Bankrupt Solyndra Seeking Bonuses for Remaining Workers

(Newsroom America) -- The bankrupt solar panel manufacturer Solyndra is seeking a court's permission to pay bonuses to key remaining employees as an incentive to get them to stay with the struggling company.

The Washington Times reported Thursday that the company was seeking permission to pay bonuses ranging from $10,000 to $50,000. Company attorneys said the payouts would add extra motivation to some of the firm's remaining workers, to entice them to stay with the company.

The paper said the names of the potential bonus recipients were not listed in court filings, however, none of the employees are so-called "insiders" - or top officers or members of the board of directors, according to records.

Employees targeted for bonuses include ine equipment engineers, six general business and finance employees and up to two information technology workers, said the Times.

Solyndra filed for bankruptcy just two years after receiving a $500 million-loan guarantee from the federal government, and just a year after President Obama toured the company's California plant, touting it as a successful partnership between private industry and government.

At one point, the company employed about 1,100 employees, but now just 84 remain.

Experts say while any such deal would need to be approved by the bankruptcy judge, it's not unheard of for struggling firms to try to entice key employees to remain on board with bonuses and monetary incentives.

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