CVS (now jobless) employees speak out against violence in Baltimore.

[Xithras]

24. No.

I've owned a business and had a fairly standard fire and loss policy. Employee wages were not covered. There is a type of insurance rider called "business interruption coverage" that reimburses for sales and profit losses during a closure but few businesses bother with it. That would normally be used to cover employee salaries. And note that I said SALARIES. Hourly employees are paid by the hour, and when they're working zero hours, they're generally SOL.

FWIW, 70% of businesses that close due to fire never reopen, even when they're insured. Why? Because when you file a fire insurance claim your rates rise substantially. That makes the business less financially viable or profitable. Generally, it can be cheaper to take a payout, close the business, and open a new one elsewhere. Because chain stores tend to be insured on a per-store basis, the new insurance rates for the store will rise sharply after the fire. I won't be surprised if this CVS becomes an empty lot.