Bates workers can expect paychecks next week

LEWISTON – Bates of Maine employees should be getting their paychecks early next week, according to the parent company.

The workers normally would have been paid Thursday, but the bedspread maker’s future has become increasingly uncertain with its mounting troubles.

The once-mighty textile giant is now ending its 151-year presence in Lewiston. The bedspread operation was the only portion of the business that remained in the city, and it is being relocated to a mill in Minnesota.

The paychecks should be issued Friday and mailed to employees, who were expected to receive them early next week, according to Marshall Masko, chief executive officer of North American Heritage Brands in Faribault, Minn.

A lawyer representing members of the Union of Needle Trades, Industrial and Textile Employees said he is protesting the late payment. Jon Beal said the delay could violate labor laws and that if workers successfully sue over the matter, they could win twice their usual pay.

Meanwhile, the union has agreed to release company assets that were frozen by a court order last week. Masko said the move would allow Bates to meet the payroll and ship products.

A state Supreme Judicial Court justice last week ordered attachment of $431,000 in Bates assets to cover a potential settlement of the union’s suit.

The lawsuit centers on provisions requiring a 60-day notice to workers being laid off or facing plant closure or relocation. A lawyer for the parent company, Benjamin Marcus, said the laws don’t apply to Bates because it didn’t meet certain employment thresholds.

The lawsuit has since been moved to U.S. District Court in Portland.

The union is waiting to hear from banks in Maine and Minnesota regarding Bates’ cash assets, Beal said. He said only enough inventory was released to allow the company to meet the payroll.

Masko said the move to Minnesota probably would be completed in March. The parent company operates a woolen mill in Faribault that has computerized looms and excess capacity.