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U.S.

“…no ambulance service.” 54% of Americans abuse medications! : July 2016 ObamaCare destruction

It must be noted that I started documenting these ObamaCare/healthcare related shutdowns at the beginning of 2014. In that year I posted the reports biannually (every six months). In 2015 ObamaCare cutbacks ramped up and I posted quarterly (every three months). For the past seven months of 2016 there have been so many ObamaCare cutbacks that I’ve posted a report every month!

Incomplete list of healthcare related layoffs and shutdowns, July 2016:

It’s been revealed that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been intimidating U.S. doctors into conducting body cavity searches on immigrant patients! In at least one case the victim is a U.S. citizen: “The woman was transported in handcuffs to the University Medical Center of El Paso, where she was subjected to an observed bowel movement, a CT scan as well as rectal and vaginal exams without a warrant… ….the hospital charged the woman $5,000…”

Becker’s Hospital Review reports that the following hospital operators are now bankrupt busted: (Ohio) Coshocton County Memorial Hospital, (California) Colusa Regional Medical Center and Gardens Regional Hospital and Medical Center, (Louisiana) Winn Parish Medical Center in Winnfield; Avoyelles Hospital in Marksville; and Oakdale Community Hospital.  Pioneer Health Services affecting the states of Georgia, North Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee and Virginia. Forest Park Medical Center affecting two hospitals in Texas.

Alabama: A former healthcare worker pled guilty to stealing patient’s data in a scam to use that data to file false tax returns.  West Alabama Emergency Services suddenly halted service for Bibb County, due to the resignation of their only licensed medical director: “This leaves people in that area with no ambulance service. It’s 20 miles to Centreville and 22 or 23 to Tuscaloosa.”-Robert Caffee, paramedic

Arizona: Tucson based fake heart maker SynCardia Systems now chapter 11 bankrupt busted and being sold-off, the new owner promises not to ‘arrest’ production of the only FDA approved artificial heart. University of Arizona is eliminating 58 jobs with its Health Plans ops, due to the loss of a major Medicaid contract.  After a six years freeze on enrollments, state administrators will allow children to once again be enrolled in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP, aka KidsCare). Enrollment was frozen because of lack of taxpayer funding, affecting as many as 40-thousand children!

Arkansas: The owner of two children’s mental health facilities convicted of attempting to bribe a former deputy director of the state Department of Human Services. 

California:  Medical products distributor Owens & Minor issued layoff WARNs for Ontario and Tracy, 189 jobs gone by the end of August!  Drugs maker Actavis eliminating ten jobs in Corona, by September.  San Diego based drugs maker Arena Pharmaceuticals eliminating 1-hundred jobs!  In San Diego, state Employment Development Department finally published the layoff WARN issued by Scripps Health, 150 jobs lost back in May!  Hospice care provider Peppermint Holdings issued a layoff WARN for their Ontario location, 60 jobs gone by mid-August.

Florida: In Gainesville, Fluor Federal Services issued a WARN, 125 healthcare/social assistance jobs gone by the end of August!  MetLife eliminating 74 jobs in Tampa, by the end of October.  Taxpayer grant money sucking medical researcher Scripps Florida suddenly eliminated at least 14 jobs with their Jupiter ops.  A local news report said that in 2003 Gov’na Jeb bush gave Scripps $310-million taxpayer dollars with the expectation that 50-thousand jobs would be created within 15 years, so far the number of jobs created are only a fraction of that!  Baptist Health South Florida bribing employees to quit (voluntary buyouts) in order to free-up cash for investments into “growth areas”.  

Illinois: A former manager of Schaumburg based Suburban Home Physicians was convicted of Medicare fraud, sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to payback $15-million USD.  Two other employees of Suburban Home Physicians were convicted of the scam, but for some reason the details of their trials are being withheld from news media.

Iowa:  In Charles City, Mercy Family Clinic shutting down due to competition.  University of Iowa suddenly shutdown their clinic in Sigourney, due to ObamaCare forcing them to focus on “specialty services”.

Kentucky: Louisville based Humana announced it will cease providing ObamaCare insurance in at least four states by 2017, blaming “persistent risk selection challenges” (meaning they can’t make profits off ObamaCare).

Michigan: In K.I. Sawyer, water, air and food purification product maker Biogenic Reagents suddenly laid off 35 people, no reason given.  Michigan State University shutting down its Women’s Healthcare Clinic in Lansing, ‘officially’ due to lack of doctors.  A doctor agrees to pay $8-million USD for tricking healthy people into dangerous radioactive chemo and other “aggressive” anti-cancer therapies. It was proven that at least 40 of the more than 5-hundred victims did not have cancer! The doctor was also convicted of frauding Medicare and will spend 45 years in prison.  However, not all the evil doctor’s victims will get justice due to Michigan’s unfair laws protecting doctors: “Unfortunately under these circumstances and under Michigan law, Fata’s victims were never going to receive fair levels of compensation.”-Brian McKeen, attorney

Missouri: In Springfield, Ozarks Community Hospital eliminated 2-hundred jobs, and shutdown its OR and ER operations, due to ObamaCare canceling their Medicare contract!

Montana: In Billings, Saint Vincent Healthcare effectively eliminated 84 jobs, and shutting down their Shirley’s Place Child Care Center,  blaming changes in the healthcare industry (like ObamaCare pushing people out of inpatient care) which is causing their revenues to crash.  “…Montana residents, who call themselves pain refugees, boarded an airplane from Missoula to Los Angeles. They say that finding doctors willing to treat chronic pain in Montana is almost impossible…   In the past several years, the Montana Board of Medical Examiners has taken on several high-profile cases of doctors it suspects of overprescribing opioids.”-Kaiser Health News

Nevada: In Elko a doctor tazered a patient allegedly because the patient was “combative” and there is a lack of security in the hospital. 

New Hampshire: In Lebanon, after 118 years Kleen Laundry service now chapter 11 bankrupt busted.  The majority of Kleen Laundry’s customers are hospitals.

New Jersey: Madison based Quest Diagnostics’ Prescription Drug Monitoring Report 2016 says 54% of U.S. citizens are prescription drug addicts!  Whitehouse Station based drugs maker Merck eliminating an undisclosed number of jobs at three ‘east coast’ research facilities.  Morristown based drugs maker Pernix Therapeutics Holdings eliminating 60 sales jobs.  A 10 years old autistic boy stabbed ten times by a psychiatric nurse, after she bent back his finger until it “cracked” and inflicted various other assaults that took place during a 12 hours period back in May! State investigators say she did it because she was angry that the autistic boy refused to follow her orders!

New York: In Pearl River, drugs maker Pfizer issued a restructuring WARN, 151 jobs gone by the end of October!  Federal investigators are looking into current ‘elected’ mayor Bill de Blasio’s connection to the sale of Long Island College Hospital.  Supposedly the buyer of the hospital is a property developer with direct connections to de Blasio’s assistants.  NYC based Oscar Health jacking up its rates by at least 13% in 2017, as well as cutting more than 50% of its network. Administrators blame huge losses in 2015.  In Brooklyn NYC, Shiel Medical Laboratory laying off 165 people starting in October, due to getting the hell outta New York City (relocating to New Jersey)! New York Dialysis Services issued a shutdown WARN for its Harlem Dialysis clinic, 26 jobs gone by Halloween.  VillageCare Home Care issued a shutdown WARN for its NYC ops, 87 jobs gone by November.

Oregon:  Providence Health Plan ending insurance coverage for 11-thousand customers starting January 2017!  Administrators essentially said they will focus on insurance plans that they know can make them a profit.

Pennsylvania: Lehigh Valley Health Network continues to eliminate jobs, this time 34 people becoming unemployed due to ObamaCare: “As the national model for healthcare delivery continues to transform, it’s necessary for LVHN to identify ways to provide better care to more people at a lower cost.”-Lehigh Valley Health Network

South Carolina: LexingtonMedicalCenter agrees to pay $17-million USD fine for Medicare fraud.

Virginia: Insurance company Genworth Financial eliminating 50 jobs in Richmond and Lynchburg.

Washington DC: U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) canceled $57-billion USD worth of TRICARE contracts with UnitedHealthcare.  TRICARE is the U.S. military’s health insurance program for employee’s families (prior to TRICARE it was known as CHAMPUS).  According to news reports UnitedHealthcare was delaying payments for services rendered.  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reports that 59% of U.S. hospitals lost access to their Electronic Health Records (EHR)!

Wyoming: The Peak Wellness Center eliminating at least 16 jobs and shutting down ops due to lack of taxpayer funding: “We will be closing two of our specialized programs, the Haven in Laramie County and the Chrysalis House in Pine Bluffs, also Laramie County. Unfortunately, we are also closing our peer-specialized program and our satellite offices in Pine Bluffs and Guernsey.”-Linda Goodman, Chief Clinical Officer

ObamaCare job destruction, June 2016: “NO LONGER SUSTAIN THE FINANCIAL LOSSES”

ObamaCare = Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

U.S.

“We are going down…” : July 2016 Dumbing Down the U.S.

It must be noted that I started documenting these education shutdowns at the beginning of 2014, in that year I posted the reports biannually (every six months). In 2015 education cutbacks ramped up and I posted quarterly (every three months). For the past seven months of 2016 there have been so many education cutbacks that I’ve posted a report every month!

Disappearing Students Syndrome (DSS): A phrase created by me to describe a phenomenon taking place across the United States, affecting both privately and publicly funded schools, from Kindergarten all the way through University levels.

New data shows the less money you owe for college education the more likely you will default on your student loan debt.  Several studies by U.S. Federal Reserve Bank, U.S. Department of Education and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, show that the majority of defaults on student loans happen with people who never finish school and who borrow the least amount of money.  Graduate level graduates, with massive student loan debts, make up the smallest percentage of defaults and tend to have the highest rate of employment.

Incomplete list of publicly announced education related layoffs & school shutdowns, July 2016:

Alabama: In Birmingham ten elementary after school programs on the chopping block due to crashing enrollment.  In January school administrators contracted the after school programs through Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and Boys & Girls Club, in an effort to save money.  Now those contracts are being reviewed.

Alaska: A former Birchwood Christian School teacher sentenced to 15 years after having sexual contact with a 15 years old student.

Arizona: The LDS (Mormon) Church being sued by Navajo who were forced into a Mormon education program from 1947 to the 1990s. The plaintiffs accuse the christians of physically and sexually assaulting them. The Lamanite (Mormon word for Native Americans) Student Placement Program (aka Indian Student Placement Program) took Navajo children from their parents in Arizona and placed them with Mormon familes in Utah.

California: La Cañada Unified School District laid off 16 ‘special needs’ employees, due to declining enrollment of ‘special needs’ students.

Idaho: In Nampa, after decades The Book Exchange shutdown due to the owners being forced to sell the property.  Reports say that in August the owners will offer any remaining books in inventory for free to the public.  School District 321, based in ‘Mormonsville’ Rexburg, has declared a teacher shortage emergency and is now hiring anybody who wants to teach, regardless of certification, starting pay $30-thousand (which is damn good for rural Idaho)!  District 91, based in Idaho Falls, want taxpayers to shell out at least $90-million USD to massively upgrade two old high schools. Another taxpayer burdening suggestion is combining them into a ‘mega’ school. None of the news reports I read indicated there was a problem with student population, one report indicated that taxpayers are getting pissed about being forced to pay more year after year: “We don’t seem to have good participation going out to the schools……….It would be nice to see a broader slice of the community, what their feelings are on our options. I don’t feel comfortable making the decision with just the community input we have so far.”-Bryan Zollinger, District 91 Clerk

Illinois: A sure sign of a Failed State; Southern Illinois University letting go 17 people and 155 vacant jobs will not be filled, due to SIU receiving only 41% of promised state taxpayer funding.  School District 112 will shutdown for schools and redraw boundaries for the remaining schools. Administrators actually told local news media that crashing student enrollment is making it easier to shutdown schools: “We are going down in enrollment, which makes this do-able. It makes it easier to make this work.”-Kristin Swanson, assistant superintendent for student services

Indiana:  The largest school district in the city of Indianapolis, Indianapolis Public Schools, admits that so many students have left that there is no reason to keep many schools open.  As an example, John Marshall Community High School is built to handle 1,650 students, but last school year had a grand total of only 694.   Many schools have only one quarter of the students needed to justify operating expenses!  Factcheck.org reports that “Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said that the Republican vice presidential nominee, Gov. Mike Pence, ‘slashed education funding in Indiana.’ But Pence claimed he made ‘record investments in education.’ Clinton is wrong, and Pence is misleading.

The education budget under Pence would be a ‘record’ in nominal dollars, but in inflation-adjusted dollars, it’s not. However, the numbers don’t show education funding has been ‘slashed’ either: The budgets he has signed increased education funding, even in inflation-adjusted dollars.”  In other words, bot the Republicans and Democrats are lying through their teeth!

Michigan: Holland Public Schools blames crashing enrollment for laying off nine teachers. The school district will start the next school year with at least 137 less students.

New Hampshire: The American Police Motorcycle Museum forced to shutdown due to arguing with the owners of a next door crematorium.  The owner of the museum says he found human ashes on museum property: “We would see explosions of ash coming out of the chimney, sometimes 50 feet into the air, and then it would cover our motorcycles and our cars.”-Douglas Frederick

New Jersey:  School bus contractor First Student issued a shutdown WARN for their Cologne ops, 65 jobs gone by mid-August.   School bus contractor Jordan Transportation issued a shutdown WARN for its Parsippany operations, 81 jobs gone by the end of August. Community Development Institute Head Start issued a shutdown WARN, 237 people in Newark jobless by the end of August!

New York: Long Island NYC,  Child Development Center of the Hamptons in Wainscott shutdown due to lack of student enrollment.

North Carolina: Community Development Institute Head Start issued a shutdown WARN, 109 people across several cities jobless by the end of August!  Elizabeth City State University eliminating seven jobs by mid-August due to their shrinking budget.

Pennsylvania: An employee at god’s Bishop Carroll Catholic High School is charged with sexually assaulting an international exchange student.  After 120 years Cambria-Rowe Business College suddenly shutdown due to the U.S. Department of Education refusing to recognize their accreditation.

Bethlehem based National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) discovered that the majority of college students who work at unpaid internships are more likely not to find a paying job, because employers do not consider unpaid internships as preparation for real jobs!  NACE also discovered that where you live determines whether you find a job after graduation: “Graduates in the Far West (46.8 percent) and Southwest (50.2 percent) were least likely to be employed either full- or part time.”

Tennessee: A school bus driver who pled guilty to raping a 15 years old student will serve no prison time.  His original four year prison term was changed to ten years probation (probably because Hamilton County can’t afford to put more people in prison).

Texas: Once again state education administrators rejected an attempt by Idaho based Athlos Academy to establish a charter school. Athlos is controlled by an Idaho real estate group. The main reason why Texas continues to reject Athlos is the outrageous claims of being able to enroll more than 3-thousand students within four years!  In the latest Athlos application for state approval only 15 families indicated an intent to enroll: “It’s striking to me that the letters of support have mostly come from legislators. To think that we are willing to risk the academic lives of almost 1,000 children in North Texas is not a risk that I’m willing to take.”-Erika Beltran, Texas Board of Education

Virginia:  After surviving The Great depression and numerous recessions, god powerless to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ Lutheran Memorial School in Richmond: “It is with deep regret that the LMS Foundation Board announces that the school does not have the funds to open for the 2016-17 school year.”-official statement

Washington DC: The Boston Globe reports that the U.S. “Department of Education report found numerous problems, including incomplete training and conflict-of-interest policies.” with Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools.

U.S. Department of Education halting student grants/loans for MedTech College due to “valuing profits over the students they serve”, in other words lying about how many of their graduates can find jobs.

Your local high school pushing your kids to take college level AP courses? Think twice: “When comparing students of similar race, gender, standardized test scores, and socioeconomic background, most of the papers find that high school course-taking makes no more than a two percent difference in the final college grade, even when high school courses include Advanced Placement.“–Brookings Institution

Dumbing Down the United States, June 2016: “MORALE IS REALLY LOW.” “THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE.”

Technology

“It’s like a never-ending funeral.” : June 2016 U.S. tech/communications destruction

More proof you brick-n-mortar store owners can’t directly blame the internet/high-tech competition for your demise. Incomplete list of U.S. internet/high-tech/communications job destruction announcements in June 2016:

Arizona: California based internet health insurance management company YourPeople-Zenefits shutting down their Grand Canyon State sales office, at least 1-hundred jobs lost!

California: Ebay posted a mass layoff WARN saying they laid off 538 people, back in February 2015!   Cupertino based hard disk maker Seagate Technology announced it will kill off 1-thousand 6-hundred jobs by the end of its third quarter!  Renewable energy company SunEdison continues killing jobs, this time 121 people in three locations were laid off at the end of May!  Once touted as one of the fastest growing women owned companies, military InfoTech contractor Xtreme Solutions issued a layoff WARN for their Ontario location, 80 jobs lost by the end of August.  San Jose based Apple computer “human interface” parts supplier Synaptics eliminating 160 jobs! In a round-a-bout way administrators blamed crashing sales. United Technologies shutting down their San Diego office at the end of July. Software company Veritas Technologies revealed they laid off 128 people in Mountain View, back in May! Steiner eOptics (aka Laser Devices) shutting down their Monterey location, 69 jobs gone by August. Connecticut based Xerox shutting down their Cerritos location, 39 jobs lost by August. Internet slots website Playtika eliminating 111 Santa Monica jobs by August!  In Los Angeles, ad agency 72andSunny announced it laid off “2%” of its employees in an attempt to maintain the “long term health” of the company.  San Jose based electronic payments company VeriFone Systems reports a surprise decline in revenue and will layoff an undisclosed number of people, blaming it on “difficult market dynamics”.   Solar Link eliminating 169 jobs in Ontario by mid-July! L-3 Communications revealed it shutdown its San Carlos operations back in April, 69 jobs lost. Video game maker Disney Interactive revealed they laid off 55 people, back in mid-May. In San Jose, Western Digital issued a mass layoff WARN, 232 jobs gone by July! Network and content control freak Lightspeed Systems issued a layoff WARN for their Bakersfield ops, 80 jobs gone by Xmas.  Jacobs Technology issued a WARN, 65 jobs gone by mid-August. VSE Corporation issued a layoff WARN, nine Barstow jobs gone by the end of July.  Resistor maker Caddock Electronics issued a shutdown WARN for their Riverside ops, 60 jobs gone by mid-August.

Florida:  News-Press/Gannett Publishing eliminating 79 jobs in Marco Island and Fort Myers, between July and August.  Xerox issued a WARN for their Orlando ops, 95 jobs gone by the end of August.  Call center operator Convergys issued a WARN for their AT&T Jacksonville ops, 163 jobs gone by mid-August! Call center operator Vertex issued a WARN, 1-hundred Sarasota jobs gone between August and Xmas!  Jacobs Technology issued a WARN, 257 jobs in Fort Walton Beach gone between now and the end of August!

Illinois:   Cellular One issued shutdown WARNs for multiple locations, 91 jobs gone by September, no reason was given to state employment administrators. In Vernon Hills, custom computer programer Zebra Tech issued a shutdown WARN, 66 jobs lost by August due to “relocation”.  British empire United Kingdom based electronics company Laird Technologies shutting down their Schaumburg factory, eliminated 53 jobs.

Indiana: CTS Electric Components shutting down their Elkhart factory and moving production to Mexico and China. 230 U.S. jobs gone by mid-2018!

Maryland:  Missouri based finance and healthcare software maker DST Systems shutdown its Baltimore office. Georgia based payment processor Global Payments shutting down their Owings Mills ops, 334 jobs lost between July 2016 and March 2017! Local news media say administrators refused to say why. Global Payments recently reported big profits, and in 2007 said they would expand their Ownings Mills operations. It might have to do with the $3.8-billion USD spent on taking over rivals!

Massachusetts: Braintree based radio station owner Greater Media eliminated an undisclosed number of jobs across the U.S.  In the state of Boston Weak, MassMutual Financial Group laying off at least 1-hundred U.S. citizen InfoTech employees, replacing them with H-1B migrants! Local news media reporting that U.S. citizen employees are being threatened with the loss of their two weeks severance if they go public with the plan to replace U.S. employees with migrants: “It’s like a never-ending funeral.”–unnamed U.S. citizen employee to Computerworld reporter

Minnesota: The Post Bulletin laid off 11 people due to declining advertising revenue.

Missouri: Finance and healthcare software maker DST Systems eliminating 150 jobs in Kansas City!  Bankrupt solar panel and windmill maker SunEdison eliminating at least 43 jobs.

New Jersey: VALID USA laid off 144 South Plainfield data center employees!

New York: New York Life Insurance issued multiple WARNs, dozens of in-house InfoTech and Finance jobs being lost to cheap-o contractors.   NYC based animator Frederator Networks laid off 15 people, calling it “a fairly typical restructuring”. NYC based internet publisher Gawker Media now chapter 11 bankrupt busted after losing a $140-million USD lawsuit brought against them by Hulk Hogan.  In NYC, telecommunications company Charter Communications eliminating at least 36 jobs due to their merger with Time Warner.  Computer seller Tekserve shutting down their NYC computer store, 79 jobs gone by mid-September.  Connecticut based Xerox in the final stages of shutting down their Webster distribution operation, the remaining 48 employees becoming unemployed in August.

Ohio: In Lockbourne, IntelliSource eliminating 235 jobs by mid-August, apparently due to losing its contract at the Zulily Fulfillment Center.

Oklahoma: Newspaper The Oklahoman shutting down its packaging and printing ops in Oklahoma City, 130 jobs gone by September! The Oklahoman was Oklahoma’s largest newspaper but will now contract out work to rival Tulsa World.

Oregon: Data center Peak Hosting laid off 135 people and declared bankruptcy after losing a major internet video gaming client!   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:  ‘Tech distributor’ Ingram Micro eliminating 937 jobs in Fort Worth, as part of its $6-billion USD sell-out to Chinese company Tianjin Tianhai-HNA Group!  In Austin, former drivers for California based internet companies Uber and Lyft filed multiple lawsuits over their sudden dismissal in May. The sudden halt to Uber and Lyft operations is the result of Austin residents approving a new law requiring Uber and Lyft to conduct background checks on ‘independent’ drivers. Apparently Uber and Lyft didn’t want to comply, so they laid off hundreds (possibly thousands) of people without warning. (Uber has already agreed to settle a lawsuit by 350-thousand drivers in California and Massachusetts who say Uber never reimbursed them for fuel expenses! Lyft is offering to pay California drivers $27-million USD to settle their legal action!)  Also in Austin, once praised as one of the “best funded startups” 10 years old Spiceworks announced it must layoff 12% of its hundreds of employees, the CEO would only say “…new efforts and strategies require us to reconsider our own organization…”  

Washington: Redmond based Microsoft is buying LinkdIn for $26.2-billion USD, expect mass layoffs.  Seattle based Amazon will invest $3-billion USD in creating new jobs, but not here in the United States, the money is going to India! By the way, that’s on top of the $2-billion Amazon has already pumped into India!

Wisconsin: Texas based InfoTech company Compucom issued a shutdown WARN for its Waukesha operations, at least 16 jobs gone by the end of August.

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

Former employees who receive severance are not counted as unemployed

Technology

“bloodbath” : April 2016, U.S. tech/communications industry job destruction

More proof you brick-n-mortar store owners can’t directly blame the internet/high-tech competition for your demise. Incomplete list of U.S. internet/high-tech/communications job destruction announcements in April 2016:

Mormon Glen Beck’s ‘news’ network The Blaze warned at least 40 employees across the U.S. that they will lose their jobs. This is at least the second round of layoffs for Glen Beck. Back in February a Daily Beast report basically said former employees accused ‘christian’ Beck of being a backstabber. It’s blamed on crashing ratings and the crashing numbers of people looking at Beck’s websites Glennbeck.com and TheBlaze.com.

Arizona: California based Intel eliminating 560 jobs in Chandler, by the end of May!

California: Insiders are reporting that Apple has laid off all its employee recruiters, more than 1-hundred employees! Recruiting bonuses were also slashed from 40% to only 10%.  In Irvine, Sage Software eliminating 26 jobs by the end of June. In San Jose, Western Digital Technology eliminating 71 jobs by mid-June.   San Louis Obispo based e-commerce company Kibo (Shopatron) suddenly laid off an undisclosed number of people (reports vary from eight to 25), blaming it on Kibo’s merger with two other e-commerce companies.   After 57 years La Cañada Flintridge based Sport Chalet announced it is dead! Not only are they shutting down all 67 brick-n-mortar stores across nine states, but they’re halting all internet sales! New York based IBM laying off 109 people at its San Jose ops, by the end of May!  In Oakland software maker APN (Ask Partner Network) issued a layoff WARN, 19 employees unemployed by the end of May. Mindspark Interactive Network revealed it too will eliminate jobs. Internet company IAC (InterActiveCorp) issued layoff WARNs for 15 employees, effective at the end of May. In San Francisco, KGO Radio laid off as many as 30 people (almost all its newsroom staff) without warning, employees called it a “bloodbath”. The news came from employees who refused to give their names on account they’ve been threatened with losing their jobs as well.   Santa Clara based Intel confirmed it is about to eliminate 12-thousand jobs, blaming it on crashing computer sales!

Connecticut: Norwalk based Xerox revealed it eliminated 4-thousand 8-hundred jobs in the first quarter of 2016! Xerox has been slashing jobs since 1991.

Idaho: ‘Christian’ led state Department of Labor making money off its own software by selling its Right to Work Internet Unemployment System (ius) to the states of Iowa and Vermont!

Kansas: In Overland Park, Sprint revealed it eliminated an additional 113 jobs at its HQ!

Missouri: Solar panel and windmill maker SunEdison now chapter 11 bankrupt busted. The company was called the fastest growing green energy company in the U.S., but that was because it was using debt to finance its growth, now it can’t pay up.

New York: The company behind those crappy entertainment shows like American Idol, NYC based CORE Media, now chapter 11 bankrupt busted. Despite years of high ratings the company was not able to pay off massive debts, and now ratings for those BS shows are crashin’-n-burnin’.  Iconic New York Times announced it will shutdown its Paris, France, printing ops. On top of that, insiders and union members are reporting that New York Times will eliminate “hundreds” of jobs by November! This comes after the CEO of New York Times saw his income skyrocket to $8.7-million USD last year!  Amazon halting its clothing line, 94 MyHabit jobs lost in NYC and Brooklyn, in July.     In Staten Island NYC, telecommunications company Midtown Express shutting down, 45 jobs gone in May.  NYC based digital news service Mashable Studios announced will begin eliminating jobs because “…to keep our voice consistent across every platform, it’s clear that all our video producers should live on the same team.”

North Carolina: Germany based BASF laying off 190 highly educated employees at its Research Triangle Park ops by the end of Summer! It’s part of BASF’s plans to eliminate 350 local jobs in total! Connecticut based Xerox laying off 139 people at its State Healthcare operation “due to a business decision of a single client”. This might be what I call Ripple Effect Layoffs (REL) as many healthcare providers are drastically cutting back on spending due to ObamaCare.

Oregon: Veritas Software issued a WARN for their Springfield ops, 50 jobs lost by mid-June.  California based Intel issued a mass layoff WARN, 784 jobs gone by the end of May!  California based software company Symantec resumed mass layoffs at its Springfield operations. Exact numbers were not released.

Texas: in Austin internet based business education service Amazing Academy (amazing.com) laid off 50% of its employees without warning! The news came from the former employees.  Dallas based AT&T is now offering poor families internet service for as little as $5 per month! This is because the federal government (FCC Lifeline program) is finally recognizing that there are now more poor people than ever before and that the overwhelming majority of employers now do hiring through the internet only.  San Antonio based iHeartMedia warning of bankruptcy due to ongoing lawsuit by creditors. If they lose the lawsuit they could be required to make an immediate payment of $15-billion USD!  Arlington based software company Opower laid off 25 U.S. employees as “…part of an effort to cut back on our overall spending….”

Washington: California based Intel shutting down its DuPont location (according to the mayor of DuPont), killing 350 jobs! DuPont Mayor Michael Courts says Intel administrators did not tell him when the plant would shutdown. Connecticut based Xerox issued a layoff WARN for their Kent operations, 98 jobs lost by the end of May.

March 2016: “TO RECEIVE SEVERANCE…EMPLOYEES…SIGN AWAY THEIR RIGHT TO SUE.”

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

Former employees who receive severance are not counted as unemployed

U.S.

German news media reveal Wealthy Migrants control New York City!

06 July 2016 (00:07 UTC-07 Tango 01) 16 Tir 1395/30 Ramadan 1437/03 Yi-Wei 4714

“Ten years ago….you felt that New York belongs to New Yorkers, today New York belongs to the world. There are tremendous amount of buyers here….from Europe, from China, from South America, from Korea, from Russia, so it is no more a local buyer that is buying here.”-Michael Shvo, Israeli migrant property developer who’s lived in New York City since 1995, interviewed by Global 3000

The German state funded news media DW (Deutsche Welle) revealed in their “Globalization Program”, Global 3000, that the Big Apple’s (New York City) skyrocketing gentrification (‘native’ long term residents being pushed out, and/or middle class pushed into poverty, by property development resulting in skyrocketing costs of living) is caused by foreigners, not poor migrant workers but 1% elitist migrant property developers!

In 2015 it was revealed that a Chinese car parts maker was on its way to becoming the top buyer of U.S. property, then this year the Asia Society reported that “Chinese investors acquired at least $17.1 billion of existing commercial property between 2010 and 2015, representing an annual growth rate of 70%. Half of that investment came in 2015 alone….   ….. 70% of commercial real estate transaction value between 2010 and 2015 was concentrated in the New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco metro areas….”  

But unprecedented real estate development in New York City is also being pushed by rich migrants from other countries, the Global 3000 program interviewed and Israeli migrant who is now behind some of the most expensive operations in the Big Apple.  Michael Shvo told Global 3000 that NYC is “super-prime” because “there’s no where to develop”.  When the Global 3000 interviewer asked the Israeli property developer how much he charged to rent one of his NYC apartments he answered with “If you have to ask then you shouldn’t be buying.”

Global 3000 discovered that the average retired ‘middle class’ New Yorker now qualifies for the city’s welfare programs when they caught retired university professor Marsha Halfez applying for rental assistance. Halfez stated it was “embarrassing” that somebody like her should have to apply for rental assistance.

A real estate agent revealed that even a “decent” apartment for a family of four requires them to have an annual income of $300-thousand USD, even for apartments that are so old they don’t have clothes washer/dryer hookups: “The washer/dryer is something that is 100% a luxury……these buildings were not made to take a washer/dryer.”-Jed Wilder

So we’re not talking poor immigrants/refugees, the skyrocketing rents across the U.S. is caused by wealthy property speculating migrants, some using the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program.

“Unprecedented” Supreme court case supports China buying U.S. properties: CHINA WINS FEDERAL COURT LAWSUIT AGAINST OBAMA REGIME!

The $1.7 billion USD Hunters Point housing construction deal in San Francisco, involving a major California contractor and two Chinese companies, crashed and burned…

GLOBAL ECONOMIC CLASS WAR: CHINA NOW HAS PROPERTY TAX, ON THE RICH

NO ECONOMIC RECOVERY FOR U.S.: PROPERTY OWNERS PUT U.S. LAND UP FOR AUCTION IN CHINA, OFFERS IMMIGRANT APPLICATIONS TO HIGH BIDDERS

NEW YORK CITY DESPERATE TO SELL LAND TO CHINA

U.S. FARMING HUMAN TRAFFICKING!

U.S. Sheriff says “WE’RE NOT TAKING CARE OF OUR OWN PEOPLE, THAT’S BULLSHIT!”

MY IMMIGRANT IDAHO : CRIMES SKYROCKET PARTLY DUE TO DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN MIGRATION!

The Migration Policy Institute discovered that refugees get more help from taxpayer funded social programs than do poor U.S. citizens.

Technology

“to receive this severance…employees…sign away their right to sue” : March 2016, U.S. tech/communications industry job destruction

More proof you brick-n-mortar store owners can’t directly blame the internet/high-tech competition for your demise. Incomplete list of U.S. internet/high-tech/communications job destruction announcements in March 2016:

According to S&P Global Market Intelligence Apple, Verizon Communications,  Alphabet-Google,  AT&T, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Cisco Systems,  Oracle and Comcast avoided paying U.S. corporate taxes despite making at least 50% in profits in 2015!

Japan based electronics maker Toshiba, who was caught out last year cooking its own accounting books revealing that it was actually losing money (over the past seven years), is now under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The U.S. investigation is about Toshiba’s U.S. subsidiaries lying about their revenues to avoid paying U.S. taxes, and includes the U.S. nuclear power plant maker/operator Westinghouse (which is now owned by Toshiba). Toshiba has recently been fined a record $66-million USD by Japan’s Financial Services Agency for lying about their revenues.

Alabama: In Huntsville, the now shuttered non-profit Sci-Quest museum is officially chapter 7 bankrupt busted.

Arizona:  In Phoenix, internet medical check-up scheduling service Zocdoc laid off 33 people and is consolidating its sales team to its NYC HQ. Local news reports say its part of a larger plan by the high-tech industry to drastically cut back because they expect the economy to get much worse!  Washington DC based e-commerce Living Social shutting down their Tucson call center, 160 jobs lost by the end Spring! Administrators claim the bad economy is forcing them to restructure, and they warned the call center shutdown was just “the initial phase” (even though they’ve eliminated 6-hundred jobs since 2014!).

California:  British empire United Kingdom based software solutions company (according to Bloomberg) nobody heard of, Mycom North America, revealed it suddenly shutdown their Santa Fe Springs office, 138 jobs lost no explanation! Mycom North America, is apparently dead in the water as it suddenly issued shutdown WARNs for all its offices around the United States! A lawsuit was filed by a U.S. contractor accusing Mycom of failing to pay them for work rendered, and last year Mycom was sued by a U.S. property management company for failing to pay rent on property in West Virginia!  In San Jose, TiVo laid off 52 people. In Sunnyvale, Imagine Communications issued a shutdown WARN, 50 jobs lost by April. Investors Business Daily issued multiple layoff WARNs, at least 49 jobs lost in several cities by the end of April.   In Bakersfield, Xerox eliminating 15 jobs by the end of April.  In Tustin, Pacific Bell Telephone eliminating 121 jobs by May! In Sunnyvale, internet/tech company NetApp eliminating 376 jobs by the end of April! In Aliso Viejo, video game maker Carbine Studios laid of 70 people and another 18 people will become unemployed in May. The launch of their game, WildStar, has been canceled for China and administrators say they are re-focusing efforts on the U.S. and European markets.  And video game maker NC Interactive (NCsoft) already laid off 11 people. Redwood based smartwatch maker Pebble already in trouble, eliminating 40 jobs due to lack of “support” from those idiots who throw their money at tech startups. Administrators blame it on increasing competition from other tech companies for that “support”. In other words; tech companies don’t make money off actually selling something, it comes from geeks who “support” those companies (hey, why doesn’t anybody want to support Blind Bat News? hit the donate button).  Santa Barbara based wireless company Sonos announced it will eliminate jobs (but refuses to say how many) as they shift focus from WiFi to Streaming. And in Los Angeles, Fox Sports-digital suddenly eliminated more than 20 internet writer jobs through a loophole in their contracts. Basically Fox Sports blaming low ratings of their internet ‘team news-letters’ on the writers. Sebastopol based Safari Books Online has laid off an undisclosed number of employees, including the CEO! The layoffs were revealed by the former CEO. The company, which does business on the internet, is consolidating operations.    Japan based video game maker SEGA (SEGA was created in the U.S. territory of Hawaii in 1940, where it made slot machines) revealed they eliminated an undisclosed number of jobs from their San Francisco SEGA Networks ops. In San Francisco, internet/tech company YourPeople-Zenefits officially revealed how many jobs they eliminated last month, 83. And San Francisco based software maker Optimizely laid off about 40 employees blaming the devaluation of the tech industry: “This being the right decision shifted on February 5. The impact of that day on public SaaS [Software as a Service] companies, in some cases cutting their value in half, was a wake up call for me personally to realize that ultimately if we want to build a business that can endure and be impactful, we need to make ourselves resilient…”-Dan Siroker, ceo during interview with ForbesPalo Alto based credit card validating e-reader Jumio now chapter 11 bankrupt busted and for sale. Administrators blame lack of ‘crowd funding’ (guess those low-tech girls in low-cut t-shirts didn’t work). This is more proof that most tech companies are never successful, having to rely on crowd funding support for their real money.  Palo Alto based ‘cloud’ computing company SurveyMonkey eliminating 1-hundred jobs, saying “The products and solutions in place were not going to generate long-term value for SurveyMonkey.”

Connecticut:  Hartford based healthcare provider Aetna eliminated 26 jobs with its iTriage App in Colorado. Aetna then announced plans to merge iTriage App with WellMatch App, no word on how many more InfoTech jobs will be lost to the merger.

Delaware: Software company SevOne revealed that it eliminated about 50 jobs in February.

Florida: Mycom North America suddenly shutdown their Orlando office. Interestingly the WARN lists the company as “construction”, but Bloomberg’s Company Overview calls it a U.K. based privately held software-engineering company.   Global electronic payment company First Data finally notified state employment administrators that it shutdown its Maitland office and laid off at least 129 people, last year!

Idaho: In Garden City, after 40 years The Gem State’s largest horse racing op Les Bois Park suddenly shutdown. It’s the latest victim of a recent decision by A-hole ‘christian’ regulators declaring instant horse racing machines to be “unconstitutional”! Boise State University conducted an economic study which concluded that Les Bois Park alone generated $50-million USD for Ada County, and provided 536 jobs, all lost now! The Idaho Horse Council says there will be a domino effect across Idaho’s equine economy: “It’s the feed, the hotels, the traveling, eating… it’s just a trickledown effect. Horses are going to be shipped out of state and that’s income Idaho doesn’t get. That’s devastating for our horse economy.”-Myron Amsden

Illinois: Chicago based internet coupon service Groupon conducting more job culling, this time 25 Breadcrumb employees were let go. Back in August 20 Breadcrumb employees lost their jobs. News reports say Groupon has now cut in half the number of Breadcrumb employees it once had. Inside sources say eventually Groupon will shutdown Breadcrumb altogether, despite adamant denials by Groupon administrators.  Computer Systems Institute shutting down campuses across the state, eliminating 172 jobs by September! In Chicago, Computershare issued a layoff WARN, 56 jobs lost by the end of April.  Troubled drugs maker Abbott Laboratories about to fire U.S. InfoTech workers and replace them with migrants from India: “-You have given 180 U.S. employees 60-days notice, and their last day of employment at Abbott Labs will be April 22, 2016.

-To add insult to injury, the Abbott Labs IT staff who will be laid off will first be forced to train their replacements.

–You have awarded Wipro Ltd, a large Indian outsourcing firm, with a contract to take over the jobs of these American workers.

-You are offering the U.S. workers severance of a week’s pay for each year they spent at the company, but in order to receive this severance you are requiring these employees to sign away their right to sue or disparage the company. The severance packet you gave your workers contains a full-page ad listing jobs at Wipro.

-The people you are laying off have stellar experience, credentials, and performance reviews, and some have been with your company for 15-20 years.”-Dick Durbin, U.S. Senator

Kentucky: Printer maker Lexmark issued a WARN, 143 Fayette County jobs lost by the end of May! Company administrators did not give a reason.   E-commerce and logistics company Innotrac shutting down their Hebron operation, 338 jobs lost by July! There was no official reason given, but local news sources suspect it’s connected to a deal with Amazon. Call center operator Convergys eliminating up to 1-hundred jobs in Erlanger, due to the loss of a client.

Louisiana: In Baton Rouge, Xerox State & Local Solutions issued a layoff WARN, 84 jobs lost by May due to “a change in business condition”.

Maryland: Bethesda based tax-sucker Lockheed Martin is pushing 1-thousand employees to suffer “voluntary layoffs”! Most layoffs will take place in Texas and Georgia. Administrators say it’s their only way of “staying competitive”, never mind that fact they’ve raped taxpayers for decades over their never ending ‘development’ of the grossly failed F-35 project! The at least 16 years old F-35 project has cost taxpayers $400-billion USD so far!

If the Department of Defense finally decides to buy the plane it’ll cost and additional $85-million per plane, and the special helmet for the pilot will cost $400-thousand each! The F-35 has continually failed to live up to it’s original billing, yet your ‘elected’ government continues to throw your money at it! It should also be pointed out that Russia boasts that its current fighter aircraft can easily take out the F-35.

Massachusetts: Aspect Software now chapter 11 bankrupt busted, admitting it’s a “pre-arranged restructuring” to reduce its massive debt by 40%. Avid Technology eliminating $68-million USD in jobs and services, blaming bad management decisions such as failing to keep up with new technological developments!  Without warning audio equipment maker Bose began layoffs at their Framingham call center. Local news reports say Bose administrators claim it’s because more customers are using the internet to complain rather than the phone, but employees revealed that at least 2-hundred call center jobs are actually being offshored: “They have the Philippines up and running now. They will be letting more of the call center go in waves after May 6, as they bring more people online in the Philippines. They are sending our own people to train them, three months at a time.”-unnamed Bose employee

New Jersey: Mercer County Community College eliminating IT jobs as it will now use a cheap contractor. Some in-house Information Tech employees will be laid off while others will be shifted to other departments.

New York:  Investor’s Business Daily eliminating a handful of jobs at their NYC publishing ops, by the end of April.  NYC based ‘digital news media’ International Business Times laid off at least 15 people in New York and California, without warning. Employees had 10 minutes to vacate the premises! Unnamed sources say more layoffs could be on the way.  Global electronic payment company First Data shutting down their Melville data processing center, 641 jobs lost between now and December 2017! Manifest Digital shutting down its Saratoga Springs office, as a result of its merger with McMurry/TMG.  Japanese company Canon Solutions lost their contract with New York Life, 38 jobs lost by the end of May.  Reports that Armonk based IBM began eliminating more jobs, just a month after reducing their six month severance plan down to just one month.

North Carolina: Mycom North America suddenly shutdown their Bessemer office.

Ohio: In Hebron, Lakewood Digital Academy shutting down in June due to cancelation of taxpayer funding. The local school district must also payback $150-thousand USD to the state Department of Education. It’s blamed on changes in laws affecting charter schools.

Oklahoma: Switzerland based oil industry automation tech supplier ABB Totalflow laid off 13 people in Bartlesville.

Oregon: Mycom North America suddenly shutdown their Portland office.

Pennsylvania: Radio Shack-Sprint shutdown their Schuylkill Mall store due to lack of “performance”.   Pittsburgh-Post Gazette warned unionized employees of mass layoffs, apparently due to efforts to bribe (voluntary buyouts) more than a hundred people to quit have failed.

Texas: British empire United Kingdom based software solutions company Mycom North America  suddenly shutdown their Dallas office, at least 22 jobs lost, no explanation. In Dallas, electronic “out of state title” processor Dealertrack Tech issued a WARN, 56 jobs gone by mid-May.  In Coppell, Japan based Panasonic Avionics issued a WARN, 51 jobs gone by the end of June. In Alvin, Dish Network eliminating 550 call center jobs! Administrators said the lease was up and it wasn’t worth it to renew.  In Austin after moving into new HQ, 10 years old internet based wholesaler network Bazaarvoice  eliminated 50 jobs in order to remain successful “…in the coming year and for many years to come.”  Investor’s Business Dailey issued a WARN saying at least 14 people in Plano will become jobless by the end of April.

Washington: Mycom North America suddenly shutdown their Redmond office. Bellevue based video game maker 5th Cell forced to layoff 45 people under orders from publisher Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment.  A week after Seattle based retailer Nordstrom eliminated ten IT jobs, they laid off an additional 1-hundred InfoTech employees!  Redmond based Microsoft announced it will shutdown two game development studios, one in United Kingdom the other in Denmark.

February 2016:  “WE’RE TRULY SORRY TO EVERYONE AFFECTED.”

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

Former employees who receive severance are not counted as unemployed

Business/Economics

“People…..never returned.”: U.S. Retail/Banking/Service Sector Layoffs June 2016

Incomplete list of U.S. retail/banking/service sector job loss announcements and shutdowns for June 2016:

“…not only did we see dishonest lending at the origination stage and then dishonest securitization where the investors were defrauded and told that the loans were of good quality when they actually weren`t, but we saw dishonesty in terms of breaking the transfer process and the chain of title that goes from entity to the other, and when individuals were foreclosed on, they were done so with false documents which was a cover-up… …..the evidence that was used for the foreclosing entity to prove that they actually owned the loan and had an interest in it was faulty. It was fabricated. It was forged….. …this is still going on today…. ….the lender is supposed to make a promise that they`ve underwritten the loan and seen that the borrower has the ability to pay. …..A lot of these defaults were servicer driven where you had loans that were 2 cents short and put into default….people getting foreclosure notices when they paid cash on their homes! There was a serious breakdown in the system of property records law which is 150 years older than the Constitution!”-David Dayen, interviewed on Nightly Business Report

Business Management Daily reported that managers “manipulate” layoff announcements. There are a growing number of court cases where management has been proven to be creating layoff lists to get rid of employees they don’t like (which is illegal), instead of for economic reasons.

Alabama: In Decatur, after 24 years Marvin’s Building Materials shutdown.

Arkansas: Bentonville based Walmart eliminating 1-thousand 5-hundred ‘cash counter’ jobs at 5-hundred U.S. stores! In an effort to increase profit margins Walmart administrators are going to centralize their store accounting ops.   Walmart is ending the acceptance of Visa credit cards in Canada, due to jacked up credit card fees for Canadian retailers.

California:  Amazingly, and despite my continued reporting of massive layoffs across the Golden State, including the Bay Area, the UCLA Anderson Forecast claims that employment in the Bay Area is at full capacity! But wait, the term Full Employment is misleading, it does not mean everybody literally has a job, it means that everybody who wants a jobs and is willing to take whatever slave wage pay level is offered can potentially become employed. What irony, Simply Hired issued a shutdown WARN, 94 people in Sunnyvale jobless by the end of July.   In Ontario, events contractor AEG Management eliminated 280 jobs! Also in Ontario, staffing agency Adecco issued a mass layoff WARN, 730 jobs gone by mid-August!  In Citrus Heights, after 44 years Northridge Music Center shutdown, the frustrated owner literally blames “everything”. In Fresno, after 66 years Sunnyside Department Store shutting down, local news media say its the last of ten family owned stores on Butler Avenue. Home furnishings seller Restoration Hardware laid off 53 people from their Corte Madera HQ.  Employment training service for old people Experience Works shutdown their Napa office, six jobs gone. In San Francisco, now revealed to be a scammer LendingClub eliminating 12% of its jobs due to crashing loan applications, due to the discovery that a former CEO had been using the website to intentionally rip-people-off.  And after 46 years aQuarius Records shutdown, it supposedly will re-open under new ownership. San Francisco based clothier GAP issued a mass layoff WARN, 2-hundred jobs gone by mid-August! Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO) laid off 68 people. Here’s how administrators refer to a bad economy: “The competitive demands of this industry require that we continually adapt and innovate to meet evolving client needs.”

Colorado: In Longmont, consignment shop Serendipity shutdown due to “…a steady decline over the past two years” in sales after the landlord put up a For Lease sign: “People thought I was closing. It scared away business.”-Vicky Boone

Connecticut: In Litchfield, after 30 years Robertson Jewelers shutdown due to declining sales.  CAROLEE New York jewelry issued a shutdown WARN for their Stamford operations, 47 jobs gone by mid-August.

Delaware: Draw Another Circle has made it official and placed Hastings into bankruptcy, as part of their plan to try and sell-off the dying entertainment chain. If nobody buys it then all remaining 126 Hastings stores will be shutdown affecting more than 1-thousand jobs! It’s blamed on crashing sales.

Florida: Bankrupt Sports Authority issued a shutdown WARN for their Miami store number 296, 90 jobs gone by the end of August.  After 35 years Turner Tree and Landscape chapter 11 bankrupt busted due to $7-million USD of debts.  The biggest bank in Manatee County now has the smallest deposits on hand, Too Big to Jail Bank of America shutting down and selling-off its iconic Bradenton office.   Clothier Chico’s laid off an undisclosed number of HQ employees in Fort Myers, blaming it on ” the rapidly changing retail marketplace”.

Georgia: In Atlanta, after 46 years recording studio Doppler Studios shutting down, no reason given.  Atlanta based Too Big to Jail mortgage servicer Ocwen Financial Corporation revealed it laid off 120 people!

Illinois: New car dealer AutoMatch USA issued a shutdown WARN for their Morton Grove location, 30 jobs lost by the end of August.  Payroll contractor RAS Services issued a shutdown WARN, 84 jobs gone by the end of July due to loss of contract.  Despite surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions, Schwartz’s Intimate Apparel shutting down: “Business is changing and we either adapt again and change the way we do things. Or we can say, ‘It’s been a wonderful run. Thank you for 100 years’.”-Ben Schwartz

In Chicago, GE Capital began laying off 44 employees, no reason was given to state employment administrators.   Chicago based job analyst Challenger, Gray & Christmas is blaming crashing teenager employment on the bad economy: “The general trend in summer employment among teens has been downward and that trend has been going on since the late 1970s. …..Restaurants and retail outlets are still hiring teens, but not as many as in the past…… …summer camps, neighborhood pools, amusement parks…the number of these jobs is not really growing.”

Indiana: After 15 years Talbott Street nightclub shutdown because it’s “what the owner wanted to do”.  In Rushville, after 75 years Public Paint & Wallpaper shutdown, the owner blamed increasing competition and changing shopping habits: “We are still hopeful that someone will come along and buy the building and start the dream of having their own business in downtown Rushville. We will begin liquidating all remaining inventory right away…”-Ryan Berkemeier

Iowa: In West Des Moines, Little Padded Seats baby supply store shutting down their Valley West Mall location.  The owners blame crashing foot traffic at the mall, and even tried to sell the entire business unsuccessfully. Todd’s Naturalizer shutdown their Valley West Mall shoe store, the owner said it wasn’t worth it to renew the lease.

Kansas: In Topeka, after 57 years Gardner’s Flooring America shutting down by the end of August, the owners revealed they had been made an offer on the property they couldn’t refuse.  In Topeka, after seven years retailer The Merchant shutdown after being sold to the owners of Cyrus Hotel. Local news media say it’s all about property speculation.

Kentucky: Louisville losing 45 years old Charlie Wilson’s Appliances, the owner decided to move to Clarksville.  In Nicholasville, decades old Carpenters Dish Barn shutting down in July, due to road construction.

Maine: In Bangor, House of Brides shutdown without warning, 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

Massachusetts: Boston Weak based Too Big to Jail investment Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Company (aka GMO) eliminated 65 jobs, due to a 20% decline in fund values.

Michigan: After 34 years Ypsilanti Cycle shutdown.  In Ann Arbor, after 70 years G&H Barbers shutdown due to the new property owner wanting to redevelop the property.  In Midland, Stanley’s Furniture shutting down after 65 years. The 74 years old owner said he wanted to shutdown five years ago, he credits his success on being able to know what the trends are. In Clare, after 23 years New Wood Store furniture store shutdown, they sold the property.

Minnesota: In Minneapolis, after 68 years Rush’s Bridal shutting down, the family owns the building and can make more money renting it to somebody else.  In Ithaca, Standard Art Supply & Souvenir shutdown, no reason given but local news media discovered the property owner was asking the city for permission for new construction. In Rotterdam, Things Remembered shutting down due to not being able to renew the lease. In Northfield, after one and a half years comic book shop The Quill & Blade shutting down in July. The owner originally planned to shutdown just six months after opening, blaming his lack of business experience. He decided it was more fun reading comics than trying to sell them. In Saint Cloud, thrift clothing store Threads shutting down after eight years, so the owner can focus on her new store. In Willmar, decades old Hardware Hank Express shutting down, the owner blames crashing sales on the intrusion of ‘Big Box’ competitors within the past few years.   In Mankato, after 59 years Ive’s Repair shop for cars shutdown, the retiring owner reminisced about how much he was paid when he started out as a gas station attendant: “I think I made 75 cents an hour if I remember right, pumping gas, scrubbing toilets, scrubbing the office, and scrubbing the shop floor, that was our job…”-Gary Iverson  (I remember my father telling me about his high school job in a grocery store in Barstow, California, in the 1950s.  He made pennies per hour, yet the cost of living was so low back then he was able to buy, and fully customize, a 1949 Mercury as his first car! Try doing that now, even being paid $15 per hour it can’t be done!)

Mississippi: In Clinton, the United Artist movie theater shutdown this weekend. In Hattiesburg, after 18 years Trees n Trends Unique Home Decor shutting down due to “downward” trending customer traffic, which began when a big call center was built next door.

Missouri: Springfield base John Q. Hammons Hotels, and 70 of its affiliates, now chapter 11 bankrupt busted.

New Jersey: In Hackensack, after 22 years Gold Ray Jewelers shutdown due to the landlord refusing to renew their lease. In Brick, after 50 years kayak and canoe seller Jersey Brick suddenly shutdown, the owners didn’t explain, they just wrote “Closed thanks for 50 years!” on a chalk board.  In Vineland, after 22 years Music Central shutdown: “…our industry is not as vibrant as it was 10 or 20 years ago. Since 2008 we have found it hard to make a profit.”-John Epifanio, co-owner

New Jersey:  Saks Fifth Avenue eliminating 137 Short Hills jobs by September!

New York: Real estate market analyst Reis issued a shutdown WARN for their NYC office, the Big Apple to lose 52 jobs as Reis gets the hell outta Dodge and moves to Westchester by the end of September.  AIG (American International Group) revealed it suddenly laid off about half a dozen people mid-month.   Elitist Ralph Lauren issued a mass layoff WARN for its NYC ops, 316 jobs gone between now and October!  Ralph Lauren also shutting down 50 stores and eliminating 1-thousand jobs across the country due to crashing sales! Ralph Lauren revealed there is no economic recovery saying its sales have crashed for the past three years, and needs to cut costs by $220-million USD, just for next year! Office sharing startup WeWork froze hiring and will layoff about 70 people. Amazingly administrators say it’s part of their plan for “growth and expansion”, claiming they will hire “hundreds… by the end of the year.” WPH Midtown Associates decided not to renew the lease on their Buffalo Holiday Inn Hotel, 82 jobs gone by September. After 53 years Chatham Bowl suddenly shutdown, no explanation reported by news media. The Cheshire Cat clothing store shutting down by mid-July.   In NYC, after 28 years Rebel Rebel Records blaming jacked up rent for their shutdown. In NYC, Ansonia Laundromat shutdown blaming crashing revenues. Bankrupt Sports Authority shutting down their Glendale, Woodside and Westbury stores, 173 jobs gone by the end of August!  NYC based Too Big to Jail Goldman Sachs announced it will kill-off an additional 98 jobs in a third round of layoffs between July and October, blaming a 47% crash in revenues. In NYC, after 33 years Belraf Fabrics shutdown their store on Orchard Street, due to the rent being jacked up.  In Bronx-NYC, ABC Carpet and ABC Home Furnishings shutdown, 78 jobs gone. In Niagara Falls, despite surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions Harris & Lever Florists shutdown, the owner blames competition and the city’s shutdown of Lewiston Road: “People rerouted after that, and they never returned.”-Maggie Murgia, co-owner

North Carolina: In Wilmington, after five years Arrow Fine Art supplies shutting down, the owner Linda Arrow yearning “I want a life, and I want to create my own art.” In Hickory, after 70 years eccentric Berndt’s store shutting down due to increased competition. Charlotte based Too Big to Jail Bank of America announced it will ‘accelerate’ its job destruction by 8-thousand jobs as part of its “digital banking” plan! It’s blamed on a sudden 15% increase in people using digital banks instead of brick-n-mortar banks (never mind the fact that increase was forced by BoA shutting down 23% of its offices since 2009). In Raleigh, children’s clothing and toy seller  Nüvonivo shutting down their brick-n-mortar store, but will continue with internet sales.  The owners said it wasn’t worth it to renew the lease on the brick-n-mortar property.  In Kannapolis, after 32 years Baucom-Phillips Jewelers shutdown, the owner revealing that being a business owner mean no quality time: “When you are 78-years-old, if you are going to have any quality of life you have to stop working sometime.”-Rex Baucom

Ohio: In Columbus, after six years Objects for the Home shutting down, apparently the owners will be opening another smaller version of their furniture store at some future unknown date and location.

Oregon: Northwest Community Credit Union shutdown their Coos Bay office. In Salem, after 116 years (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) Greenbaum’s Quilted Forest shutdown due to the owners not being able to find “the right person” to take over the business.

Pennsylvania: After 29 years Hanover Home & Garden shutting down in July, the owners saying “it’s time to retire”.

South Carolina: In Florence, after 22 years Phil Nofal’s Fine Footwear shutting down, the owner (who’s worked in the shoe business since he was 12) says “I’m tired. I’m 61 and I’ve done this my whole life.”

Texas: In El Paso, after surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions Regis-Bernard Furniture shutting down due to the owner wanting to retire. In Pampa, Hastings books-video-music shutting down due to not being able to meet corporate’s profit expectations, 28 jobs gone by September.  Big 5 Sporting Goods shutting down five of its eight Texas stores! Local news media say administrators refused to talk about it.  In Houston, Too Big to Jail JP Morgan Chase eliminating 90 car loan jobs.  In Irvine, Too Big to Jail Maryland based OneMain Financial eliminating 116 jobs by mid-July, saying only that they must “downsize”!

In northern Texas there appears to be an exodus of teenagers as the number of kids on their Summer break, and looking for a job, has been halved from their peak in the 1970-80s, Texas job analysts blame it on a rise in low paying back breaking jobs usually reserved for migrants: ”Most jobs involve more grunt work, more low level work and Generation Z doesn’t find those jobs appealing…. …There is no such thing as a kid job anymore because companies are reliant on every level of labor they have.”-Ron Newton

However, down south in Houston TV station CW39 conducted an unscientific survey and found that many U.S. teenagers are looking for a job, but nobody is hiring: “I’m looking for a job right now which is kind of hard. This is like the fourth place I’ve gone, but most places are sort of slow in the summer so it’s a lot harder to find a job.”-Sanitago Navarrete

“I couldn’t find a job or an internship and I thought I could be useful in some other way. I’m volunteering at a wildlife sanctuary.”-Alexis Acevedo

“What the numbers show for Houston is that, they’re not interested in kicking back this summer. We’ve had over 4,000 applications for 1,500 opportunities.“-Vanessa Ramirez, SER Jobs for Progress

Virginia: Radford University shutdown its 20 years old non-profit Small Business Development Center due to losing money on the non-profit operation. In Virginia Beach, after surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions Crawford House Furniture shutting down when the inventory is gone, no explanation. After 60 years The Clock Shop shutdown their Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall store. In Reston, after five years Baby Blossom supply and gifts shutdown because the property has been sold by the greedy landlord.  In Richmond, after 34 years Dave’s Comics shutdown due to the death of the owner.  Union Bank & Trust shutting down five offices located inside Martin’s Food Markets, due to low transaction volumes.  Florida based Home Shopping Network (HSN) eliminating 257 jobs starting in August! It’s part of their plan to shutdown their fulfillment facility. Internet based Vicarious Clothing shutting down their Fredericksburg brick-n-mortar store: “We can’t justify the overhead when there isn’t enough foot traffic.”

Washington: OfficeMax shutting down their Gateway Shopping Center store in Yakima, no further details were given.  In Seattle, after 58 years A-1 Laundry shutdown: “The industry has changed quite a bit and it’s a little tougher as a small business to exist.”-Chris Eng, owner

Washington DC: The Pew Research Center reports that Summer jobs for teenagers on break from school are getting harder to find, the main reason is due to crashing sales for the employers who usually hire teens for the Summer. In 1978 summertime teen employment hit its high at 58%, but ever since 2010 it’s hovered around 30%. The Brookings Institution reports “Employment rates fell most dramatically among teens, and large disparities between whites and blacks persist, particularly among teens and young adults.”

The U.S. Federal Reserve Bank says 76-million U.S. citizens barely get by financially. 46% of U.S. citizens would be devastated by a financial emergency. 45% say it’s because their jobs do not give them steady income as their work hours constantly change.

Wisconsin: After 34 years JR’s Waupaca True Value Hardware shutting down after failed attempts to sell it. The current owner blames family health problems and the fact he’s tired of working 67 hours per week (owners of businesses don’t get paid overtime).  Bankrupt Sports Authority issued a shutdown WARN for their Greenfield store, 46 jobs gone by mid-August.

30-31 May 2016: “NO OTHER CHOICE…WITHOUT A LINE OF CREDIT” 

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.”

Business/Economics

76% crash in fridge sales! No more bikes? : U.S. Mining/Industrial/Logistics Layoffs June 2016

Incomplete list of U.S. Mining/Industrial/Logistics job loss announcements and shutdowns for June 2016.

Arizona: Switzerland owned solar panel maker ABB shutting down its Phoenix-Sky Harbor factory and moving to Italy and Latvia!  At least 89 U.S. jobs will be lost.

California: Maker of foam cushion products Carpenter Company issued a shutdown WARN for their Lathrop factory, 198 jobs gone by mid-August! ‘Product development’ company Thermo Fisher issued a layoff WARN for their Carlsbad ops, 33 jobs gone by October.  Los Angeles based independent film distribution company Alchemy preparing for bankruptcy.   Republic of China (Taiwan) owned, but Newbury Park based, Giant (aka Giant USA, Giant Bicycles) warned of mass layoffs due to “flattish sales”.  The bicycle maker says ‘soft market conditions’ have forced them to begin consolidating sales and distribution operations, which means people will lose their jobs.  France owned security camera and equipment maker Pelco laid off at least 43 people in Clovis. Administrators say the current economy is forcing them to “focus” their operations. In San Francisco, British empire United Kingdom based BAE revealed it laid off 54 people in May. Alcoa issued a layoff WARN for their Fontana operations, 189 jobs gone by August! National Retail Transportation issued a shutdown WARN for its Fontana location, 125 jobs gone by the end of July! Also in Fontana, Ryder laying off 47 people by August.  Bankrupt Sports Authority shutdown their Fontana distribution warehouse, 122 people jobless! In Chowchilla, Brake Parts continues its shutdown, 65 people laid off by the end of July. Benz Sanitation-Propane issued a layoff WARN, 132 people in Tehachapi jobless by August!  Bearings maker SKF USA issued a layoff WARN for San Diego, 55 jobs gone by the end of September.

Electric car maker Tesla has been caught directly importing migrants to work in The Golden State! The San Jose Mercury News reports that the migrants are not legal H-1B workers but are illegal immigrants. The newspaper tracked an immigrant from Slovenia who worked for Tesla. When confronted Tesla administrators flat denied employing the immigrant.  Irvine based hobby industry remote controlled vehicle maker Novak Electronics (aka TeamNovak) suddenly shutdown after 38 years: “We are announcing that we have decided to close down our operations effective today. This decision was difficult to make, as this has been a family business spanning two generations.”-Novak family statement

Save Mart issued a shutdown WARN for their Vacaville distribution center, 325 jobs gone by mid-August!  Food packager Pactiv shutdown their Vernon operations, 106 jobs gone!  In Salinas, Foothill Packing has been fined $235-thousand USD for falsely firing U.S. citizens and replacing them with H-1B migrants: “The employer claimed the workers — who were U.S. citizens — had failed to meet production standards. Investigators found that many of them had consistently exceeded the production of many of the foreign workers doing the same jobs, yet Foothill did not terminate these foreign workers.“-U.S. Department of Labor press release

Colorado: Bankrupt Arch Coal eliminating 80 jobs at its West Elk Mine.  Denver based Triangle USA Petroleum now chapter 11 bankrupt busted.

Connecticut: Korea owned Doosan Fuel Cell America revealed it laid off at least 33 employees in the past few months.  The mayor of South Windsor said company administrators told him they had to “regroup”.  The company makes 4-hundred kw natural gas powered fuel cells.  Packaging maker Norampac New England shutting down their Thompson operations, 63 jobs gone between July and August.

Florida: Caterpillar issued a WARN for its Work Tools ops in Jacksonville, 63 jobs gone by the end of November.

Georgia: Maker of fake grass AstroTurf chapter 11 bankrupt busted after losing a legal fight over patent rights.  General Dynamics owned Gulfstream Aerospace ‘offering’ voluntary buyouts of employees, starting in August.  It was revealed after news was leaked to local news media by employees.  In December 2015, it was revealed that Gulfstream Aerospace eliminated 1-thousand 1-hundred U.S. jobs.

Idaho: 15 years after shutting down their Power County phosphorus operations FMC declared their EPA superfund site is now ready to be the new home to Rupert based Valley Agronomics‘ new fertilizer plant (Valley Agronomics is owned by Minnesota based Land O’Lakes). The arrogant ‘christian’ governor of Idaho, Butch Otter, proudly boasted that this was a sign the area’s economy has “risen from the ashes” and then flat lied by saying “…when somebody says we’re gonna return, we’re gonna come back! You can trust us that we will keep our promise in coming back. I want you to remember this day Valley Agronomics and FMC because they told us that! They told us that we can trust them…” This is a lie because it’s not FMC “coming back”, and Valley Agronomics never operated out of the site before! The so called Phoenix Site (as declared by Otter) will employ a measly 50 people once it’s up and running in 2017 (incompetent local TV stations have been reporting 70 jobs created, but those are the temporary construction jobs). I don’t think that qualifies as a local economy that’s “risen from the ashes”.

Otter also quietly revealed to local news media that the once touted Solar Farm project at the Pocatello Airport is dead.

Illinois: Rex Energy shutting down their petroleum extraction ops near Bridgeport, 102 jobs gone by mid-August! The Aurora Laundry Company issued a shutdown WARN, 64 jobs lost by August due tot the linen supply business being sold.   Trunk Club shutting down its Goose Island distribution center, 250 jobs lost under a new deal with retailer Nordstrom!   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. In Bedford Park, Northstar Aerospace lost their contract, 226 jobs gone! 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. Lake Forest based car parts maker UCI Holdings-International now chapter 11 bankrupt busted, including their subsidiaries Airtex, ASC Industries and Champion.  Chicago based bicycle parts maker SRAM laid off 12 people due to 12 months of down sales: “The quarters before were soft as well. It’s been cumulative. Certainly the softness of the last 12 months has not helped. It’s definitely lowered the water level and exposed the rocks.”-Stan Day, president

Indiana: General Electric (GE) shutting down its Bloomington fridgerator factory. The remaining 329 employees to become unemployed due to a 76% crash in sales since 2008! 130 people were laid off in 2013.  In Middlebury, motor-home builder Evergreen RV suddenly shutdown (employees were simply told not to come to work) 4-hundred jobs lost! Local news reports say up until the sudden shutdown employees were told the company was doing well financially, and was actually in ‘growth mode’.  Some employees had just been hired. Motor-home dealers confirmed they were told the company is dead, because when a company goes out of business the product’s warranty is void. So far company administrators have refused to explain what is going on.

Iowa: What automotive industry recovery? The maker of CO cooling systems for Jeep Liberty, Modine Manufacturing, announced more layoffs at their Washington factory. An additional 60 people becoming jobless on top of those already laid off, in preparation for production to move to Mexico.  Canadian Pacific Railroad shutting down their Nahant maintenance shop, 21 jobs lost.  In Spencer, Ireland based Eaton Hydraulics eliminating 70 U.S. citizen jobs over the next 12 months. Administrators claim the economy is worse than they thought and they need to “expand some of our restructuring and cost-reduction activities this year.” However, the Sioux City Journal revealed that “Eaton had been training Chinese nationals here in recent months.”

Kansas: LMI Aerospace shutting down a Wichita sheet metal factory and moving it to Mexico, due to the crashing U.S. aircraft manufacturing industry: “With customer demand on these platforms declining significantly, and in a competitive pricing environment we had to make the difficult decision to close this operation and move its remaining work….”-Joe DeMartino, coo

Kentucky: Blackhawk Mining issued a shutdown WARN, more than 2-hundred jobs gone between now and August!

Maine: De-inking mill Cascades Auburn Fiber shutting down in July, 45 jobs lost due to the crashing paper market. 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.

Maryland:  In an example of what I call Ripple Effect Layoffs, Baltimore based sports clothing maker Under Armour (they claim to be an American company yet spell ‘armor’ the British empire way) admitted the massive bankruptcy and shutdown of hundreds of Sports Authority stores will cause Under Armour to lose $23-million in its 2nd quarter of 2016!  Japan owned plastic maker Hedwin laying off at least 129 people in Baltimore, by the end of August! Hedwin is moving operations to Delaware, and the Baltimore property has been sold to a developer.

Michigan: What automotive industry recovery? Detroit based General Motors (GM) is creating 7-hundred new jobs, not in the United States but across the northern border in Toronto, Canada!  Local news media confused as France based vehicle interior maker Faurecia North America has been caught firing employees just as fast as it hires new ones! 105 employees in Sterling Heights will be laid off by July, yet 90 new employees will be hired at the same time at the same location. The new hires are partially paid for by a $350-thousand USD taxpayer funded state grant! So much for the ‘free market’, welcome to covert socialism.  The consolidation of Midland based Dow Chemical and Dow Corning will result in 2-thousand 5-hundred jobs lost and the shutdown of a factory in North Carolina and in Japan!  Independent drug wholesaler Frank W. Kerr Company suddenly shutdown due to “an unexpected business circumstance.” 

New Jersey: Aquity Brands Lighting issued a WARN, 168 people in Edison jobless by mid-August!

New Mexico: Peabody laid off 65 miners at its El Segundo and Lee Ranch mines.  Texas based oil field service company Baker Hughes admitted to laying off employees in Farmington, due to “consolidation” ops, but refused to say how many.

New York: Toy maker Fischer Price laying off 75 people at its Aurora toy factory.  The jobs will now go to a cheap-o contractor from another country! Process equipment designer Buflovak issued a shutdown WARN for their Buffalo operations, 53 jobs gone by the end of September. In Jamaica, Ultimate Aircraft issued a mass layoff WARN, 145 employees unemployed by August!

North Carolina: What automotive industry recovery?  Ryder shutting down its Charlotte GM (General Motors) logistic operations, 124 jobs gone by the end of August!  Germany owned truck maker Freightliner laying off 8-hundred people in Gaston County, due to crashing sales!

North Dakota: Maker of mini-excavators Bobcat eliminating 140 jobs at their Gwinnier factory, by Xmas! They’re consolidating operations.

Ohio:  Bendix laid off eight people at its commercial vehicle brakes factory in Elyra, and another 16 employees elsewhere, blaming the trucking industry: “Since the start of 2016, build levels at truck and trailer manufacturers have declined rapidly. This decline has now trickled to the industry’s primary suppliers, including Bendix. The layoffs were the result of the down market conditions….”

Oklahoma: Kimray laying off 120 people by Friday, blaming the oil industry BS!  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. D&L Oil Tools conducted a second round of layoffs, 53 jobs lost. In February they laid off 78 people.

Oregon:  In Portland, Germany owned truck maker Western Star laying off 170 workers due to crashing sales!

Pennsylvania:  Chemical company Koppers issued a shutdown WARN for their Clairton factory, 46 jobs gone by August due to the crashing aluminum industry. Victor Paving and Construction fined $115-thousand USD for failing to pay employees for overtime worked during the past three years! The U.S. Department of Labor says company administrators actually ‘doctored’ employees’ pay records to make it look like they did not work overtime.  Japan based Fujifilm shutting down their Hunt Chemicals factory in Dayton, 84 jobs lost. Like most corporations Fujifilm-Hunt is being consolidated.

South Carolina: British empire Canada based bicycle distributor Hawley-Lambert laid off 13 people at its Lexington office.  Those jobs are being consolidated back to Canada due to crashing sales.

Tennessee: In Chattanooga, after 45 years MetalTech shutting down their machine shop, 46 jobs lost.  General Electric (GE) shutting down three Alstom factories, 235 jobs gone by Xmas due to the crashing railroad industry!

Texas: Dallas based Maxus Energy chapter 11 bankrupt busted, blaming it on the cleanup costs for New Jersey’s Passaic River. Hercules Offshore now chapter 11 bankrupt busted.  Draw Another Circle owned Hastings told 375 distribution and HQ employees in Amarillo they will become jobless within 60 days, due to bankruptcy!  Weatherford International confirmed they laid off at least 90 people in Katy.  The same place where it was revealed that most of the oil workers are migrants: “80 to 100 families have relocated to their home country primarily because of job changes and changes in the economy.”-Richard Rowell, business owner in Katy City

Vermont: Coffee products maker Keurig still in trouble, now 108 people being laid off as production of Keurig Kold is shutdown! It’s blamed on non-stop crashing sales.

Washington: Accell North America’s Seattle Bike Supply has been sold to British empire Canada based Hawley-Lambert. Boeing issued two layoff WARNs for their Puget Sound operations, 211 employees unemployed by mid-July, followed by 99 employees becoming unemployed by the end of August!  Once again Seattle based Amazon is in trouble. This time it’s being fined $350-thousand USD by the FAA after United Parcel Service employees were sickened by a chemical reaction in some packages from Amazon. Those packages were filled with chemical cleaners, which are banned in the U.S. from being shipped by air. The chemical cleaning product is called Amazing Liquid Fire, and the UPS employees said they felt like they were burning after fumes came from the package.

Washington DC: The U.S. Department of Labor said the month of May saw the lowest new job growth since 2010, only 38-thousand new jobs created. Unofficial propagandists of unAmerican corporate America, main stream news media ‘experts’, had been promising at least 160-thousand new jobs! The U.S. Department of Labor tracks people considered “not in labor force” in their official unemployment reports, but for some reason the main stream news media refuses to publish the data.

The U.S. Department of Labor is also dealing with an issue I’ve experienced myself; your employer suddenly says you’re now a contractor, reduces your pay and ends benefits. It’s called Employee Misclassification.

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. In Manitowoc, after 60 years Groz-Beckert shutting down their Foster Needle felting needle factory, 64 jobs gone between July 2016 and January 2017.  In Milwaukee, Global Industrial Services issued a shutdown WARN, 27 jobs lost by mid-August.  Air Wisconsin Airlines also issued a shutdown WARN for their Milwaukee location, 53 jobs gone by mid-August.

Wyoming: Buckskin Mine laying off an additional 45 employees, local news media reports it brings total Buckskin Mine layoffs close to 6-hundred since 2010!  Uranium miner Ur-Energy eliminating 12 jobs due to crashing demand (and prices) for the intensely radioactive metal.

U.S. FOOD CRISIS JUNE 2016 : MARYLAND KILLS PARK GEESE TO FEED HOMELESS!

IDAHO ECONOMIC DESTRUCTION JUNE 2016 : “RISEN FROM THE ASHES”? WE STRUCK OIL!

U.S. FEDERAL/STATE/LOCAL GOVERNMENT LAYOFFS JUNE 2016 : Local Sheriff says “WE’RE NOT TAKING CARE OF OUR OWN PEOPLE, THAT’S BULLSHIT!”

OBAMACARE JOB DESTRUCTION JUNE 2016 : “NO LONGER SUSTAIN THE FINANCIAL LOSSES”

U.S. CHRISTIAN SELF-DESTRUCTION 2ND Q 2016: “ALL THE CHURCHES ARE EXPERIENCING THIS DECLINE IN ATTENDANCE.” THE RAPTURE?  

DUMBING DOWN THE U.S. JUNE 2016 : “MORALE IS REALLY LOW.” “THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE.”

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.” 

U.S.

U.S. Food Crisis June 2016 : Ohio farms human trafficking! No more Eggo? Maryland kills park geese to feed homeless!

Incomplete list of announced United States food supply shutdowns for the month of June, 2016: Many food suppliers/distributors are consolidating operations and killing jobs due to the collapsing grocery store and restaurant industries, as well as rising costs of food production, spread of disease and extreme weather.

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!

Alabama: After 55 years McCollum’s Catfish and Seafood Restaurant shutting down next week, the owner saying “Food cost have gone up, and we just don’t have the business to keep it open.”

Arizona: In Phoenix, Sir Veza’s Taco Garage suddenly shutdown its Speedway location because “It just didn’t fit our needs anymore.”  In Tempe, after 33 years Nello’s Pizza shutdown, supposedly to be replace with a different pizza joint.

California:  In Santa Fe Springs, JBS USA Food issued a shutdown WARN, 60 jobs lost by mid-August.  In Tracy, Taylor Farms issued a mass layoff WARN, 192 jobs lost by mid-September!  In Oakland, after 50 years Nellie’s Soulfood Restaurant shutdown, the family owners called it quits and local news reported customers are shocked.  Save Mart issued a shutdown WARN for their Vacaville distribution center, 325 jobs gone by mid-August!  Mi Pueblo issued a shutdown WARN for their Newark grocery store, 76 jobs gone by mid-July. Illinois based food service company Levy Restaurants issued a shutdown WARN for their Ontario location, 167 jobs gone by mid-July!  Vegetable grower Hiji Brothers shutting down, 260 people in Oxnard jobless by August!  Switzerland based Nestlé issued a layoff WARN, 72 people in Modesto jobless by the end of July (supposedly temporarily).   In Los Angeles, restaurant Yamashiro shutdown, 82 jobs lost. Also in LA, Bloomingdale’s shutdown their 59th & Lex Cafe, 17 jobs lost (supposedly temporarily). In Santa Monica, Buca Restaurant 2 issued a shutdown WARN, 39 jobs lost by August.  Food packager Pactiv shutdown their Vernon operations, 106 jobs gone!  In Salinas, food packager Foothill Packing has been fined $235-thousand USD for falsely firing U.S. citizens and replacing them with H-1B migrants: “The employer claimed the workers — who were U.S. citizens — had failed to meet production standards. Investigators found that many of them had consistently exceeded the production of many of the foreign workers doing the same jobs, yet Foothill did not terminate these foreign workers.”-U.S. Department of Labor press release

Colorado: In Colorado Springs, after 33 years the Old Chicago Pizza joint shutting down mid-July, 48 jobs threatened due to the landlord jacking up the rent: “This is 100% a leasing situation.”-Todd Wyatt, regional manager

Connecticut:  After 16 years Salem Feed & Grain shutting down due to declining sales, the owner will focus on other businesses.

Florida: Miami news media report the following restaurants shutdown; Cena by Michy, The News Lounge and BLT Steak.

Idaho: Janitorial contractor DCS lost its contract with WinCo Foods, at least 121 jobs suddenly gone!  Due to a lawsuit, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is withdrawing its approval for the way Idaho measures toxic arsenic levels in lakes and rivers. 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

The U.S. Department of Agriculture declared Canyon, Owyhee, Payette and Washington counties drought disaster areas: “The water quantity through the reservoir systems, through the river systems for irrigation was very good and is still very good. However, you do have those pockets….dryland, non-irrigated, that rely on Mother Nature.”-Mark Samson, USDA

“Members of Idaho’s agricultural industry sponsored a bronze plaque honoring Armando Orellana, the long-time director of Idaho’s Mexico trade office, who died in March.  It hangs on the wall of the Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho in Nampa.”

The Idaho Statesman revealed that at least 4-thousand 4-hundred “guest workers” were brought into The Gem State in 2015 under the guise of there not being enough people to work the farms!

In Jerome County, “A farm worker ……was flown to the University of Utah Hospital after an irrigation riser blew apart and a three-quarter-inch steel crank handle impaled his eye socket.”

 “Wife of Bliss farmer given probation in organic seed fraud case”

Some good news? 15 years after shutting down their Power County phosphorus operations FMC declared their EPA superfund site is now ready to be the new home to Rupert based Valley Agronomics‘ new fertilizer plant (Valley Agronomics is owned by Minnesota based Land O’Lakes). The arrogant ‘christian’ governor of Idaho, Butch Otter, proudly boasted that this was a sign the area’s economy has “risen from the ashes” and then flat lied by saying “…when somebody says we’re gonna return, we’re gonna come back! You can trust us that we will keep our promise in coming back. I want you to remember this day Valley Agronomics and FMC because they told us that! They told us that we can trust them…” This is a lie because it’s not FMC “coming back”, and Valley Agronomics never operated out of the site before! The so called Phoenix Site (as declared by Otter) will employ a measly 50 people once it’s up and running in 2017 (incompetent local TV stations have been reporting 70 jobs created, but those are the temporary construction jobs). I don’t think that qualifies as a local economy that’s “risen from the ashes”.

Illinois: Cookie and cracker maker Enjoy Life Foods issued a shutdown WARN for their Schiller Park location, 44 jobs lost by mid-August, no reason given.  Local news say Oak Brook based McDonald’s will start bribing corporate level employees to quit (voluntary buyouts) in July. Insiders report that already “several hundreds” of employees have been made the offer to voluntarily become unemployed.  Aramark Educational Services laid off 297 people after the University of Chicago canceled the food service contract!  In Chicago, after 34 years Itto Sushi shutdown. Pleasant House Bakery shutdown, supposedly it’s being replaced with a pub. Oak+Char restaurant shutdown due to disputes between the owners. The state Attorney General is suing Jimmy John’s sandwich shops for forcing employees to sign illegal ‘noncompete’ contracts!  At the Switzerland owned Nestlé Willy Wonka factory in Itasca a chemical spill caused at least 11 employees to be hospitalized, a total of 17 required attention by EMTs.  In Galesburg, Hammer’s General Feed Store shutdown after 35 years of serving pizza.

Indiana: In Mishawaka, American Pancake House & Restaurant on Grape Road shutting down due to outrageously jacked rent and property tax!  In White Township, after 17 years Ironwood Grill shutdown due to a combination of unaffordable upgrades and a disagreement with the landlord.  In Mishawaka, after 31 years Honker’s restaurant shutting down due to the recession and increased competition: “It was getting harder and harder. We just didn’t have the financial strength to change concepts.”-Jeff Nickerson

Iowa: The city of Des Moines threatening to shutdown Hagar’s Manhattan Deli and the Greenwood Lounge if owner Lee Family Properties fails to make necessary upgrades. The battle between the property owner and the control freak city is years in the making: “He is the worst property owner I have encountered in my entire political career. We can’t get him to do anything, so this is our last resort.”-Christine Hensley, authoritarian city council member

Kentucky: In Lexington, two years after a grand re-opening Shorty’s Market shutting down. The 2013 shutdown and this new shutdown both blamed on lack of sales.  ValuMarket shutting down their Louisville store on Hurstbourne, by July. Local news media says the property owner is redeveloping the property.

Maryland: “100 to 300 geese at two parks in Maryland will soon be euthanized and turned into food to be served at a food banks…”

Massachusetts: Williams-Sonoma shutting down their Holyoke Mall cooking supply store in July.

Michigan:  Kroger shutting down one of two of their West Bloomfield grocery stores by mid-July, 85 jobs affected.  In Midland, Oscar’s Bar & Grill shutting down on Wednesday, according to employees. The owners refused to talk to local news media.  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

Minnesota: After 39 years Shady Acres Herb Farm shutting down, the owners blame their health problems. Without warning Old Country Buffett shutdown restaurants in Duluth and Mankato, the restaurant equipment went up for sale immediately. In Buffalo, the employee owned Coborn’s Superstore grocery store shutting down in July, but not because of low sales.  The administrators claim they need to expand, but the First Street South location will not allow it.  However, there was no mention of plans to build a new store in Buffalo, 60 jobs affected. 

Mississippi: After 27 years Que Sera Sera restaurant shutdown after a two years failed attempt to sell it.

Missouri: In Saint Louis, local news media reporting the following restaurants shutdown; The Stratford Bar & Grill, Hilltop, Cafe Eau, Chaser’s, Fort Taco, Lilly’s Music & Social House, Noodles & Company and Soulard Supper Club.  Also in Saint Louis, the Luna Lounge shutting down, the owner saying “a lot of factors” were responsible with the deciding factor being “I don’t want to be working until 1:30 a.m. any more.”

Nebraska: In Lincoln, after 59 years Conroy’s Bakery shutdown.  “Nebraska’s overall economy may appear strong, but a Federal Reserve economist cautions that strong businesses in the state’s biggest cities are masking weakness in rural areas…..  …the farm economy is softening because of weak crop prices and lower land values, so the outlook is more negative in rural areas of the state.”

New York: In Brooklyn-NYC, after 75 years the Florence Food Center shutting down due to migrants! Local news media says the Florence Food Center caters to Italians, but the area is experiencing skyrocketing immigration from “Asians, Russians, Central Americans, and Middle Easterners” while Brooklyn Italians are getting the hell outta Dodge!  Old Country Buffet issued a shutdown WARN for their Bay Shore operation, 42 jobs gone by mid-September. In Mount Cisco, Via Vanti! shutdown due to the operator losing his lease to an unnamed future tenant (the landlord refuses to name the tenant) who is willing to pay much more in rent.  Fairway Lake Grove issued a shutdown WARN for their two years old Fairway gourmet grocery store, 107 jobs gone by the end of July!  France based food contractor Sodexo lost their contract with Mount Saint Mary College, 72 jobs gone by the end of July.

North Dakota: In Bismarck, after six years burger joint Reza’s Pitch shutdown.  The building has been home to several restaurants over the past 40 years, the owner is retiring.

Ohio:  “….the leader, was sentenced to 15 years in prison while….the woman who ran the operation in his absence, was sentenced to 10 years in prison…..    …Most of the trafficking was from early 2013 to late 2014 as the group brought migrant workers from Guatemala to the U.S. illegally and required them to work for their companies providing laborers to Trillium Farms….”

Oklahoma: In Tulsa, after more than 50 years Cooper’s Fruit Stand shutting down due to a death in the family.

Oregon: Despite claiming a “return” in 2002 Coffee People shutdown the last five of its coffee shops. At one time there were more than 40 Coffee People (Coffee Man) shops.  After ten years Altar Bar shutdown, supposedly sold to raise money to open a steel mill.  “Breaking From Custom, One Small Oregon Farm Pays [immigrant] Strawberry Pickers by the Hour”

Pennsylvania:  HMS Host apparently lost its food contract with the Pittsburgh Mills Mall, 51 jobs gone by the end of July.  It’s been revealed that the Presbyterian/Agnostic Warren Buffett owned Kraft-Heinz Tassimo coffee shutdown will kill off 341 jobs by Xmas!  In Chadds Ford, Chef Anthony’s Italian Market shutdown due to competition from larger operations.  The tax hungry city of Philadelphia created a tax on soda, not just for so called ‘sugary’ soda (since the mid-1990s 90% of soda’s are made with GMO corn syrup + chemical sweeteners, not true sugar) but for ‘diet’ sodas as well! The tax goes into effect January 2017.  “Perry County man dies in farm accident, drowns in manure”

South Carolina: Southern Season suddenly shutdown its Mount Pleasant restaurant/cooking school, claiming “…the Mount Peasant store was too large and too expensive to keep open.”  In Charleston, Two Boroughs Larder shutting down by the end of July: “This is one of the hardest decisions we have ever made, second only to the day we opened the restaurant almost five years ago….Restaurant work is not easy….”-owners

Tennessee: Kellog’s eliminating 155 Eggo waffle factory employees in Rossville, by 2017, due to automation upgrades!  In Knoxville, after 45 years (and surviving an arson attack) elitist snobbery restaurant The Orangery shutdown.  The owners would only say that they are “preparing for new opportunities”.

Texas: In Houston, The Durham House restaurant shutdown, apparently after only a few months.   The owner blames a family emergency, but a local news report said it “rarely seemed busy”.

Vermont:  Coffee products maker Keurig still in trouble, now 108 people being laid off as production of Keurig Kold is shutdown! It’s blamed on non-stop crashing sales.

Washington: In Colville, after 11 years Lovitt Restaurant shutting down due to sales not being enough to support the owner’s growing family. The restaurant has been for sale for the past year, the owner’s are hoping to move to a larger city in the hopes they could have better sales.

Washington DC: The USDA has finally approved “the final safety net provisions of the 2014 Farm Bill, which provide farmers and ranchers protection from weather disasters, market volatility and other risk factors”.     The U.S. Department of Agriculture also pushing for stricter rules for the use of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, incorrectly called Food Stamps). The new rules will make it harder for poor people (who qualify, like in Idaho I being a single healthy male do not qualify for SNAP even though I’m poverty level) to buy food by restricting them to only those food sellers that meet new ‘variety’ rules for uncooked/fresh food and restrict the purchase of cooked/prepared food.    According to local news reports the following restaurants have or will shutdown; Atlas Room, Bakehouse, Bistro Francais, Cashion’s Eat Place, Food & Wine Company, Melt Shop, Olivia’s Diner and Poste. 

Wisconsin:  In Madison, restaurant AJ Bombers shutting down saying it wasn’t worth it to renew the lease.  Restaurant Pastiche shutting down their Bay View-Milwaukee location in August. The owners are focusing on their other restaurants.  In Waukesha, after 33 years Weissgerber Gasthaus shutdown, it’s being replaced with a strip mall.  In Middleton, after 34 years Scott’s Pastry Shoppe shutting down by the end of Summer.  Southern Wisconsin Foods issued a shutdown WARN for their Milton Burger King, 20 jobs lost by the end of July.

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

May 2016: “we have no other choice.”

Technology

“We’re truly sorry to everyone affected.” : February 2016, U.S. tech/communications industry job destruction

More proof you brick-n-mortar store owners can’t directly blame the internet/high-tech competition for your demise. Incomplete list of U.S. internet/high-tech/communications job destruction announcements in February 2016:

Alabama: In Huntsville, 20 years old non-profit Sci-Quest hands-on science museum shutdown, due to lack of revenues which caused them to miss their January & February rent payments.

California: One of the first internet based loan companies in the U.S., Ditech Financial, shutting down their Costa Mesa office in March, 87 jobs lost.  In Palo Alto, Space Systems-Loral revealed they eliminated 122 jobs in January!  Palo Alto based software company Palantir took over two years old Kimono Labs, and as a result Kimono’s public ‘cloud’ service will end, affecting 125-thousand users! Palo Alto based Hewlett Packard (HP) changed its plan to eliminate 3-thousand jobs! Originally they were going to spread the job culling over three years, but now the economy is so bad they will dump all 3-thousand jobs before the end of this year!!!  Palo Alto computer tech company VMware issued a layoff WARN for March, 170 jobs lost due to their merger with Dell! Virginia based technical engineering/military contractor VSE Corporation issued several layoffs WARNs, at least 115 Californians unemployed by the end of March!  Insurance software company Zenefits eliminated 250 jobs without warning, saying the bad economy is forcing them to “refocus”! Right wing news media outlet Freedom Communications issued a mass layoff WARN for their Santa Ana operations, 969 jobs lost by the end of March!  Mountain View based blabbing application (chat app) Tango laid off about 50 employees. Tango administrators also said they will rent out office space at its HQ to other companies, in an effort to raise cash.  Mountain View based software company Symantec laid off six people. Also in Mountain View, TangoMe eliminating 53 jobs by mid-April. Japan based Toshiba Information Systems began eliminating jobs in Irvine, as well as shutdown their Livermore site. Sunnyvale based internet company Yahoo issued more layoff WARNs, this time 322 jobs across four cities eliminated by mid-April! Yahoo said it will also eliminate jobs in New York.  Yahoo also shutting down its BOSS (Build Your Own Search Service) in March. Administrators say it’s because they need to “streamline and simplify”.  Sunnyvale based NetApp confirmed it will eliminate 1-thousand 476 jobs around the world (including hundred of jobs in North Carolina)! It’s blamed on steadily declining revenues.    United Technologies issued a shutdown WARN for their San Diego operations, 103 jobs lost by the end of March! United Technologies recently revealed they are moving some of their electronic controls manufacturing to Mexico.   Iowa based government InfoTech contractor Rockwell Collins will conduct layoffs in Poway, by April.    In Milpitas, electronic sensor maker Moog eliminating 22 jobs by April, as part of their takeover of Crossbow Tech.  San Diego based internet video game accessory maker Mad Catz laid off 37% of its employees due to crashing sales, claiming a net loss of $4.4-million USD in its 3rd quarter of 2015!  After 13 years Santa Monica based internet video game new media pioneer Game Trailers shutdown. In 2014 Game Trailers was taken over by Defy Media, which immediately began killing jobs. One report said the remaining employees were not warned about the sudden shutdown.  San Francisco based interactive entertainment company Kabam revealed how many jobs they are about to kill; at least 76 jobs lost by the end of March.  San Francisco based Indiegogo admitted it eliminated an undisclosed number of jobs “A few weeks ago…..to invest in growth.” (it used to be that layoffs were not seen as a sign of growth) San Rafael based AutoDesk eliminating 925 jobs in order to expedite its transition to ‘the cloud’! Plus the administrators claim they “over-hired” in 2015.

Colorado: Texas based internet insurance referrer All Web Leads issued a shutdown WARN, 103 jobs lost! It might be connected to the November 2015 takeover of rival InsuranceQuotes. After killing off 5-hundred jobs in Washington, California based Concentrix eliminating between 270 to 378 Boulder County jobs due to the loss of their IBM contract!

Florida: Fantasy sports gaming site FanDuel issued a WARN for its Maitland ops, 55 jobs lost in April.  BlackBerry eliminated 75 jobs at its Sunrise factory.

Georgia: Duluth based computer company NCR moving jobs out of Peachtree City, to Ohio and Texas. Local news reports say as many as 1-thousand 2-hundred Peach State jobs affected!  Suwanee based telecommunications equipment maker Arris eliminating at least 8-hundred jobs, as part of their merger with British empire United Kingdom based company Pace!

Illinois: Chicago based tech solution company Starcom MediaVest Group laid off 80 people. Administrators called the layoff ‘routine’, implying it had nothing to due with the loss of a major client; Walmart.

Kentucky: Lexington based printer maker Lexmark eliminating 550 jobs on the advise of Goldman Sachs! The company is even considering the option of selling itself off.

Massachusetts:  Waltham based internet marketing company Constant Contact was sold off, at least 210 of the company’s employees across the country were laid off!   In Lee, Wave Systems now chapter 7 bankrupt busted. Administrators said they even tried to sell the data protection software company but nobody wanted to buy. Chapter 7 usually means the company is officially dead.

Michigan:  California based video game maker Activision revealed it eliminated jobs at its Minneapolis ops, without giving numbers. Administrators blame declining interest in their Guitar Hero and Skylanders brands.

New Hampshire: Internet security company DataGravity laid off an undisclosed number of people, in an effort to cut $850-million USD costs.

New York:  The state ‘lawmakers’ have failed to come up with a new budget, but promise to somehow pay SolarCity GigaFactory contractors $80-million USD! Contractors Quakenbush laid off 122 people, and Mader Construction laid off at least 75, due to not being paid by the Failed Empire State! The Riverbend site in Buffalo was employing 1-thousand people, but local news sources say failed ‘lawmakers’ haven’t paid the contractors since November 2015!!!  CNN’s Manhattan Center Productions updated their WARN saying 222 people will now become unemployed by the end of April! CNN is moving its HeadLineNews (HLN) program from New York City to Atlanta, Georgia.

North Dakota: In Bismark, Box Office Video shutting down by mid-March. However, don’t blame internet streaming, the owner said in the past year rentals actually increased, but her rent is about to increase as well (that’s why she’s shutting down).

Oregon: Missouri based SunEdison is “reengineering” its Portland solar panel ops, meaning 40 people to be laid off. Administrators blame competition with low oil prices.

Pennsylvania: West Chester based shopping channel QVC eliminating at least 1-hundred jobs in the U.S. by the end of the year, as it off-shores them to Poland! It was also revealed that QVC eliminated 147 U.S. jobs in November 2015!  Philadelphia based software company RJMetrics eliminating 25 jobs after promising to create new jobs. News reports blame it on the company implementing a new program that requires less employees. CEO Bob Moore admitted they made a mistake in hiring the people to begin with: “We didn’t do the right thing for these people. We recruited them onto our team and, now that the situation has changed, they are losing their jobs due to circumstances they didn’t create. We’re truly sorry to everyone affected.”

Teleperformance issued a shutdown WARN for its Grindstone operations, 180 jobs lost by the end of March!  Administrators for the second largest cyber charter school in the state, Agora, revealed they suddenly eliminated jobs, but they refuse to say how many. Local news reports say former employees report between 1-hundred and 150 people were fired without warning! Cyber school administrators blame lack of state taxpayer funding due to ‘lawmakers’ failing to pass a budget. However, local news media also published a direct quote from an Agora chairwoman, made back in December: “We have no plans to cut or furlough staff due to the lack of funds we are currently receiving. Please do not fear for your position here at Agora.”-Mary Steffey

Texas: SunEdison shutting down its more than 20 years old solar panel factory in Pasadena, admitting it can’t compete with the low oil prices (however, they failed to mention the 2015 explosion at their Pasadena factory, that injured at least four people). 180 jobs lost! SunEdison lost nearly $1-billion USD in the first nine months of 2015, they have yet to report their 4th quarter results (which won’t be good ’cause that’s when the explosion happend).

Washington: Bellevue based internet video game operator Motiga conducted a second round of layoffs (referring to them as “redundancies”) in the past three months. As usual with internet game makers no job loss numbers were reported.

January 2016: “THE AMAZON TAX HAD AN ESPECIALLY CHILLING EFFECT…” 

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

Former employees who receive severance are not counted as unemployed