Tropicana's Bradenton plant expects more layoffs (100 jobs)

[UpInArms]

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/10419009.htm

BRADENTON - Tropicana Products Inc. expects to shed as many as 100 jobs at its Bradenton juice plant in its second workforce reduction in a year, and union officials are warning that even more job cuts could be coming.

The juicemaker will eliminate 22 salaried positions and offer 100 to 200 hourly employees incentive packages to leave the company in the next two months, a company official said Tuesday.

"This is the result of our ongoing review of our efficiency to keep us competitive and reduce our costs," said Steve Lezman, Tropicana's government relations manager.

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The anticipated cuts would amount to about 5 percent of the 1,900 people who work at Tropicana's sprawling Bradenton plant, Manatee County's largest private employer. In December 2003, the complex announced 300 job cuts as a result of parent company PepsiCo Inc.'s decision to relocate Tropicana's corporate offices to Chicago.

Tropicana also is eliminating another 13 salaried positions at its facilities in Fort Pierce, City of Industry, Calif., and Jersey City, N.J., as the result of the efficiency study, Lezman said. Bradenton is the only location where hourly employees are being offered incentives to leave, he said.

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