There's just a few days left to snag some Marketplace swag at a discount when you... Donate Today! 🎁

Big decision for Tyson workers

Marketplace Staff Aug 21, 2006
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Big decision for Tyson workers

Marketplace Staff Aug 21, 2006
HTML EMBED:
COPY

TEXT OF STORY

BRIAN WATT: The world’s largest meat processor announced it’s laying off nearly 800 workers in October. Now workers at those plants have a choice to make. Carol Cizauskas.

JOCELYN FORD: Tyson is offering workers cash incentives up to $5,000 to relocate to plants in Kansas and Nebraska.

Given the state of the economy around Tyson’s Pasco, Washington, slaughterhouse, it might be hard to say no.

Dean Schau is an economist who analyzes labor trends in the Evergreen state. He says the job market around Pasco is flat, compared to the rest of the state, especially the Seattle area.

DEAN SCHAU: Right now, the state of Washington’s economy is getting very, very hot, and if anything, there’s a shortage of workers. But it’s going to be hard on these families, you know, getting laid off in October, just before Thanksgiving and the approaching of Christmastime.

Analysts say the layoffs are part of Tyson’s effort to respond to weaker chicken and beef sales.

I’m Carol Cizauskas for Marketplace.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.