Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley is staring down another industrial shakeup as Cargill prepares to close its protein-processing plant and cut 221 jobs, with the site expected to shut down around May 31. Employees were notified on Tuesday that the facility will start a phased wind-down in April, with the first separations scheduled around April 11. The plant handles fresh beef, ground beef and other value-added meat products for major grocery retailers, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
According to a notice filed with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development and reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Cargill Meat Solutions’ Milwaukee protein-processing facility will eliminate 221 positions and is slated to close around May 31. The layoffs will be phased “based on customer and operational needs,” with the first separations expected around April 11. The company told state officials that affected employees can apply for openings at other Cargill locations, so some workers may shift within the broader operation rather than leave the company entirely.
Where The Plant Fits In The Valley
The facility sits in Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley, a long-running industrial corridor that still houses food processors and suppliers. A Menomonee Valley business directory lists Cargill Meat Solutions at 200 S. Emmber Lane, putting the operation near the Potawatomi casino and other Valley employers. Losing one of the area’s better-known industrial tenants adds pressure to a corridor that has already seen major industrial changes over the last decade.
A Shrinking Wisconsin Footprint
This is not Cargill’s first pullback in the state. The company shut its Milwaukee beef harvest facility in August 2014, eliminating roughly 600 jobs, according to reporting by BizTimes Milwaukee. Over time, Cargill has shifted operations around Wisconsin, leaving fewer full-scale harvest operations in the region while maintaining other processing and grain-handling sites.
What The Law Requires And Where Workers Can Turn…