It's been six months since the iconic Signature Room in the former John Hancock Center in Chicago abruptly closed.
That day several employees showed up for their shifts only to find a note on the door that the restaurant was permanently closed. Others woke up to an email from owners Rick Roman and Nick Pyknis about the closure.
"It was very shocking," said Ronald Gorny, who worked as a server there for more than 23 years. "I woke up and my phone was getting blasted with text messages."
In October 2023, United Here Local 1, the hospitality union, filed a complaint in federal court against the operators, Infusion Management Group, saying they violated the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act). Under the WARN Act, an employer must provide 60-days written notice of any closing or mass-layoff or instead provide workers with wages and other benefits for 60 days after the operation closes.
Six months later, a federal judge ordered the operator to pay $1.52 million in back pay and benefits to nearly 140 workers. The calculations for how much each person receives has to do with their specific pay and benefits accrued.
"I mean $1.52 million doesn't happen all the time. It feels great," said Karen Kent, the union president. "This judgment is an important step forward in that journey toward justice."
Former owners Roman and Pyknis could not be reached Thursday for comment.
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Several of the workers said they've struggled to find jobs since the closure.
"It’s a different job market after 23 years," Gorny said. "You can imagine getting back out on the street and looking for a job; it’s really different."
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Others are in a similar situation.
"It's been a little difficult and challenging," said Bob Sorenson, who started working at The Signature Room in 1997. "I've been looking for a lot of places to work. Sometimes when you've worked at a place a long time it's hard to find someplace new."
Sorenson said he would love for a new restaurant to take its place.
"I'd like to go back," he said. "Hopefully something else will pop up in the beautiful space. I can’t imagine how it can't."
