Incomplete list of U.S. job loss announcements and shutdowns.
Arizona: God powerless to stop his Illinois based Saint Xavier University from shutting down their Gilbert campus. Administrators say they are prepping for the possible halting of Illinois taxpayer funding for low income students.
California: In Modesto, after 15 years Fat Cat Music House & Lounge has been sold and will shutdown by the end of June. The new owner is a local ‘businessman’ who admits he doesn’t have any plans for the property. In Oroville, Gold Digger Apples now chapter 7 bankrupt busted. US Bank says the apple growing co-op owes them $18.5-million USD! Chapter 7 bankruptcy means the co-op’s assets will be sold to pay the debt, and quite possibly it means the death of Gold Digger Apples: “This is a devastating blow to the community, seasonably Gold Digger employs up to 800 employees. I hope there’s some real PR damage to the bank! It’s hideous, it’s everything you’ve heard about big banks…”-Peg Callaway, attorney for the local apple growers
Florida: In Silver Springs the Wild Waters amusement park shutting down after three and a half decades. It’s being shutdown at the end of Summer by the state Department of Environmental Protection using the excuse of ‘ongoing public safety concerns’, but claim a new environmentally friendly swimming area is being considered. The mom & pop concession stand contracts were not renewed.
Idaho: The federal government is considering halting sheep grazing on public land in west-central Idaho. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management says domestic sheep spread disease. Wow, after a hundred plus years of sheep grazing they now claim sheep spread disease to other animals? I believe that applies to all us animals, all animals spread disease to each other. How do you think disease is spread, with a butter knife? The local sheep industry calls bullshit on the BLM reasoning: “There’s no firm science that says 100% that domestic sheep pass disease on the open range, or that they’re the only species that can pass the disease.”-Stan Boyd, Idaho Wool Growers Association
Illinois: God powerless to stop ‘his’ University of Saint Francis from revealing they laid off 21 employees last week. Local news media pointed out that the ‘christian’ university is spending big bucks constructing new buildings. God powerless to stop ‘his’ Seton Academy (Elizabeth Seton High School) from shutting down. In 2003 the all-girls schools went co-ed in an attempt to keep itself alive. Local news media said back in 2014 the Archdiocese of Chicago gave the school two years to increase student enrollment and decrease operational costs, it didn’t happen.
Indiana: Muncie Community Schools laying off 37 teachers due to what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome, which is contributing to the school district being $16-million USD in the hole.
Iowa: After 144 years (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) the Walnut Community School shutting down due to massive population exodus. Local news media revealed that the population of the town of Walnut is actually 121 less than what’s publicly posted, the school itself was down to just 72 students in 2015, more than a 50% drop since 2010!
Kansas: It’s been revealed that taxpayers will be paying ‘elected’ politicians full-time salaries in retirement, even though the state legislators work only part-time hours as ‘lawmakers’! That’s part of the new budget for The Sunflower State. Under the sweetheart deal a part time politician making $15-thousand while working will make $90-thousand in retirement! You bet your bippy the Kansas Organization of State Employees is pissed off.
Kentucky: Eastern Kentucky University announced they’re shutting down their Somerset campus at the end of June. It’s blamed on a 4.5% reduction in taxpayer funding and $8-million USD in additional ObamaCare retirement and healthcare costs. After 122 years (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) god powerless to stop ‘his’ Westminster Presbyterian Church from shutdown after cash strapped members voted to sell the property to Baptist competitors.
Maine: Tennessee based Sitel eliminating 120 jobs at its Caribou call center, by mid-July! It’s blamed on lack of contracts.
Maryland: Baltimore City Schools warning of mass layoffs due to lack of taxpayer funding.
New York: Liehs and Steigerwald shutdown their 13 years old butcher shop in Clay. Last year Liehs and Steigerwald began new operations combining meat market, specialty grocer, deli and pub.
North Dakota: It’s been revealed that after the University of North Dakota laid off 20 people (under the guise of cutting $21.5-million USD in costs) 34 people were secretly hired! Some department heads claimed those who were hired were hired before the layoffs began, while others said they were told to go ahead and fill ‘priority’ positions. Anybody who can do basic math can figure out that hiring more people than you layoff negates any attempt to save money!
Ohio: A fine example of what I call Ripple Effect Layoffs (REF); in Ohio glass blowers are prepping for their own shutdowns after the federal EPA shutdown their Oregon supplier, Bullseye Glass. Several Oregon and Washington based art glass suppliers are in the process of shutting down due to costs and increased government regulations: “This is a scary thing for any stained-glass craftsman or a working studio, or a studio like me that is a teaching resource center, all the way up to the distributors.”-Sharon Carothers, Prism GlassWorks in Maumee
Pennsylvania: Talen Energy laying off 125 people at three electricity factories! It’s part of their plans to convert to natural gas. After surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions Yocco’s shutdown their iconic Allentown hot dog shop: “Unfortunately, in the end we had to make a business decision and obviously it’s an emotional decision because I grew up working there and it’s our longest-operating store. I’ve lamented about this decision for many years and done many things to keep it going out of tradition.”-Gary Iacocca, owner
South Dakota: In Howard, after 134 years (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) Belleview Lutheran Church shutting down next week. Due to The Rapture, I mean declining membership local Lutheran churches are merging in an attempt to stay alive. Local news media says the Belleview church was averaging only 14 people every Sunday (Sun-day, as in Star-day, now you know who their real god is). In Sioux Falls, Austad Golf shutting down their store on West 41st Street, by September.
Texas: For the second time since August 2015, Hercules Offshore is chapter 11 bankrupt busted. It’s proof the bankruptcy system can be a money making scam for unAmerican corporate America. Individuals are screwed over for ten years if they file bankruptcy.
Vermont: In Lyndonville, after 12 years The Packing House bar shutting down, the owners would only say that they’re “ready to move”. In Quechee, after 63 years Scotland by the Yard clothing store shutting down in August. The owners tried to sell it, but most potential buyers did some research and then backed out saying it was too risky.
Washington: North Dakota based CRF Frozen Foods shutdown their Pasco factory due to listeria. So far 3-hundred employees are out of work until the factory is declared safe! Local news media say as many as 430 jobs could be affected.
A fine example of what I call REL; Spectrum Glass said the EPA action against Bullseye Glass, in Oregon, was impetus for Spectrum to make a sudden decision to shutdown their 40 years old Snohomish County glass factory. 124 jobs gone by July! Art glass wholesalers are concerned they’re next to go: “There’s tens of thousands of artists who depend on Spectrum through retail shops and distributors. Spectrum is close to 60% of our warehouse stock. We’ll adjust, we’ll survive but lots of people, I’m sure, won’t.”-David Scott, Northwest Art Glass in Redmond
WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification.
I found a 2010 AFL-CIO analysis (titled The Public Availability of WARN Notices: Lack of Accessibility and Disclosure…) which proves what I’ve been suspecting in my search of state WARN notices; most states are not complying with federal WARN regulations and are not publicizing or tracking mass layoffs.
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.”