How many workers and which departments are affected by Tyson Foods' 2025 layoffs?
Executive summary
Tyson Foods has announced major 2025–26 workforce reductions centered on its Amarillo, Texas, complex — notices and local reporting put the affected headcount at about 1,700–1,761 workers, and separate WARN notices and filings show additional mass-layoff actions in Lexington, Nebraska (3,212 reported to state labor) and a June Pottsville, PA cold‑storage layoff of 314 (potentially tied to Tyson Warehousing Services) [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]. Available sources do not give a single consolidated companywide total for all 2025 Tyson layoffs; reporting instead lists plant- and state-level figures and several WARN-investigation notices [2] [3] [4] [5].
1. Tyson’s Amarillo cuts: a large, specific hit to one beef complex
Tyson notified Texas regulators and local workforce agencies that it will eliminate the B-shift at its Amarillo beef-processing complex, an action described across local and national coverage as impacting roughly 1,700 workers — with multiple reports citing a specific WARN filing for 1,761 positions to be cut around Jan. 20, 2026 [2] [1] [3]. Local workforce offices and news outlets are preparing “rapid response” services for approximately 1,700 employees, while corporate communications tie the move to restructuring needed in a beef division facing large losses [1] [6] [7].
2. Lexington, Nebraska: a separate, much larger WARN notice
A class‑action law firm’s summary of state filings says Tyson notified Nebraska of a mass layoff at its Lexington facility involving 3,212 employees and that investigators are assessing possible WARN Act violations — this filing is presented by Strauss Borrelli PLLC as a distinct action from the Amarillo notice [4]. That 3,212 figure appears in the firm’s WARN‑investigation write‑up rather than in a corporate press release in the provided results [4].
3. Pottsville, PA and other earlier actions: fragmented, smaller episodes
Independent filings and law‑firm notices show a June 2025 Pottsville, Pennsylvania cold‑storage distribution layoff tied to Tyson Warehousing Services that allegedly affected 314 employees and prompted a WARN‑related investigation [5]. Other local plant closures in 2025 previously produced layoffs in the hundreds — for example, reporting around plant closures in Emporia and other towns lists nearly 800 affected in at least one earlier closure — but those incidents are reported separately and vary by locality [8].
4. Company rationale vs. community impact: divergent frames in reporting
Tyson frames the Amarillo conversion to a single, full‑capacity shift as part of long‑term restructuring amid beef‑market pressures and billion‑dollar losses in its beef division; local officials and workforce boards frame the story as an economic shock requiring rapid response and social services for roughly 1,700 displaced workers [7] [1] [6]. News coverage cites company statements about assisting employees with transfers and relocation options, while advocacy and legal firms focus on whether WARN notices complied with the 60‑day requirement [3] [5].
5. Legal follow‑up: WARN Act investigations are underway in multiple states
At least three separate WARN‑related legal notices or investigations appear in the reporting: Strauss Borrelli’s Pottsville (314 workers), Amarillo (1,761 workers), and Lexington (3,212 workers) summaries indicate the firm is probing potential WARN violations and worker entitlements connected to these mass‑layoff notices [5] [3] [4]. Those investigations could change the practical outcomes for affected employees (back pay or benefits) if violations are found, but available sources do not report final legal resolutions [5] [3] [4].
6. What the numbers mean — and what’s missing from current reporting
Summing the major figures in provided reporting yields thousands of workers across distinct facilities (Amarillo ~1,700–1,761; Lexington 3,212; Pottsville 314; earlier plant closures varied) but none of the supplied sources presents an official, companywide 2025 layoff total across all divisions and states [2] [3] [4] [5]. Available sources do not mention a consolidated Tyson Foods corporate headcount loss for 2025; they instead document separate WARN notices, local reporting, and lawyer‑led investigations that, taken together, indicate multiple significant layoffs across beef and warehousing operations [2] [3] [4] [5].
7. How to follow this story reliably
Track state WARN filings and the company’s press releases for official counts, consult the Strauss Borrelli postings for updates on investigations tied to WARN notices, and monitor local workforce agencies in Amarillo and Lexington for transition services data; these are the sources that currently report the numbers and potential legal consequences [3] [5] [6]. Reported figures at the plant level (1,700–1,761 in Amarillo; 3,212 in Lexington; 314 in Pottsville) are the most concrete numbers in available coverage — but a full, consolidated company total is not found in the current reporting [2] [3] [4] [5].