LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WKBW) — Employees at Candlelight Cabinetry in Lockport received an email from HR saying that the company-wide furlough will “continue,” one worker saying, “there’s no way” anybody has a job to return to.
More furloughed employees have spoken to me about Candlelight Cabinetry and the company’s owner, Andrew Olsen. They have asked to remain anonymous.
“Not only was the writing on the wall, it was in giant letters. It was obvious to anybody,” one employee said. “I have not received my final paycheck or the 39 hours of PTO that’s due to me.”
WATCH: ‘Only a fool would go back’: Frustration grows as Candlelight Cabinetry extends employee furlough
These employees echoed a lot of the same things I’ve been told by nearly one dozen different furloughed employees: no pay, no jobs, and prior to the furlough, no work.
“On a normal day, you’d have probably 15-20 carts of stuff to do. [This year], we’d be lucky if we had a cart and a half of anything coming down,” another employee said.
“They’ve got orders coming in, they just don’t have materials to build those orders, and they have no way of getting the materials to build those orders unless they pay their vendors, which clearly, they’re not doing.”
In a new email I received from a furloughed employee, someone labeled as the director of HR sent it to 98 people at 5:30 p.m., explaining that the “furlough will continue.”
Q: "Are you under the impression this 'furlough' is temporary?"
A: “100% no. … [And], if it opened up under Andrew [Olsen's] ownership, I think only a fool would go back to work for him.”
A: “No, there’s no way…. Over the past 35 years of their business, there was one [furlough] in the company’s history. It was during the recession, years ago, an actual temporary layoff.”
State Senator Rob Ortt is also stepping in to help the still-unpaid employees, asking them on Facebook to reach out to his office and the state Department of Labor.
“From what I gathered from [Sen. Ortt’s] people, what Andrew is doing is completely illegal.”
WATCH: 'Nobody has gotten paid': Candlelight Cabinetry workers still waiting on final paychecks
"My office was made aware of issues that workers have been facing regarding Candlelight Cabinetry earlier this week. We have been in touch with the Department of Labor, and encourage employees with any questions or concerns to contact my office, and we will assist in connecting them to the State DOL.
It is never good seeing a business that is responsible for employing residents of our community close, however, when they do, it is paramount that they follow all the proper protocols and ensure employees are paid in full for their labor.
My office stands ready to assist affected employees and connect them with the DOL who has resources available including Workforce Development, Worker Protection, Unemployment Insurance, and Fraud Inquiries."
A week and a half ago, Olsen sent us a statement calling these furloughs ‘seasonal' and implying that they happen often.
“No, no one has been laid off, and our facility is not closing. We do flex labor through furloughs and such with different seasonality and facility work, which typically happens this time of the year. Appreciate the concern and would love to find a time to get you to the facility to showcase the beautiful craftsmanship of our team, which gets installed into homes up and down the East Coast.”
Every single employee I have spoken to has refuted this statement.
Olsen and the company have not answered any one of my multiple follow-up questions.
WATCH: Candlelight Cabinetry workers in Lockport furloughed as company faces $6M in lawsuits
