Employees looking for legal action versus Bitwise after furloughs

FRESNO, Calif. (BNN)-- Hundreds of Bitwise workers and their households start the month without a paycheck and questioning if they'& #x 27; ll ever return to work. Just days after bounced payments by the Fresno-based business, staff members are working to take legal action.
All avenues are still being explored at this point.
Primarily, Bitwise might have broken a law by not signaling workers and the city of furloughs 60 days ahead of time.
Roger Bonakdar assembled a group of attorneys to represent the 100 employees he said had actually currently approached them.
The worrying signs for the 300 workers of Bitwise Industries came last Friday when they were told that rather of direct deposits they would instead get paper checks.
When those checks started bouncing, numerous workers started connecting to employment lawyers, including Bonakdar.
"" You don'& #x 27; t bounce people & #x 27; s incomes, since you'& #x 27; re going to furlough them," said Bonakdar. "" You put on'& #x 27; t change your payroll process from automated deposit to paper checks and business of that size unless you are shopping time."".
The business sent an email on Memorial Day, when workplaces were closed, alerting them that they were furloughed efficient right away and those paper checks might unclear.
Bonakdar said the method the CEOs have dealt with the furloughs leads him to believe the business will soon be no more.
"" They'& #x 27; re calling it a furlough, however that is simply smoke and mirrors,' & #x 27; said Bonadkar. "This is very clearly a mass layoff."".
Bonakdar believes workers might sue for offense of California'& #x 27; s Worker Adjustment and Retraining or WARN Act by not providing 60-day notice that a furlough was coming, but that'& #x 27; s not all. "There & #x 27; s also some labor code concerns that use here too,"" said Bonakdar. "" So, there are charges like waiting duration penalties. And naturally, they'& #x 27; re entitled to their damages for the outright turmoil that this has required on to these households."".
A long legal road is ahead, but Bonakdar states he and his team will level every legal claim possible, however that doesn'& #x 27; t guarantee his customers will see any return.
"" I'& #x 27; m not going to let 300 Fresno families be squashed in this method,"" stated Bonakdar. "" So, God willing, there'& #x 27; s something there and if there is I'& #x 27; m going to discover it."".
Fresno City Council members are working to discover instant relief for those workers.
"The concern for me is profits down since the administration is not making sure that businesses pay their taxes?
As Bonakdar develops his case, he is looking for more employees to come forward.
For news updates, follow Kate Nemarich on, Twitter and Instagram.