Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:
California: In Newport Beach, after 25 years restaurant Jackshrimp shutdown. The owner did not renew the lease and implied he was being pushed out by greedy property developers. In Red Bluff, after four years the owners of 3 Generations Arts & Shop announced they will shutdown by July. News reports didn’t say why.
Delaware: In Dover, God refuses to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ 25 years old Branch Christian Bookstore. The owner said “We just couldn’t compete anymore.”
Florida: The city of Palm Bay warned that they are so low on cash that they might have to layoff 45 employees, just so they can pay for much needed road repairs without raising taxes.
Idaho: In Boise, the Chili’s restaurant on West Franklin Road (near Boise Towne Square mall) shutting down. The Montana based franchise owner says they are getting outta Boise and moving to Nampa. Is bankruptcy next for the unlucky Lucky Friday Mine near Mullan? The silver mine is owned by troubled Hecla Mining. In April 2011 the Lucky Friday Mine was hit by a rock fall that killed one employee. In November 2011 the mine was shutdown for 12 months by a second rock fall that trapped several miners. At the end of 2013 four of those employees, that were trapped, sued Hecla for $1-million USD saying the company violated federal mine safety rules. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice investigated Lucky Friday Mine and concluded, in 2014, that Hecla committed at least 5-hundred violations of federal regulations (mostly pollution violations). Just days ago Hecla agreed to pay a $600-thousand fine. About 1-hundred people work at the mine.
Maryland: The Bel Air Wallgreens is the latest victim of the legal drugs pusher’s (now called Walgreens-Boots Alliance) plan to shutdown 2-hundred stores across the country.
Massachusetts: The city of Fall River laid off 90 employees. The mayor is also pushing for a new $10 per month trash fee (which is less than what I’m paying here in Chubbuck, Idaho). Fall River is missing $6.5-million.
Michigan: The city of Saginaw warned it must shutdown two fire stations and eliminate jobs. Yet again, this is a case of a city relying on federal taxpayer funded grant money, which expires at the end of June. Suttons Bay Public Schools laid off at least five teachers. Administrators said they had to take drastic action to get the school district back in the ‘black’, or face a takeover by state administrators.
Minnesota: The Upper Saint Anthony Falls Lock and Dam shutdown in an effort to stop the spread of invasive carp.
Missouri: Katy Industries WARNed they will shutdown their Bridgeton facility and layoff 155 people! They’re moving operations to Jefferson City. It was revealed that Jefferson City and Cole County bribed Kay Industries with tax breaks, which required them to kill off the 155 jobs in Bridgeton (the jobs must be created new for Jefferson City)!
Nebraska: What housing market recovery? Omaha based Mutual of Omaha Bank announced it is shutting down home loan offices in Lincoln and in Fort Myers, Florida. Mutual of Omaha has contracted out their mortgage serving ops to Guild Mortgage.
New Hampshire: Hamden Board of Education blames what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome for forcing them to eliminate 24 jobs. Reports say the junior high lost 86 students since last year, and the high school lost 4-hundred over the past seven years.
New Jersey: What automotive industry recovery? “global diversified technology and industrial leader” Johnson Controls issued a shutdown WARN for five locations connected to its automotive division, at least 310 jobs lost! It’s part of the Wisconsin based company’s plan to get out of the automotive parts making business. Stop & Shop announced they’re shutting down their Manalapan grocery store in July, 80 jobs affected. A local grocery store analyst says profits for food stores has become “very, very, tight”. Another analyst blames the grocery store shutdowns on ShopRite, who is now “dominating the supermarket landscape in New Jersey.”
New York: Clothier J.Crew laid off 175 people at its NYC HQ! Company administrators said they are preparing for the “future”. In Forrest Hill, 20 years old teenager clothing store Strawberry shutdown. News reports say it’s one of many stores that have shutdown in the same area, all blaming outrageously jacked up rents! Reports say landlords refuse to talk to the local news media. ObamaCare forcing Brooklyn Kidney Center to sell-off their New York Dialysis Services, 65 jobs threatened.
Oklahoma: Sand Ridge Energy laid off 40 people in Alva. Local news reports say administrators refuse to explain why. Also, local news reports said the company tried to keep the layoffs quiet, and even refused to acknowledge them when questioned.
Oregon: What construction industry recovery? After 60 years the Allen’s Mill shutdown, 45 jobs lost. The lumber mill’s general manager blames bad timber and a strong U.S. dollar: “The current log situation is so sad, you can’t buy a predictable supply of marketable logs……It is just a sign of the times, a strong U.S. dollar…..puts log exports at a disadvantage.”-Gerry Lane
Pennsylvania: The second-oldest Jewish newspaper in America, Jewish Exponent, laid off 15 people. Managers said they are out-sourcing jobs in an effort to save the company, admitting they’ve been losing about $300-thousand per year!
Tennessee: British empire Scotland owned Weir Minerals shutdown their Gallatin operations, 47 jobs lost: “The demands of our customers are declining with plant closures throughout the coal, steel and power industries in recent years and less money being spent on original equipment in the hard rock mining and oil sands markets.”-Aaron Ravenscroft
Virginia: Tax-sucker Raytheon lost their spy satellite contract with the federal government (National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency), 59 jobs lost in Springfield. In Norfolk, decades old O’Sullivan’s Wharf restaurant suddenly shutdown. The owners would only say “Friends, family, customers, neighbors it is with a heavy heart we announce that today will be our final day open for business.” In Hampton, the 45 years old Cesar Tarrant Elementary School shutdown due to what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome. After 16 years Vacuum Store Sales & Services in Leesburg shutting down. The owner blames the greedy landlord: “I got priced out of the area. They want way too much money for these spaces and didn’t want to negotiate. We’re not making any money anymore as it is.”-Bob Baird
07 – 09 June 2015: “It was so humiliating to train somebody else to take over your job!”
WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification
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.”