Incomplete list of job loss announcements and shutdowns.

Florida: Preferred Medical Plan eliminating 18 jobs in Coral Gables, by the beginning of April.  At Patrick Air Force Base two contractors, GCR and InDyne, issued mass layoff WARNs for 209 people by the end of March!

Illinois: Peabody Energy’s Arclar Mine Complex eliminated 75 coal mining jobs due to crashing demand for coal.  In Evanston, Montoya Fiber Studios shutting down after 13 years of tying up locals in yarn.  The owners said it’s time for them to travel.

Maryland: C&S Wholesale Grocers shutting down their distribution ops on Lums Road, about 2-hundred jobs lost by April!  A county administrator said she was surprised because C&S was recently advertising to hire more employees!  C&S administrators told county officials they could not stop the shutdown due to the sudden loss of a major contract.

Massachusetts: In Somerville, after five years Sabertooth Vegan Bakery shutting down so the owner can get the hell outta Boston Weak Massachusetts and go on “permanent vacation”: “…things here just haven’t been working out. It’s always been my dream to live in California and work on an animal sanctuary and I was offered an amazing opportunity to do that.”-Evie Noël   

Missouri: Doe Run Company announced it must eliminate 75 mining jobs as a result of complying with Environmental Protection Agency lawsuits.

New York:   New York Life Insurance is shutting down their IT & Finance office in Sleepy Hollow, layoffs will take place between April and December. Administrators indicated they were moving the jobs elsewhere, but didn’t say where.   Principal Service Solutions-Global Foundries revealed they laid off at least 28 people in Hopewell Junction due to loss of a maintenance contract.    Brach’s Supermarket issued a shutdown WARN for their Lawrence grocery store, 127 jobs lost by the first of May! Administrators blame the bad economy.

Despite a grand opening send-off by U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, Constantino’s Market in Rochester’s College Town shutting down after less than one year in business!  It’s blamed on lack of sales: “Unfortunately, Constantino’s was ultimately not supported at a level that allowed them to be profitable.”-Randy Ruttenberg, Fairmount Properties

North Carolina: Flex Global shutting down their Charlotte logistics operation, 255 jobs lost by April!

Ohio: Key Bank shutting down their Canton office by the end of April.

Oklahoma: Oil company Unit Corporation confirmed to local news media that it laid off several Tulsa employees in the past week, no numbers given.   In OKC, Texas based Spaghetti Warehouse suddenly shutdown, with no explanation why: “After more than 30 years in the community, we have made the difficult business decision to suspend operations and announce the closure of the Spaghetti Warehouse Restaurant in Oklahoma City. The closure is effective on Tuesday, February 2nd. ….we are hopeful that in the near future we can reopen Spaghetti Warehouse….”

Texas: Houston based Southwestern Energy issued a mass layoff WARN saying 376 people will lose their jobs by March!  National Oilwell Varco has begun laying off 129 employees!  And yet another of what I call Ripple Effect Layoffs (REL) as Argentina based steel oil pipe maker Tenarus shutting down their Houston factory, 166 jobs lost by the end of March!   Forth Worth based bankrupt Quicksilver Resources will eliminate 164 oil industry jobs!   Retailer Kohl’s shutting down their Plano store by mid-February, supposedly the 80 employees are being transferred to other Dallas area Kohl’s.

In El Paso, Airline International Luggage shutting down their Westside brick-n-mortar shop, blaming people who buy luggage over the internet.  The owners of Airline International Luggage should know about the shift to internet shopping, they began selling on the internet in 1995! They continue to operate their Eastside location which includes their online shop and warehouse.

Washington: Cardinal Health issued a WARN for its Auburn ops, 59 jobs lost by the end of March.

West Virginia: Kingston Mining laying off 89 coal miners, blaming declining demand for coal.

Wisconsin: In Sheboygan, after five years restaurant Weimann’s Sports Center shutting down this weekend, despite being voted best sports bar.  The owners blame constant road construction projects among other issues: “We fought a battle we just couldn’t win and ultimately felt it would be a lot less stressful for our family to not be in business. It’s a tough business.”

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

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.”