About 125 employees at Del Monte Food’s tray pack division were told Thursday that their division was permanently closing, leaving them out of work.

Employees working in the company’s “Vegetable Classics” division were laid off in September, but were told they probably would be back to work in January, said former Del Monte employee Matt Cox.

But a meeting called by company officials Thursday informed the employees their work would no longer be needed as they were moving production of the product to Polver, Wis., which also makes “Pasta and Vegetable Classics.”

Dee Ann Campbell, vice president of corporate communications at Del Monte’s headquarters in San Francisco, said there is a greater capacity for production of the product at the Polver plant.

But former union steward and Del Monte employee Brian Dennison said he thinks the reason for the move might have been because the employees at the Polver plant are nonunion and therefore get paid less than DeKalb’s tray pack employees, which are union.

“It’s kind of a shock, but in a way we saw it coming,” he said.

The closing of the tray pack division does not affect the cannery division of Del Monte’s DeKalb plant. Dennison said the cannery division employees are nonunion, low-wage seasonal employees.

Dennison said the company seemed to think production would go well with weak advertising and low consumer awareness.

“A lot of people are very disappointed. Everyone did the best job they could and counted on the place for longtime employment,” Dennison said.

Campbell said the company is negotiating with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Local 17, which represents employees, and could not give specific details of future plans.

Dennison said a union meeting will be held tonight to discuss severance pay, continuance of insurance and retirement.

Local company officials were unavailable for comment despite numerous attempts.