AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT JOHNSONVILLE

Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin-based Johnsonville, a food manufacturer specializing in sausages, has announced the closure of its Meadowside fully-cooked sausage plant in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, by the end of 2024. Layoffs will commence in June 2024.

The closure will impact 390 Meadowside employees. The decision was driven by the acquisition of Salm Partners of Denmark, Wisconsin which produces fully-cooked ready-to-eat sausage products in their two plants. Meadowside production will be shifted to the Denmark, Wisconsin location.

According to CEO Don Fussner, While this acquisition is key to the long-term success of our RTE sausage business – and the larger fully cooked sausage category in general – it’s not lost on us how a plant closing is distressing for our Members to hear. We value their contributions and expertise, and we are working diligently to retain as many of our valued Members as we can in other roles here in Sheboygan Falls and across our manufacturing network. In addition, those employees who remain with Johnsonville through June will receive a stay-on bonus. Johnsonville will also work to retain as many employees as possible in its Sheboygan Falls production positions – and across its other production facilities – when Meadowside production ceases."

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?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT MONTEREY MUSHROOMS

Watsonville, California-based Monterey Mushrooms, a vertically-integrated researcher, developer, grower, and marketer of premium mushrooms, mushroom genetics, and mushroom ingredients to grocery stores, restaurants, food manufacturers, and institutions nationwide, has announced the closure of two mushroom farms, one located in Princeton, Illinois, and one in Orlando, Florida.

The closures will impact 214 employees in Zellwood, Florida, and are scheduled for January 13, 2024. Approximately 400 employees will be impacted in Princeton, Illinois, including employees hired through a contract labor agency.

According to a company statement, "The company has conducted an exhaustive analysis of its business model and made the difficult, but necessary, decision to reposition itself by closing two mushroom growing locations – Princeton, Illinois, and Orlando, Florida.

We have operated these two facilities for decades and the decision to close was made after a long and careful review.

The closure of the two locations is expected to be completed by the end of January 2024, with production being shifted to other farms within the company’s network."

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?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT LEPRINO FOODS

Denver, Colorado-based Leprino Foods, a food producer of cheese, lactose, whey protein, and sweet whey, has announced a plant restructuring in Remus, Michigan, that will shift the product line from producing string cheese to producing condensed milk starting in January 2024.

The product change will impact 100 employees as the string cheese production will shift to the company's plant in Fort Morgan, Colorado, which has excess capacity.

According to a company spokesperson, "Leprino continually assesses and evaluates our manufacturing network to ensure optimization and to allow us to better meet current and future production needs, as well as the evolving needs of our customers.”

“We do not take this decision lightly, nor do we underestimate how this will impact those affected by this change and the Remus community. We will work diligently with employees and the community during this transition."

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?