Martinsville, VA-- Friday morning hundreds of workers in Henry County got some unexpected bad news, they're losing their jobs.
MasterBrand Cabinet told its employees in Martinsville that news. The company told WDBJ7 it just has too many workers and not enough work.
This means 335 people will be unemployed when the plant closes in two weeks.
Employees told the station they were not expecting the news when a meeting was called. They said they thought it was just another staff meeting.
Company management says the cabinet maker had no choice but to close.
The company has 14 branches in North America but only four including this location that make the custom cabinets.
Employees say they are given two more weeks to work before the plant officially closes. All 335 workers will then earn 60 days pay and benefits.
Statement from MasterBrand Cabinets: Employees were notified of the plant's closing Friday morning. MasterBrand Cabinets has 14 plants. Four of them, including the Martinsville operation, make semi-custom cabinets.
The company said the layoffs were necessary because they were not receiving enough orders. Recently, the Martinsville plant had "dark days" where employees were called and told not to come to work.
MasterBrand Cabinets is based in Indiana. The employees who are losing their jobs are eligible for a benefit package.
History: the Martinsville plant was opened in 2004. At the time, MasterBrand Cabinets was the second-largest cabinet maker in North America.
According to a January 2004 WDBJ7 story, the state gave the company $1.5 million in grants, another $750,000 in tobacco money, and more than $1 million in private donations
WDBJ