A tearful, and emotional rally at Hudson's Bay in Windsor today.
Unifor is urging the company to put workers first as it moves through its liquidation process, and is calling on HBC to honour its obligations to employees by protecting wages, pensions, and benefits.
Hudson's Bay workers will not be getting severance packages, and the company stated it is seeking the WEPPA (Wage Earner Protection Program Act) declaration to assist the terminated employees.
It would allow workers to collect certain eligible wages, including termination and severance pay, salaries, commissions and vacation. Unifor leaders in Windsor said that would only amount to a maximum of $8,800 regardless of how much a worker is owed.
Unifor Local 240 represents nine full-time and 49 part-time employees at the Devonshire Mall location.
Hudson's Bay is set to close all its stores and terminate more than 8,000 employees by Sunday.
Retiree Cathy Chappus says she's sad for her coworkers.
"We worked hard. We had a lot of fun. We did a lot of great things together - a place where we made a lifetime of friendships. So, that's the sad part."
Retiree Debbie MacDonell says they're a family at The Bay.
"We put everything we had into this company and they're giving nothing back. Nothing... and it's really a shame."
Local 240 President Jodi Nesbitt says it's been a difficult time.
"Our members are really devastated, and there's a lot of high tenure that still work here that are feeling, you know, a lot of loss, a lot of nostalgia while they're finishing up their work. So, it's been pretty rough."
The location at Devonshire Mall will close at the end of the day Saturday May 31, according to Unifor Local 240 president Jodi Nesbitt.
Nesbitt says four workers will stay on to finish the cleanup of the two-storey location.
The merchandise is now consolidated onto the main floor of the store with sale prices up to 90 per cent off.
The company filed a motion on Monday night detailing that, once the liquidation process is complete, it will eliminate 89 per cent of its workforce by June 1.
-with files from CTV Windsor's Michelle Maluske