Sun Valley Floral Farms, one of the nation's largest producers of tulips, lilies, irises and other bulb flowers, has issued layoff notices to all of its employees in both Arcata and Oxnard.
Citing "a significant downturn in business," the notice says Sun Valley Group expects layoffs to begin on July 23, which gives employees the minimum 60 days' notice required under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.
The notice tells employees that they should consider their layoffs to be permanent, though closure of the company's Arcata and Oxnard facilities may not be a foregone conclusion, according to a statement provided to the Outpost by Sun Valley's director of sales and marketing, Bill Prescott. [Disclosure: Prescott was formerly the general manager of Lost Coast Communications, Inc., the Outpost's parent company.]
The statement says team members were recently notified about a potential mass layoff, though the text of the actual notice does not include such provisional language. "This action was taken to comply with government laws while the Company continues to evaluate its strategic options," reads the statement provided by Prescott. "We regret the uncertainty and confusion these notices will undoubtedly cause to our team members, vendors and customers and we will be privately communicating to all affected groups. We will provide further public comment as circumstances warrant. Please direct all questions to Bill Prescott 707-630-2994 or [email protected]."
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