Here's an article about the sale of the company for which I work. Having only been there a year, I didn't get stock, but...
The 40-plus employees who did not receive stock were given cash bonuses from a pool of $200,000 funded by the Starks. The amounts were prorated based on length of service and other factors, ranging from $650 to $20,000.
It's kind of nice to have your place of employment change hands without losing your job. And the bonus will help to pay off a little chunk of credit card debt.