Former CompUSA employee John Mahan was one of the workers at the chain lucky enough to get a severance check in the sell-off by the private equity arm of Gordon Brothers Group LLC. John was kind enough to share the check with Brandworkers. You can take a look at it here.
For more background on the irresponsible business practices of Gordon Brothers which promised proper treatment of CompUSA's landlords, creditors, and customers but not workers, check out this internal document laying out the severance plan. According to the document, to qualify for severance employees needed to:
1) Work until the bitter end of their CompUSA location which for some no doubt required passing up other employment opportunities; and
2) Be a full-time employee; and
3) Work at CompUSA for more than a year; and
4) Not be covered by a contract; and
5) Not be offered a new job should their location continue operation under a new owner (ostensibly even if the new offer included reduced wages or work hours).
And don't miss the the document actually firing the workers.
When a Maytag manufacturing plant shuts down, there is rightly condemnation from the community, certain media outlets, and some elected officials. When thousands of retail workers are thrown out of work with inadequate severance while a private equity firm makes millions, where is the outrage?
Retail workers make the economy work. Together, we can make sure their contribution is recognized and respected.
Please take just a moment to sign the Brandworkers CompUSA petition.
For more on Brandworkers' response to the layoffs, check out, "Brandworkers Takes Action for CompUSA Employees in Private Equity Sell-Off".