One of the city of Mission’s largest employers is laying off staffers, citing tariffs and “economic uncertainties.”
ScriptPro, a pharmaceutical services company, is offering employees “voluntary separation” packages due to “these times of tariffs and other economic uncertainties,” according to a statement from Chief Executive Officer Mike Coughlin.
Employees had until last Friday at noon to voluntarily quit, according to The Kansas City Star.
ScriptPro’s reduction in workforce announcement comes in the middle of President Donald Trump’s ongoing global trade war as he pushes for multiple industries across the private sector, including pharmaceutical companies, to move production stateside.
Late last week, Trump threatened to push for a 50% tariff on goods from the European Union beginning June 1, and a 25% tariff on iPhones made outside of the U.S., Reuters reports. Over the long holiday weekend, Trump said he would delay imposing tariffs on the EU until July 9 as the White House and European officials negotiate.
A tariff is a tax on imported goods and services, which many economic experts say can result in higher prices and discourage domestic consumers from buying them.
In 2023, ScriptPro was the city’s second largest employer in the city of Mission with 482 staffers. It was also the second largest property taxpayer, giving the city upwards of $5 million in revenue, according to the city’s 2024 financial audit report.
The company’s workforce has been decreasing for years. ScriptPro’s 482 employees in 2023 were already down from pre-pandemic numbers of 600 staffers in 2016.
ScriptPro is asking employees to leave
Coughlin, who founded ScriptPro in 1994, said in a statement to the Post that the company needs to “be right sized and nimble to adjust to fast moving market changes” amid “economic uncertainties.”
ScriptPro started asking employees to opt into the company’s layoffs through “voluntary separation.”
Employees who decide to leave ScriptPro through “voluntary separation” are being offered different benefits like severance pay and outplacement services, Coughlin said.
“No company cares more about its employee team than ScriptPro,” Coughlin said. “We pledge to do all we can to remain stable and the leader in our markets.”
The company sent out an email to employees on May 16 notifying them of the workforce reduction and “voluntary separation” package, according to The Kansas City Star.
It is unclear how many employees are being laid off
ScriptPro officials did not respond to the Post’s request for additional information including how many employees it hopes will take the voluntary separation packages.
The Kansas Department of Labor did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comment regarding whether ScriptPro alerted the state department of its plans to lay off employees.
Additionally, the city of Mission declined to comment for this story, adding that it had not received any official notice from ScriptPro about layoffs.
ScriptPro has been in business since 1994
The robotics pharmaceutical company got its start in 1994 with a prescription dispensing product, according to its website.
It now offers more than 200 products that help automate and manage pharmaceutical operations, according to its website.
ScriptPro products serve 2,500 retail customers as well as hundreds of hospitals and government agencies nationwide, according to the company.
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