Laid off from Pilgrim's Pride.
Pilgrim's has cut jobs by folding one plant's work into another, and its 2026 plan splits the Chattanooga site in two, closing harvesting on September 25 while keeping the deboning operation. Tennessee's notice left union-represented workers to their contract, with no terms on record.
At a glance
What's known about Pilgrim's Pride severance and layoffs
- 18 all time, 1 since the start of 2025 · Filings in our tracker
- 315 jobs, Hamilton County, Tennessee, June 16, 2026 · Latest filing
- Effective September 25, 2026, per the state notice · Chattanooga harvesting closure
- 348 Chattanooga team members · Affected by the company's count
- United Steelworkers Local 15120 · Union named in the notice
- No terms on record · Chattanooga severance terms
- JBS, about 82% of the stock · Majority owner
Recent Pilgrim's Pride layoffs
Pilgrim's Pride set its Chattanooga harvesting closure for September 25, 2026
On June 12, 2026, Pilgrim's said it would close the harvesting side of its Chattanooga plant and spend about $75 million expanding Ellijay, Georgia. It counted 348 affected team members, and Tennessee's June 16 notice lists 315, effective September 25. On August 18, majority owner JBS proposed buying the shares it doesn't own, a non-binding offer nothing in the reporting we track ties to Chattanooga.
Previous rounds
Pilgrim's Pride layoff history
If you're on the harvesting side of Pilgrim's plant on Broad Street in Chattanooga, the date on Tennessee's notice is September 25, 2026, and the building doesn't go dark with your job. On June 12 Pilgrim's said it would close the aging harvesting operation and keep the plant's deboning setup running to support its Ellijay, Georgia plant, where it said it would put about $75 million into harvesting and portioning capacity. Losing your job while people down the hall keep theirs is its own kind of rotten.
The headcount depends on who's counting. Pilgrim's said 348 team members were affected, while Tennessee's notice, dated June 16, lists 315 workers, union-represented and not, and records that the company told the state's Dislocated Worker Unit on June 12. Nothing in the reporting we track accounts for the gap. The notice leaves union-represented employees to their collective bargaining agreement, and it went to United Steelworkers Local 15120 as the union representative. Chattanooga severance has no terms on record, so members should start with the contract and the local. Non-union workers, the notice says, don't have bumping rights, which makes the transfer offer the thing to pin down.
Pilgrim's said affected workers would be eligible for transfer to other locations, could apply for open roles at its U.S. facilities, and would get on-site transition support. Eligibility to transfer isn't a transfer, so get any offer's location, shift and start date in writing before your last day. Tennessee lets you file for unemployment the first day after you're separated and generally wants at least four job searches or reemployment activities a week on your certification, which American Job Center services can satisfy. Exceptions include a definite return-to-work date and getting work only through a union hiring hall. The state also notified the Southeast Tennessee Development District's rapid response team to coordinate services for affected workers.
Chattanooga has absorbed a closed plant's work before. In April 2009, during the Chapter 11 case Pilgrim's filed on December 1, 2008, the company announced it would close its Dalton, Georgia plant, affecting about 280 employees, and consolidate production at Chattanooga. That February it had decided to idle plants in Douglas, El Dorado and Farmerville, and its filing expected about $7 million in employee severance costs across the plan. In 2011 it announced the closing of a Dallas plant of about 1,000 employees, and in 2013 it said Russellville and Douglas would absorb Boaz, Alabama, about 1,100 people in a plant bought from Gold Kist. Those rounds came with transition programs, retention incentives or the prospect of jobs at other plants, and none of them put a per-worker severance figure on record.
Pilgrim's quarterly report adds a number the June release didn't. For the six months to June 28, 2026, it recognized $22.3 million in impairment losses on plant and equipment for the Chattanooga closure and a Russellville, Alabama conversion together, without splitting them. Corporate staff saw a JBS consolidation in 2010, when Pilgrim's said it would close its Pittsburg, Texas headquarters and an Atlanta office, 158 and 55 positions, with severance and outplacement for salaried staff. JBS said in August 2026 that it owns about 82% of Pilgrim's and proposed buying the rest, and its chairman said the relationship should support continuity for employees, customers and business partners throughout the process, which isn't a promise about any plant. JBS's own plant closures have a page of their own.
Our tracker holds 18 Pilgrim's filings all time, and 1 filing covering 315 jobs since the start of 2025. That one is the Hamilton County notice of June 16, 2026. If you're on the Chattanooga list, the useful moves are your separation date and any transfer offer on paper, the contract language if you're represented, and a Tennessee claim filed once you're separated.
Reporting on previous Pilgrim's Pride layoff rounds
June 2026, Chattanooga, Tennessee · Harvesting set to close, deboning to continue. 348 team members by the company's count, 315 workers in the state notice.
Transfer eligibility, applications for open roles and on-site support. Terms not published.
November 2013, Boaz, Alabama · About 1,100 employees at a plant bought from Gold Kist in 2007, its work set to move to Russellville and Douglas.
Retention incentives for every employee, the company said. Terms not published.
July 2011, Dallas, Texas · About 1,000 hourly and salaried employees, with production set to move to Mt. Pleasant and other Texas plants.
The company expected to offer positions elsewhere to interested employees, plus transition programs. Terms not published.
April 2010, Pittsburg, Texas and Atlanta · 158 headquarters positions and 55 Atlanta office jobs as most corporate functions consolidated at JBS USA in Greeley, Colorado.
Severance benefits with outplacement help for affected salaried staff. Terms not published.
April 2009, Dalton, Georgia · About 280 employees during the Chapter 11 case, with production set to consolidate at Chattanooga.
Transition programs for job searching and unemployment filing. Terms not published.
February 2009, Georgia, Arkansas and Louisiana · Processing plants in Douglas, El Dorado and Farmerville set to be idled by mid-May 2009.
The company's filing expected about $7 million in employee severance costs across the whole plan.
What to do after being laid off from Pilgrim's Pride
- File for unemployment in the state where you worked. Benefits run from your filing date, and severance usually doesn't block you. Pilgrim's Pride's biggest hubs: Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Texas. Somewhere else? Every state is here.
- Apply for financial and hardship assistance. Unemployment supplements income, but food benefits, health coverage and utility help are often available as well. Here's some of what Pilgrim's Pride's hub states run: Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, and every other state is here.
- Mind the health insurance window. Losing coverage opens a 60-day special enrollment period, and an ACA plan usually beats unsubsidized COBRA. Compare your options before the employer coverage lapses, and read how the COBRA clocks run if you are weighing it seriously.
- Get your real runway number. Severance plus savings divided by reality. The calculator takes five minutes.
- Know which clocks are already running. Severance review windows, COBRA election, visa grace periods, and 401(k) rollovers all run on federal deadlines that started at termination. All five deadlines are here.
Pilgrim's Pride layoff and severance questions
Is Pilgrim's Pride closing its Chattanooga plant?
Only part of it. Pilgrim's said in June 2026 it would close the aging harvesting portion and keep using Chattanooga's deboning operation to support its expanded plant in Ellijay, Georgia. Tennessee's notice gives September 25, 2026 as the effective date for the closure at 1591 Broad Street.
How many jobs is Pilgrim's cutting in Chattanooga?
Pilgrim's put it at 348 team members, and the state notice lists 315 affected workers, union-represented and non-represented together. If you can't tell which count includes you, ask HR for your separation date in writing.
Do Pilgrim's Chattanooga workers get severance?
No terms on record. Tennessee's notice leaves union-represented employees to their collective bargaining agreement and says non-union employees don't have bumping rights, so members should take severance questions to the contract and to Steelworkers Local 15120. Earlier rounds put no per-worker figure on record either; the 2009 filing's estimate of about $7 million covered the whole 2009 idling plan.
Can laid-off Pilgrim's workers transfer to another plant?
Pilgrim's said Chattanooga workers would be eligible for transfer to other locations and could apply for open roles at its U.S. facilities. In 2011 it expected to offer Dallas employees positions elsewhere, and in 2013 it said many Boaz employees would be offered nearby opportunities. Eligibility isn't a placement, so get the details in writing.
Does JBS own Pilgrim's Pride?
Mostly. JBS said in August 2026 that it owns about 82% of Pilgrim's stock, and on August 18 it made a non-binding proposal to buy the rest, subject to a special committee of independent directors and, by JBS's account, a majority of votes from shares it doesn't own.
Where do I file for unemployment after being laid off from Pilgrim's Pride?
In the state where you worked, not where the company is headquartered. Pilgrim's Pride's biggest U.S. hubs are Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Texas. Severance usually doesn't block you from filing, and benefits run from your filing date, so file the same week.
Is it OK to file for unemployment after a layoff at Pilgrim's Pride?
Yes. Unemployment insurance is funded by payroll taxes employers pay on wages, the claim never appears on credit reports or background checks, and future employers cannot see it. If the hesitation itself is the obstacle, whether filing is OK has its own article.
What happens to my health insurance after a layoff at Pilgrim's Pride?
Your plan sets the end date rather than the law, so the separation packet is where that date actually lives, and it is often the last day of the month rather than your last day of work. After coverage ends, COBRA lets you keep the identical plan by paying the whole premium yourself, up to 102 percent of what the plan really costs, which lands as several times the payroll deduction you were used to. You get 60 days to elect, counted from the later of coverage ending or the election notice arriving, and electing reaches the coverage back to the day the old plan stopped so no gap exists. How continuation coverage works walks the timing, and whether to take it rather than a marketplace plan is a separate decision.
Should I sign the severance agreement right away?
First pin down how much review time you actually have. If you're 40 or older, federal law gives you 21 days to consider an agreement that waives age claims, 45 in a group layoff, and a waiver signed under a shorter deadline can be invalid. If you're under 40, no federal window applies and the deadline in your packet may be real, so confirm it in writing and ask for more time if you need it. Use whatever window you have to read the release terms, especially non-disparagement and no-lawsuit clauses, and don't stall past a real deadline, because offers can be withdrawn.
Can I collect unemployment if I got severance from Pilgrim's Pride?
Usually yes, though some states delay benefits until severance pay periods end, and lump sums are treated differently than salary continuation. Check your state's rules on our state benefit pages, and file immediately either way so your claim date is locked in.