The company has been working with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development to organize the event in which feature 40 organizations seeking to fill open positions. The upcoming job fair will be the second event Cargill has organized to help displaced employees. Cargill held a company job fair on Aug. 7. More than 800 open positions were available from 23 of the company's locations throughout the region, according to Cargill.
The company noted that nearly 320 of the 600 impacted workers have expressed interest in continuing to work for Cargill at other locations in the Midwest. At least 250 former employees have an interest in current or future openings at Cargill's Butler, Wis. ground beef plant.
In July, Cargill announced plans to close the Milwaukee beef harvest facility on Aug. 1. The company based its decision following an 18-month examination of supplies of cattle in the region. Cargill said producers are retaining cattle for herd expansion, resulting in tightening supplies of cattle already impacted by drought conditions in cattle-producing states. The Milwaukee ground beef plant was not affected by the harvest plant closure.
The closure affected 600 employees, who currently are receiving wages for 60 days, in addition to a severance payment based on years of service, payment for earned vacation that was unused, medical coverage through the end of September (followed by eligibility for COBRA coverage through the end of the year), as well as support finding new work.
