Incomplete list of U.S. job loss announcements and shutdowns.
Circle of Blue reports that since 2010 there’s been an average increase of 48% in municipal water rates across the U.S., despite a 22% drop in residential water use since 1999! In other words, to make up for citizens actually conserving water (like they’ve been told to do, for decades) cities have lost money and are jacking up rates!
Financial website WalletHub says Mississippi has the worst economy in the United States, followed by Arkansas, Maine, New Mexico, Louisiana, Kentucky and Alabama. WalletHub based their results on analysis by six economists (not main stream media ‘analysts’ posing as economist).
Alabama: In Northport, after 22 years educational supply store Learning Experience shutting down, the owners want “more time for ourselves…and our grandchildren.”
Idaho: Due to a lawsuit, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is withdrawing its approval for the way Idaho measures toxic arsenic levels in water (the EPA’s decision to let Idaho ‘christian lawmakers’ ignore arsenic limit regulations seems to coincide with state ‘officials’ quietly allowing natural gas fracking operations). It sounds similar to what happened in Flint, Michigan: “EPA violated the Clean Water Act when it allowed arsenic levels in Idaho waters that are up to 1,000 times greater than the agency has determined are acceptable for this toxic chemical. EPA placed political expediency over human health protection.“– Nina Bell, Northwest Environmental Advocates
Illinois: In Chicago, Georgia packaging maker WestRock issued a layoff WARN, 173 jobs gone due “to market conditions”. Pony Tools revealed they laid off 61 people back in mid-May. Aramark Educational Services laid off 297 people after the University of Chicago canceled the food service contract! In Orland Park, Positive Connections lost a school bus contract, 77 jobs lost. In Naperville, Centrad Healthcare lost a contract, 162 jobs gone between now and November! In Bedford Park, Northstar Aerospace lost their contract, 226 jobs gone by the end of the month! British empire United Kingdom based electronics company Laird Technologies shutting down their Schaumburg factory, eliminating 53 jobs by July. In Elgin, design company Southern Graphic Systems issued a shutdown WARN, 30 jobs gone by the mid-July. In Edwardsville, wholesaler United Pet Group issued a layoff WARN, 48 in-house employees unemployed by mid-August due to their jobs being contracted-out. God powerless to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, 65 jobs gone by the end of the month.
Maine: Twin Rivers Paper Company shutting down paper machine 3 at its Madawaska mill, 49 jobs gone by July. It’s the result of $12-million USD in upgrades to make the paper mill more efficient. In Bangor, House of Brides shutdown without warning last week, local police flooded with complaints from customers who paid for undelivered services: “It is not clear at this time what the outcome will be, but rest assured we are looking into the reported incidents.”-Bangor police
Michigan: The residents of Flint already pay the highest water rates in the U.S., soon their rates will double due to the incompetence of past ‘elected lawmakers’. Rowe Professional Service says the cost of replacing the water system in Flint will be at least $214-million USD, and take 50 years to do it! The pissed-off Sheriff of Genesee County blames an incompetent authoritarian government for escalating violent crime through lead poisoning: “The crime rate in Flint, for the last 10 to 15 years has been high, number one per capita of violent crime… This crisis…wasn’t created by a natural disaster, people created it. They put dictators into Flint, they called them emergency managers. One of the emergency managers signed over the Flint River without all of the safeguards built in. Now they’re all pointing their fingers at each other, but the lesson has got to be that you cannot take government away from the people. ……this is America? We’re giving money to Iraq….Afghanistan and we’re not taking care of our own people, that’s bullshit!”-Robert J. Pickell, in the documentary Fighting for Flint
New York: Experience Works issued a shutdown WARN for their Cortland Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), due to “lack of funding”.
North Carolina: What automotive industry recovery? Germany owned truck maker Freightliner laying off 8-hundred people in Gaston County, due to crashing sales! In Hickory, after 70 years eccentric Berndt’s store shutting down due to increased competition.
Oklahoma: Oil field company Seventy Seven Energy chapter 11 bankrupt busted and turning itself over to its bond holders, due to $1-billion USD in debts.
Oregon: What automotive industry recovery? In Portland, Germany owned truck maker Western Star laying off 170 workers due to crashing sales! More proof you brick-n-mortar store owners can’t directly blame the internet/high-tech competition for your demise; it was revealed that last month’s 784 layoffs by computer chip maker Intel were the largest ever mass layoff in Oregon’s history! Local news media says several hundreds more are expected to lose their jobs by the end of the year.
Texas: In Pampa, Hastings books-video-music shutting down due to not being able to meet corporate’s profit expectations, 28 jobs gone by September.
Virginia: ObamaCare literally killed an ambulance company. Mid-Atlantic Regional Ambulance suddenly shutdown over the weekend due to not being paid boo-koo Medicare reimbursements for services rendered. 50 jobs gone. Under Virginia’s version of ObamaCare, Medicare must pre-approve such services!
Wisconsin: Ameridrives Power Transmissions issued a shutdown WARN for their Green Bay factory, 37 jobs lost by November. The maker of parts for heavy duty “off highway” vehicles is joining the rest of unAmerican corporate America in consolidating operations.
WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification.
I found a 2010 AFL-CIO analysis (titled The Public Availability of WARN Notices: Lack of Accessibility and Disclosure…) which proves what I’ve been suspecting in my search of state WARN notices; most states are not complying with federal WARN regulations and are not publicizing or tracking mass layoffs.
Former employees who receive severance are not counted as unemployed!
Employees of religious non-profits might not qualify for unemployment assistance: “If the non-profit organization is a church, you may or may not be entitled to unemployment. It all depends upon state regulations for church employers. In many cases, churches are allowed to set their own rules regarding unemployment benefits, meaning the church can choose whether to offer benefits to former employees.”
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.”