Bush Hog workers uncertain on job status

Published 9:37 pm Friday, January 9, 2009

Bush Hog continued its two-week furlough as questions surfaced in the community about the company’s future.

“Our owners are evaluating all of their options,” said David Middlebrooks, director of human resources.

The company met with some employees Friday afternoon to keep workers apprised of their futures. “We are making adjustments in these tough economic times,” Middlebrooks said.

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Employees declined to discuss details of the meeting, which was described by one manager as an update.

Earlier this week, Bush Hog LLC, which is headquartered in Selma, announced its factories in Selma and Telford, Tenn., had shut down production temporarily until the company could adjust inventory with demand.

Bush Hog, owned by the Crown family of Chicago, produces front-end loaders, zero-turn mowers and backhoes at several plants across the nation. Calls to James S. Crown, president of Crown Industries in Chicago, were not returned Friday night.

Workers in Selma were given letters on Monday with a phone number to call on Jan. 15 to check about their status.

The Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce’s Web site says Bush Hog employs about 600 workers, uses about 700,000 square feet of manufacturing space and exceeds $100 million in sales annually.