Incomplete list of job loss announcements and shutdowns.
California: Yet another video game maker killing jobs, this time Aliso Viejo based Carbine Studios laid off about 70 people as the performance of their latest game didn’t live up to expectations. The launch of that game, WildStar, has been canceled for China and administrators say they are re-focusing efforts on the U.S. and European markets. And San Francisco based software maker Optimizely laid off about 40 employees blaming the devaluation of the tech industry: “This being the right decision shifted on February 5. The impact of that day on public SaaS [Software as a Service] companies, in some cases cutting their value in half, was a wake up call for me personally to realize that ultimately if we want to build a business that can endure and be impactful, we need to make ourselves resilient…”-Dan Siroker, ceo during interview with Forbes
Colorado: Oklahoma based WPX Energy issued a shutdown WARN for its Parachute ops (that’s the name of the town), 208 jobs affected due to sale of the operations to Texas based Terra Energy Partners.
Connecticut: God powerless to stop ‘his’ Archdiocese from shutting down 89 years old (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) Saint Augustine School, the last Catholic elementary school in Hartford. It’s blamed on what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome (some Christians call it The Rapture).
Florida: An employer who constantly makes Fortune’s list of best places to work has conducted mass layoffs. Law firm of Baker Donelson eliminated an undisclosed number of jobs in its Consumer Finance Litigation and Compliance offices in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale.
Illinois: In Park Ridge, clothier Talbots Outlet Store shutting down their 30 years old Village Green Shopping Center location, by the end of April. Company administrators said they spent two years evaluating which stores to shutdown, local news reports say loyal customers consider the shutdown fallacious as the store was “really busy”.
Kansas: In Emporia, after 68 years Stanely Jewelry shutting down on Tuesday. The owner has health problems and nobody in the family want’s to take over the business.
Louisiana: In Baton Rouge, after 49 years the elitist private membership only eatery Camelot Club suddenly shutdown due to “declining membership and a dramatic increase in rent”.
Montana: Federally funded Head Start programs in “Joliet and Red Lodge are closing so schools in Billings and Laurel can admit more children.”
New Jersey: Mercer County Community College eliminating IT jobs as it will now use a cheap contractor. Some in-house Information Tech employees will be laid off while others will be shifted to other departments.
Oklahoma: Tulsa based Williams Companies announced job culling beginning as soon as the end of this month. About 670 people across North America will be laid off due to the oil industry BS!
Texas: In Houston, Fiesta Mart shutting down their 40 years old North Shepard grocery store for “business reasons”. Basically the store needed upgrades and the company administrators believe it’s not worth it. 1-hundred jobs lost!
Virginia: In Clarendon, after four years Grateful Red Wine & Gifts suddenly shutdown. The owners decided the rent for their brick-n-mortar op was too expensive and they will continue sales on the internet only.
WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification
11 March 2016: “circumstances beyond my control.”
Former employees who receive severance are not counted as unemployed!
Employees of religious non-profits might not qualify for unemployment assistance: “If the non-profit organization is a church, you may or may not be entitled to unemployment. It all depends upon state regulations for church employers. In many cases, churches are allowed to set their own rules regarding unemployment benefits, meaning the church can choose whether to offer benefits to former employees.”
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.”