NJ Spotlight News
Workers rally over threat of Nestlé plant closure
Clip: 6/20/2023 | 4m 9sVideo has Closed Captions
Closure would mean the loss of 200 union jobs
For decades, a Nestlé instant coffee factory in Freehold has kept a faint scent of coffee in the air and hundreds of local people employed. But that could soon change. Workers at the plant rallied on Tuesday to protest the rumored closure of the facility, a move that would mean the elimination of 200 union jobs.
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NJ Spotlight News is a local public television program presented by THIRTEEN PBS
NJ Spotlight News
Workers rally over threat of Nestlé plant closure
Clip: 6/20/2023 | 4m 9sVideo has Closed Captions
For decades, a Nestlé instant coffee factory in Freehold has kept a faint scent of coffee in the air and hundreds of local people employed. But that could soon change. Workers at the plant rallied on Tuesday to protest the rumored closure of the facility, a move that would mean the elimination of 200 union jobs.
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After 75 years, Nestlé's coffee manufacturing plant in Freehold is facing an uncertain future The company invited Teamsters Union leaders, which represent more than 200 workers at the factory, to talk about the future of the site.
The food and beverage giant says the facility is outdated and limiting its growth.
The move comes as Nestlé has been investing millions in manufacturing plants worldwide and causing workers to rally today outside the plant, demanding to keep their jobs.
Ted Goldberg reports.
Today, it's our time to stand up and fight for people's right to keep their jobs here in America.
That's what we fight for.
The Teamsters Union representing Nestlé workers in Freehold is protesting the possible closure of this coffee plant a long time freehold staple that's provided a coffee smell in the community and roughly 200 union jobs.
Thomas Mattaliano has worked here for 46 years.
A perfect day would be a day like today, a cloudy, overcast day.
You can smell it through the whole town.
It's been a staple in the community for 75 years.
Mayor Kevin Kane says he's reached out to state and federal legislators to see what can be done about protecting those jobs and the people who depend on those jobs to feed their families.
There's a lot of residual impact, you know, with with the closure of a plant like this for this immediate area.
We have great restaurants right on Route 33 here.
And you know, a closure of a plant like this will have a direct effect on restaurants, our downtown businesses and things like that.
Everybody here has got families and no health benefits, and that's a big hit.
We're going to walk back to everybody that I've been here for 26 years.
Nestlé has been good to me, and but I would like that opportunity to be extended to other family families that are here.
And it's kind of a shame that it isn't.
There's a lot of young families here that are looking for the same opportunity that I had, and I hope they get it.
It's just it's just hard to be in limbo.
Nobody likes that.
Nestlé met with union leadership today to begin affects bargaining.
The union says that's a step that's only taken when a plant will close.
But Nestle has confirmed that that will happen and they haven't issued a timeline about when a decision like that could be made.
In a statement, they told us we appreciate the union's willingness to discuss the situation, including the annual cost savings required to make continuing operations there viable for our business in the long term.
Decisional bargaining with the union has concluded and our leadership team will now make a final decision regarding the factory.
We are committed to giving our Freehold employees updates in a timely manner.
Those employees are struggling to stay optimistic.
With no clear timeline for the future, I don't know the future right now.
You know, it's I'm just living right today and I just hoping for the best.
We're just going to have to wait and see what happens.
But we're going to do whatever we can to to make sure this plant, one tries to stay open and doesn't have a tremendous impact on on our town and in the surrounding community.
We want a decision.
We obviously want a favorable decision that the factory stays open.
But the uncertainty is really hard to live with because you don't know what plans you can make.
You don't know what the future holds.
Nestlé opened a new coffee plant in Mexico last year, but they wouldn't confirm that's where the plant jobs could go if they leave New Jersey.
In Freehold, I'm Ted Goldberg, NJ Spotlight News.
Support for the Business Report provided by Newark Alliance.
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