Workers sue Mazer for back pay, benefits allegedly owned them

Dayton Daily News (Ohio)
Published: January 09, 2009

Lawsuit alleges Mazer’s sudden closure violated the WARN act, a federal law requiring advance notice of plant closing or mass layoffs.

DAYTON – Employees of Mazer Corp. are suing the educational publishing services firm for compensation and benefits they allege the company owes them following its sudden closure last year of facilities in Ohio and Tennessee.

Scott Bent of Troy and John Boyd of Johnson City, Tenn., also allege in the lawsuit filed Monday, Jan. 5, that the company violated a federal law that requires companies to give notice before a plant closing or a mass layoff.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. district court in Dayton, attorneys also asks a federal judge to certify the complaint as a class-action lawsuit.

On Dec. 30, Mazer closed its creative services group and corporate operations in Vandalia and a printing plant in Johnson City, Tenn., and laid off the workers at those locations.

The lawsuit alleges that Mazer Corp.’s sudden closure violated the Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification (WARN) act. A federal law, the WARN act requires companies to give 60 days notice of a plant closing or mass lay off.

Jack Raisner, an attorney for the employees, said his side believes the closures resulted in 300 people losing their jobs in the two states. However, it’s not clear how many of those workers would qualify for WARN protection, he said.