Provimi Foods to Cut 50 Jobs

Provimi Foods is not exactly a household name, which is kind of ironic since they make food, but for those of you who are not familiar with the company here is a look at how they have chosen to describe themselves,  “For over thirty years, our gourmet meal solutions have been enjoyed by households all across America. And with an ever expanding line of high-quality products, our menu now includes exciting new gourmet sauces, and ready to serve gourmet meals. Appreciated by the more discerning home cook, Provimi Foods guarantees the same quality in your kitchen as we do in some of the nation’s best restaurants. It’s a great way to get creative in the kitchen without having to do all the prep work. However, knowing that all cooks like to own their dishes, we always leave a little room for you to add your own flair. Ask your local supermarket about stocking Provimi Foods products, or until then, visit our online store.”

Apparently the company hopes to be ever-expanding  without the help of 50 of its current workers, the company is getting ready to layoff just enough workers to qualify as a mass layoff action under the current federal guidelines. For those of you who are not familiar with the idea of a mass layoff action here is a look at how the federal government describe a mass layoff action, “The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program collects reports on mass layoff actions that result in workers being separated from their jobs. Monthly mass layoff numbers are from establishments which have at least 50 initial claims for unemployment insurance (UI) filed against them during a 5-week period. Extended mass layoff numbers (issued quarterly) are from a subset of such establishments—where private sector nonfarm employers indicate that 50 or more workers were separated from their jobs for at least 31 days.”

While the company has not given a list of which workers are going to be getting the axe and which ones will be staying around we do know some details. The company will be, for the time being, suspending all operations on the slaughtering floor as well as all work in the fabrications department as well. For a company that makes meat products, such as sausages, and sauces to go along with them this kind of a change is a large one, as it cuts the company off from production of one of its primary products.

The company is blaming the job cuts on the economic downturn. The company did say that they will be giving the displaced workers two months of pay as part of their severance, though whether this is an act of generosity, or simply part of the requirements of a mass layoff action, is not clear at the current moment. The company has not outlined any other plans for helping the soon to be displaced workers at this moment.

In a news release Brian Friesen, the company president, said the following about the changes, “Continued harvest and fabrication operations in Seymour were no longer feasible. Although we needed to take this step for overall company stability, we regret the hardship this will create for the employees being laid off.”