Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:
Arizona: The U.S. Army is proposing to kill 2700 jobs at Fort Huachuca, due to crashing tax revenues caused by the suck ass economy! Despite being home to a U.S. Marine Corps Air Station and a U.S. Army Proving Grounds, Yuma has the highest unemployment rate in the U.S. at 26.5%!
California: Despite being a major agricultural center, El Centro has the second highest rate of unemployment in the U.S., at 21.1%! In Brisbane, upscale snooty women’s clothing chain Bebe admitted they killed jobs with their stores across the U.S., but refused to say how many. In Glendale, after 29 years Brand Bookshop shutdown. In Mountain View, Symantec revealed they killed another 51 jobs back on 18 June. For some reason they didn’t file their WARN until 30 June, and the state says they didn’t get it until 01 July. In Modesto, cereal maker Post announced they’re shutting down in September, 58 jobs lost.
Florida: In Gainsville, after 56 years Central Florida Office Plus shutdown. The owners blame local hospitals and government agencies for shifting their office supply purchases to the big box national chain stores. After 47 years Crevasse’s Regency Florist shutdown. After 28 years, Grandy’s restaurant announced they’re shutting down in August.
Illinois: In Quincy, after 134 years (surviving dozens of recessions and the Great Depression) Geo. Keller & Sons shutdown, 21 jobs lost. Family owners said their sales have been crashing for too many years in a row.
Iowa: In Davenport, after years of taking over competing printing ops, and making public announcements proclaiming everything was wine-n-roses, after 40 years Brandt printing shutdown. Reports said some employees would get lucky and be offered jobs with another company in Hiawatha.
Massachusetts: In Springfield, after 79 years (and surviving the Great Depression) The Student Prince Café & Fort Dining Room shutdown. It was sold off.
Missouri: Ironically the Republican controlled legislature passed a huge taxpayer funded spending bill despite the fact that tax revenues can’t support it. Then, even more ironically, the Democrat governor vetoed the bill precisely because tax revenues are crashing! Unfortunately (but realistically) this means massive layoffs of state government employees beginning in July.
Nevada: Gambling machine maker Bally Technologies killing 270 jobs! Blame it on the company’s officials who spent $1.3-million USD taking over a rival gambling machine maker (International Game Technology, who also killed jobs).
New York: NYC based international internet marketing company Razorfish laid off at least 100 employees, many in Illinois and Georgia. In Utica, after 17 years the Kniffin Center-Family Place shutting down in July. In Batavia, after at least 69 years Flowers by Dick Burton shutdown. The owners blame crashing sales. Scotsman Media Group shutting down printing ops in Syracuse and Chenango Bridge, 90 jobs lost. What housing market recovery? REIT Management & Research announced they are shutting down some ops across New York, 28 property management jobs lost. In New Hyde Park, the Stop & Shop Supermarket announced they’re shutting down in September, 162 jobs lost!
North Carolina: Phone service company MIG now chapter 11 bankrupt busted. Apparently the U.S. based company doesn’t really provide cell phone service, they make their money off another company based in the Republic of Georgia (not the U.S. state of Georgia). That company is called MagtiCom, and as a result of a legal dispute MIG has had all their expected $18.4-million in dividends from MagitCom suspended! In Gastonia, after 40 years childcare center Belvedere Playhouse shutdown.
Oregon: In Forest Grove, Izgara Middle Eastern Cuisine shutdown. The Jewish owners said they already bought their airline tickets to Florida.
Utah: Denmark based mining-cement engineering company FLSmidth & Co laid off 78 people in the Beehive State. Company officials blame it on the across-the-board global crash in mining sales.
Virginia: In Natural Bridge, after 37 years the Wax Museum shutting down in September. The area was sold to the State Parks, and they are not interested in operating the Civil War themed wax museum. What automotive industry recovery? Roanoke based Advanced Auto Parts announced they’re shutting down 100 stores across the U.S.! And that’s just the beginning, officials calling it their “first round” of store closings! Thousands of jobs will be lost! It’s the result of their takeover of rival Carquest-General Parts last year (company officials say there are just far too many auto parts stores in the U.S., and they need to be culled). But wait, there’s more! Advanced Auto was awarded $17.4-million in taxpayer incentives, if they created 600 new jobs in Virginia! One news report said many of those ‘new’ jobs will actually be former Carquest employees simply re-hired by Advanced Auto.
26 – 27 June 2014: “…it’s time to bail out!”
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