Tyson to shed jobs in North Carolina

SPRINGDALE, ARK. — Tyson Foods Inc. confirmed on Aug. 12 that it plans to cut jobs at its Wilkesboro, NC, poultry processing plant.

“Due to increasing demand, we are shifting production in our Wilkesboro, NC facility to support our Tyson fully cooked products,” a Tyson Foods spokesperson said.  “As a result of these process changes, fewer positions will be required in the facility. Our priority is to help team members impacted by this change, and we are working with them to offer other opportunities at Tyson Foods.”

According to a report by the Wilkes Journal-Patriot, the move by Tyson could affect nearly 500 employees jobs. Approximately 2,500 people work at the Wilkesboro plant.

When asked to confirm how many jobs would be affected, Tyson Foods did not respond.

David Rhoades, communications director for the North Carolina Department of Commerce, told MEAT+POULTRY that the agency could not confirm if Tyson’s actions and circumstances meet the threshold to require the filing of a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN).

Rhoades confirmed that Tyson has not filed a WARN notice with the NC Dept. of Commerce.

“We here at the state Department of Commerce do not regulate nor enforce the requirements of WARN filings – those are a matter of federal law,” Rhoades stated.  “The reason we are in the loop to receive WARN letters is because we are the state-level workforce development agency, and so are alerted in order to provide services to any worker impacted by job actions.”

He said his team would support any workers affected by the changes at Tyson.

In the last year, Tyson’s poultry business restructured operations at its Wilkesboro location and other sites nationwide.

For Wilkesboro, about 250 workers were laid off by Tyson during October 2023.

In August 2023, Tyson announced plans to close four poultry plants — its North Little Rock, Ark.; Corydon, Ind.; Dexter, Mo.; and Noel, Mo., facilities.

The company cited the decision as its commitment to bold action and operational excellence as it strives to lower costs and improve capacity utilization.

In March, Cal-Maine finalized its acquisition of Tyson’s former processing plant, hatchery and feed mill in Dexter. Cal-Maine plans to convert the site into a shell egg operation. A few months later, poultry producers in Missouri filed a lawsuit claiming anticompetitive and fraudulent practices were involved in the closure and subsequent sale of the Dexter, Mo., processing plant.

Other Tyson plant closures announced in 2023 include the Van Buren, Ark., and Glen Allen, Va., facilities, which together affect around 1,700 jobs.

During November 2023, Tyson Foods also opened its new poultry plant in Danville, Va. The company invested $300 million in the project and expects to hire nearly 400 employees.

Last month Tyson also sold its Vienna, Ga., poultry facility to House of Raeford Farms.