PITTSBURG, TEXAS — Pilgrim's Pride announced that 450 positions will be eliminated from its Nacogdoches, Texas branch Jan. 24, according to The Daily Sentinel. The layoffs will account for about 27% of the plant's staff. Pilgrim's Pride is the largest employer in Nacogdoches County.

All temporary employees at this plant will be laid off, in addition to about 100 full-time employees who have been employed by Pilgrim's Pride for less than 3 months. Full-time employees will be offered job placement assistance and severance packages. They will also be given the opportunity to work in other positions within the company.

According to the article, the Nacogdoches branch will also close down three of its seven prepared food lines, but the plant will continue operating its fresh processing, fresh packaging, de-boning and portioning, and mechanically de-boned lines.

The layoffs, however, may not be permanent, said a company spokesman. He added it is Pilgrim's Pride's "long-term goal to re-establish the prepared food operations in Nacogodches when [financial] conditions improve."

To post your comments on this story, click here: