Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:
Arkansas: Little Rock School District is losing $37-million USD in funding, and will be forced to layoff at least 30% of employees! Administrators say they will also cut in half how much they pay into the employee health insurance, which means employees will have to pay a lot more for their Obama Care!
California: In Sherman Oaks, Jerry’s Famous Deli issued a WARN saying they will shutdown in June, 60 jobs lost. In Eureka, God refuses to stop the shutdown of his Saint Bernard’s elementary school.
Florida: In Niceville, food service company Sodexo issued a WARN saying 176 people will become unemployed in June! The city of Fort Myers will layoff 21 firefighters. The jobs were paid for with federal tax funds, and that funding is ending.
Illinois: In Normal, That’s So Sweet cheesecake shop shutdown, the owner blamed it on her pregnancy which made it difficult to commute to her Normal store. Central Beverage issued a WARN saying 124 employees are now unemployed! It’s blamed on the takeover by Lakeshore Beverage.
Massachusetts: The Look Restaurant shutdown in Leeds. The owner blamed the bad economy and rising costs of operation. At one time he had 17 employees, but by the time he decided to shutdown he had only five.
Minnesota: In Bloomington, Toys R Us shutdown a 26 years old store in the Southtown Shopping Center. The only explanation given was that the lease expired.
Missouri: Grocery store chain Schnucks laid off 52 people, and eliminated eight open jobs, at its Saint Louis HQ. No explanation given. This comes weeks after administrators spent $1.69-million buying a property that they’ve rented for years. Administrators admitted they weren’t using the Saint Louis property for anything, and had no future plans for it!
New York: In Brooklyn, SCO Family of Services issued a shutdown WARN for their The Renaissance Men’s Shelter, to take place in July, 34 jobs affected. Mental health clinic operator The Pederson Krag Center amended a WARN saying they have sold-off their operations, 85 jobs affected. In Yonkers, God refuses to stop Obama Care from forcing his non-profit Saint John’s Riverside Hospital from shutting down and selling off their Michael Malotz Skilled Nursing Facility, 226 jobs to be lost starting in July! All American School Bus issued a shutdown WARN for June, at least 207 jobs lost! In SoHo, after 44 years the Pearl River Mart forced to shutdown because of a greedy property owner. Reports say when the lease expires (in December) the rent will skyrocket to $500-thousand per month: “When we moved in this section of Broadway was so quiet. Now it’s very, very busy and the rent has rocketed. A lot of the smaller stores are being wiped out! Even the trading companies are being wiped out….”-Ming Yi Chen, owner of Pearl River Mart
Ohio: Lancaster based EveryWare Global, owner of food preparation products companies Anchor Hocking and Oneida, is now chapter 11 bankrupt busted. They report overall sales crashed 17% in their 4th quarter 2014 (so much for Xmas sales). For the year they lost $4.87-million USD!
Pennsylvania: Dyno Nobel shutting down its Donora chemicals factory, at least 50 jobs lost. Reports say the final economic straw was the shutdown of a 106 years old bridge, which connects the town to the outside world. 25% of the residents of Donora live below the federal government’s poverty level. After 26 years the JCPenney Nittany Mall store shutdown, 55 jobs lost.
Texas: In Victoria, DHW Well Service issued a WARN saying 55 people will be laid off in May. Houston based Noble Energy announced they will layoff another 220 people! It’s blamed on oil prices and competition from Halliburton. San Antonio based Food Management Partners shutting down 70 Carrows and Coco’s Bakery restaurants across Arizona, California and Nevada! Administrators blame the suck-ass economy: “The current market climate has forced us to make difficult decisions about many of our restaurants that are not performing at a competitive financial level.”
Virginia: Pier 1 Imports shutdown their Norfolk store, no explanation given.
Washington: Redmond based Microsoft revealed it laid off “hundreds” of employees the week prior! Administrators say it’s just one more round of layoffs in their plan to eliminate 18-thousand jobs by the end of the year!
Washington DC: Privately funded Howard University laid off 84 people without warning. Last year administrators laid off 2-hundred employees!
Wisconsin: Obama Care forcing home health care provider GeminiCares to issue a WARN saying 7-hundred employees will become unemployed in May! In Milwaukee, restaurant Nourri forced to shutdown after its chef and its general manager walked out. The owners blame frustrations with ongoing road construction that is killing off sales.
02 – 03 April 2015: “The market conditions are severe”
WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification
The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) no longer issues 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.”