Alabama: In Tuscaloosa, after 24 years Rug Gallery shutting down, the owner said under these economic conditions “…it’s the right thing to do.”
California: Los Angeles based clothier Kitson shutting down all 17 stores in California, Nevada and Oregon! Also in Los Angeles, Runway Two Five claims they’re temporarily shutting down in January 2016, 73 jobs lost. In Costa Mesa, 3M division Ceradyne shutting down in February 2016, 65 jobs lost. In City of Industry, Bay Valley Foods issued a shutdown WARN, 62 jobs lost in February 2016. In Pleasanton, YP Advertising issued a layoff WARN, 68 jobs lost in February 2016. Oil service company Brinderson revealed it eliminated 207 jobs last week!
Delaware: In Newark, after 65 years Abbott’s Shoe Repair up for sale. The owner lamented none of his heirs wanted to learn the craft, he also joked about being a slave laborer for his father: “Back then, there were no child labor laws about a father paying his son. He could pay me whatever he wanted, and if you weren’t his son, you made a dollar an hour.”-Phil Abbott
Florida: 34 years old Miami based gun dealer Samco Global Arms now chapter 7 bankrupt busted and liquidating. Too Big to Jail American Express issued a WARN for its Saint Petersburg insurance ops, 124 jobs lost in February 2016!
Idaho: College of Southern Idaho revealed that 30% of its student body are still in High School! The imbecilic Idaho Board of Education realizes that it’s a sign of a ‘significant’ change in college student body demographics (you think?). What this really shows is a mass exodus of traditional college age students from Idaho! A federal court has ordered the sale of Saltzer Medical Group. Corrupt Boise based Saint Luke’s Health System took over Nampa based Saltzer, but a federal judge ruled the takeover violated anti-trust laws. Saint Luke’s has 12 months to sell-off Saltzer. New York (get a rope!) based New Media Investment Group has taken over the Idaho Business Review.
Illinois: US Steel eliminating 2-thousand jobs as it idles its Granite City foundry after Xmas! Administrators blame unfair competition in the global economy. Food giant General Mills shutting down their West Chicago factory, 444 jobs lost by Summer 2016! Gate Gourmet lost its contract with United Airlines at O’Hare International Airport, 821 jobs affected! Black Hawk College warned it must eliminate jobs to cover a $1.5-million shortfall.
Maryland: Calvert Investments eliminating 41 jobs just so it can double its assets over the next five years.
New York: God refuses to stop ‘his’ College of Saint Rose from laying off 23 people after Xmas. NYC based Allure magazine warning its employees of pending layoffs. Publics New York (formerly Kaplan Thaler) warned employees of layoffs to hit right before Xmas. Administrators said they’ve had a “good year” but admitted they think the U.S. economy is only getting worse, thus the layoffs. In Utica, Too Big to Jail Bank of America issued a WARN for its Shared Service Operations Unit, 234 jobs lost by July 2016! Too Big to Jail Morgan Stanley issued a mass layoff WARN for all its New York locations, 358 jobs lost starting in March 2016! Capsys issued a shutdown WARN for its
Brooklyn Navy Yard ops, 54 jobs lost in March 2016.
In Batavia, the Müller Quaker Dairy shutdown and sold-off, 2-hundred people laid off! Local news sources hope the new owner (Dairy Farmers of America) will get operations going again soon.
Pennsylvania: In Pottstown, after 94 years (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) The Very Best hot dogs-hamburgers-steaks joint shutdown. In Sharon, after 70 years the Army-Navy surplus store shutdown. In Carmichaels, oil company Halliburton laid off 21 people. FMC eliminating 74 jobs in Erie, administrators blame the petroleum industry. After 20 years, Mapes Manoa Hardware shutting down by the end of January 2016: “I hate to close. It’s a nice area, nice people. I was happy, but what can you do? It’s not profitable.”-J. Raymond Benner
Utah: In Logan, Sports Authority shutting down the day before Xmas. It’s part of the company’s plans to shutdown dozens of stores across the U.S.
Virginia: In Bluefield, Mitt Romney co-creation Staples shutting down, mayor Don Harris bemoaned “It’s certainly going to make an impact on the whole area. It’s going to be devastating for us. Hopefully, somebody else might move in.”
Washington: In Seattle, Aramark Sports & Entertainment issued a shutdown WARN, 71 jobs lost after Xmas.
Wisconsin: Iconic Harley Davidson motorcycles laying off 250 people by the end of the month! It’s blamed on the suck-ass economy. Mil-3 Precision Machining being liquidated, the last of the employees were laid off in November. Owner Rich McNett blames the suck-ass economy: “There was just no way I could even make break even anymore…It just got slower and slower and slower…”
09 -10 December 2015: “We’re leaving because we have to.” Internet company loses “90% of our revenue”!
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.”