Mt. Pleasant reacts to West Liberty Foods closing

MT. PLEASANT—The community is still processing the news of West Liberty Foods closing the Mt. Pleasant meat-processing and slicing facility early next year.

City officials and agencies want to support those losing their jobs, and find ways to lessen the impact on the community.

“It is a sad day to lose an industry that employs 350 people,” Mt. Pleasant Mayor Steve Brimhall said. “Hopefully, those people are able to find another job within the next six months to a year.”

“Our first concern is for the families and the individuals employed there,” Chamber President Kristi Perry said. “Our Hope is that we will be able to find employment for those folks in companies here in town so that we can keep them as residents here in Henry County.”

According to Perry, when the company reaches out, the Chamber will work with Iowa Works’ Rapid Response Team to support the 350 employees losing their jobs.

“When workers are laid off due to a business closing or mass layoff, a special process referred to as Rapid Response is used to quickly coordinate services for companies and the affected workers,” the IowaWORKS website explains.

The Rapid Response team works with businesses to review the types of services available to affected workers and then assist in Worker Information Meetings to deliver this information to employees.

These meetings will include overviews of IowaWORKS Center benefits, unemployment insurance benefits and how to file, and alternative pension and insurance program options.

In June, the Chamber worked in a similar manner with Jabil employees who lost their jobs due to that Mt. Pleasant Facility closing.

In addition to supporting the employees losing their jobs, Mt. Pleasant acknowledges that losing such a large employer will be impactful to commerce.

“Any time a business leaves your community, it is a huge impact,” City Council member and Mayor Pro Tem Steve Engberg said. “So, right now, we’re fact finding and then deciding where we can go from here to attract another business.”

“Hopefully [West Liberty Foods] will be able to sell that building quickly and we can get another business in there,” Mayor Brimhall said.

For now, Engberg says officials just hope to get together and see what they can do.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com