Jeffersonville’s Select Snacks has filed a notice with the state which indicates the manufacturer could lay off its 245 workers by Dec. 10.
Last week, Select Snacks’ parent company — Ubiquity Brands LLC — filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in its hometown of Chicago. According to the bankruptcy filing, Ubiquity plans to sell Select Snacks and Chicago-based Jays Foods.
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, was filed with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development last Friday, a day after the bankruptcy filing. Select Snacks’ WARN was not added to the Department of Workforce Development’s Web site until Thursday.
During a conference call with the media on the same day the WARN was filed, Ubiquity President and CEO Jeffrey Dunn said, “During
the transition period, we will retain the majority of positions in Jay’s facility in Chicago and Select’s facilities in Jeffersonville, as well as in our Midwest distribution network.
“Some job losses are inevitable, but we cannot estimate job losses at this time,” Dunn said. “Following the completion of the sale, operating and employment decisions are up to the buyer.”
Dunn did not immediately return a reporter’s phone call to his Chicago office and no one answered telephones at Select Snacks’ Jeffersonville facility, located at 125 Peacely St., shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday.
The Chicago Tribune has reported Jay’s Acquisition Inc. is interested in purchasing Jays Foods and Select Snacks from Ubiquity for $24.8 million. While Dunn admitted Ubiquity is interested in the offer, but there is still time for other entities to bid for the companies’ assets.
Mayor Rob Waiz did not immediately return a reporter’s phone call Thursday, but Councilman John Perkins said he is disappointed at the prospect of losing the jobs.
“Man, that’s going to be bad," said Perkins.
Perkins said he believes Select Foods’ jobs pay less than other local manufacturing positions, but that the company has been of value to the community by virtue of its relatively stable employment.
Companies with 100 or more employees are generally required to file WARN notices with a state’s dislocated worker unit 60 days in advance of plant closures or the laying off of 50 or more workers. The federal government began requiring the notices in 1989.
Email This Page!