ST. JAMES PARISH — Mosaic has laid off hundreds of people in its Louisiana operations, multiple UWK sources have confirmed. The company has provided more information about the situation.
The Mosaic Company, which is a producer of concentrated phosphate and potash, has two locations in Louisiana: Mosaic Faustina in Donaldsonville and another in Convent in St. James Parish, the Mosaic Uncle Sam. Around 300 employees were laid off on Tuesday between the two locations, according to sources. Per information on Mosaic’s Louisiana website, around 500 employees and contractors were employed.
Those laid off will be paid through October, sources say.
Mosaic sent the following statement in response to the layoffs:
As previously disclosed in our Q2 earnings release and discussed during our earnings call, Mosaic is navigating an ongoing challenge related to the availability and cost of sulfur, an essential input for phosphate fertilizer production. As a result of ongoing global sulfur supply constraints and extraordinary market conditions, Mosaic has made the difficult decision to reduce portions of its workforce at its Uncle Sam and Faustina facilities in Louisiana. Ammonia production at Faustina continues uninterrupted during the idling of phosphate operations.
The safety of our employees, contractors, communities, and the environment remains Mosaic’s highest priority. Mosaic will continue to responsibly manage its facilities and assets, in accordance with regulatory requirements. Mosaic remains focused on the safe management of its facilities and assets while pursuing opportunities to resume full operations as market conditions improve.
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act of 1988 applies to employers with 100 or more employees (subject to specific statutory counting rules). It is typically triggered by: a plant closing affecting 50 or more employees at a single site; a mass layoff affecting 500 or more employees; or a mass layoff affecting 50 to 499 employees if that group represents at least a third of the active workforce at a single site.
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