Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:
Alabama: Sears Holdings announced the Bel Air Mall Sears Store and Auto Center will shutdown between August and September, more than 100 jobs lost!
Arkansas: Jefferson County going the way of Greece, announcing that they will barley be able to pay their employees for work in July. County administrators warned that layoffs for ten employees are coming due to crashing tax revenues. Administrators blame their own dumb-ass department heads for ignoring a hiring freeze ordered two years ago: “Now we are in a tough situation.”-Dutch King, County Judge
California: In Sacramento, after almost 100 years Porter-Sprague Auto Shop shutdown. The owner’s secret for success is “good vodka.” In Fullerton, after 20 years Steamers Jazz Club & Cafe shutdown. The owner admitted he’s been trying to sell the place for the past four years, apparently he finally sold it to a brewery. San Diego based semiconductor maker Qualcomm warned of massive layoffs; 4-thousand! More details will be revealed by the end of the month. Qualcomm eliminated 1-thousand 4-hundred jobs back in December! It’s blamed on the crashing computer chip market. City administrators of Atwater revealed that Sears Holdings will shutdown the Kmart in October.
Colorado: Business owners in Idaho Springs say construction work on Interstate 70 is killing their local economy. Despite promises to have the road construction done in time for the tourist season, the road work is still ongoing, ever since Autumn 2014. Local news reports say sales for Idaho Springs shop owners are down 60%!
Georgia: Shaw Industries shutting down their Augusta Evergreen Carpet recycling operations, 70 jobs affected. Recycling ops are being moved to a new facility.
Idaho: In yet another example of failed state ‘lawmakers’ wasting taxpayer money, The Gem State now owes Syringa Wireless $930-thousand USD! It’s connected to the controversial and now defunct Idaho Education Network scandal. Syringa sued the state after being blocked from the IEN contract. Of course state taxpayer funded lawyers are appealing the case, but wait there’s more! Education Networks of America and Qwest Communications are demanding at least $6-million for unpaid work they did on the IEN project! Idaho ‘lawmakers’ have a history of wasting millions of taxpayer funding on attorneys. The Right to Work you over gov’na Butch Otter refused to comment.
Illinois: In Chicago, Cyrano’s Farm Kitchen has been sold and will shutdown in August, the now former owner saying “I just need to move on.” Obama regime stoogie Rahm Emanuel warns that Chicago Public Schools is facing another $60-million in cuts on top of the recently announced 1-thousand 4-hundred layoffs! He said while 2-hundred schools are reporting student enrollment increases they’re being outpaced by a mass exodus of students at more than 4-hundred other CPS schools! CPS is short $1-billion in taxpayer funding! Also in Chicago, for-profit DeVry Education Group shutting down their office in September, 90 jobs lost. The failing higher education outfit also returned $100-thousand of local taxpayer financing to the city. After warnings from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union, it’s been revealed that Eastern Illinois University has not renewed contracts for at least 10 faculty members, and 26 contracted faculty members have not been given teaching assignments. Three faculty members have had their hours cut in half. In Joliet, Glasscock Farm shutdown their corn growing ops. The owner said he had to sell most of the property as a matter economic survival: “…I sold the land at 125 times what my father paid for it back in 1959, and now I have an inheritance to put food on the table.”-Scott Glasscock
Indiana: Dean Foods (aka Dean’s) issued a WARN saying it will shutdown its Rochester factory, 138 jobs lost in October!
Iowa: In another example of Failed State-ism, state ‘lawmakers’ want to eliminate prison programs and conduct mass layoffs of prison personnel in order to save money, despite the fact an audit showed at least $1-million is wasted on perks for top prison managers!
Louisiana: In New Orleans, four Freret Street businesses shutdown; Freret Garden Center, Freret Auto Service Center, Jaques Clothing and Full Blossom Chic.
Massachusetts: JCPenney is shutting down their eight years old Natick Mall store in August, 95 jobs lost.
Michigan: Texas based Pier 1 Imports shutting down yet another store, this time in Genoa Township. It’s part of their plan to eliminate at least 1-hundred stores in three years.
Minnesota: California based clothier Gap and Gap Kids shutting down their stores in the IDS Center. It’s all part of their plan to shutdown 175 stores.
Missouri: Software company Answers Corporation eliminated 1-hundred jobs last week! It was revealed by former employees. It’s the result of Answers’ takeover of Michigan tech company ForeSee.
Montana: Stillwater Mining laid off 11 employees. It’s blamed on crashing prices of platinum and palladium.
New York: In Buffalo, California clothier Gap announced it will shutdown its 39 years old Boulevard Mall store. Gap stores in Syracuse and Ithaca are also being shutdown. The city of Tonawanda shutdown the Wheeler Street fire station. Administrators hope their budget shortfall is temporary. NYC based CBS Radio (formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation) eliminated 2-hundred jobs across its U.S. network, and the latest reports say more heads are gonna roll! Some of the news reports I’ve read say radio personalities who’ve been on air for at least 20 years have been laid off, other reports said some of the stations affected are the top ranked in their market, yet I found no explanation for the mass layoffs. Another report I read said CBS Radio has no massive debt, but might be prepping itself for sale, or station swap, to a company called Entercom.
North Carolina: Stokes County School Board voted to shutdown their Francisco Elementary School. It’s blamed on what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome, enrollment is down to 50 students.
Pennsylvania: Consol Energy conducted a new round of layoffs. The news is so new that it’s unknown how many people got canned this time. Back in April 190 people lost their jobs! Consol administrators also said that due to the Supreme Court’s ruling on ObamaCare they will end healthcare benefits for retired employees! After 15 years the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network shutting down. Local news reports said the Network didn’t explain why.
South Dakota: Printing company Midstates laid off 55 employees last week, blaming crashing sales.
Texas: Houston based Noble Energy (the company heavily involved in Israel’s Leviathan gas fields, which is the true cause of unrest in the region) announced it will shutdown the Rosetta Resources HQ, 306 jobs affected! Noble Energy took over Rosetta Resources back in May. Once California based but Germany owned Fireman’s Fund Insurance shutdown their Dallas office. Local news reports say at one time their Ross Tower location employed 4-hundred people! Fireman’s Fund was taken over by Germany’s Allianz in the 1990s. But since the implementation of ObamaCare, Allianz has been carving up and selling off Fireman’s Fund.
Virginia: Norfolk based Freedom Home & Electronics shutting down 11 stores near military bases. The company targets military personnel. Administrators blame increasing rents, and decreasing profit margins that cannot be offset by increasing sale volumes.
Washington: Spokane based Ambassadors Group shutting down by the end of 2015. The travel company has been laying off employees for years now, last year they were down to 170. Administrators blame it on crashing sales.
Washington DC: The Veterans Affairs announced it will shutdown more VA hospitals due to a lack of $2.5-billion in taxpayer funding. VA administrators claim they’re forced to use $3-billion in Veterans Choice funding to make up the difference.
Wisconsin: What construction industry recovery? After 38 years construction company TCI issued a WARN saying they’re done! 39 jobs already eliminated and more to come as the company shuts down in December.
13 July 2015: “prepare for a steady decline”
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.”