Kershaw to lay off 125 in Yakima

OLYMPIA — The Washington State Department of Employment Security announced Monday that Kershaw Fruit and Cold Storage is laying off 125 employees at its Yakima facility beginning June 10.

In a notification issued under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act — also known as WARN — ESD’s website said notification of the impending layoffs was made on Monday, and that the layoffs are permanent.

Under federal law, companies are generally required to give 60 days of notice prior to mass layoffs or plant closings that will require the dismissal of more than 50 employees. However, the same law states that companies are exempt from the 60-day notice requirement if they are facing financial difficulties or dealing with a natural disaster.

ESD did not provide any details on what prompted the layoffs.