Leggett & Platt lays off 259 in Mississippi

Carthage-based Fortune 500 company Leggett & Platt will eliminate 259 jobs at two of its northeast Mississippi plants, according to an article in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal:

The layoffs begin around Dec. 8, L&P officials said.

At the Omega Motion facility in Saltillo, some 172 production workers will be let go. Omega makes furniture hardware for recliners and rockers.

At the Super Sagless facility in Tupelo, 87 production workers will be laid off in early December. Super Sagless also makes hardware for recliners and rockers, as well as sofa sleepers.

For Omega employees, the layoffs will occur in three stages: first in Demember, then in mid-January and finally in mid-March, a company spokeswoman confirmed.

After the layoffs, some 195 employees will remain at Omega Motion, while about 145 will remain at Super Sagless.

And in a prepared statement, Leggett & Platt said the permanent layoffs were "due to a consolidation of operations and is in no way related to the abilities or productivity of the employees."

The Carthage, Mo.-based company said eligible affected workers would receive at least 60 days of pay and benefits. Job placement and outplacement services also would be made available to them.