The Brawley, Calif. National Beef plant that was supposed to close on April 4 will remain open almost two months more in order to meet contracts. The new final date of operation for the Brawley plant is May 23, a full seven additional weeks of operation, said Francisco Marquez, One Stop Business and Services director, who spoke with National Beef human resources officials in Kansas City last week.

The closure, which was announced earlier this year, was going to impact 1,300 employees, reports the Imperial Valley Press.. While this extension of operation only delays the inevitable, Marquez said the positive aspect is that workers now will have seven weeks of added pay as they prepare to enter the job hunt during the slowest period of the year, the summer.

Marquez said this will give the workers “added time to work out financial situations, like renegotiating mortgages, readjusting rent if they live in public housing, to get credit counseling,” he said.

On the jobs front, Marquez said, “Imperial County cannot absorb 1,300 displaced workers,” adding that he is trying to give the employees of Brawley Beef necessary options to help their families, such as seasonal work that would take them out of the county.

Source: Imperial Valley Press