Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:
Warren Buffett co-owned Kraft-Heinz announced it will eliminate another 2-thousand 5-hundred jobs in Canada and United States! Apparently most of the new layoffs will affect corporate level employees in Illinois and Pennsylvania, and jobs considered redundant as a result of the merger between Kraft and Heinz.
More evidence the internet is not recession proof: After raising $5.5-million USD, and in a span of 24 hours “the secret weapon of successful people” Zirtual shutdown and told 4-hundred employees they were not needed, then Startups.com announced “We’ve acquired Zirtual and we’re excited to bring it to new levels. With that being said, we’d like to invite you back.” No word on what will happen to the Zirtual employees. Some news reports said work for Zirtual suddenly slowed down with no explanation.
More evidence the internet is not recession proof: Reports that the newly merged Razorfish-Rosetta has resulted in an undisclosed number of layoffs, at least 20 in New York City and Atlanta, Georgia.
Arkansas: After 27 years of yummy peaches Collins Round Mountain Orchard shutdown for good due to climate change: “Unfortunately, the weather has not been in favor of our crop……
….the fruit just will not produce this summer. With that being said, Collins Orchard is officially closed permanently.”
California: God refuses to stop ‘his’ 82 years old Ventura based Gospel Light Publications from going chapter 11 bankrupt busted and being put up for sale. Administrators partly blamed God’s financially scandalous Family Christian retail chain (For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:10).
Colorado: What housing market recovery? Former contractor to Bank of America Home Loans, Urban Fulfillment Services, eliminating 265 jobs!
Florida: In Pensacola, after 30 years Chan’s Nightclub shutdown. In Orlando, ObamaCare medical device tax forced Rotech Oxygen and Medical Equipment to issue a WARN saying 90 people will become unemployed in October.
Iowa: In Mason City, employees of Warren Buffett have gone to the local news media to report mass layoffs at the local Kraft plant.
Massachusetts: In Littleton, Sunny Delight Beverages shutting down their Harvard Road factory in December. Sunny D has been laying off Littleton employees since 2014. As with other corporations Sunny D is consolidating operations, and selling off their Littleton juice factory. Vermont based Champlain Cable Corporation shutting down their Northampton factory by October. Production being moved to Texas.
Michigan: The East China School District announced that Eddy Elementary school will shutdown for the 2016-17 school year. Apparently the school needs to be refurbished but the district doesn’t have the money. In Grand Rapids, after less than a year the Memphis Smokehouse restaurant shutdown, due to a death in the family. God refuses to stop ‘his’ Battle Creek Evangelical Friends Church from shutting down their Little Friends Child Care Center. However, it’s not due to a loss of members but an explosion of church members requiring the use of the space taken up by the child care center. ObamaCare forcing non-profit Kandu to shutdown due to funding cuts for Ottawa County Community Mental Health: “It has become evident that current public policy and funding levels will not sustain our model now, nor in the foreseeable future:”-Tom Vreeman, ceo
Mississippi: Isle of Capri Casinos shutting down its Natchez casino due to declining revenues. The non-gambling assets are being sold-off for $11.5-million.
New Jersey: ObamaCare forced three hospitals in Hudson County (Bayonne Medical Center, Christ Hospital and Hoboken University Medical Center) to layoff less than 80 employees.
New York:More evidence the internet is not recession proof; in NYC, internet shopping site Ideel issued a layoff WARN saying 39 people will be laid off in time for Xmas.
Ohio: The new owner of the Telling Mansion branch library shutting it down in September, the financially desperate county sold it off in 2013 claiming it had become a maintenance money pit.
Oklahoma: In Tulsa, Pro Image Sports shutdown their Promenade Mall store.
Pennsylvania: God refuses to stop ‘his’ British empire founded Salvation Army from restructuring their Ellwood City service center from paid employees to unpaid volunteers. Universal Well Services issued a WARN saying they shutdown their Bradford ops, 85 jobs lost.
Washington: In Bellingham, the Firehouse Performing Arts Center close to shutting down, the owners had it up for sale since April 2014, but so far no interested buyers. In Seattle, God refuses to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ 33 years old Zion Preparatory Academy. At one point the school had 6-hundred students, but because of the bad economy people can’t afford to pay for private school: “We just basically ran out of funds.”-Doug Wheeler, owner
Wisconsin: The Oilgear Company issued a shutdown WARN for its Milwaukee building, 70 jobs lost by October.
11 August 2015: “We get sued by so many people we can’t keep track.”
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.”