Promotions Unlimited ordered to pay thousands to former employees

A Racine County company owes thousands of dollars to former employees, after shutting down without warning.

Promotions Unlimited in Mount Pleasant closed January 27, leaving more than 70 people without jobs.

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development has now ruled that Promotions Unlimited must pay former workers for their final week of the job and vacation time, but some of those employees are skeptical they'll ever see that money.

“They're not that generous,” said Debbie Mazzie, a former employee. “They'll go to court.”

Mazzie spent 26 years at Promotions Unlimited and lost her job without any notice.

“First month was hell,” Mazzie said. “You don't have a job, you have a mortgage, taxes, how are you gonna live?”

Former Employees, including Mazzie and even family members of the Owner, filed complaints with the state.

The Department of Workforce Development sent a letter to Promotions Unlimited owner Lorraine Greenberg on May 11, informing her she has to pay a total of $203,933.04. The money must be paid by Friday, May 26.

“If they don't pay and they don't appeal the decision, we will refer the matter to the Wisconsin Department of Justice,” said Jim Chiolino, director of the Labor Standards Bureau at the Department of Workforce Development.

Already, the DOJ took legal steps on behalf of the employees, in order to seize Greenberg's assets in Wisconsin.

“It's a lot of wages to be owed by a company,” Chiolino said. “It doesn't happen very regularly.”

Over at the now shuttered company, a man who answered the door says he works for an auction company, hired by a bank. According to the online auction, everything at Promotions Unlimited, including the delivery trucks, is up for grabs.

We called Greenberg to get some answers-a woman claiming to be her daughter answered and said they have no comment.

As for Mazzie she says she's getting back on her feet- working a new job-- not holding her breath for that final pay check.

“I wanna put promotions behind us and move forward,” Mazzie said. “It's the only way to get peace.”

So far Greenberg has not paid any of the money or filed an appeal. And she could owe even more because any worker who hasn't filed a complaint, still can.