Weeks after a tornado ripped through an industrial area of Montebello, dozens of workers at one warehouse are set to lose their jobs because of the damage caused by the rare weather event.
Windows of business in the area remain boarded up and cleanup is still ongoing.
The city of Montebello says a total of 57 employees at Utilimaster, a specialty vehicle services company along Vale Avenue, will be out of work.
The roof of the warehouse was torn off during the March 22 twister. The building sustained structural and water damage, trees fell on the property and debris was left all around the area.
While Utilimaster is one of 17 businesses that have been red-tagged in the wake of the tornado, it’s the first Montebello was made aware of to announce mass layoffs, city spokesman Michael Chee said.
As a result, the city will hold a job hiring fair for the affected employees.
“These employees have such highly transferable skills in terms of what they do, we’re going to be hosting a job fair for these employees to hopefully get them placed somewhere else,” Chee said.
At the end of March, the city and state were notified by Utilimaster’s parent company that employees were given a 60-day notice about their termination. The employees will be paid with benefits through the end of May.
In a statement, parent company Shyft Group said the 40,000-square-foot facility property in Montebello is leased and will not be operational anytime soon.
“Our top priority remains the safety and well-being of our employees, and thankfully no serious injuries to company personnel were reported. We are actively communicating with employees, customers and suppliers to manage the business. We are also working closely with our insurance carrier as our policies provide for coverage following a natural disaster, such as a tornado. As this due diligence is currently ongoing, no final decisions have been made to close the location at this time,” the statement read.
