Pillowtex employees return to work in NC

By Marvin Lazaro -- Home Textiles Today, 1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

DALLAS -The 740 employees who were temporarily laid off when Pillowtex shut down several plants returned to work on Jan. 2.

The Dallas-based textiles manufacturer made the decision to stand down Plants 4, 11 and 16, located in Kannapolis, NC, in late November. They had already been closed for two weeks prior to the announcement for normal holiday time.

"Plant 4 in Kannapolis, Plant 11 in Rockwell, and Plant 16 in China Grove will resume normal operating schedules on Jan. 2," said Don Mallo, vp of human resources. "Employees on the A shift and first shift will start up at 7 a.m. that day."

Subsequent shifts will begin at 7 p.m. on Jan 2, 7 a.m. on Jan. 3 and 7 p.m. on Jan. 3.

An agreement between Pillowtex and the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees was reached before the plants were closed. It stipulates that any employee who stays on the Pillowtex payroll until Jan. 11 will receive an extra full week of pay, and those who stay up to Jan. 25 will receive another full week's pay. Employees also received a full week's holiday pay for the week of Dec. 24 and Pillowtex also agreed to pay the entire cost of employees' health insurance premiums for the last two weeks of November and the entire month of December. Affected employees were also eligible for three weeks of unemployment benefits according to North Carolina law.