Workers losing their jobs when Conagra closes its Macon plant must stay on the job through their official last day to remain eligible for unemployment benefits, the state says.
That rule is posted on the Rapid Response page of the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, the agency that coordinates help for workers in layoffs and closings. The page says workers affected by a closing "must remain employed through the official last day of work to be eligible for unemployment benefits."
Chariton Media Group first reported Monday that Conagra told employees it intends to close the plant Jan. 15, 2027, and later reported that the state's Rapid Response team is expected in Macon this week. The state's public list of layoff notices now shows Conagra's notice, received Nov. 9, covering 442 workers. The notice says separations will happen during a 14-day period beginning Jan. 15.
Conagra spokesperson Christina Gales said in a written statement Monday that the company is "committed to treating affected employees fairly and with respect throughout the transition." The statement did not address severance or transfers to other Conagra plants.
Workers do not have to wait for the last day to get help finding a new job.
"Impacted employees can also reach out to their local Missouri Job Center to get one-on-one assistance with searching for a job, building a resume, preparing for an interview, or exploring training opportunities," Heather Dolce, assistant commissioner for communications and outreach at the department, wrote Monday.
The closest full-service center is the Kirksville Job Center, 2105 E. Normal Ave., 660-785-2400. It is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, according to the state's job center listing. Calling 1-888-728-5627 rings the nearest Missouri Job Center.
The Workforce Development Board of North Missouri, which oversees job center services in Macon County and 33 other counties, says on its website that workers without a center nearby can call to have a meeting set up closer to home, or get services online.
Workers permanently laid off because a business closes are eligible for the board's Dislocated Worker Program, according to the board. The program offers skills assessments, classroom or vocational training for a new occupation, on-the-job training that lets a worker learn a new job while earning a paycheck, job placement help, and counseling for the stress of losing a job, health coverage, and other benefits. Gamm Inc. of La Belle, the board's job center operator for the region, can be reached at 660-213-3221, according to the board.
The state's Rapid Response team typically holds informational meetings for affected workers, and arranges hiring events with time reserved only for them, featuring employers whose openings match the workers' skills, according to the department. Attendance is free.
Tracy Whitney, director of Macon County Economic Development, wrote Monday: "Yes, we have been contacted by the State of Missouri on a rapid response team meeting here in Macon." Dolce wrote Monday that she did not yet have specific details to share about meetings or events.
Unemployment claims are filed with the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations at uinteract.labor.mo.gov. The weekly benefit is 4 percent of the average of a worker's two highest-paid quarters in the base period, up to $320 a week, for no more than 20 weeks, according to the department. The first eligible week is an unpaid waiting week, though it may be paid at the end of the claim. Eligible workers can expect a first payment within 22 days of filing and must file a request for payment every week, even before the money starts, the department says.
Health coverage has its own deadlines. Workers who lose job-based coverage can usually keep it through COBRA for up to 18 months, but they typically pay the full premium, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. They have 60 days to sign up, starting when coverage ends or when they get an election notice, whichever is later.
Losing job-based coverage, or expecting to lose it within 60 days, can also qualify a household to buy a marketplace plan outside open enrollment, according to HealthCare.gov. Open enrollment for 2027 coverage runs through Jan. 15, the same day the plant is set to close, the Chronicle reported Oct. 23. The marketplace can be reached at 1-800-318-2596.
Production, maintenance, and truck driver employees are represented by Teamsters Local 688 and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 2, according to Conagra's notice, which says any bumping rights are set by the bargaining agreements.
Local businesses hiring can run free help-wanted ads for displaced workers in the Macon County Home Press through March 1 by emailing news@maconhomepress.com, according to an advertisement set to run Nov. 13.
The Kirksville Job Center; Brent Stevens, director of the Workforce Development Board of North Missouri; and Sharon Scott of the Macon Area Chamber of Commerce were asked Tuesday about services, meeting dates, and local hiring. Chariton Media Group did not receive a response in time for publication.