Job trouble at Seagrave?

CLINTONVILLE - Layoffs at a major Clintonville company have some worried.

Name a company vital to Clintonville, and for many, "Seagrave" comes to mind.

“Seagrave is very important. That was our number one business back in, during World War I. It's always been known as 'the pride of the drive,'” said Clintonville Mayor Judy Magee.

Magee said she's worried about it because some workers have recently lost their jobs.

“A couple of the husbands of our city employees were told that they were going to be laid off,” said Magee.

Members of one Seagrave union met Monday. One of the issues they were discussing: the possibility of even more layoffs. The members did not want to go on camera, but told FOX 11 Seagrave is experiencing a slowdown. Union members said they're expecting a 50 percent decrease in production.

However, they say that does not necessarily mean there will be layoffs.

Magee said Seagrave is staying tight-lipped. She said it's a private industry, so it doesn't have to disclose any changes the company may be going through. But she wished it would.

“It would make things a lot smoother in the community if folks knew what as going on instead of every time the story is told, it's embellished a little bit. So I may have heard the 1,000 version,” said Magee.

Seagrave would not return our repeated calls for comment. The union said Seagrave is waiting to hear back on some bids. Some workers say their jobs should be safe if those bids come in.