COLUMBIA, S.C. — Tyson Foods corporate confirmed Friday that the company will close its facility off Bluff Road in Columbia in early 2024.
After six years of working at the local Tyson plant, Gene Spencer says he and his coworkers are figuring out what to do next.
"Thanksgiving is around the corner, Christmas is a matter of weeks away, and then we're going to be starting 2024 unemployed," Spencer said.
Tyson Foods employs 142,000 people in facilities across the United States and has announced the closures of six plants this year, including the one in Columbia.
In their third-quarter earnings published in August, Tyson reported some financial improvements but also some losses. The company attached a statement to the report saying, "The difficult decision to close four chicken facilities… demonstrates our commitment to bold action and operational excellence as we drive performance, including lower costs and improving capacity utilization, and build on our strategy of making Tyson foods stronger in the long-term."
The facility in Columbia is set to close on January 8, 2024. Employees impacted by the plant closure in Columbia are reporting that they have been offered a $1,000 severance package if they stay until the last day, or they can move to Texas to continue at Tyson.
"Who is in the shape to go all the way to Texas, and move their family like that? So if you've never been there, how are you supposed to find a place to live and all of that, in 60 days mind you," Spencer questioned.
Tyson Foods released an updated statement about the Columbia and Jacksonville facility closures Friday: "We are making the difficult decision to close two of our case-ready value-added plants. We understand the impact of this decision on our team members. We will make every effort to offer them opportunities to remain with the company at other locations and will partner with state and local officials to provide additional resources. With a focus on optimizing our operational footprint, we are reallocating resources to operate as efficiently as possible, while maintaining ample capacity to serve our customers."