Tyson Foods to close Glen Allen facility impacting nearly 700 jobs

GLEN ALLEN, Va. (WWBT) - In two months, Tyson Foods will close its Glen Allen facility to shift demand to other facilities, impacting nearly 700 jobs.

“I’ve dedicated my life to Tyson’s, and they didn’t even give me a chance to retire. They kicked me out,” Mary Vine Smith, who has worked at the facility since 1978, said.

Vine Smith said she and her coworkers all had the same reaction when they found out Monday afternoon they would be out of a job in just a few weeks.

“I was like 40-something years, and today they’re shutting the plant down two months from now,” Vine Smith said she asked herself at the end of her shift on Monday.

She said she’s never thought about working elsewhere because of the people she works with.

“It’s a loving atmosphere,” Vine Smith said.

Those emotions were, unfortunately, thrown out the window when a letter was given to Vine Smith and her coworkers, letting them know after May 12, they would no longer have a job in Glen Allen.

“To hear the screams and the cries of the people, it’s like they had just lost everything,” Vine Smith said.

In a statement, Tyson said it would be closing the plant to shift demand at other food facilities and working with team members to relocate to other facilities within the company.

After careful consideration, we made the difficult decision to close our processing, broiler and hatching operations at our Glen Allen, Virginia plant effective May 12, 2023, and shift demand to other Tyson Foods facilities. While the decision was not easy, it reflects our broader strategy to strengthen our poultry business by optimizing operations and utilizing the full available capacity at each plant.
As always, our team members remain our top priority. We are working directly with impacted team members to help ensure they have the option to apply for open positions and relocation assistance where applicable to other Tyson Foods facilities. We are also closely coordinating with state and local agencies and officials to provide resources and assistance for those who choose to remain in Glen Allen.
Alicia Buffer, Enterprise Communications, Poultry

“They did call the Danville area, which is three to four hours away from Glenn Allen,” Van Smith said.

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 is the union representing the 692 employees who will lose their jobs, and in a statement, they said they were disappointed.

“It is with deep disappointment that we learned today of the imminent closure of the Tyson Foods facility in Glen Allen, Virginia. It has been our honor and privilege to represent the workers at this plant for decades, and we were appalled by today’s news and the terrible impact it will have on close to 700 of our union members.
“These men and women risked their lives and the safety of their families to keep this plant operational during the pandemic, and this is the thanks they get? This is not how we show gratitude to essential workers in Virginia. Rest assured, our union will do everything in our power to help our members and their families through this difficult time.
“Regrettably, the company provided our union with no advanced notice with which to prepare our members for this news. To make matters worse, Tyson Foods has received untold sums of taxpayer dollars to open a new facility in Pittsylvania County after promising to provide 400 jobs. But with at least 700 jobs eliminated by the closure of the Glen Allen plant, Tyson Foods will continue to reap the lavish benefits of taxpayer dollars while Virginia will have 300 fewer jobs. What a disgraceful waste.”
Mark Federici, President of the United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 Union

Vine Smith said while she’s enjoyed her time working at Tyson, she’s not worried about finding another position but wants to make sure her coworkers are helped.

“Someone did say, I’m a single parent, I have to take care of my children, and rent is extremely high. You know what am I going to do,” Vine Smith said. “I just hope they find jobs to accommodate how they are living.”

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