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Displaced Necco workers seek employment at mayor’s re-employment and resource office By James Mitchell
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“Someone has got to stand up for everyone else” Class action lawsuit filed by two displaced Necco workers
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pproximately 100 former Necco workers who were abruptly unemployed last week hoped to find a new source of income from local and regional employers in attendance at Revere City Hall Monday as they attended a one -stop re - employment and resource office hosted by Mayor Brian Arrigo. The mostly assembly-line workers who are residents of Revere met representatives from local businesses, such as Kelly’s Roast Beef & Seafood, Big Y supermarkets and Nova Biomedical in Billerica, a company that manufactured diabetes test strips and a variety of medical equipment. Over 40 companies with retail or HELP WANTED: Former Necco workers are shown registering during the city’s one-stop re-employment and resource office NECCO | SEE PAGE 14 on Monday at City Hall. (Advocate photo by JD Mitchell)
Friday, August 3, 2018
By Christopher DeGusto
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wo former Necco employees have taken action in the form of a class action lawsuit against their former employer after the Revere factory shut down abruptly. Dexter Main and Francesco D’Amelio have taken up Attorneys Josh Gardner and Nicholas Rosenberg of Gardner & Rosenberg PC, with the claim filed under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which requires employees to be notified 60 days prior to a layoff. In an interview Wednesday afternoon with the Advocate, Main said that the company was on thin ice, that this was
no secret, and that there was no explanation as to why the sudden closure occurred. “I felt like they had no regard for us as people, that we were just numbers in the books as payroll material,” said Main. A total of 230 people were left unemployed. Main said that a severance package was given. The amount was different for everyone, and amounted to roughly 10 days’ pay, according to Main. The suit, which only has need for Main and D’Amelio as plaintiffs, according to Rosenberg, has garnished support from the city of Revere. The likes of members of the private sector,
GOT TO STAND UP | SEE PAGE 16
City stands in support of Alex’s Lemonade Stand By Christopher DeGusto
K
ayla and Jordan Martelli have inspired a new meaning behind the phrase “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Since the summer of 2012, the Martelli girls have raised over $22,000 toward the benefit of pediatric cancer research by selling lemonade in Revere. What started as any other unchecked box on their summer bucket list, alongside “beach day” and “have a picnic,” has turned into a citywide phenomenon. The Martellis’ lemonade stand, which has raised money annually for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Founda-
tion (ALSF), has garnished the support of the city, including many Revere politicians and public figures. The annual lemonade stand, originally made out of cardboard until Don Martelli, the girls’ father, was able to build one himself, is one item on the Martellis’ bucket list that keeps on growing, having surpassed the $20,000 milestone. Kayla and Jordan, in the fall set to enter high school and middle school, respectively, told an Advocate News reporter in an interview on Tuesday that raising awareness for a cause has helped inspire them even beyond their lemonade stand. “This has taught me how to
Revere Police officers and city councillors showed their support for the Martelli’s efforts. Pictured from left: Officer Joe Duca, Ward 6 Councillor Charlie Patch, Jordan, Kayla, Ward 4 Councillor Pat Keefe, Officer Andrew Lauria and Officer Greg Tammaro.
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give back to the community,” said Kayla Martelli. “I can help other people with just the stuff I have.” Each year the Martellis have set an estimated goal of $2,000 to raise and then contribute to ALSF. This year, however, the figure took a dramatic jump. Don Martelli told the The Revere Advocate in an interview Tuesday that this summer, the girls
LEMONADE | SEE PAGE 16