Bush Hog Workers Temporarily Laid Off
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Bush Hog Layoffs
Bush Hog Layoffs
Some Tri-Cities workers found themselves out of work Monday, at least temporarily.
Your Tri-Cities news source confirmed Bush Hog in Telford, Tennessee is closing the plant for two weeks.
The company will only say they’ll evaluate everything in two weeks. In the meantime, only a handful remain on the job. All production has stopped and only products already completed will be shipped.
“Washington County had been faring very well,“ said P.C. Snapp, executive director, Johnson City, Jonesborough, Washington County Economic Development Board.
The ripples of the staggering economy continue washing over the Tri-Cities area, with the recent shut down of the Wyndham Resorts call center and Monday’s announcement of a two week production shut down at Bush Hog. Snapp says Bush Hog’s business is seasonal.
“From time to time, they’ve laid people off in the past for a few weeks and then hired them back,“ said Snapp.
Bush Hog’s management won’t say how many are employed at their Telford plant, but county leaders estimate between 150 and 350 people work there.
“I hoped last year to see us turn around and start growing and providing those jobs,“ said Andrew Huddleston, former resources manager, Bush Hog.
Huddleston was laid off in October and has yet to find another job.
“It’s my job now to set about looking for another job,“ said Huddleston.
He says companies lay people off temporarily to get a better grip of their finances. He says a temporary shut down is better than a permanent lay off.
“I’ve seen a lot worse. I’ve endured a lot worse than what we’ve done,“ said Huddleston.
He has one piece of advice for his fellow Bush Hog workers and all the rest of us. “Start taking an inventory of their skills and abilities and be able to communicate that in a good fashion. Just in case,“ said Huddleston.
County officials say they’re not concerned that this move is a step toward shutting down. They feel they would have heard from the company if that were the case.
Bush Hog’s Telford plant opened in 2002 and since has laid off 40 in 2004, 48 employees in 2005, and 15 last year.
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Reader Reactions
That doesn’t surprise me…I hate to see this happen…I know it could be changed but with the layoffs at Deer and Cat, it shows that the Ag market his seeing the same downturn that the Automotive industry is seeing. I would say they will take all production back to Selma, sell off the Telford facility, and continue an attempt to sell….My3Cents
I am in the Farm Equipment Industry..
Bushog has cancelled all outstanding dealer orders..
What does this tell you??
I was a member of the original startup team at Bush Hog…the condition Bush Hog is in now is due to bad managment practices. Much of the problems stem from inter-company politics ruling decisions when manufacturing strategy and practices should. This Company resist change in a way that only spells disaster in a challenging economy. Bush Hog needs to step to more modern methods of management and manufacturing to stay successful, in the same way the big three need to…This can be fixed for them but only by the right people and mentality. IE…The last 9 months of GB… My2Cents
It would surprise me greatly if this is indeed a “temporary” shutdown at the Bush Hog. The average Bush Hog employee has worked less than 40 hours since the beginning of December, and now they’ve been given another 2 weeks off.
IMO, it’s over.
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