In Pennsylvania, non-profit Excela Health laid off 78 hospital employees, and will not fill 58 vacant positions. Officials blame a decline in people seeking medical help, and Obama Care.
In Kansas, Hunter Health Clinic warned of layoffs. The clinic is facing legal and financial problems. Financial problems started at least two years ago, but amazingly the board of directors claim they only recently learned of the problems!
In Rochester, New York, Rich Products shut down their bakery. 100 people out-o-work.
Government contractor, Pratt & Whitney, bribed 575 people to quit their jobs. Company officials warned of future layoffs as well. The parent company of Pratt & Whitney, United Technologies, also warned they will be laying off 3-thousand employees over the next year.
In Marblehead, Massachusetts, Lulu’s Boutique closed.
In Maryland, paint maker Complementary Coatings closed. 52 employees laid off. Local news media said company officials would not explain why.
After 40 years of business, and without warning, Cindy’s Hallmark closed in Connecticut. Reports said Hallmark employees were so shocked they ran into neighboring plaza stores, crying. It’s not clear why the Hallmark store closed, and ironically it is being replaced with another gift card store.
Eaton Regional Education Service Agency laid off 24 employees in Michigan.
In Minnesota, Trish Land closed. The owner wants to focus on freelance event planning and floral design.
O’Leary’s restaurant closed in Illinois, after 33 years of business. The restaurant was unable to pay local taxes and went bankrupt.
In Wisconsin, Sentry Food’s shut down their Sun Prairie grocery store. 96 people unemployed.
Alpha Natural Resources laid off 106 employees at four West Virginia mines. Another 83 employees were offered jobs elsewhere. Company officials blame it on a glut of coal on the international markets.
In North Carolina, Delta Apparel laid off 135 employees. The company is consolidating its screen printing operations.
In Tennessee, 200 people could be losing their jobs with Pilgrim’s Pride (now known as Pilgrim’s Corporation). Pilgrim’s is closing down a cold storage operation in Chattanooga. They already laid off 400 people in 2012.
Virginia based agricultural supplier, Southern States Cooperative, is shutting down eight stores in Alabama. The city of Prichard laid off six employees. City officials warned of bankruptcy: “The decision was made in anticipation of a decision that will soon come before a bankruptcy judge…”-Troy Ephriam, mayor
In Jackson, Mississippi, Choctaw Books closed after three decades: “I’ve been open six days a week for 31 years. I won’t know what to do with myself….We’ve always had a double whammy of the lowest per capita spending on books in the country and the highest illiteracy rate….Over the years so many of my good customers have died…I was just a little too stubborn, kept thinking ‘it’ll work; things will get better’.”-Fred Smith, owner
What oil industry boom? In Magnolia, Texas, global provider of project management and services for the oil and gas industry, Cameron International, shut down. 88 people out-o-work.
In California, Concord Music Group laid off between ten and 20 employees (company officials refused to be specific). In Carmel Valley, the 30 years old City Kids-Beach Kids closed. It’s blamed on the property owners of Del Mar Highlands Town Center, who refused to let the owners of the children’s clothing store renew their lease. San Fransisco based advertising agency, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, laid off 51 employees. Companies are spending less on advertising due to the bad economy. In Walnut, Sysco Los Angeles laid off 200 people. Fedex Freight laid off 65 people in Los Angeles and 54 in Vernon. Southern California Edison laid off 56 employees. Wolfgang Puck laid off 170 people in Los Angeles. Sheet metal products maker, USS Postco, laid off 705 people in Pittsburg. In Citrus Heights, the Lucky Derby Casino laid off 118 employees.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) doesn’t count the hundreds of layoffs involving less than 50 people each, in its mass layoff reports. It also doesn’t count all the little ‘mom & pop’ businesses that shut down.