Incomplete list of job loss announcements and shutdowns.

Alabama:  British empire based British Petroleum (BP) sold its Decatur ops to a Thailand based company called Indorama.  The new owner claims they will not eliminate any of the 444 jobs at the plant (famous last words?).

California:  More proof high-tech is not recession resistant, San Francisco based Mixapanel laid off 18 employees admitting that in 2015 they “overhired”.   Also in San Francisco, after 23 years the El Majahual restaurant shutting down next week.  The owners finally wised up and realized it’s better to own than rent, they’re moving to their new location ‘across the bay’.  Los Angeles based Capital Music Group laid off ten people (including executives) on the orders of its new chairman.   Another ‘green’ company shutting down, this time in the small city of Atascadero the Recycling Buy-back Center shutting down at the end of the month, affecting at least 115 customers.  The owner, Atascadero Waste Alternatives, blames crashing commodity prices.

Connecticut: Post University eliminated 15 jobs and reclassified another 15.  One teacher said her ‘reclassification’ included a 53% cut in pay! 

Georgia: In Macon, 100 years old (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) Arvin’s Pawn shutting down in March.

Idaho: In Ada County, this year’s Garden City gun show might be the last.  County administrators are worried about safety issues after a couple of incidents where idgit galoots accidentally fired off weapons at other Idaho gun shows.   The University of Idaho’s McClure Center for Public Policy Research discovered that one third of Idaho high school grads surveyed see no reason to ‘Go-On’ to college or university because the job market doesn’t justify the cost of higher education.  The study also discovered that while 53% of females go on to higher education only 38% of Idaho males ‘Go-On’.  That means Idaho’s ‘Go-On’ gender gap rate is higher than the national average.

Illinois: What construction industry recovery?  Netherlands based overhead door company FlexiForce shutting down their nearly seven years old Dixon factory by the end of the month, saying it’s no longer “profitable”.

Iowa: In Sioux City, after three years the owner of Funkalicious decided to shutdown her brick-n-mortar boutique and sell on the internet only.

Kentucky:  People suffering from the coal industry shutdowns revealed it’s costing former employees a lot of money to re-train: “If they switch everything from coal to gas, that retraining program that they’re doing now is going to take five to six years of training. Woth Eastern Kentucky Power down there, if they switch everything to gas…if they change all that then everybody is going to have to go through more school after they already went through their apprenticeship and pay their $600 for their book and pay for that gas going to that school.“-Dakota Cones, interviewed by WOWK

Louisiana: The live action Old Marquer Theater (aka Shadowbox) shutting down in February because they can’t afford to renew the lease.

Maryland: After 60 years Watson’s Garden Center (known for real reindeer displays at Xmas) shutting down by the end of the month, the owner blames the suck-ass economy.  Local news reports say the property is not for sale and nobody seems to know what will become of it, there is another business located on the property.

Massachusetts: In Cambridge, after 30 years East Coast Grill shutting down by the end of the month.  No reason was presented.

Michigan: After almost 70 years the B.C. Cobb power plant shutting down in April, blaming changing government regulations and skyrocketing costs to maintain the aged electricity maker.  At one point the power plant employed 2-hundred people.

Minnesota: After 28 years Suzanne’s Jewelry shutting down in April, the owner will not renew the lease and intends to retire.   The 1950s style K&B Drive Inn south of Eveleth shutdown without warning.   After 93 years (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) Falkowski’s Market shutting down, Mike Falkowski blames “The tough Range economy is hurting our business. Can’t keep operating losing money every month. Just couldn’t survive.”  The Hallmark gift store in the Thunderbird Mall shutting down at the end of the month.  There are rumors the Kmart, also located in the Thunderbird Mall, will shutdown.    In Minneapolis, after two years Brasserie Zentral shutting down, a co-owner saying “This industry has always been hard, but right now, it has never been harder.”   Essar Steel revealed it started laying off employees.  Apparently the company ran out of money to finish its new taconite plant and is struggling to get more loans.  In Little Falls, after 85 years (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) Pap’s Sports Shop shutting down, the owner blamed many things including manufactures: “…a lot of the manufacturers are putting a lot of dollar limits that if you don’t spend this amount, your account is closed, and it is really a shame, because that’s going to eliminate all the small independents.”-Paulette Pappenfus

Montana: In Great Falls, the Townhouse Inn shutting down in March.  The owners say the 50 years old hotel does not meet today’s standards and they plan to build a new hotel, however, they have yet to find a new property to build that new hotel on.  Local news did not ask why they don’t build the new hotel on the old property.  25 jobs affected.

New York:   NYC based door-to-door “women’s” products seller Avon announced it will eliminate in-house IT jobs as it has signed a contract with failed California based tech company Hewlett Packard (HP).   Allure magazine laid off at least 13 people.   Proof that being positive won’t stop negative things from happening as “positive” NYC based website Upworthy laid off 14 people connected to internet video trends.  Company leaders used Orwellian double-speak terminology and called the layoffs “an investment”!  Huffington Post also warned employees that jobs will be eliminated due to shifting internet video trends, which is proof the internet is not recession resistant.

North Carolina:  The Books-A-Million Bookland in the Signal Hill Mall shutting down by the end of the month.  It leaves Signal Hill Mall with just 11 tenants!

Ohio: By the end of the 1st quarter 2016 Republic Steel will eliminate 2-hundred jobs at its factory in Lorain!  This will result in the shutdown of their factory as Republic Steel has already eliminated 7-hundred Lorain jobs in 2015, resulting in the city suffering a $2.3-million USD budget shortfall due to reduced tax revenues.      Chapel Hill Mall losing two clothing stores by next month; the Old Navy and the Express.

Oklahoma: Society of Exploration Geophysicists laid off 19 people in connection to the oil industry shutdown.

Pennsylvania:  In Allentown, after only six months Shula’s Steak House shutdown without warning, it might have something to do with a lawsuit in which the Florida based restaurant chain settled claims that it failed to make rent payments.    General Electric (GE) laid off 4-hundred people at its Lawrence Park Plant, as part of planned job cuts for 2016!  Hotel Carlisle has been secretly shutdown according to employees, and the shifty owners are nowhere to be seen.  Local news sources are getting flooded with calls from employees who have been left out to dry: “We have not been getting paid! We are pretty much five weeks behind in pay!”-Jasmine Johnson, a house cleaning supervisor

Tennessee:  In Franklin, after 11 years the Main Street Toy Company shutdown, the owner blames low sales for not being able to pay the high rent.

U.S. Virgin Islands: Sugar Bay Resort hotel eliminated an undisclosed number of jobs without warning, due to lack of vacationers from the mainland.

Virginia:  After 40 years Fluvanna County based Blue Ridge Mountain Sports finally saying “goodbye” as it shuts down its remaining seven stores across three states.   At one point there were 12 Blue Ridge stores.  They blame their demise on increasing competition.  In Alexandria, Old Time Coffee, Tea and Spice shutting down in February because the landlord is jacking up the rent.

Wyoming: In Casper, after 80 years (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) iconic Wolford’s Shoe Store shutdown due to a 44% crash in sales due to the local oil bust!  According to news reports at least 27 Cowboy State oil rigs were shutdown in 2015, and 54 in 2014.

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

08 January 2016: “It’s not working.”

Former employees who receive severance are not counted as unemployed

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.”