Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:
California: In Berkeley, Obama Care forced East Bay Perinatal Medical to issue a layoff WARN, saying 34 people will become jobless by the end of May. British empire Australia based oil service company WorleyParsons Group issued two layoff WARNs, saying 90 Californians will become jobless at the end of May. It’s part of their plan to eliminate 2-thousand oil jobs, mainly in North America! The Rolling Hills Country Club issued a layoff WARN, saying 60 people will be laid off by June. In San Luis Obispo, after 42 years the Coastal Pool Center shutting down because the greedy property owner is evicting the family business.
Indiana: In Elkhart, the Youth and Community Center shutdown, due to repairs that the community center can’t afford to pay for.
Michigan: Hazel Park Schools announced they will eliminate 116 jobs and slash salaries over the next five years, due to what I call Disappearing Student Syndrome (a 30% decline since 2010)!
Minnesota: US Steel continues to kill jobs, this time 680 jobs are being eliminated at its Minntac ops!
Mississippi: In Jackson, after 87 years (surviving the Great deflationary Depression and numerous recessions) the owner of Mori Luggage & Gifts announced he will shut it down at the end of May: “To be honest, retailing isn’t fun any more because of online shoppers and social media…..All of our suppliers are on the Internet themselves.”-George S. Mori
Missouri: The taxman taketh, H&R Block announced it will eliminate 90 jobs, mainly from its Kansas City HQ. Administrators blame 4.2% fewer tax returns being filed by the increasingly unemployed and underemployed U.S. workforce.
New York: LifeMed Pharmacy has been sold, 65 employees to be laid off in May. In NYC, God refuses to stop his American Bible Society from shutting down. Their WARN says layoffs begin in June, and they expect to be shutdown by December. American Bible Society has joined the mass exodus from New York and is moving to Pennsylvania. The Center for Educational Innovation issued a WARN saying they’ve lost a contract and at least 32 people will be laid off by July. In Ward’s Island, Volunteers of America Keener Assessment & Rapid Rehousing issued a WARN saying they will shutdown their homeless shelter by June, 39 jobs affected due to loss of contract. Some good news; in Staten Island, Richmond University Medical Center has rescinded their plans to outsource their security guard jobs.
North Carolina: The Fayetteville Observer laid off 16 employees due to crashing revenues: “These were deep and painful cuts today…We lost some very good people…”-Charles Broadwell, publisher
Ohio: Evil CCA (Corrections Corporation of America), the for-profit contractor running the evil Northeast Ohio Correctional Center, has lost their contract and will eliminate 185 jobs! Last year CCA got kicked out of Idaho for creating what became known as the Gladiator School prison. After 17 years office supply business CP&E Marketing will shutdown in Coshocton by the end of the month. It’s blamed partly on a death in the family. Too Big to Jail Chase Bank announced it is shutting down its Warren office in June.
Pennsylvania: Spring based Carpenter Technology announced that the economy is so bad they will eliminate 260 jobs! Administrators blame cuts in spending in the petroleum and military industries. After 29 years Massachusetts based advertising company Mullen shutdown their Pittsburgh office.
Tennessee: The YMCA announced it is shutting down three operations; one in North Clarksville and two in Nashville, 130 jobs lost! Administrators say the bad economy has caused them to lose more than $850-thousand USD last year.
Texas: Halliburton laid off more petroleum industry employees, this time 60 people at its Alice fracking ops. Houston based oil equipment maker Frank’s International announced they are eliminating 6-hundred jobs! ConocoPhillips, the largest independent oil company within the U.S., claims to have lost money in its last quarter and will begin eliminating an undisclosed number of jobs.
28 – 31 March 2015: “I don’t think we’ve seen the bottom yet.”
WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification
The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) doesn’t count the thousands of layoffs in its mass layoff reports: “On March 1, 2013, President Obama ordered into effect the across-the- board spending cuts (commonly referred to as sequestration) required by the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, as amended. Under the order, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) must cut its current budget by more than $30 million, 5 percent of the current 2013 appropriation, by September 30, 2013. In order to help achieve these savings and protect core programs, the BLS will eliminate two programs, including Mass Layoff Statistics, and all ‘measuring green jobs’ products. This news release is the final publication of monthly mass layoff survey data.”