The deadline for former employees of Beef Products Incorporated to apply for aid from the company’s relief fund is this Saturday.
In September the Dakota Dunes-based company established a $10 million fund for employees who lost their jobs when the company closed three plants in 2012.
BPI spokesman Rich Jochum says the company has received a good response from affected workers:
OC……….have been done so far. ;20
Jochum says the company laid off about 750 workers and closed plants in Iowa, Texas and Kansas in 2012.
OC………as many hours. :19
The plant closings were caused by business and revenue lost after national reports by ABC News disparaged the company’s lean finely textured beef.
BPI sued ABC for defamation and reached a confidential settlement with the network and its parent company Disney in June.
Jochum says affected employees still may go online to the Beef Products dot com website to apply for assistance funds.
The company hopes to distribute the funds to them before January:
OC………still our goal. ;11
The Siouxland Chamber of Commerce is providing application assistance to local employees who request it.