Tupelo, Mississipi-based United Furniture Industries has abruptly ceased operations and laid off more than 2,700 employees.
According to a company memo emailed from the board of directors to employees the night before the closure...
“At the instruction of the board of directors … we regret to inform you that due to unforeseen business circumstances, the company has been forced to make the difficult decision to terminate the employment of all its employees, effective immediately, on Nov. 21. With the exception of over-the-road drivers that are out on delivery. Your layoff from the company is expected to be permanent and all benefits will be terminated immediately without provision of COBRA.”
Drivers were instructed to immediately return equipment, inventory, and delivery documents for deliveries that had been completed to either the company's Winston-Salem, Verona, or Victorville, California locations.
For many, the handwriting was on the wall as vendor payments were late and line workers experienced a shortage of basic components like nuts and bolts.
Collateral damage...
Approximately 200 employees have lost their jobs in the Furniture Wood, Inc. plant in Vardaman, Mississippi as a result of its partnership with United Furniture Industries.
Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?