Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:
What housing market recovery? National Association of Realtors reports a 4.8% decline in pending sales of existing homes, despite ‘experts’ claiming it was supposed to increase: “Pending sales have leveled off since mid-summer, with buyers being bounded by rising prices and few available and affordable properties within their budget.”-Lawrence Yun, National Association of Realtors, watch the video for more stagnant and even bad real estate news
Alabama: Gov’na Robert Bentley ordered the shutdown of dozens of Department of Motor Vehicle offices and National Guard Armories due to lack of taxpayer funding (which is a sure sign your economy has crashed & is burning). State Parks are next. Dillard’s department store is shutting down in the Madison Square Mall, the 35 remaining employees will be jobless by the end of October. It might have something to do with the sale of the mall.
Delaware: Only one month after opening Delaware Met charter school says it might have to layoff employees, or even shutdown, due to what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome. The taxpayer funded school apparently lost 33 students since opening, and administrators are afraid they’ll lose more which will put them under the state required minimum enrolment limits. The news has resulted in a downward spiral effect as even more parents are taking their students out for fear of a sudden shutdown!
Georgia: More signs iconic Atlanta based Coca-Cola is in trouble. Administrators announced they are getting out of the east European country of Moldova. 155 Moldovans will become jobless when Coke shuts down their bottling factory and starts being imported from NATO controlled Ukraine.
Illinois: In Arthur, after 57 years Delbert’s Clothing shutting down, blaming it on the retirement of two employees. After 61 years Gillenberg’s Furniture shutting down: “We are making it, so it is not like we aren’t paying the bills, but it is not as near as profitable as it used to be.”-Shirley Summers
Indiana: In Logansport, Carter Fuel Systems issued a layoff WARN saying 111 jobs will be eliminated in time for Xmas! In Lafayette, after four years Jump It Party and Play shutting down: “Times have changed and it is time for us to close the doors.”-Kathi Bennett
Louisiana: News sources in The Pelican State say Whole Foods stores there will be part of the mass layoffs of ‘back room’ employees launched by the Texas based grocer.
Maryland: The Hospice of the Chesapeake’s Treasures thrift store shutting down after Xmas: “It is a beautiful little shop for the benefit of Hospice with a dedicated group of volunteers. We are totally upset!”-Rita Ferguson
Hospice management blamed the greedy landlord: “We have chosen not to renew the lease for Treasures at Severna Park Plaza. The rent has gone up over the years and marketing costs have increased.”
Massachusetts: After 43 years Crocker Technical Papers shutting down their Fitchburg paper mill, 40 job lost. It’s been for sale but apparently nobody wants to buy it.
Michigan: In Howell, after more than 100 years (surviving the Great deflationary Depression and numerous recessions) Donald Jewelers shutdown: “…we tried to keep a 20th century business in the 21st century.”-Donald Yax Junior
Mississippi: The Diamondhead Public Library shutting down after Xmas due to lack of taxpayer funding.
New York: Yet another non-profit insurance co-op forced to shutdown by for-profit insurance industry written Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare), Health Republic Insurance. 200-thousand customers affected! NYC based aluminum giant Alcoa is splitting into two companies to make stockholders happy, jobs will be lost.
North Carolina: In West Jefferson, restaurant Casa Garcia shutdown without warning, management refused to say why. Huffman Koos shutdown their year round High Point North Main Street furniture store blaming crashing sales. The manager says that for some reason people thought the store was open only during the end of year holiday season.
North Dakota: Oil company Baker Hughes issued a layoff WARN saying they will eliminate 117 jobs in Dickinson! In Fargo, after eight years of riding the oil boom Studio 222 jazz club shutdown due to the greedy landlord jacking up the rent: “The costs keep going up and our revenue’s pretty stagnant.”-Spider Johnk
Puerto Rico: Sheraton shutting down and selling off their casino-hotel operation in San Juan. It’s the 8th casino-hotel to shut down in the past five years.
Texas: Austin based grocery store Whole Foods joins the mass layoff club, saying 1-thousand 5-hundred people will become jobless by Thanksgiving! After being accused of food prices that are so high they take your “whole paycheck”, Whole Foods administrators decided the only way they can lower prices is to layoff 1,500 people who work in the ‘back room’ (freight, stocking, etc). Or is this really about being able to pay for the construction of 1-hundred new stores?
Washington: In Yakima, after eight years Garden Dance women’s clothing store shutting down after Xmas, 10 jobs lost.
26 September 2015: Cash hoarding by elites killing the economy!
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.”