Incomplete list of U.S. Mining/Industrial/Logistics job loss announcements and shutdowns for August 2016.
California: Without warning Ashley Furniture laid off 840 people at their factory/warehouse in Colton! Local news reports said the employees were lured to convention centers were the layoffs took place within a five minutes period, after which employees received a letter via FedEx telling them the Ashley Furniture sofa factory was shutdown: “They told us to go into a meeting, and all of a sudden they tried to feed us and they said, ‘You know what, there’s no more jobs!’”-Israel Naja, laid off without warning
Work at Total Terminals, one of the largest ports in Long Beach, now suspended “until further notice” as majority owner Hanjin (of Korea), now bankrupt busted: “Hanjin’s bankruptcy could very well spoil the holidays for anyone……Look for a financially ruinous game of musical chairs as cargo owners now hunt for space with other shipping lines.”-Jock O’Connell, Beacon Economics
In Hayward, Architectural Lighting Works shutting down, 55 jobs lost by October. Oil producer Rincon Islands now chapter 11 bankrupt busted. News reports say the bankruptcy is actually a way for the oil company to avoid complying with new California regulations. Boeing issued a Halloween layoff WARN for 57 people in El Segundo and Huntington Beach. In Burlingame, Alaska Air Group (aka Alaska Airlines-Horizin Airlines) issued a layoff WARN for 225 people, possibly in connection with its take-over of Virgin America! In San Francisco, SkyWest Airlines eliminating 325 jobs by the end of September! At Los Angeles International Airport, G2 Secure Staff laying off 90 people by mid-October. Silgan Containers issued several layoff WARNs, 267 jobs lost for Riverbank and Modesto between September and Halloween!
Colorado: At the Denver International Airport, ‘ground handler’ Swissport laying off 187 people in September due to “significant loss of business” caused by major airlines making drastic cuts!
Connecticut: A year after being taken over by Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky Aircraft is laying off at least 109 people!
Florida: In Winter Park, after 15 years wholesaler Coralia Leets Jewelry Design now chapter 7 bankrupt and dead.
Illinois: Industrial tool maker Rockford Products suddenly laid off about 150 employees due to lack of debt financing, and another 171 will be laid off by the end of September if nobody wants to buy the business! A fine example of what I call Ripple Effect Layoffs; American Electric Power warned of 22 layoffs at its Cook Coal Terminal due to the massive reduction of the coal industry. Peoria based mining vehicle maker Caterpillar continues to kill jobs, this time 155 employees in Pennsylvania and Texas will become unemployed! And another fine example of what I call Ripple Effect Layoffs; after six years farm equipment supplier German-Bliss Equipment suddenly shutdown, blaming mass layoffs by Caterpillar and crashing commodity prices for local crops.
Indiana: An example of what I call Ripple Effect Layoffs; in Evansville, Flanders Electric suddenly laid off 109 people, on top of the 80 employees let go a couple of months ago! It’s blamed on lack of sales to the mining-oil industry. Bankrupt Vertellus Specialties laying off up to 50 people at its Indianapolis chemical factory, in October. Gear maker Oerlikon Fairfield suddenly laid off 71 people due to “soft market conditions”. Another fine example of what I call Ripple Effect Layoffs; Canada owned Stanrail shutting down its boxcar factory in Gary, 1-hundred jobs lost between October 2016 and February 2017, due to the crashing rail industry! Also in Gary, US Steel suddenly (and apparently with no explanation) laid off 38 people, the employee’s union says it will fight the layoff decision. What home construction industry recovery? Laminate wood products maker VT Industries shutting down their New Albany factory, 120 jobs lost by the end of September! GE Appliances shutdown their factory in Bloomington, about 330 jobs lost! Interestingly, General Electric says it has enough money to pay the now unemployed employees a severance until June of 2017. The factory shutdown is blamed on a 76% crash (since 2008) in fridge sales!
Iowa: After two days of auctions, bankrupt Columbus Castings likely to shutdown after the bidder who wanted to keep it operating (according to bankruptcy documents) lost, 8-hundred jobs gone!
Kansas: Canada owned Bombadier Learjet notified the state of 30 layoffs due to crashing demand for the Learjet 70 and 75.
Kentucky: GE Lighting shutting down two factories, 210 jobs gone between now and August 2017! The ‘brilliant’ General Electric administrators admit its because they’ve been slow to switch to L-E-D production, as a result production is down to just 15% of factory capacity!
Louisiana: Stone Energy laid off about 45 people across Louisiana and Texas, as part of the ongoing oil industry BS. Stone Energy also halted deep-water oil drilling, at least until 2017.
Michigan: After 77 years, family owned maker of heat processing equipment Jensen Industries now chapter 11 bankrupt busted.
New Jersey: Graham Packaging issued a WARN, 71 jobs in Belvidere lost by the end of September.
New York: Asbestos removal company Precision Environmental Solutions now chapter 11 bankrupt busted. Data shows the company made $7-million USD in revenue in the past two years, but so far this year has made a measly $175-thousand!
North Carolina: In Gastonia, Germany owned truck maker Daimler-Freightliner laid off 115 employees! This is apparently on top of the 2-hundred laid off in June? The custom fabric maker Spoonflower laid off 30 people and then a co-founder said the company was in “great shape”. What automotive industry recovery? Maker of glass for cars Ohio based Safelite announced it will shutdown its Enfield factory, killing 210 jobs: “…it is no longer feasible for us to sustain the continual investments needed to outfit the plant for complex future windshield designs.”-Tom Feeney, president
Ohio: Dow Chemical shutting down their polystyrene factory in Hanging Rock beginning in September, as part of their “growth” strategy.
Oklahoma: Maker of thermal combustible products for the oil industry Callidus Technologies laid off 30 people in Tulsa.
Oregon: At the Portland International Airport, Menzies Aviation eliminating 186 jobs by Halloween, due to losing a contract with Alaska Air! Despite a busy wildfire season, helicopter fire bomber operator Erickson Air Crane laid off 1-hundred people! Company administrators admitted that despite years of busy wildfire seasons they’re being burned by massive debt (they owe Too Big to Jail Wells Fargo $140-million USD, the evil Wells Fargo is owned by ‘christian’ agnostic Warren Buffett). Allegheny Technologies warned it must consolidate its Oregon operations due to low titaniuim prices!
Pennsylvania: After merging with Colorado based Imprints Wholesale, sportswear maker Broder Brothers issued a shutdown WARN for their Philadelphia operations, 143 jobs gone by mid-October! American Air Filter shutting down its Elizabethtown ops, 90 jobs gone by mid-September. In Lewistown, packaging maker Rorher Corporation issued a shutdown WARN, 55 jobs gone by mid October. Latrobe based industrial tool maker Kennametal eliminating 1-thousand jobs worldwide due to a second year of bad sales! Because of the mining industry BS, Caterpillar issued a shutdown WARN for its Houston operations, 155 jobs gone by mid-October! Harley Davidson motorcycles announced that 2-hundred people will lose their jobs at three of its factories in the state! Company administrators revealed that sales are crashing-n-burning due to an unrecoverd economy (a $19-million USD drop in sales from the same time last year, some Harley dealers are shutting down). Another fine example of what I call Ripple Effect Layoffs; FrieghtCar America shutting down its Johnstown administrative offices sometime next year, blaming it on crashing rail shipments.
Texas: Houston based ConocoPhillips announced more layoffs, this time about 9-hundred people will become jobless due to the oil industry BS! Bankrupt Sherwin Alumina Company shutting down its factory in Gregory by October, news reports say it might be sold to a competitor. Another fine example of what I call Ripple Effect Layoffs; Caterpillar eliminating 40 jobs at its factory in Denison, due to the crashing mining industry.
Utah: Allegheny Technologies shutting down its raw materials operations in Rowley, 140 jobs lost due to low titaniuim prices!
Virginia: UPS (United Parcel Service) laying off at least 115 people at its corporate HQ, in the name of “streamlining”! Unnamed employees told local news sources that those laid-off were “escorted out of the building”.
Washington: Boeing continues killing jobs, this time 1-hundred people in The Evergreen State becoming unemployed! News reports say the layoffs are connected to Boeing’s commercial airliner and military divisions.
West Virginia: In Huntington, Oregon based Special Metals conducted yet another round of layoffs, but refused to say how many people are now unemployed. Last year they laid off at least 1-hundred employees. DeepWell Energy Services eliminating 177 jobs due to not winning a new contract!
Wisconsin: What automotive industry recovery? Milwaukee based Jason Industries, maker of new car interior parts, has lost so much money ($2.4-million loss compared to the same time last year) due to crashing orders that it will shutdown factories around the world! Administrators blamed their losses on “change in the manufacturing environment.” Manitowoc elminating 528 jobs when it moves its crane factory to Pennsylvania!
July 2016 : “NO SIGNS OF FUTURE IMPROVEMENT”
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!
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.”