Department of Labor officials received word Thursday that 28 employees of Trans-Caribbean Dairy Corp, doing business as St. Thomas Dairies, will be terminated on Friday when the facility finally closes up shop.
Some of the dairy’s staff will remain working for an additional week, according to a Labor release sent Thursday, but “for companies and their workers, the effects of a plant closing or layoff can be devastating.”
Labor’s “Rapid Response Team” will be deployed on Friday to offer services to the dairy’s workers. Made up of representatives from various government agencies, the Rapid Response Team is meant to mitigate the impact of the layoffs by addressing issues such as employee benefits and helping displaced workers make connections with other potential employers and service providers.
The affected employees will learn about unemployment insurance benefits, reemployment services, retraining and development of new skills, Human Services assistance, resume preparation, job search assistance, training opportunities, child support and veteran assistance, according to the release.
“The department is an available resource for all those who have been affected,” Labor Commissioner Albert Bryan Jr. “DOL has taken the necessary steps to ensure that employees have access to services they need during this difficult time of transition.”
The Source will provide more information on the state of the dairy, the status of the employees and the impact on the community once more details become available.
Speaking by phone Thursday night, however, Education spokeswoman Ananta Pancham said the dairy’s closure will have minimal impact on local schools receiving milk through the department’s school lunch program.
The schools’ milk supply will last until approximately the middle of next month and after that, the department will be using “shelf-life milk” while department officials begin talks with potential milk suppliers in Puerto Rico, she said.
