtrot and Dom's Kitchen and Market employees gathered for a protest in Pilsen on April 26, 2024. They are asking Outfox Hospitality, the company that owns the stores, to pay them wages they say they are owed.
This comes after all the Foxtrot and Dom's stores were suddenly closed earlier in the week.
The upscale grocery chains, which have 33 Foxtrot and 2 Dom's locations in Chicago, Austin, Dallas, and the D.C. area, unexpectedly announced on Tuesday that they would stop all operations.
Workers Protest Sudden Closures of Foxtrot and Dom's Stores
Former Foxtrot and Dom's Kitchen and Market employees voiced their shock and frustration at a news conference. They gathered to protest outside the Foxtrot Commissary in Pilsen, where the company once prepared food for its retail locations.
"I just cannot believe that our former employer would rob us of the time needed to find new jobs," said Adela Maravilla, a former worker who spoke in Spanish through a translator. What happened here wasn't right."
The rally occurred just days after the sudden announcement on Tuesday that the Foxtrot Commissary, along with all 33 Foxtrot and 2 Dom's stores in Chicago, Austin, Dallas, and the D.C. area, would cease operations.
Employees, including those at the commissary, were informed about the closure in the middle of their workday, leaving many stunned and uncertain about their future.
The store closures were unexpected, especially since it had been nearly five months since Foxtrot and Dom's announced a merger under the new parent company, Outfox Hospitality.
"We merged; we heard we were going to have an expected increase in our orders," said Oscar Correa, a former supervisor who had been with the company for five years. "They were hiring more people, too."
Oscar Correa, a former supervisor at Foxtrot Commissary, called the facility's sudden shutdown "heartbreaking." Correa and his colleagues were shocked by the abrupt closure, which occurred soon after a promising merger between Foxtrot and Dom's Kitchen. This merger had initially promised more orders and stable finances.
Employees expecting stable jobs received no 60-day notice before the layoffs, leaving many urgently seeking new employment.
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"We were so surprised that nobody could eat anything or say anything. People were in tears," said former employee Raul Casas, expressing his shock.
Jose Uribe, an organizer with Arise Chicago, explained that the rally aimed to amplify the laid-off workers' voices, inform the community, and encourage other affected workers to demand their rights. "They are not giving up, and they are here to ask for what is owed to them," Uribe stated, emphasizing the workers' resolve to seek justice.
Former Foxtrot and Dom's Employees Sue Over Sudden Job Losses
(Photo : Unsplash/JasonLeung)
Days after being laid off without warning, former Foxtrot and Dom's employees have filed a class action lawsuit. They claim the company's sudden closure of 35 stores violated Illinois labor laws. These laws mandate a 60-day notification for mass layoffs at firms with 75 or more employees, which must also be given to state and local officials.
The lawsuit, highlighted by Syed Hussain, one of the plaintiffs, accuses Foxtrot and Dom's of infringing on workers' rights under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. "We have to send the message that this is not OK," Hussain told WGN News.
He described the company's approach to the layoffs as unacceptable, leaving many employees distressed.
The abrupt shutdown, which affected two Dom's and 33 Foxtrot stores in Chicago, Austin, Dallas, and the DC area, occurred on Tuesday, April 23, following a recent merger of the grocery retailers.
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