Tyson Cutting Jobs Again at US Poultry Plant

Tyson Foods is reportedly cutting jobs at its chicken processing facility in Wilkesboro, NC.

The company said it made this decision because fewer workers are required to process its fully cooked products, WXII news reported.

Officials have not said how many people will be losing their jobs or when those layoffs will happen. However, sources have said there will be between 400 to 1,000 jobs lost, said The Wilkes Record. According to the Wilkes Economic Development Corp., Tyson Foods employs more than 2,700 at the plant.

One source told The Wilkes Record that there have been talks with Tyson, but there is no clarity about the total number of jobs that will be cut or when those cuts may occur. Another source said the terminations are being done based on seniority.

One of the newspaper's source stated: “It is unknown when the layoff will take place. I believe the plan is to go to more of a bulk processing plant. I have not had any direct conversations with Tyson.”

Tyson is assisting those impacted with other positions in the company, shared WXII.

The poultry company bought the Wilkesboro facility in 1989 from Holly Farms. With a $14 million-plus expansion in 2016, Tyson now processes 98,800,000 chickens at the plant annually, according to the Wilkes Economic Development Corp.