Below you will find a detailed breakdown of benefits available to Payless Shoe Source employees who are partners of UFCW Local 655. These benefits are the result of your union contract, which can also be found below.
If you have any questions regarding the closing of Payless Shoe Source or the benefits you are entitled to as a hard-working union member, call UFCW Local 655 any time at 636-394-6500 and ask for your union representative.
Payless Shoe Source notified UFCW Local 655 on February 19 that they were filing for bankruptcy and were closing all retail stores in St. Louis, Missouri and around the country. Per our contract (“Article 23, Store Closing”) the employer is required to give the union 3 weeks’ prior notice before permanently closing its stores. Employees dismissed by reason of the closing are entitled to vacation pay, severance pay, and health care continuation pay. Unfortunately, as a result of the Company’s bankruptcy, only a portion of what you are owed will be paid on your final paycheck. You will have to file a claim in the bankruptcy case to pursue the other amounts owed. Filing a claim in bankruptcy is a simple process. We will post information on how to file the claim at a later date.
1. Employees are entitled to one year of vacation for each full year of employment up to four weeks of vacation.
2. Employees are entitled to severance pay as follows:
- Part time employees receive one week of pay for each FULL year of service with employer
- Full time employees receive two weeks of pay for each FULL year of service with the employer
3. Employees enrolled in company healthcare as of the date they are terminated as a result of the store closing are also entitled to a continuation of healthcare benefits for the same number of weeks for which they will receive severance pay.
4. With your final paycheck, you will receive a pay-out of any unused vacation time earned on or after September 1, 2018 and any severance and health care amounts owed to you that are attributable to work performed on or after September 1, 2018.
The Company will provide you at termination with a calculation of how much vacation and severance/health care costs you are entitled to, how much is being paid on your final check, and how much will need to be pursued with a bankruptcy claim.
5. If an employee wishes to continue working at another location when their store closes, employees in the closed store will have the option to bump the least senior employee in their job classification, or they can accept severance benefits. This option will be limited due to the anticipated closing of all Company stores.
DID YOU KNOW?
As a dislocated worker you have certain guarantees under Missouri law as well. If you or a coworker is interested in learning more about the FREE educational opportunities available to dislocated workers, please contact Michael Frame at 636-736-2765
