Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:
Arkansas: ABC Financial laid off 42 employees, blaming it on crashing business. Apparently the contract billing subsidiary of Jim Bottin Enterprises thought they were going to get a huge new contract, and hired new people in anticipation, however the contract fell through.
California: After 129 years (surviving the Great deflationary Depression and numerous recessions) the Daily Transcript newspaper shutting down by September. Eventually the Daily Transcript website will shutdown as well, due to crashing revenues. San Diego based semiconductor maker Qualcomm has upped the number of layoffs first reported, from 4-thousand to 4-thousand 7-hundred! Administrators say the crashing economy is forcing them to cut $1.4-billion USD in operating costs! San Jose based Cisco Systems is rumored to be eliminating 50% of positions at their United Kingdom cell phone ops known as Ubiquisys! In Berkeley, after 18 years popular Pyramid Alehouse shutdown. The building is being sold-off and the owners of the Alehouse will focus on ops in Oregon and Washington. In Antioch, after 20 years the free taxpayer funded for poverty level families Kids Club pre-school shutdown due to the A-hole politicians refusing to renew the lease: “It is move out day. We are being asked to leave this location by the end of July 23. I would say there’s politics at play with district administration.”-Mark Mokski, executive director
“I can go get a job, maybe flipping burgers, who knows. These children can’t, they have no hope.”-Ariadna Santos, Kids Club employee
Florida: Restaurant Dockside Dave’s on Gulf Boulevard in Saint Pete Beach shutdown. Reports say the bad economy was making it difficult for the owners to run two restaurants.
Illinois: Who said there’s not a New Cold War? Chicago based Public Broadcasting System supporter John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is shutting down their 20 years old operations in Russia. It’s blamed on new laws in Russia cracking down on U.S. operatives in that former member of the Soviet Union.
Iowa: The owner of Defunct Books is shutting it down and moving to Tennessee. The owner blames it on what I call the dumbing down of America: “Iowa City is not the same city as it was when I moved here eight years ago. Obviously there’s going to be some changes, but it’s not quite the literary city that it was when I moved here.”-Greg Delzer
Maryland: Washington DC based home sewing supply chain G Street Fabrics now bankrupt busted and shutting down two stores in Maryland. Administrators blame the store shutdowns on outrageous rents; $13,201.25 per month and $24,353.65 per month respectively! In 2014 G Street Fabrics reported a $2-million drop in revenues! After 43 years Club Hippo shutdown, the owner said “I’m tired.”
Michigan: After eliminating jobs the Farmington Public Schools is now considering shutting down at least six schools, blaming what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome. Enrollment has crashed by 2-thousand since 2007, and administrators expect it to continue!
Mississippi: ObamaCare forced University of Mississippi Medical Center to layoff 14 people, the majority being nurse educators. It’s blamed on the new Mississippi Provider-Sponsored Health Plan. In Hattiesburg, after 30 years restaurant Cuco’s shutting down in August. The owner blames a 2012 shooting incident which scared off customers, plus increased competition: “The shooting completely destroyed my business…..The other reason is that there’s so many other Mexican restaurants in town….I haven’t made any money on this place in a couple of years….I’ve been putting my retirement money in it, too.”-Ricardo Mussiett
Missouri: International artifact dealer MacroSun International shutting down its Loop store by September. The owner is consolidating ops, and shifting to internet sales.
Nevada: Paradise based gambling giant (currently the World’s biggest) Caesar’s Entertainment is on the verge of collapse. It’s blamed on a lawsuit by creditors that could cost the administrators (Apollo and TPG Capital) $2-billion! More lawsuits are rumored to be in the works: “I think if Apollo was smart, they would offer to walk away now, hand the keys over to creditors and get releases from suits.”-unnamed attorney
New Jersey: The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P) issued multiple WARNs saying eight Pathmark grocery stores will shutdown by September, a total of 867 jobs lost!
New York: Once again, Too Big to Jail NYC based Citigroup is in big trouble and as a result jobs are being killed. This time Citigroup is paying a $140-million fine and shutting down their Banamex ops after being caught laundering drug money! The charges were brought by Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the California Department of Business Oversight. In Poughkeepsie, school bus company Durham School Services issued a shutdown WARN for October, 76 jobs lost due to loss of contract. In Bushwick, the owners of Cain’s Tavern say they have to shutdown due to greedy landlord ( Cayuga Capital Management) jacking up the rent by an amazing 500% (something the landlord denies)! In NYC, after 23 years ‘biker bar’ (some reports call it a honky-tonk bar) Hogs & Heifers shutdown by the greedy landlord who jacked up the rent: “That is just not tenable for a business like Hogs and Heifers. I sell Pabst Blue Ribbon for $3. I still sell beer for $5 or $6. I am not a business that can sell a bottle of beer for $12 and margaritas for $15.”-Michelle Dell, owner
North Carolina: What housing market recovery? The FBI has revealed a massive mortgage fraud bust involving the Too Big to Jails you trust. Under Operation Wax House it was discovered that at least 91 attorneys & paralegals, bank insiders, mortgage brokers, builders & sellers, facilitators, financiers, buyers, notary publics, appraisers, real estate agents and promoters, intentionally committed mortgage fraud in North Carolina!
Ohio: Too Big to Jail Chase shutting down their Mansfield Ashland Road bank in October.
Oregon: What automotive industry recovery? In Medford, motorcycle parts seller MAG Retail Group issued a shutdown WARN for September, 114 jobs lost! In Portland, ObamaCare medical device tax forcing CP Medical to shutdown by July 2016, at least 88 jobs lost.
Pennsylvania: Green Tree & School Services shutdown their Philadelphia ops, 113 jobs lost! Community Development Institute Head Start issued shutdown WARNs for Montgomery and Bucks counties, 168 jobs lost by August! Canadian Pacific Railway –
Delaware and Hudson Railway issued shutdown WARNs for Taylor and Nescopeck, at least 26 jobs lost by August. What automotive industry recovery? American Axle shutdown their factory in Lancaster, 39 jobs lost. In Brave, The Monongalia County Coal Company shutdown, 160 jobs lost! In Carlisle, Carolina Logistics WARNed they’re shutting down in August, 59 jobs lost. Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School laid off at least 21 virtual classroom teachers and 22 non-teaching employees.
South Carolina: What housing market recovery? California based Too Big to Jail Wells Fargo laid off 91 employees at their Fort Mill mortgage ops.
Texas: Houston based oil field service company FMC Technologies announced yet more layoffs, but did not give a number. FMC Tech (not to be confused with FMC Corp.) already eliminated 2-thousand jobs since February! This time the new layoffs are connected to FMC Tech’s joint venture with Technip. FMC Tech also reported that their profits crashed 52% in their 2nd quarter of 2015! Administrators say they do not see any recovery for at least another year: “…it’s unlikely we’ll see much recovery before 2016.”-John Gremp, ceo
Utah: In South Salt Lake City, “treatment and education to help facilitate an individual’s productive contribution to his or her community” Cottonwood Treatment Center notified state administrators that 178 employees will become unemployed! The public WARN site gave no explanation, and I could not find any news reports about it. California based Fairchild Semiconductor shutdown and eliminated 361 jobs in Salt Lake City! It’s part of the company’s 2014 plan to eliminate 1,350 jobs! Back in August 2014 Fairchild Semiconductor claimed it had 5-hundred employees in Salt Lake City, but their WARN to state administrators says they were down to 361 by April 2015. In Huntington, Energy West Mining has eliminated 146 jobs so far this year!
West Virginia: William J. Raglin Community Education Center shutting down the Shawnee Daycare center due to “…losing approximately $10-thousand a year on that program.”-Bob Calhoun, Kanawha County Schools
21 July 2015: “…it’s got to come to an end.”
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.”