Senator Charles Schumer says he’s a fan of the Fribble.
But he doesn’t like the way the restaurant known for that milkshake -- Friendly’s -- closed 14 of its upstate locations and gave its workers no notice.
“Workers across upstate arrived to work and were told to close the store for good. No warning, no notice,” he said. “That is inhumane, it is cruel, and it shows that some of these corporations just don’t care about their workers.”
Schumer said he’s written to Labor Secretary Alex Acosta to investigate what happened and if the corporation violated any labor laws and if service workers need better protections.
“If Friendly’s violated the law, we want the Department of Labor to throw the book at them,” Schumer said. “If, on the other hand, there are gaps in the law, we should close them, because this isn’t just about Friendly’s, it’s about fairness to all workers.”
Three local Friendly’s restaurants, two in Greece and one in Gates, are among the 14 in upstate New York that have shut its doors. Nine others were closed in New England.
Corporation CEO George Michel said earlier this week that the closing of the 23-corporate owned restaurants was a tough decision, but that it will help position the brand for the future.
He said that workers at the restaurants being closed will be offered jobs at other Friendly’s locations or offered severance.
And on Wednesday, Friendly's issued this statement in response to Senator Schumer's criticism:
"An especially difficult aspect of the tough but necessary decision to close certain restaurants was the impact it will have on the locations’ wonderful employees, who were informed of the news personally and are being supported with opportunities at other Friendly’s locations, severance payments or other assistance. Friendly’s has fully complied with all federal and state employee notice requirements."