Reuters – Tyson Foods, which is seeking to cut costs, will lay off 228 corporate employees in Illinois who declined to relocate to the meatpacker’s Arkansas headquarters, the company confirmed June 13.
The company said it will eliminate 177 positions from an office in downtown Chicago and 51 positions in Downers Grove, a suburb of that city, starting July 31, according to the state of Illinois.
The offices had roughly 500 employees as of last October, when Tyson announced a decision to consolidate its corporate offices. Employees resisted and some have already left for jobs with other companies. Tyson has grappled with high prices to buy cattle for slaughter and easing demand for meat from cash-strapped consumers.
Read Also
Mazergroup’s Bob Mazer dies
Mazergroup’s Bob Mazer, who helped grow his family’s company into a string of farm equipment dealerships and the main dealer for New Holland machinery in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, died July 6 from cancer.
The 228 people being laid off are those remaining with the company until the Chicago and Downers Grove offices close, Tyson said.
“Those impacted were due to the consolidation of corporate offices,” the company said.
Including layoffs at another office in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, Tyson will eliminate about 490 corporate employees who opted not to relocate. That number is out of roughly 1,000 corporate workers overall.
The company has said moving employees to its Springdale, Arkansas, headquarters will benefit collaboration and decision making.
It separately closed two U.S. chicken plants with almost 1,700 workers this year and said in April that it would eliminate about 10 per cent of corporate jobs and 15 per cent of senior leadership roles.
The company posted a surprise loss in its second quarter and lowered projections for total yearly sales, Reuters reported in early May. The company noted financial slippage across its beef, pork and chicken operations. As well as high animal prices and sliding demand, Tyson Foods noted high feed prices adding to costs.
As of Oct. 1, 2022, Tyson Foods had about 124,000 U.S. employees, including 118,000 working in non-corporate sites like production plants, according to regulatory filings.
