Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer had harsh words for the former leaders of a Fresno company that effectively laid off a reported 900 employees nationwide.
Bitwise Industries has been a virtual ghost since the May 29 announcement that all employees were “furloughed.” A lawsuit on behalf of employees alleges they were laid off in violation of the state WARN Act requiring 60 days’ notice of pending terminations.
Any suspected criminal act would be referred to the proper authorities, City Attorney Andrew Janz said last week.
The company has made no public comment other than that the Bitwise board of directors fired co-CEOs Jake Soberal and Irma Olguin Jr. on June 2.
Related Story: Lien Documents Against Bitwise Paint Desperate Financial Picture
Dyer, at a Friday news conference at City Hall, said the city will hold a job fair on June 16.
“The goal really is to turn something that was very, very evil into something that’s very, very good,” Dyer said.
Dyer hopes that the city and other local businesses hire an estimated 400 Bitwise employees let go in Fresno.
The mayor said of Soberal and Olguin: “They performed a calloused act to their employees and they victimized their employees and they potentially victimized investors. So I don’t have necessarily an opinion of them. I can just tell you what happened, what was a result of their actions. They have to live with what happened.”
Related Story: Judge Freezes Bitwise Assets in Lawsuit by Texas Partner
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