Smithfield to begin layoffs at Virginia facility; shutdown planned for March 2013
Smithfield Foods Inc. announced that it will begin its previously announced shutdown of its Portsmouth, Va., facility that makes hot dogs and deli meat. The layoffs will begin in January, and the plant will close at the end of March, reports the Associated Press.
The first layoffs at the Smithfield Packing Co. facility will involve about 120 workers, with more than 400 workers affected by the time plant is closed, said Jeff Gough, Smithfield’s senior vice president for human resources. Employees have been offered transfer opportunities.