Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:
California: Even the rich and famous are cutting back spending. In Beverly Hills the Hakkasan restaurant shutdown, the owners also admitted that their Las Vegas operation is losing money as well. TV ratings company Nielsen is selling off its National Research Group, the latest reports from Deadline say at least a dozen employees were suddenly laid off in Los Angeles. One employee was on vacation when she got a phone call telling her not to bother returning to work! Another employee stated “It’s unbelievable that management who steered this company into the rocks is still standing!”
Florida: Yet another railroad company conducting mass layoffs. CSX will begin furloughing 6-hundred employees around the country in its 3rd quarter of 2015! It’s blamed on crashing shipments of coal caused by the crashing coal mining industry/market.
Illinois: General Mills shutting down their West Chicago food factory by 2017, at least 5-hundred jobs lost! This will be the 3rd General Mills factory in West Chicago to shutdown! It’s part of their Project Century plan to deal with crashing sales. Unionized employees said “…it’s all about money now.”
Kansas: Olathe School District warned layoffs were coming due to $2-million USD shortfall. Administrators did not blame enrollment, but blamed increased costs (like ObamaCare insurance rates for employees) and reduced funding from the state and federal governments.
Maryland: After 37 years pre-school The Eyman Children Center shutting down by the end of the month. The owner said “It’s time to get serious about retirement and enjoying what years are left.” Gov’na Larry Hogan eliminated 63 ‘public safety’ (prison & parole) jobs, pissing off the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees: “They’re firing people. When you abolish positions, you’re firing people. That’s what happens when you cut 2% of the department’s budget across the board!”– Patrick Moran, AFSCME Council 3
After seven years restaurant Clementine is shutting down. The co-owner said she’s focusing on catering only because it’s not a good time to run a restaurant: “…is the toughest business ever. It’s really, really, really hard. There are just so many moving parts, and we’re working so many hours. And our events schedule has really been picking up. You start to ask yourselves, ‘What’s going to give?’”-Cristin Dadant
Michigan: Davenport University shutting down several campuses due to crashing enrollment. Some campuses will be merged while others will become two year colleges. What I call Disappearing Students Syndrome has resulted in Davenport losing 3,341 students since 2010! In Howell, after 35 years Antiques On the River mini-mall shutting down. Apparently the two story building will see a different business take over, and antique dealers will have to find a new venue to sell from.
Minnesota: Golden Valley based food producer General Mills revealed Project Century, a plan to shutdown dozens of factories and eliminate 2-thousand 5-hundred jobs! General Mills also runs Project Catalyst, which has eliminated 8-hundred ‘white-collar’ jobs! Just last month General Mills announced a new Project Compass which will eliminate 725 jobs over the next 12 months, and is in edition to the other two projects! The crashing coal mining industry is being blamed for future job losses at the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. Administrators stated that as of now the volume of shipping is normal, but they expect that all the massive mining industry layoffs recently announced will result in decreased shipments, meaning no need for all those Port Authority employees.
Missouri: General Mills shutting down their Joplin food factory, 120 jobs lost! It’s part of their Project Century plan to deal with crashing sales.
New Jersey: School bus contractor First Student just issued a WARN saying 135 people in Trenton will become unemployed in September! Local news reports said the contractor is consolidating ops to save money. Taxpayers are finding out the real reason for hundreds of layoffs at the Atlantic City School District; four new ‘director’ positions were created and the jobs went to employees who were supposed to be laid off, and who got huge pay raises as a result! District administrators justified their game by claiming the four new positions will be handling the work of 18 positions that were eliminated.
New York: In Tarrytown, Institutes of Applied Human Dynamics issued a shutdown WARN for October. In Troy, after 67 years men’s clothier Rodino’s shutdown. The current owner admitted that he not being a taylor, and not being able find one for the past two years, negatively impacted sales: “It took a long time to decide. I’ve been working here for 40 something years. I’ve seen a lot of changes here in business trends. We always had a faithful following. It’s a bittersweet-type moment.”-Michael Rodino
North Carolina: In West Asheville, after one year clothing store Rhetorical Factory shutdown. The owner found out the hard way that in a bad economy it doesn’t matter what you do: “I did it the best way I knew how. We recycled clothes. We took out labels. We sold art. We paid people well, and I was really stubborn about who I chose to hire and what products we sold. For four months out of the year to be really slow was really hard…..the way the rent is structured. I felt like I was spending six months out of the year trying to make it through those four months.”-Bethany Adams
Ohio: The city of Niles has been in a state of fiscal emergency since October. Now administrators are warning of layoffs pending “good data” and the hope of “looking for more money”. In Dayton, Practice Yoga shutdown, the owner saying only “After exploring several other options, all signs point to this, a difficult but necessary move.” Private yoga classes will be available for the hardcore pretzel benders. Despite reporting a 9% increase in earnings, and despite announcing they will return home loans ops, and despite having enough money to donate $1-million to Cleveland State university, Too Big to Jail KeyBank (KeyCorp) announced it will shutdown as many as 30 offices by the end of the year. Local news reports say that in the past 12 months KeyBank has already laid off 4-hundred people across the country, and suspect more layoffs are in the works!
Pennsylvania: After 32 years Dunning’s Grill shutdown. Restaurant Isabela shutting down by the end of the month and being sold-off due to family health problems. In Sayre, after 23 years Paint, Paper & Lighting Place shutting down, it’s been sold to help fund the co-owner’s retirement.
South Carolina: South Carolina State University shutting down nine buildings, including four dorms, in an attempt to save money. Obviously with less buildings to take care of there won’t be the need for all those building maintenance jobs. Administrators admit that struggles with enrollment resulted in not enough money to perform needed repairs and upgrades to the nine buildings.
Texas: Education testing contractor Pearson laid off 208 employees in The Lone Star State, and another 62 in other states! It’s blamed on the loss of their testing contracts. Houston based Milagro Oil & Gas now chapter 11 bankrupt busted, and will begin selling off its oil wells.
Washington: In Bellingham, Mount Baker Vapor issued a shutdown WARN for September, 92 jobs lost.
Washington DC: National Journal halting its hardcopy edition. Administrators said the print version was a financial failure, yet at the same time claimed the company was in good financial shape. They will now focus on their internet version.
West Virginia: As part of their plan to kill-off 175 stores, clothier Gap shutting down their 18 years old Charleston Town Center store by the end of the month.
Wisconsin: Associated Bank announced they’re shutting down 13 offices, and basically they’re following the herd of other banks doing the same thing.
16 July 2015: “I’m not going to put a gun to anybody’s head…”
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.”