Arizona: In Phoenix, after 30 years Ofelia’s bridal shop shutdown, the pissed-off owner said she never recovered from the 2008 recession: “When the economy come down, they [suppliers] continue to sell me a bunch of dresses, and I don’t sell them!”-Ofelia Martinez
California: San Ramon based oil giant Chevron announced it will eliminate 1-thousand jobs at an oil field that’s located in a ‘neutral zone’ between Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait! Chevron administrators blame the Saudis and the Kuwaitis who have caused all work at the disputed site to stop, for months now. An algae bloom has killed the Dungeness crabbing industry. The algae makes the crabs poisonous to eat.
Colorado: Englewood (Meridian) based Dish-Network reported a net loss of 23-thousand customers in its 3rd quarter!
Failed State Florida: Planet Hollywood issued a shutdown WARN for its Disney Springs location, 468 people out-o-work by mid-January 2016! However, the overrated restaurant company claims the layoffs are temporary as they plan to build an expensive new restaurant inline with the new Downtown Disney attraction.
Idaho: What housing market recovery? Time for a reality check on misleading Idaho news reports about increased home loan applications. The overwhelming majority of mortgage applications are concentrated in one county, Ada, which is home to The Gem State’s capitol Boise. The further away you get from Ada County the more the number of applications crash and burn. Only 8% of applications came from minorities who faced a 20% rejection rate (higher than non-minorities). Many of the mortgage applications were for refinance of existing loans, or existing home improvement/repair projects, not for buying a home. The Associated Press did not give a specific source for their info, vaguely referring to the “banks and mortgage companies” as their source.
Illinois: In Winnetka, after 24 years O’Neil’s Restaurant shutting down by January 2016. The owner is focusing on his other two restaurants because “We tried remodeling O’Neil’s and changing the menu but…it just ran out of gas.”
Iowa: In Davenport, after 66 years Riefe’s Family Restaurant shutting down after Xmas, 55 jobs lost. The owner said he needed to spend more time with his family. After 50 years the last Family Foods grocery store shutting down. Don Goetz, the co-owner of the Anamosa store, said “We hung on as long as we could, but we lost money for the last four or five years.”
Minnesota: In Austin, Riverland Community College joins the new trend of eliminating nursing programs and laid off six nursing instructors and halted the enrollment of new nursing students! Administrators blame ObamaCare saying “We’re making changes in the curriculum so that our program is more reflective of the health industry today.” Here’s the list of Minneapolis based Target store shutdowns to take place across the U.S. by the end of January 2016: Austin, Texas. Odessa, Florida. Casa Grande, Arizona. Victorville, California. Flint, Michigan. Columbus & Springfield, Ohio. Milwaukee & Superior, Wisconsin. New Ulm, Minnesota. Ottumwa, Iowa. Anderson, Indiana. Louisville, Kentucky.
Failed State New Jersey: Too Big to Jail Manufacturers and Traders Trust (aka M&T Bank) issued a mass layoff WARN for New Jersey relating to the shutdown of their Buffalo, New York, location. 366 New Jerseyans to become unemployed by January 2016! (however, I’ve not seen any WARN issued through the New York Department of Labor)
Failed State New York: In Massapequa Park Village, after 42 years Rosanne’s Jewelry shutting down in January 2016.
Pennsylvania: ObamaCare likely behind the job destruction at AmeriHealth Administrators. They issued two mass layoff WARNs saying 476 Keystone State jobs (130 at Horsham & 346 at Fort Washington) are being lost as the company is moving elsewhere! Pooka’s Hookah & BYOB Lounge shutting down, the owner warned back in October “I realize I must part with my Dreams. Time pass’s and life decides our destiny.”
Rhode Island: In Providence, after eight years Mediterreneo Restaurant shutdown, the corporate owners admitted they were made an offer for the property which they could not refuse.
Texas: TXU Energy is offering its customers free electricity at night time, the catch is higher electricity rates for daytime use.
Wisconsin: In New Richmond, after five years Brady’s Brewhouse shutdown: “A business has to close when there is not as many sales as there are expenses. It is a bummer that we can’t keep going. We just didn’t have enough sales or customers to keep us open.”-Chris Polfus, owner
06-07 November 2015: “We can’t stick it out any longer”
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.”