Mar 23, 2022Shearer’s lays off Hermiston processing plant staff after fire
Shearer’s Foods laid off 230 employees from its Hermiston, Oregon potato chip processing plant after a fire gutted the facility in February.
Bill Nictakis, CEO of Ohio-based Shearer’s Foods, said through a statement that a rebuild would take too long to keep the staff employed.
“After assessing the damage, it’s clear that the destruction is too great to quickly rebuild and begin production in the near term. Unfortunately, it would take at least 15-18 months before we could resume production,” Nictakis said. “We have not yet decided the future of the Shearer’s Hermiston site. This has led to the very difficult decision to end employment for our team members. We are exploring opportunities to relocate team members interested in working in our other plants.”
The company has provided severance and benefits, including food assistance, counseling and job fairs, to assist employees’ transition.
