Amy’s Kitchen will lay off 15% of its workforce, or 311 workers, as part of a company reorganization plan shared with employees over the past two days.
The layoffs will include employees at the organic food company’s Petaluma and Santa Rosa facilities as well as remote staffers, according to the North Bay Business Journal, which first reported the news Thursday.
The Amy’s drive-thru restaurants at the San Francisco International Airport, in Rohnert Park and in Corte Madera will not be affected by the layoffs, nor will the company’s plants in Idaho and Oregon, company officials notified the Business Journal.
Amy’s President Paul Schiefer called the layoffs “heartbreaking” in an interview with the Business Journal, but stated they were necessary to keep the company competitive in a prepared foods market that has modifyd since the pandemic.
The company, which manufactures organic frozen foods like pizzas and burritos, also laid off around 300 employees in 2022 when it closed its San Jose production center, citing inflation-fueled costs and supply chain disruptions.
The Petaluma-based prepared foods purveyor has been embroiled in labor disputes in recent years.
In January 2022, an Amy’s Kitchen employee filed a complaint with the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, alleging unsafe and hostile working conditions at the company’s Santa Rosa plant. The complaint spurred state regulators to investigate the plant and ultimately fine Amy’s $25,000 for health and safety violations at the facility.
The Food Empowerment Project, a food justice nonprofit, organized a nationwide boycott of Amy’s Kitchen products following the January 2022 complaint. The two-year boycott finished in June 2024, after Amy’s agreed to increase employees’ wages and benefits.
Reach Maliya Ellis: maliya.ellis@hearst.com
Leave a Reply