Posted by jheins (anonymous) on October 24, 2007 at 2:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Menu laying off again, what will happen to this town if Dolly Madison closes down also???

Posted by suzyQ (anonymous) on October 24, 2007 at 3:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)

And with Dolly having all the problems coming out of bankruptcy ,and dealings in southern cal, what will emporia do when Dolly is sold off as well?

Posted by dale3697 (anonymous) on October 24, 2007 at 3:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Sorry Kstrebuchet, almost every pet food manufacturer was unfortunate enough to have bought intentionally contaminated products from China, without the ability to test for the contaminant. Check your facts.

Posted by create (anonymous) on October 24, 2007 at 3:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I remember we all discussed the wheat gluten thing before. I think we must all agree, however, that the fault of these poor people losing their jobs is not their own.

Posted by slipandslide (anonymous) on October 24, 2007 at 4:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

is wheat gluten the thing that is only fatal in high doses and isnt usually tested for since it isnt thought of as poisonous? anyway, which everway it is, i feel for the people who are losing their jobs and if dolly goes, ouch !!

Posted by slipandslide (anonymous) on October 24, 2007 at 4:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)

i forgot, if anyone is interested in some of china s health hazards, there was a good article in the june 17 new york times, let s you see that dog food hasnt been the only mess up and shows how much trouble the u.s. has in backtracking the source of chinese mistakes and the trouble with ensuring quality from them. buying american is always best.

Posted by mickeyb (anonymous) on October 24, 2007 at 9:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Perhaps Menu Personnel should reconsider those that they're laying off. They want to boot those that are dependable, hard workers and keep those that are "temps" to save them money. Well, as we all know, the slackers that they'll keep will end up costing them more money in the long run. Very poor management decisions from this company in the last year. Sad for Emporia, can any business last????

Posted by Wasp (anonymous) on October 24, 2007 at 11:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"buying american is always best" Didn't someone say this was purchased by an American Supplier?

It is really China's fault for putting rat poison (melamine) in a human grade food product (wheat gluten) which was used to make pet food!

If a company such as Menu tried to test for every possible contamination, how much pet food would get made and how much would it cost in the extra testing that they should not have to do if their suppliers could be depended on to provide an uncontaminated product?

Posted by jasper007 (anonymous) on October 25, 2007 at 7:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Sorry to hear about the PEOPLE of Menu getting laid-off. Dolly has always had p*** poor management, unfortunate for their EMPLOYEES. What about US that were laid-off at Didde and Modine? We get the MENIAL jobs, mainly because we have hit that "MAGIC AGE" where employers no longer want us!!!!!!!!! GOOD LUCK to all the Menu/Dolly people. Take your entitled un-employment and hope SOMETHING breaks in this town............

Posted by slipandslide (anonymous) on October 25, 2007 at 7:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)

of the temps at menu, how many are motivated to be dependable when their jobs are temp, and they see over and over again that they can be replaced on a whim. as soon as business slows alittle it s out the door.i agree, if they need to lay off , lay off the ones that havent been there long and wont stay long anyway. some temps go to these jobs with the impression that if they work hard the job will turn into a permenant job, when they come to their senses and realize every day could be their last day at work, why worry?

Posted by mickeyb (anonymous) on October 25, 2007 at 8:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Temp or not, there's a thing called WORK ETHIC...something that's gone by the wayside in this country. It's sad that company's can get what they want out of their employees and then treat them like they don't even matter in the end. "Hey, work this last shift for us, and then at the end of the day, we're going to say 'See Ya'"...
Didde/Modine lay offs, more power to you all to find a decent job that will help you get by in this world :)

Posted by nutsaboutools (anonymous) on October 25, 2007 at 9:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Sounds like Menu will be next to leave Emporia. More jobs lost, not to mention the impact that will be felt by local tax payers.

Posted by create (anonymous) on October 25, 2007 at 9:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Slipandslide:

It wasn't wheat gluten in high doses that caused all the problems in pets. Chinese providers of wheat gluten added melamine to the wheat gluten in order to increase the weight. Melamine is a type of plastic, not rat poison. You know, like melamine dishes? We all need to get the real story on the gluten thing. Thanks for the article in the New York Times.

Posted by create (anonymous) on October 25, 2007 at 9:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)

By the way, everyone begins as a temp at Menu. They choose their workforce from that group. Nobody starts as a regular except for managers or mechanics.

Posted by cowtown (anonymous) on October 25, 2007 at 1:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I am sorry to say that the next one I thank will go is ??????? They say thay have picked up production but I know personally that, that is not true. Maybe next year you will know and no its not DOLLY or MENU

Posted by create (anonymous) on October 25, 2007 at 4:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

While driving past Dolly today, I looked at the parking lot where workers park. Lots of people. I hope that company solves their problems.

What will happen to the Modine building? Why has it sat empty for so long?

Is the city working to attract anybody to that building?

Posted by slipandslide (anonymous) on October 25, 2007 at 6:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

hopkins?

Posted by create (anonymous) on October 25, 2007 at 6:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

You mean to manufacture additional stuff or the entire plant?

Posted by slipandslide (anonymous) on October 25, 2007 at 9:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)

the entire plant, hope it dont go, but with emporia s trend for losing the best

Posted by create (anonymous) on October 26, 2007 at 5:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I just heard this evening how Menu let people know they were being laid off. They just walked up to them silently and escorted them off the premises. Nothing was said while inside the plant. I'm guessing that is so that no one would get angry and wreck the place. Seems heartless. The person telling this story was a nervous wreck all day long waiting for the ax to fall. He wasn't laid off, but what about next work day?

slipandslide, If Hopkins relocates to Modine, what will happen to the old Hopkins building I wonder.

Posted by slipandslide (anonymous) on October 26, 2007 at 9:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)

hopkins and menu are both heartless about the way they lay off. i think you are right, they were trying to prevent disruptions , but when every one is treated like a criminal how does that go over? when hopkins was laying off for the usual holiday season, they told half the group in the morning minus the fact that if they left before the end of their shift it would count as job abandonment and they would have no chance of rehire. the rest went at the end of the day or next day cant remeber now, but what was sitting beside the door? about 12 newly hired temps who had the impression they would be working, dont know how many days they worked but still? these are the temps that were let off for the usual slow season i dont know how many got called back, didnt check. i know it s the seasonal thing but out of almost 100 temps they had during the season, they only hired one,not much chance of working into the job. how them and menu were able to keep finding large numbers of temps to work for them knowing they didnt have much chance of working in confuses me. rember this conversation about hopkins has no bearing there is not anyother reason to think they will go out. i was just making a wild guess that they would be next since all the good jobs are going.emporia has a really bad trend for replacing good jobs with cant pay the basic bills jobs. the restaruant and things like that are almost cut throat about the way they do things.low low wages keep the number of hours back so they don t have to pay benifits and if business gets sluggish for even a couple hours, they send folks home this is totally opposite what it was like years ago. it took a couple weeks at most to find a job and it would always be a perment job sometime s more hours than a person could handle.the alternative to the problem is go to get a college degree and if anyone has noticed, most graduates move out of town with their degrees in hand cause once again the better paying jobs are not here, you can get two job offers for the same type work and be offered better pay out of town.i dont think there are very many cosmetic problems here, most people like the pace, and are willing to stay , better jobs and better schools i say. if the grads had reason to establish their lives here and earn their 30- 40 thousand a year, it would have a ripple efffect. most likely the reason the city is finally serious about the condition of the rentals are the fact that we will see more and more low income jobs and a real need for quality rentals , i say that with sarcasim it wasnt an issue until the forecast began calling for few good jobs and lots of poverty.