Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:
Japan based Nintendo ending its three years old TVii service in North America in August. Administrators say they must focus resources (code for money) “on other projects.”
France based Publicis Groupe (aka Publicis Healthcare Communications Group) owned Rosetta North America has been eliminating U.S. jobs ever since it was merged with Razorfish Healthware.
Alabama: Audio-visual company MindGear Labs ending their ops in Madison, saying they are focusing on their educational services. They are also reducing their membership rates in September, however new memberships won’t be accepted until next year. Administrators added that “Our online products will go on hiatus until the latter part of 2015. However, we will continue to work small and large projects for individuals and companies.”
California: What automotive market recovery? Japan based Toyota issued shutdown WARNs for their operations in Gardena and Torrance, 3-thousand 1-hundred jobs lost by December, happy Xmas! Sears Holdings finally revealed how many people will lose their jobs when the Cupertino Sears & Auto Center shuts down in October; 98. Michigan based Associate Management Resources issued a shutdown WARN for their San Diego ops, 588 jobs lost! In San Francisco, Cafe de la Presse told state administrators they’re closing, supposedly temporarily in September, 85 jobs lost. After three years of operations ‘mail order’ retailer Minno shutting down in September, 255 jobs lost! Sunglass maker Oakley issued multiple layoff WARNs saying 167 Californians will become unemployed in September! Albertsons-Safeway issued yet another layoff WARN for Pleasanton, another 14 people being let go in September. Beverage delivery company DS Services of America issued shutdown WARNs for Los Angeles and Pasadena, 320 jobs lost by the end of September! In San Jose, Maxim Integrated issued another layoff WARN for September, 11 jobs lost on top of the 150 made public just a week ago! Boeing issued yet more layoff WARNs, saying 244 more Californians will be jobless by September! In Monterey, American Management Services shutdown, 56 jobs lost.
Hawaii: More ObamaCare job loses at Hawaii Health Systems. After eliminating 87 jobs administrators say they must eliminate another 30, mostly from their Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital and West Kauai Clinics. This time administrators blame state ‘lawmakers’ for cutting $3-million USD from their fiscal year 2016 operating budget.
Indiana: More layoffs in the coal industry. Hallador Energy owned Sunrise Coal laid off 175 people! They blame low coal demand for forcing them to consolidate operations. In South Bend, pasta restaurant Ciao’s shutting down, the owner doesn’t know what he’s going to do. In Mishawaka, DeCloedt’s Flower Place shutdown after more than 60 years. The 85 years old owner blames decreasing sales and increasing costs of operations: “I sat here the other morning and wondered ‘How I’m going to make it anymore?'”-Mary Ann DeCloedt
Iowa: News reports out of Des Moines report skyrocketing egg prices, and turkey shortages, due to the H5N2 bird flu. Grocery chains Hy-Vee and Fareway report that while turkey prices are steady, supply is crashing forcing them to ration: “We just receive a percentage of what we normally get, then we allocate that out to our stores.”-John Turner, Fareway Stores
The price of eggs in grocery stores have tripled, and at restaurants diners are paying an average of 25 cents more per egg. One restaurant owner said the high price of eggs has jacked up the cost of making pancakes by $1,200 USD, per week: “It’s really starting to get pricey. We hope it will be a short-lived situation.”-David “Stoney” Stone, Waveland Cafe
Kansas: After 22 years Bella Luna Cafe shutdown. It’s being blamed on a recent death in the family and trying to run three restaurants at one time: “It’s not about money for me. It’s about being happy, and I’m not happy…”– Matteo Taha
Michigan: Italy owned Fiat-Chrysler has been ordered to buy back hundreds of thousands of Dodge and Jeep vehicles and pay a record $105-million in fines, after it was shown that drivers of the vehicles could lose control too easily, and that plastic gas tanks are exploding upon impact. Also, it was recently proven that you can hack into computer controlled vehicles (meaning most vehicles built in the past 15 years) during a wireless takeover demonstration using a Jeep.
New Hampshire: ObamaCare forcing the Lakeview NeuroRehabilitation Center to shutdown. It’s officially being blamed on an investigation by the Disability Rights Center. However, the Associated Press points out that ever since ObamaCare went into effect in 2013 “…13 states had shut down state-run developmental centers, and many more are on the path to closure. ….moving away from placing people in institutions and focusing instead on caring for them within their homes…”. The owner of Lakeview NeuroRehabilitation Center blames drastic cuts to Medicaid payments and the fact that ObamaCare has cut the number of patients in the 88 bed treatment center to just 10! After 30 years Reel to Reel video store shutdown.
New York: Restaurant Associates issued a shutdown WARN saying 84 people will become unemployed by September due to loss of food service contract with Credit Suisse and “Building Renovations”. God refused to stop ‘his’ Church of the Nativity, on Second Avenue in the East Village, from shutting down. Only 30 people showed up for its last Sunday service. NYC based temp employment agency Corporate Resource Services now chapter 11 bankrupt busted. It has something to do with Too Big to Jail Wells Fargo and a payroll service contractor.
North Carolina: The Providence Volunteer Fire Department shutdown in Weddington. Town residents voted to use fire services from Wesley Chapel because they think it will be cheaper. Harris Teeter shutting down their Monroe grocery store before the end of August, administrators calling it a “strategic” decision.
Oregon: In Portland, Too Big to Jail Capital One issued multiple shutdown WARNs saying 846 people will become jobless between October 2015 and January 2016!
Puerto Rico: The U.S. territory’s Government Development Bank announced it cannot make its debt payments for 01 August! Also, the Infrastructure Financing Authority gave up on trying to get a new loan for $3-billion!
Texas: In Plano, after 117 years (surviving the Great deflationary Depression and numerous recessions) Vincent’s Seafood restaurant shutdown. The owner blames steadily declining sales over the past few years. British empire Scotland based Howco shutting down its Yorktown oil tools factory as soon as they fill the last order, at least 17 jobs lost. Oil field service companies Halliburton and Baker Hughes revealed they’ve eliminated 27-thousand oil industry jobs! Administrators with the companies blame low oil prices, but its really because the two companies are about to merge. However, news reports say both companies have sworn to FTC regulators that they are not cutting jobs because of their planned merger. More jobs cuts are expected if the FTC approves the merger.
Washington DC: Despite the main stream U.S. news media quoting dozens of housing market analysts who continue to say things are good all over, the U.S. Department of Commerce says otherwise. For June new home sales fell 6.8%, and for May the numbers were revised downward by 29-thousand homes!
25 July 2015: “Times have caught up with us…”
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.”