“Laying off people is always a difficult decision, especially during the holiday season,” Mike Martin, director of communications, told MEAT+POULTRY. “It’s not something we want to do. Unfortunately, seasonal softness in customer orders for products made at Marshall, combined with a recent loss of business to a competitor, resulted in too many workers for the current level of production.”
Martin added that the facility works under a collective bargaining agreement with the United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW). Displaced employees exercised their seniority to bump those with less time on the job. Employees impacted by the layoff will receive short-term medical coverage and are eligible for unemployment payments, he said. Approximately 470 individuals remain employed at the meat processing facility, which Cargill purchased from Tyson in 1995.
“Going forward, our goal remains to grow our business at Marshall,” Martin said.
