Leggett & Platt laying off additional 215 employees in Carthage, 637 total

Leggett & Platt is laying off 215 employees at its facility at 1460 Jackson Drive in Carthage, according to a WARN Act letter sent this week to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, Carthage Mayor Dean Rife and Jasper County Presiding Commissioner John Bartosh.

"We are taking these employment actions because of COVID-19 related business circumstances that were not reasonably foreseeable," the letter said.

"We would like to have given more notice of this action, but were unable to do so because of how quickly our operations were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization's pandemic declaration on March 11, the President's declaration of a national emergency on March 13 and other governmental announcements and actions."








The layoffs, which are described as "temporary and unpaid," began March 23, according to the letter, "and are intended to be temporary and last no longer than six months."

This is the second round of layoffs in less than a month for Leggett & Platt in Carthage. During the first week of March, 422 workers at the company's Branch One facility at 229 N. McGregor were laid off, bringing the total this month to 637.