050506 Marysville, CA Meat Plant ClosesMay 15, 2005This week, the doors will be locked at one of Yuba County’s largest employers. The Cargill Value Added Products meat processing plant is shutting down and some 200 workers are losing their jobs. The employees have known about the closure since late January. That is when Cargill's Minneapolis headquarters made the announcement to move production of portion-controlled steaks to other plants, including a non-union facility in Arkansas. Although employees were given severance pay, allowed to pursue other employment opportunities during working hours, and offered job training funded by a $1 million federal grant, the closure is still ending on a sour note for many. Employees had believed they would work through Friday and receive a final paycheck for a 40-hour workweek. However, on Tuesday, they learned they wouldn’t be paid for Friday. The meat plant, under different owners, has been a Marysville employer since the 1920s. Cargill acquired the plant in 1986 and last year merged a turkey products subsidiary and Excel Specialty Products into Cargill Value Added Products.
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