A reliable source who wishes to remain anonymous has passed on information to TTAG regarding a pending federal investigation into Remington Outdoor Company’s handling of the sale of company assets to the Roundhill Group and Remington CEO Ken D’Arcy.
Multiple trusted sources close to the transaction report that D’Arcy was the man behind the Roundhill Group and used another individual as the group’s public face until the asset purchase was completed. Once Roundhill closed on the asset purchase, that person parted ways with Roundhill and D’Arcy’s involvement was made public.
The heart of the pending investigation has to do with Remington’s termination of 585 Ilion, New York employees last week, refusing to honor union contracts which I am told required Remington to pay severance, vacation pay, and other employee benefits to terminated workers including health care. The benefits will be cut off as of October 31.
Employees received news of the terminations over the weekend of October 23rd, 24th, and 25th by phone, with the terminations effective Monday, October 26, 2020.
Backing up the Remington union workers is US Congressman Anthony Brindisi, who penned the following letter to John F. Ring, chairman of the National Labor Relations Board.
Brindisi held a press conference regarding Remington’s treatment of the terminated workers on October 28.
Congressman Anthony Brindisi joined the United Mine Workers Association informational picket today in Ilion. Brindisi announced a push, backed by the union, for a federal investigation into Remington Arms’ decision to deny benefits from union workers.
“These hard working men and women deserve to be treated with dignity and they deserve the benefits they fought for,” Brindisi said in Ilion. “Remington is trying to leave this community and these workers high and dry, but we aren’t going to let them. I am calling on the National Labor Relations Board to step in and investigate this issue.”
Sources with knowledge of the situation tell TTAG that the NLRB will, in fact, be launching an investigation into the firings and benefit cuts.
Also shared by the union was the following flyer:
Sources tell TTAG that in addition to the terminations and loss of benefits, the union and employees are angered by D’Arcy presiding over the fall of the company, then hiding his involvement in the group bidding on the Remington-branded firearms business in order to regain control after the bankruptcy and dissolution.
We have asked Remington for comment on this story, but have not received a reply yet. This story is developing and will be updated as information becomes available.