October 1, 2024
By; Katherine Trowbridge
Connell, Wa - Employees of Lamb Weston gathered outside the Connell facility on Tuesday, October 1. You could hear the murmuring and the hush as they waited to hear why they were called to a meeting outside the facility in the middle of the day.
Andres Llamas stated, “It seems fishy, usually they have one security guard. Today, they have six.”
People stood around waiting until Lamb Weston representatives stepped out to announce the “permanent closure” of the Connell facility, effective immediately.
A press release, obtained by the Graphic, reiterated the statement that the processing plant in Connell will permanently close, along with “the temporary curtailment of certain production lines and schedules in its manufacturing network, and elimination of some jobs in other locations.” The total job elimination equates to approximately 4% of Lamb Weston’s global workforce of about 10,700 employees.
“A supply and demand imbalance in North America and an ongoing inflationary environment necessitate these difficult steps,” said Tom Werner, Lamb Weston CEO. “We take very seriously any job elimination and understand the impact these decisions have on employees and the communities in which they live. We have taken care to provide transparency and support in transition, and we thank all of our talented team members and the community of Connell for its partnership over the years. We look forward to an ongoing relationship with the community through our grower and agricultural network.”
According to the press release, the Connell plant currently employs around 375 people. Production ended on September 30 and shut down of the plant has already begun.
Employees will have 60 days severance pay while Lamb Weston assists them in finding other employment. Leaders reassured employees, who had lined up to receive employee packets, that there are several jobs available within Lamb Weston and they would do their best to help them apply for them.
The press release added that employees are encouraged and supported in applying for positions at other Lamb Weston Locations. Meetings for employees of the Connell Lamb Weston are scheduled for Thursday and Friday, October 3 and 4 at the Connell Community Center to provide outplacement and hiring assistance, such as help with applying for jobs at other facilities. There will also be an internal job fair for the Connell employees on October 8 in Kennewick. Lamb Weston shared they are also working to set up an external job fair with other employers, hosted by Lamb Weston, to present more job opportunities to the Connell employees.
The City of Connell received a phone call around the same time that employees were hearing the news across town. Mayor Lee Barrow shared, “We’re shocked and saddened by this whole thing.”
Mayor Barrow and City Administrator Cathleen Koch extended their support to the employees stating, “If we can help out in any way, we are here.” They have already contacted Tri-Dec and will be reaching out to the Benton Franklin Workforce Development Council as well. Koch expressed that the city is willing to work with people on utility bills, they just need to reach out for support.
Koch added, “Our hearts break for everyone. We’ll do what we can to try and help people work past this.”
The closure will impact more than the nearly 400 employees. This decision will have many ripple effects across our entire community, not just within the City of Connell, but Franklin County as a whole.
The North Franklin School District’s budget could be impacted by this, especially if families have to relocate outside of the area for work.
Americold stated that while they will lose some rental storage used by Lamb Weston, they should be okay as they are in good shape with Simplot.
It’s hard to say how this news will impact the growth we are seeing in our community from new houses to new businesses being built.
Mayor Barrow and City Administrator Koch stated they will need to conduct analysis on the impacts but this will affect the city's budget. Lamb Weston was over 40% of the city’s water utility revenue and around $200,000 of the General Fund Budget.
“We’re gonna do everything we can to keep services going,” Mayor Barrow stated. Koch added, “We will continue to maintain a quality of life here that people expect and have come to know.”
The Port of Pasco had toured five properties in our area while here for their annual meeting in September. The Port is interested in land in our area for industrial use. With the closure we asked the question - if Lamb Weston would be considering selling. The answer we received is disheartening. Their communications department stated, “Lamb Weston will go through the process of decommissioning the plant, will demolish the building, and retain the land.”
Back at Lamb Weston, where people have worked, many since graduating high school, some nearing 40 years, others less - people stood around in shock. Many shared laughs and talked about how they’d miss each other. Lamb Weston is like a family - we work together day in, day out - they shared. Hugs were exchanged, tears shed, and people walked away wondering, “What now?”
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