A Michigan-based fruit processing company is shutting down its plant in Fort Myers, resulting in 135 layoffs in Lee County. Peterson Brands, a subsidiary of Peterson Farms, plans to close its facility at 9910 Bavaria Road, according to an April 27 letter filed with the state in accordance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. The plant had been used to package shelf-stable fruit juices in aseptic liter boxes, cups and pouches for health care, schools, military, airlines, cruise lines and other food service-related industries.
By June 27, the entire workforce at the Fort Myers plant will have lost their jobs as a result of the “total plant shutdown,” which will be permanent, Peterson Farms COO Richard Raffaelli says in the WARN letter. Positions at the facility range from accounting clerk to food safety quality technician to machine operator to palletizer to human resources generalist. There is no union for employees, and there will not be any bumping rights for affected workers, according to the WARN letter.
A Peterson Farms human resources executive did not immediately respond to a question about why the plant was closing or whether its juice packaging operations would be moved to another location…