COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Already this year, hundreds of Middle Tennesseans have gotten some very tough news about their jobs.
In La Vergne, Bridgestone is closing its tire plant, laying off 700 workers. Antioch-based Essex Technology — which operates Bargain Hunt — is letting go of 294 workers. A production line at the Smyrna Nissan plant will consolidate into one shift. The Modine Manufacturing plant in Lawrence County is eliminating 162 jobs, and Perdue Farms in Monterey is closing, leaving 433 workers out of work.
It's going to be difficult for these workers to land on their feet, so we went looking for the helpers.
In Putnam County, the mayor's office with the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce is, in a way, acting as a recruiter for the plant workers.
Perdue Farms will close on March 28.
"We started letting all of our businesses know if they had an open job, we needed them to go to Cookeville chamber website and list those," said Amy New, the president and CEO of the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce.
Soon after making this request, New says 40-50 local businesses submitted open jobs.
"We happened to build a job listing website last year so it's almost serendipitous that all of this happened," New said.
Right now, there are approximately 65 jobs listed on the Chamber's website.
"Everything from Averitt Express to US Foods. It's more than just people working on the line. It's maintenance, people working in their lunch room," New said.
At NewsChannel 5, we've been tracking the numbers, and so far this year, the five major employers have announced 1,600 job cuts.
We know finding the right job takes time, and placing this many individuals is going to take a village.
Putnam County leaders seem to get it.
"You've got to be able to feed your family, make sure that Putnam County remains a good place to live, work, and raise your family," said Randy Porter, Putnam County mayor.
In Rutherford County, we found that the workforce development team lists local employment opportunities on the Rutherford Works website.
In every county, there is also an American Job Center where job seekers can attend recruiting events, workshops, and trainings for free.
Can you help job seekers facing layoffs? You can email me at hannah.mcdonald@newschannel5.com.
Breaking barriers and moving to the beat! One local dance company is making it possible for young people in wheelchairs to move and groove like everyone else. Good for your mental health, good for your physical health and good for your dose of positive news today. I hope you check out what they're doing!
-Rebecca Schleicher
