Incomplete list of U.S. Mining/Industrial/Logistics job loss/shutdown announcements made in August 2017.

31% of U.S. fuel refining operations shutdown by Hurricane Harvey.  The largest fuel pipeline shutdown (Colonial Pipeline), halting 3-million barrels per day (bpd) of refined fuel to the eastcoast.  1-million barrels of oil released from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.  Contrary to what many main stream news media reports implied (that fuel prices should go down due to the release of stored oil) the problem is not lack of oil but lack of refined fuel, and as such the price of gasoline is going up (there’s so much oil available globally that the price of oil actually dropped after Harvey).

 California:  Oil exploration company Brinderson issued a shutdown WARN for its El Segundo location, 204 jobs gone by mid-October!  What construction industry recovery?  Contractor Irwin Industries issued shutdown WARNs for eight locations, at least 250 jobs gone in October!  In Anaheim, Universal Alloy eliminating 149 jobs by October!  KapStone Container Corporation shutting down its Oakland ops, 67 jobs gone by October.

Colorado:  What construction industry recovery?  Castle Rock based Xtreme Xcavating now chapter 11 bankrupt busted due to a larger contractor screwing them over by lying about hazardous materials at the job site: “We found ground water, we found asbestos, we found all sorts of crazy stuff, all sorts of different changes that weren’t listed when we signed up for the contract.”-Sean Fabela

Georgia: What auto industry recovery?  Atlanta based automotive publisher Cox Automotive initiated “gut-wrenching decisions” resulting in 225 people retired early through bribery (buyouts), the elimination of vacant positions and 950 people being outright laid off by September!  It’s due to several causes like slow sales and Cox Automotive’s takeovers of competitors (resulting in redundant jobs).

Illinois:  Nuclear decontamination company Aptim suddenly laid off more than 4-hundred people, blaming it on the sudden cancellation of a contract!  In Cahokia, Jet Aviation Saint Louis issued a shutdown WARN, 347 jobs gone by March 2018 due to lack of sales!  What construction industry recovery?  Skanska suddenly laid off 18 HQ employees, blaming it on “redundancies”.  Skanska is considered one of the top global construction companies.  General Electric (GE) shutdown its 71 years old light factory in Mattoon, local news reports said at one time the factory employed 1-thousand-8-hundred people!  Plastics maker Amcor shutting down its factory in Batavia, 110 jobs gone by March 2018!  What automotive industry recovery?  Semi-Truck maker Navistar shutting down its medium-duty 9/10 liter engine factory in Melrose Park, 170 jobs gone by April 2018!  It’s blamed on emission regulations: “Looking at the financial impact it would take to keep this engine compliant with Environmental Protection Agency standards, it just wasn’t in the cards.”

Indiana: Railroad job killing continues as CSX eliminating an undisclosed number of jobs at its Avon rail-yard.  Deufol North America issued a layoff WARN, about 250 people jobless after September, no reason given!

Iowa:  Packaging company Westrock issued a shutdown WARN, 80 jobs gone by the end of September.

Kansas:  Farm equipment maker AGCO halting production and idling 2-hundred factory workers for at least four months, due to lack of sales!

Kentucky:  Coal company Booth Energy issued a WARN, 217 jobs gone in September as a result of shutdown of coal mining ops!

Louisiana: Oil industry supply company Knight Energy Holdings now chapter 11 bankrupt busted after the CEO, and two policemen, were charged with staging a false drug bust in order to frame the CEO’s brother! 

Maryland: Baltimore based clothing maker Under Armour eliminating 280 jobs due to continued low revenues (despite slight increase in sales, and despite direct retail selling on its website)!

Missouri:  General Dynamics halting operations at its Jet Aviation Saint Louis factory, 330 jobs gone in 2018!  Nebraska based maker of store fixtures Lozier laying off 92 people at its Spartan Showcase factory, which is being shutdown in October.

Nebraska:  Omaha based railroad giant Union Pacific eliminating 750 jobs by mid-September, proving the economy sucks by saying “Union Pacific for some time has leveraged employee attrition and technology to reduce general and administrative costs. Unfortunately, attrition alone will not keep pace with our need and ability to reduce these costs.“

New Jersey:  Aluminum Shapes suddenly laid off 13% of employees due to being hit by a $1.9-million USD fine for 51 violations of labor safety laws, including chemical burns and even broken bones!

New York: New ‘green’ packaging maker Evocative Design suddenly laid off 18 people, despite getting a taxpayer funded $9.1-million USD grant from Defense Department’s DARPA.    British empire Canada based Cascades shutting down and selling off its packaging factory in NYC, 148 jobs gone!   General Electric (GE) shutting down its electronic board factory in Rochester Science Park, 145 jobs being affected by GE’s plan to off-shore production to China!  Nuclear contractor Lutech Resources suddenly laid off 195 people, due to sudden contract cancellation by Aptim!  Nuclear decontamination company Aptim suddenly laid off 167 people, blaming it on the sudden cancellation of a contract with Exelon Generation Company!  Jay Strongwater shutting down its pewter factory in Union Springs, 29 jobs gone by Xmas, the property was sold-off.  New York Air Brake getting the hell outta The Empire State as it shuts down its operations in Watertown and consolidates ‘peripheral product assembly production’ to North Carolina starting in November.

North Carolina: Plastics maker General Foam Products (General Foam Plastics) issued a shutdown WARN for its factory in Tarboro, 215 jobs gone by Xmas!

Ohio: Canton based Suarez Corporation Industries chapter 11 bankrupt busted blaming massive lawsuits.  LSI Industries suddenly laid off 75 people.  In Carrollton, dlhBOWLES Engineering Manufacturing and Fluid Management factory suddenly laid off 94 people in a sudden decision to shutdown the factory.

Pennsylvania:  California based oil engineering company AECOM issued a WARN, 108 people in Carlisle jobless by January 2018 due to loss of contract!  Fuel station operator Sunoco suddenly laid off 94 HQ employees, and many hundreds more employees will become unemployed as Sunoco sold its fuel station ops to competitor 7-Eleven!    Excel-DHL Supply Chain issued a mass layoff WARN, 223 jobs gone by January 2018! Nuclear decontamination company Aptim suddenly laid off almost 3-hundred people!  Nuclear contractor Lutech Resources suddenly laid off 90 people.  What construction industry recovery? Lancaster based flooring maker Armstrong announced it will shutdown factories in Mississippi and Tennessee, more than 3-hundred jobs gone due to a 22% crash in profits!

South Carolina: Formerly Japan owned (Toshiba) U.S. tax-sucking bankrupt nuclear power plant builder Westinghouse suddenly laid off 850 people! Westinghouse now hit with a lawsuit claiming the tax-sucking company was violating federal labor laws.  Boeing offering hundreds of North Charleston employees bribes to quite (buyouts) after already laying off 2-hundred people!

Tennessee: Resolute Forest Products halting newsprint paper making at its Calhoun paper factory, 222 jobs lost as part of its plan to focus on tissue making only!  Logistics company U.S. Xpress Enterprises suddenly laid off more than 1-hundred people “as part of a shift in company focus”!

Texas:  In Crosby, Harvey caused a chemical factory to lose power. The France owned Arkema chemical factory uses oil (petroleum) to make compounds used to create plastics.  The problem is that those compounds are sensitive to heat and will spontaneously burn or explode when they get too hot. So far several small explosions and fires have occurred.  A 2.4km (1.5-mile) radius around the factory has been evacuated.  Houston based offshore deep-water oil company Rowan laid off 85 people and warned more layoffs will be made in the near future. Industry reports say Rowan already eliminated 150 jobs prior to the August layoffs.  Houston based NRG Energy suddenly laid off 1-hundred employees!

Washington: Boeing issued yet another layoff WARN, this time 74 people jobless by October.

Wisconsin:  After more than 40 years pallet maker Thunder Pallet issued a shutdown WARN, 46 jobs gone in October.

Mining/Industrial/Logistics layoffs, July 2017: “BUSINESS HAD DECLINED SINCE 2008″