Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:
California: After 40 years the Big Sur Coast Gallery up for sale, asking price $3.7-million USD! In Fresno, after 75 years Martin’s Flowers shutting down: “If someone wanted to buy the business that would be great because that would make a lot of people happy.”–Catherine Soligian
Florida: The Jacksonville Day Resource Center for homeless people shutting down after two years of operations. Administrators blame lack of taxpayer funding.
Idaho: The Idaho Statesman investigated which companies and organizations are ‘bribing’ (political ‘donations’) failed-false-conservative Right-to-Work (you over) Idaho politicians. The top three ‘bribers’ are major utility company Idaho Power (so that’s where a lot of our utility payments go), east Idaho based Mormon owned “wellness company” Melaleuca, and out-o-state Washington DC based ‘conservative’ lobbyists Club for Growth.
Mississippi: In Vicksburg, reports that Texas based oil service company Schlumberger is about to layoff 222 people after selling off their recently acquired Cameron ops to a rival: “Due to the current declining business conditions, the company has decided to substantially reduce its operations at the Vicksburg facility. As a result, we anticipate that we could potentially permanently layoff up to as many as 222 employees, beginning as early a November, 2, 2015.”
Missouri: In Springfield, Price Cutter shutting down its Grand Street grocery store. Local news reports say no official explanation was given.
New York: NYC Parks shutdown city pools after Labor Day blaming lack of taxpayer funding. After more than 100 years (surviving the Great deflationary Depression and numerous recessions, and even a fire in the 1960s) the Wanakena General Store shutting down in October because “the numbers just didn’t add up”.
Texas: Goodrich Petroleum sold-off $116-million USD worth of its Eagle Ford Shale oil stake in order to pay down its debts!
06 – 07 September 2015: “…members haven’t been paid at all this year…”
WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification
Former employees who receive severance are not counted as unemployed
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.”