Arkansas’ theory for attracting factories was simple: Fewer regulations, no unions, low taxes.
Unfortunately, even that incredibly factory-friendly environment won’t save the state from mass layoffs, as it’s now facing 1,500+ jobs lost from three separate plants closing.
What’s more – this is only the tip of the iceberg, as the national environment is arguably even worse.
3 lost plants
The first – and biggest – loss is the Cargill turkey processing plant in Springdale, which closed effective August 1st and wiped out over 1,100 jobs between factory employees and farmers.
Cargill has been struggling with poor business results (revenue down nearly 10% in FY 2024) and had previously warned that it needed to initiate layoffs amounting to ~8,000 job cuts to trim costs…