Four FedEx facilities across Southwest Florida are set to shut down permanently, according to Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notices filed with the Florida Department of Commerce this week.
Facilities in Naples, Fort Myers, and Punta Gorda will begin the process of layoffs on July 29, with a total of 220 people affected.
This news comes just weeks after the United States Postal Service announced plans for UPS to replace FedEx as its main air cargo provider. UPS also recently announced plans to shutter 200 distribution centers throughout the United States as it transitions to more automated facilities.
Employees impacted by the closures will be presented with various options, including relocation, severance packages, or the opportunity to take a leave of absence to explore other positions within the company.
“Operational decisions such as this are based on a number of factors, including volume fluctuations, customer demand, facility footprints, and more,” a company spokesman told Business Observer. “Decisions of this nature are never made lightly, and are the result of much thought and consideration for the needs of our business.”
The company assured that affected employees are notified well in advance of the changes and are being provided with support to find other job opportunities within the company, including relocation assistance and severance packages where applicable.