Tyson Foods beef plant closures hit Joslin, Illinois, on Thursday, when the company said it is shutting the plant and ending operations at its Eagle Mountain, Utah, facility. Illinois officials said about 2,500 union workers lost their jobs, while some employees may be asked to keep certain operations running past Aug. 14.
A letter sent to employees on Thursday said job duties will end on Thursday or Friday. Those who are kept on for the short transition period will be paid through Oct. 12, 2026, giving Tyson a window to move work while it shuts down the site.
Joslin Workers Face 2,500 Job Losses
About 2,500 union workers were affected by the Joslin closure, according to Illinois officials. The plant processed beef, so the shutdown reaches beyond one site and into the company’s beef supply chain.
Tyson said it will move capacity from the closed locations to more strategically located facilities with ample room to grow. The company also said it will ramp back up a second shift at its Amarillo, Texas facility as cattle become available, a sign that production is being pushed into fewer, higher-capacity operations rather than spread across more plants.
Rita Newton Describes No Notice
Rita Newton, who said she had worked at the plant for 11 years, described the announcement as sudden. “The old CEO stepped down, a new CEO stepped in. He came here and evaluated our plant and he chose to close our plant without any notice for us, any notice for our union people. It’s just devastating. All these people without jobs,” she said to KWQC.
That account clashes with Tyson’s explanation that the closures are part of a more efficient and modern network. The company said the changes will allow it to maintain a similar level of cattle harvesting, but the immediate effect in Joslin is a large union workforce losing its jobs at once.
Pasco Sale Adds Pressure
Tyson also said it is pursuing the sale of its Pasco, Washington, beef facility while it closes Joslin and ends operations at Eagle Mountain. In Tyson’s third quarter report, the USDA projected domestic beef production will decrease 3% this fiscal year, Tyson anticipated an operating loss of between $650 million and $500 million, and the beef segment reported a $138 million operating loss in Q3.
For workers, the practical next step is the transition notice tied to Aug. 14. For Tyson, the unresolved issue is whether consolidating beef work into fewer plants can hold output steady while cattle supplies stay tight and the company keeps shifting capacity.
