KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A group of 34 workers at the Sauer Brands, Inc. plant in New Century, Kansas, have been placed on temporary furlough due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company furloughed 131 employees nationwide, including another 97 at its plant in Mauldin, South Carolina.
Employees at both locations make a variety of products, including the company's Duke's Mayonnaise brand, for sale to retail and food service customers that use Sauer Brands for condiments, spices, seasonings and extracts.
Affected employees were notified April 13, and will be paid through April 17. They will be covered under the company's healthcare insurance program, with the company paying both employee and employer contributions for up to 60 days.
"We want to emphasize that these are temporary furloughs and we expect to recall affected employees as needed as food service demand begins to return to pre-COVID-19 levels, " Martin Kelly, president and CEO of SauerBrands, Inc. said in a statement.
