Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:
Canadian economist David Madani is warning of a housing market crash. He says Canada could see at least a 25% drop: “While the recent strength of Canada’s housing market has been astounding, the regional breakdown reveals that it has begun to fray at the edges.”
If you’ve been following my U.S. Job Losses reports you’d notice similar “frays” in the U.S. regional housing markets.
Express Employment Professionals reports their survey shows 47% of unemployed have quit looking for work!
Alaska: The National Archives and Records Administration is shutting down their office. It’s blamed on lack of visitation by the public. Certain historical documents will be handed over to state agencies.
California: Too Big to Jail Bank of America laying off more employees, this time 22 Los Angeles workers will be let go in July. In Riverside, Kroger owned Ralph’s grocery store announced they will shutdown in July, 80 jobs lost. In La Quinta, Kroger owned Ralph’s grocery store announced they will shutdown in July, 60 jobs lost. In Ventura, New French Bakery/Starbucks Coffee announced they are shutting down in July, 90 jobs lost. In Huntington Beach, taxsucker Boeing announced they will kill 96 jobs in July. In Tracy, employment service Jacobson Staffing Company announced they are shutting down in July, 390 jobs lost! In Long Beach, Verizon killing 100 jobs! Company officials blame it on the lack of 411 calls! In Palo Alto, Hewlett Packard (HP) warned it is adding 16-thousand job cuts to the already announced 34-thousand worldwide!
Delaware: RealtyTrac reports the foreclosure rate jumped 94%, from March to April!
Georgia: Who said tech jobs are recession proof? In Atlanta, tech startup Hypepotamus shutdown its 3-thousand square feet location. Several tech companies are merging operations, no word on how many jobs will be affected.
Hawaii: The solar power farm Holaniku at Keahole Point shutdown, due to a terminated lease.
Illinois: In Chicago, after only four years Ing restaurant shutdown. Also, what housing market recovery? The Illinois Association of Realtors report home sales crashed 9.9% across nine counties from April 2013 to April 2014!
Iowa: RealtyTrac reports the foreclosure rate skyrocketed an incredible 237%, from March to April!
Kansas: Personal care products Kimberly-Clark shutting down its distribution center at New Century AirCenter by the end of this year. 60 jobs lost.
Michigan: In Ann Arbor, Kroger grocery store on South Industrial Highway shutting down in June, 103 jobs lost! It sounds like the property owners jacked up the rent, they claim they had rented the property out to Kroger at “dramatically under market” rates for decades and it was time they made a profit. The Performance Network Theatre shutdown on 22 May, without warning according to Carla Milarch, who said “There were no phone calls made to donors, no phone calls made to staff. Where was the plea to the community, where was the outreach to stakeholders saying we’re considering doing this, can you make three phone calls on our behalf? ……If they had run one more week, they could have closed the show on that Thursday. So they ended up having to pay the actors’ final two-week salary anyway, they didn’t even end up saving any money. It was just poor planning on their part.” Apparently the ‘poor planners’ are now looking for a theater patron. Lansing Public School District warned it might have to shutdown Eastern High School. It’s blamed on decreasing students and increasing employee costs caused by Obama Care health insurance and retirement increases. To add to that, Detroit Public Schools (DPS) warned they might shutdown 26 schools! Apparently DPS is in the hole by $120-million USD! In East Lansing, after 50 years (some reports say 77 years) Goodrich’s Shop-Rite grocery store shutting down in July, 80 jobs lost. It’s blamed on the property owners who have new plans for the property. In Chelsea, after 25 years Uptown Antiques shutdown.
Minnesota: In Plymouth, Hutchinson Technology announced it is shutting down operations and laying off 100 employees in Minnesota and Wisconsin!
New Jersey: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics construction data shows The Garden State lost the most construction jobs of all the U.S. states, and that’s in spite of reconstruction from Hurricane Sandy. From March 2013 to March 2014 New Jersey lost 46-hundred construction jobs!
New Mexico: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics construction data from April 2013 to April 2014 shows the Land of Enchantment lost 2-thousand construction jobs! Apparently half of those losses came just during the month of April 2014! In Albuquerque, Southwest Airlines announced they are canceling 11 flights, the bad economy is blamed: “Medium hub airports like Albuquerque have suffered greatly over the past few years, one reason is the economy.”– Daniel Jiron, Albuquerque International Sunport
New York: In Canandaigua, MV Transportation announced they are shutting down in July, 68 jobs lost. Company officials blame Obama Care for killing their contract for Medicaid Head Start transportation service! In Walden, Circor Flow Technologies announced the last of their 91 employees will be let go at the end of June. In Uniondale, LabCorp of America Holdings/Dianon Systems Integrated Oncology/Histology shutting down in September, 24 jobs lost. In Hornell, God can’t stop all powerful Obama Care from forcing Saint James Mercy Hospital, Mercycare Facility, from shutting down their Ventilator Department in August, 13 jobs lost. In Auburn, air conditioner maker Daikin Applied shutting down in 2015, layoffs to begin this September, 415 jobs will be lost! Anti-gun laws kill jobs; gunmaker Remington laying off at least 80 New Yorkers as it moves production to Alabama. Alabama is set to pick up 1-thousand new gunmaking jobs! RealtyTrac reports the foreclosure rate shot up by 142%, from March to April!
North Carolina: Who said tech jobs are recession proof? Charlotte based Too Big to Jail Bank of America “dismantling” their electronic market-making unit, which was created for Merrill Lynch. In Greensboro, mid-to-upscale retailer Belk shutdown its Four Seasons Town Centre store, 58 jobs lost. Belk was started in 1888. In New Bern, after 79 years Maola Milk & Ice Cream shutting down in July, 98 jobs lost.
Ohio: In Cincinnati, nightclub PLAY shutdown, no reason given. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC, a government mandated privately run company) shutdown Columbia Savings Bank. Most of the assets were sold to United Fidelity Bank, the FDIC gets stuck with the rest. In Dayton, Ringo’s North Star Mobile Eatery shutdown. The owners admitted that running a food truck doesn’t jive with raising children.
Oregon: Beaverton based Nike revealed it killed 100-thousand contracted jobs worldwide, in the past year! The shoemaker is consolidating operations, and switching to the use of robots on a massive scale. RealtyTrac reports that foreclosures of homes is up in Oregon, by 91% from March to April! The number of homes scheduled to be auctioned off skyrocketed an unbelievable 229%!
Pennsylvania: Another clothing retailer biting the dust. American Eagle Outfitters announced they are shutting down 150 stores! 70 will shutdown this year, the rest by the end of 2016. In Monaca, Anchor Hocking laid off 400 employees temporarily! Company officials say it is a money saving move. Anchor Hocking was consolidated with Oneida under the new EverWare name.
Texas: Vantage Bank shutting down its San Antonio office in July. It’s blamed on lack of individual customers. In Houston, after 19 years Crapitto’s Cucina Italiana shutdown. The property owner sold off the property to a developer who wants to tear everything down.
Washington DC: Specialty Hospitals of America now chapter 11 bankrupt busted. The hospital operator paid a $4.2-million fine for frauding Medicare. The Capitol Hill and Hadley long-term acute-care hospitals were sold off for an undisclosed amount.
14 – 19 May 2014: “I have been a loyal employee!”
The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) doesn’t count the hundreds of layoffs involving less than 50 people each, in its mass layoff reports. It also doesn’t count all the little ‘mom & pop’ businesses that shut down.
“Our ideals and principles, as well as our national security……..That’s what makes America different. That’s what makes us exceptional.”-Barack Obama, 10 September 2013