Pilgrim's cuts jobs at Georgia plant

Approximately 100 workers at the Pilgrim's Pride poultry plant in Athens, Ga., will lose their jobs Feb. 9, when the company eliminates its nighttime chicken processing shift.
According to published reports, the the cutback will affect 227 employees at the plant, but the company will move more than 50 of those people into the daytime processing shift and 70 to 90 others into the company's supply division, said company spokesman Ray Atkinson.
The company is eliminating the night shift at the Athens plant as a cost-cutting measure, Atkinson said. "Part of our plan is to improve the company's competitive position and return to profitability," he added."We're pretty confident we can call those people back over the next several weeks and months as positions become open," Atkinson said.
The company plans to work with the state Department of Labor to help laid-off workers with job placement and retraining.