Friday's rain and gloomy skies set the scene for the last day of work at the Tyson Foods plant in Joslin.
A few trucks slowly rolled out of the factory entrance, but the parking lot was crowded overall. Just one day before, more than 2,500 workers at Tyson learned Thursday or Friday would be their last day at work.
The company made the announcement Thursday afternoon, citing strategic changes to its beef operations. In addition to Joslin, Tyson also announced it was closing its Eagle Mountain, Utah, case-ready facility.
Joslin, a census-designated place, has about 56 residents across just under 5 square miles, according to the most recent census. It's a small, working town, said Zonnie Allred, who has lived in Joslin for 38 years.
Allred said she couldn't name a single person from Joslin who works at Tyson, but when the shifts change, the roads are crowded as workers head out of town.
"I'm amazed they closed down," Allred said. "They just built that new building out here. And I didn't expect them to close."
Insecurity follows closure
The parking lot at Tyson Foods in Joslin, Illinois, was crowded on Friday, Aug. 14. The day before, more than 2,500 workers learned they would be out of jobs when the plant closed permanently on Friday.
Adam Lannen was among the employees surprised on Thursday. He has worked as a maintenance man at Tyson for just under two years and was off work when he learned of the impending closure from a news report.
"I'm completely in shock. I don't really know what to say,” he said. "I was told on Wednesday by a union rep that he was 100% certain we wouldn't close."
Lannen said he planned to spend Friday "sending out as many applications as I can."
"I have seven kids in the home, and nine children overall," Lannen said. "There are 2,500 people who will all need jobs with no promise.
"It's a very sad day. People have devoted their whole lives to that place. I worked side-by-side with men and women who were loyal to Tyson."
Not just Tyson workers
The entrance to the Tyson Foods facility in Joslin, Illinois, on Friday, Aug. 14. Workers at the plant learned the day before that it was shutting down permanently.
The news didn't just affect Tyson workers, but also others who worked in the plant under other contracts. April Spicer and her husband both worked inside Tyson through a company called VVS Canteen, which staffs the cafeteria for workers.
"Although we carry Tyson badges and we work inside of a Tyson factory, we technically aren’t Tyson employees, but at the same time the closure today affects us greatly and leaves us (with) lots of uncertainty about where we go from here," she said in a message to the paper Thursday night. "It’s heartbreaking and shocking."
Cafeteria workers operated on two shifts a day, she said, to bake, cook and serve the employees on their breaks. Her husband has worked inside Tyson for four years, and Spicer has worked there about four to five months, she said.
The pair found out the plant was closing at the same time Tyson employees did, but they did not receive any word on what this means for them. The paper has reached out to VVS Canteen for comment.
"We’ve built bonds with the Tyson workers, shared family stories, and to be huddled in the cafeteria today seeing the hurt and scared looks on so many faces, hearing all the 'What now,' was, and is, something we’re still processing," Spicer said in a message. "Like I said (though, because) we’re a company inside of Tyson, we’re all still so very unsure of our next steps."
Closure brings grief
Richard Fields and his grandsons. Fields worked at Tyson Foods in Joslin for 38 years.
Richard Fields started working at Tyson in 1988. His daughter, Amanda Fields, thinks of Tyson as a "huge part" of her father's life.
"My dad can't even talk right now. He is bawling his eyes out," Amanda Fields said Thursday, after her father learned of the plant's closure. "And he is scared to talk. He doesn't understand what comes next. He's afraid to say something wrong. This was his first and only job."
Amanda Fields said she fears for her father's job prospects.
"Is anyone hiring people between the ages of 45 and 65?" she asked. "His job there at Tyson was his life. He started working there two years before I was born. He doesn't have computer skills, he doesn't have internet access.
"He worked there and he loved his job. He was there every morning at 4 a.m. to ride the Tyson bus. That's what he calls the bus from Milan out to Joslin. Now he is crying his eyes out, and I'm not really sure yet how to help him."
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FROM THE ARCHIVES: Headlines on the Tyson Plant in Joslin over the years
Tyson Foods is closing down its plant in Joslin, citing strategic changes to its beef operations. Take a look back at these headlines about the Joslin plant over the years.
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