Nash Finch to Cut 300 Jobs

MINNEAPOLIS -- Nash Finch Co. plans to cut 300 jobs at its distribution plant in Westville, Ind. The layoffs will kick in June 4, though some may come earlier, and are likely to affect every department in the plant, the company said in a letter notifying the Indiana Workforce Development department.

The job cuts come on the heels of the company's loss in April of wholesale customer South Bend-based Martin's Supermarkets.

In addition to the plant, the job cuts will also hit a former Roundy's grocery distribution center that Nash Finch has operated for about two years. Local press reports said both union and non-union employees would be affected.

Union employees at the plant are represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Indianapolis local, and by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

Cuts to union jobs will be based on seniority, with close to 50 percent of the layoffs going to workers with the least seniority in each job classification, the company said.

Nash Finch said in its first-quarter 2007 earning report last month that it was discontinuing its supply relationship with Martin's.

"After careful consideration and dialogue, it became apparent that it would not be possible to continue the relationship," Alec Covington, Nash Finch's president and c.e.o., said in the April 25 report.
X
This ad will auto-close in 10 seconds