Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:
Fidelity Investments announced it is laying off 460 people in Kentucky and Texas! Fidelity is outsourcing its printing-mailing operations to a company in New York, which will take place in 2015. Fidelity officials claim that by outsourcing jobs they can “increase our focus on investment services”.
Arizona: The entire Arivaca Fire District has been shutdown because of Obama Care! Officials were already having trouble funding the fire department due to crashing local tax revenue, then along comes Obamacare and kills health insurance reimbursements for ambulances and EMTs. According to the now unemployed Fire Chief, Scott VanBoerum, the Arivaca Fire District is owed $93-thousand USD for ambulance services since November 2013, but has only been reimbursed $6-thousand: “Everybody knows we’ve been having difficulties for a little while due to reimbursement issues, from healthcare transports we just started in November, as well as there’s a time delay getting paid for response and grant reimbursements.”
California: In Irvine, Buca Restaurants announced they’re shutting down in September, 87 jobs lost. In Palo Alto, Hewlett Packard (HP) laid off 82 employees, and failed to give state officials timely notice under the WARN system. In Los Angeles, Kids Line-Kids Brand store shutdown suddenly, company officials giving the official WARN to state officials after the fact, 49 jobs lost.
Florida: Obama Care killing non-profit adult medical daycare provider Sunrise Community. The nursing home officials said the Affordable Care Act has slashed their funding down to only $50 per patient, they describe Obama Care as “unrealistic”! The officials say they will shutdown their two nursing homes in September, unless they can find a rich business partner to float their boat which is floundering in the Obamagasso Sea! In Sanford, after five years Texas based Maxwest Environmental Systems shutdown without notice and is now bankrupt busted. The company handled sewage treatment for three Florida cities, those cities are now scrambling to replace the private contractor! Company officials admitted that implementing their innovative treatment of human waste took longer and cost more than they anticipated. In Miami Gardens, Kentucky based Churchill Downs announced they’re killing 246 jobs at their Calder Casino & Race Course! The casino and horse racing track was sold off to The Stronach Group, which is keeping only 50 of the Churchill Downs employees. The city of Gainsville warning of about 22 layoffs in their fiscal year of 2015 (October 2014 to October 2015) due to problems with residents being unable to pay local property taxes. City officials are also considering outsourcing city jobs, but the mayor owned up and actually blames city officials for the mess: “No one wants to get laid off and no one wants to be the one who lays off someone, but we have created the web that prevents easy lateral moves.”-Ed Braddy
Kentucky: What housing market recovery? Highland Heights based General Cable announced it will kill 1-thousand jobs in 2015! The company makes all kinds of cable, including wiring used in residential and commercial construction. Company officials blame their layoffs on the crashing global home construction industry.
Massachusetts: In Westminster, Aubuchon Hardware said it will kill 80 jobs in August. The family owners blame the bad economy. In Brighton, after 41 years Imperial Pizza shutdown.
Michigan: What automotive industry recovery? In Riverview, Penske Logistics announced it is shutting down in September, 183 jobs lost! Company officials blame it on the loss of a new vehicle shipment contract with Ford. What housing market recovery? In Hudsonville, after 76 years Lamar Construction Company shutdown without notice, 280 jobs lost! Local news reports said company officials made “vague references” to the bad economy. Insurance industry written Obama Care killed off Gerontology Network‘s CareTree Adult Day Care service, along with their Outreach and Assistance program. An undisclosed number of healthcare workers laid off. In Dearborn, the U.S. Department of Education has approved the sale of Everett Institute. It’s part of the massive collapse of the Corinthian Colleges. In the Failed State of Flint, Kroger shutting down their Pierson Road grocery store in August. Company officials say sales have dropped so much they can’t pay the rent: “…it was determined during our evaluation that we were unable to continue operating at the 2629 Pierson Road, Flint location and made the decision to not renew our lease…”
Minnesota: After claiming it was going to create 1-thousand new jobs, Minneapolis based medical device maker Medtronic actually laid off 40 people in the North Star State. From 2011 to 2013 Medtronic killed 1-thousand jobs in Minnesota. The latest job cuts might have something to do with the company’s $42.9-billion takeover of rival Covidien. In Austin, after 10 years Quizno’s sandwich shop shutting down due to nobody wanting to takeover the store. The franchise owners simply said “It doesn’t look good.” In Mankato, after 20 years Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant announced they will shutdown in August. The local franchise owner blames “circumstances beyond my control.”
New Jersey: What housing market recovery? In Hamilton, Congoleum shutting down their vinyl flooring plant, 65 jobs lost in September. Company officials blame it on the bad economy and lawsuits over its products. In Secaucus, Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center to kill 102 healthcare jobs! The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act caused the hospital to lose 30% of its patients just in the month of May! Obama Care could be the final nail in the coffin for Meadowlands hospital, which is facing legal problems due to the fact it’s being run by vulture capitalist investors who have no experience in the medical field. In Berkeley Heights, after only four months New York based Garden of Eden grocery store shutdown. Company officials said “…business needs dictate that we cut our losses.”
New York: In Brewster, Minnesota based education testing company Questar Assessment shutting down and laying off 39 employees by November.
North Carolina: In Durham, the ‘private’ Whiskey bar shutting down by August.
Ohio: Springfield based Eby-Brown revealed it is shutting down their NewFreshCo Foods operations in August, 31 jobs lost. Eby-Brown claims to be the largest privately owned convenience store distributor in the U.S. After 26 years Perrysburg Radiator shutdown. In Toledo, it was finally revealed that solar panel maker Xunlight shutdown without notice, at the end of June. Company officials basically said they were owed money that was never paid: “Unfortunately, payments that were committed to be paid to Xunlight contractually have not been sent as agreed, and the company does not have the funds necessary to meet its obligations, including this week’s payroll, and to continue its operations. Furthermore, there are no prospects for obtaining additional funding.”
What housing market recovery? Montgomery County reports that property values have crashed by more than $1-billion, affecting “…more than 70% of residential home owners…”! Karl Keith, Montgomery County auditor, puts it succinctly: “Property values are at their lowest level in more than a decade. Clearly, the recession has been a kick in the gut!”
Oklahoma: The city of Oklahoma laying off 16 state workers’ compensation employees. It’s blamed on radical reorganization of the state’s workers comp system. In Sand Springs, Kmart announced they’re shutting down in October, 50 jobs lost.
Pennsylvania: More proof of a Failed State system! The Superintendent of The School District of Philadelphia is demanding new taxes be imposed on the already struggling population. William R. Hite Jr. says if new taxes, specifically a new cigarette tax, are not created by August then he will be forced to layoff 13-hundred employees! Keep in mind that is on top of the 342 school district jobs already being killed in July! The Philly school district is now $93-million in debt, no thanks in part to the massive increase in employee health and retirement cost increases caused by Obama Care! In Monaca, EveryWare Global (formerly Anchor Hocking) announced that the temporary shutdown of their kitchenware factory could become permanent, 450 jobs lost! It’s blamed on EveryWare not being able to pay its debts. The deadline to come up with a payment plan favorable to creditors is July 15.
South Carolina: Gun maker PTR Industries laid off eight employees, and cut pay for the rest. Company officials blame it on a sudden crash in gun sales. According to CRT Research, the first six months of 2014 saw a 7.5% decline in gun sales in the U.S. This puts pressure on PRT because they moved to South Carolina (after Connecticut became a naziland anti-Constitution state) and they promised they would create a specific number of jobs in return for some tax breaks.
Tennessee: The Tennessee Tiger Gift Shop now chapter 11 bankrupt busted and shutdown. Sharky’s Gulf Grill shutdown. Apparently the property is under a U.S. Department of Justice forced sale, having something to due with the property owner being accused of Facebook scams.
Texas: Who said the internet is killing brick-n-mortar stores? In San Antonio, internet travel company Travelocity announced it will shutdown an office in August, killing 85 jobs. Company officials blame the bad economy for forcing them to sell their “partner network” operations to Orbitz. Dallas based The Container Store reported they lost $3.58-million during the three months of their first quarter 2014! That’s slightly more than double their 1st Q 2013 loss! Company CEO Kip Tindell says he now believes there is no recovery: “I think this retail funk is real. We’re a little surprised by it…”
Virginia: After 50 years Fresh Pride began shutting down the last of its grocery stores, without notice. An undisclosed number of employees laid off, in the hundreds at least! The owner of Fresh Pride, Camellia Food Stores, said they can no longer compete in this bad economy.
Wisconsin: In Neenah, Connecticut based postal contractor Pitney Bowes announced it is laying off 56 employees in September. The ass-hole governor Scott Walker is now sucking on his foot, because his Right To Work you over polices have resulted in record numbers of people qualifying for BadgerCare (Wisconsin’s Medicaid program), the exact opposite what he promised! In June 111,432 people were on his new BadgerCare roles, the Right To Work you over legislators had funded BadgerCare with enough money to cover only 99-thousand people!
07 – 08 July 2014: “…a big slap in the face…!”
The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) doesn’t count the hundreds of layoffs involving less than 50 people each, in its mass layoff reports. It also doesn’t count all the little ‘mom & pop’ businesses that shut down.
“Our ideals and principles, as well as our national security…That’s what makes America different. That’s what makes us exceptional.”-Barack Obama, 10 September 2013