Tyson Foods is ending all operations in Emporia before the winter is done.
Tyson has both confirmed to city administrators and sent a letter to employees saying the current operations will be ending on or about Feb. 14.
Emporia City Manager Trey Cocking says this is devastating for the workers and significant for the local economy.
Tyson administrators have not returned a phone call from KVOE News seeking comment, but in a letter to Cocking and Mayor Erren Harter shared with KVOE News, Tyson Vice President of Beef and Pork Operations Ernesto Sanchez says the decision to eliminate all the company’s local jobs was made as part of “the company’s business strategy to operate more efficiently.” Tyson currently employs over 800 people locally. Over 200 will be shifted to the company’s operations in Holcomb. The rest will be offered chances to transfer to other places in the Tyson system.
Sanchez says the closure will take place in two stages. First will be the closure of the company’s laboratory in Funston Street. That will happen on or about Dec. 20, although the positions of five team members in the lab won’t be officially eliminated until the end of January. Next will be the closure of the plant at 2101 West Sixth on or about Feb. 14. Sanchez says some positions will need to stay open past the closure dates, so those employees will be notified separately by management.
Sanchez has also sent statements to Emporia workers alerting them to the plant closure as mandated by the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN Act, of the closure coming at least 60 days in advance.
Speaking of the WARN Act, Cocking says the city will start working with partners at the local, regional and state levels to smooth the transition for the affected workers — and, hopefully, keep the vast majority in Emporia. This will include conversations with the Kansas Department of Commerce, Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas, Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce, Southeast KansasWorks, Emporia State University and Flint Hills Technical College. A meeting for the local partners is coming Monday afternoon.
The decision to completely close down the Emporia plant comes after Tyson’s decision to end its cold storage facility operations in 2020 and to transition from cattle slaughter operations to food processing work in 2008, a move that cut the Emporia plant’s workforce by more than 1,000 staffers.
KVOE and KVOE.com will have updates throughout the closure process.
9:25 am Monday: Tyson confirms Emporia plant closure on or about Valentine’s Day
Tyson Foods is ending all operations in Emporia before the winter is done.
Tyson has both confirmed to city administrators and sent a letter to employees saying the current operations will be ending by Feb. 14.
Tyson currently employs over 800 people locally.
This is a developing story. KVOE and KVOE.com will have updates.
