COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) -
Hostess is laying off over 18,000 workers nationwide, including Columbus. About 400 people at Dolly Madison Bakery in Columbus will be out of a job less than a week before Thanksgiving.
The entire plant is shutting down.
Hostess says this was caused by a nationwide strike that crippled its ability to make and deliver its products at several locations.
We spoke with some employees and they tell us this was a surprise, and caught them off guard.
Extra security was called to the bakery Friday morning as a precaution just before
employees were given their pink slips.
Nikesha Marshall grew up
in Columbus and remembers seeing the bakery throughout her childhood, and says
she feels bad for those who are affected.
"I feel real sorry
for them and it's a sad situation because I know a lot of people that have kids
and, you know, they're dependent on their jobs and going to work faithfully
everyday and looking forward to going to work, and you get to work and you find
out that you don't have a job to support your family... That's a sad situation,"
Marshall said.
We spoke with some
employees off camera who say they came in to work like normal, and were
surprised with the bad news.
Dunae Solomon is from the
area, and wants to tell the employees searching for a new job to not give up
hope.
"There's a lot of
people that have a lot of responsibilities: a house, buying cars, buying
houses, taking care of the kids, grandkids, it's affecting a lot of people in
the community so you just have to keep your faith and keep on, keep on
believing, just hold on," Solomon said. "It's a sad, sad day for a
lot of people this year."
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