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November 8, 2007
More than 100 workers learned they will lose their jobs and right before the holidays. A food manufacturer in Northumberland County says it's streamlining its business.
The ConAgra plant in Milton makes Chef Boyardee and Crunch 'n Munch, to name a few products.
At the beginning of this year ConAgra officials were hiring 100 people for work at their Milton plant. Now there is word from the corporate offices that 110 jobs will be lost. Some have already gotten the bad news.
The plant is one of the area's largest employers. There are 800 hourly and 75 salary workers who count on the plant for a paycheck but corporate officials said they're letting 109 workers go, nine salaried and one hundred hourly workers.
"I know a lot of guys that work over there. A lot of them are my friends. I hope they don't get layed off. One of my friends, just got hired about five years ago I bet he's gonna get it. I didn't talk to him, but I bet he's gonna get it," said Nick Costagliola of Pizza Town, just across the street from ConAgra. It's a popular lunch and dinner spot for employees. Costagliolo worries for the layed off workers and for his business.
"Hopefully the business doesn't drop. You know, we'll lose some business," he added.
"Do 109 jobs impact the community? They absolutely do because those 109 people are members of our community. They go out and spend dollars in the community that helps support everyone else in the community," said Maria Culp of the Chamber of Commerce.
As chamber of commerce president she hopes the layoffs are a move to keep ConAgra strong in the community. Corporate officials said the cuts come in an effort to streamline and make the plant more efficient.
"But I think the ConAgra's been a huge part of our past, a large part of our current, present status and I believe that this is just going to be a step in ensuring that they will have a large part in our future," Culp added.
A ConAgra corporate spokesperson tells said while the 100 hourly workers will be layed off indefinitely, there is a chance that they could be rehired down the road.
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