Incomplete list of announced closings & layoffs.

Outback Steakhouse began shutting down 22 Aussie style restaurants across the U.S.A.  The restaurants to be shuttered are in Arizona, Iowa, South Carolina, New York, Tennessee and Kansas.   Bloomin’ Brands is also closing restaurants under the names of Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, and Roy’s.  Bloomin’ Brands officials say the shutdowns are just for the first quarter of 2014, more could follow.

California: Who said there ain’t no inflation? In Brawley, Kansas based National Beef shutting down a major meat packing plant in April. 1300 jobs lost!  Company officials blame the crashing supply of cows for driving up their costs (supply vs demand).  Cattle ranchers blame the decline in cow numbers on the long term drought.  Tax sucker PAE Applied Technologies killed 12 military jobs at China Lake and Point Mugu.

Idaho:  In Boise, Obama Care call center operator Maximus announced it will kill 1600 jobs by the end of April!  Retail businesses located around the call center say they will be directly impacted.  Employees are suing because they have not been paid for overtime that they’ve worked, and they were told the jobs were permanent full time positions.  Company officials now say the positions were officially temporary!  Company officials directly blame Obama Care: “The reduction in staffing is based on the nature of the contract and the reduced volume of calls, both of which are directly related to the enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act.”

Indiana:In Muncie, after 60 years Camp Isanogel shutting down.  The operators say maintenance costs keep going up, while revenues keep going down.  They admitted they’ve lost money for years.

Michigan: In Green Oak Township, Liquid Manufacturing shutdown.   The property was auctioned off for $3.25-million.  More than 200 jobs lost!  The Township is still owed more than $620-thousand in unpaid taxes and utilities.

New Jersey: Gillian’s Funland of Sea Isle City shutdown.  The owner blames Hurricane Sandy, from which he never recovered.  He spent $2.5-million building the amusement park, and Mother Nature took it away.

New York:  Poughkeepsie city officials warned of at least 25 job cuts.  The city is struggling with 300 abandoned properties, crashing tax revenues, crashing property sales, all putting the city in $3.6-million USD of debt.  On top of that, major local employer IBM has been killing jobs, and rumors say IBM is about to bring the hammer down.  In Rochester, after only three years God refused to stop the shutdown of The Generosity Store.  Profits from the store went to support the School of the Holy Childhood.  In Pittsford, the Life is Good store shutdown.  Apparently Life bitch slapped the owners to let them know that Life is not always good.  In Potsdam the supporter of unwanted animals, the Best Friends thrift store, shutting down after only three years of operations.  Apparently unwanted pets have no best friends in Potsdam?  The owners claim the store is able to support the local Humane Society, but the owners say they have better things to do.  They’ve come up with a plan to have the store run by unpaid volunteers, but admit “The bottom line is money, and we need it.”  In Watertown, after 12 years the Brew Ha Ha coffee house shutdown.  The owner is also a city council member, and she says she needs to spend more time taking care of the city.  At the Westchester County airport, baggage contractor Ground Handling shutting down by May.  128 jobs lost!  They lost their contract.

North Carolina: Legal drugs pusher Purdue Pharmaceuticals laid off six employees at its Wilson Park operations.  Company officials said the layoffs are part of their restructuring to become more efficient.

Oregon: Lebanon city officials eliminating ten positions.  The city is suffering from crashing tax revenues, and is trying to save $1-million.  Also, an independent audit revealed the city was using the general fund to pay some employees, which resulted in at least $200-thousand being taken from the general fund inappropriately.  City officials now realize their yearly budgeting has not been in line with the realities of declining tax revenues and actual costs of maintaining a city.

Pennsylvania: In Lower Saucon Township, the Starters Pub shutdown.  Local news reports say it was without warning or explanation.

Virginia: Capital Bagel Bakery store shutdown. The operators blame the property owners: “We were given one month notice to vacate the space due to the landlord’s consideration of Fresh Mart, since they’re carrying bagels as well.” 

Washington: In Sodo, Sears announced it will shutdown their Starbucks Center store and Auto Center operations by summer, 79 jobs lost.

21 February 2014: More greedy property owners!

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.

“Our ideals and principles, as well as our national security……..That’s what makes America different. That’s what makes us exceptional.”-Barack Obama, 10 September 2013

01 June 2014 (21:48 UTC-07 Tango 31 May 2014)/02 Sha’ban 1435/11 Khordad 1393/04 Geng Wu 4712

Idaho based women’s clothing seller Coldwater Creek not only went chapter 11 bankrupt busted back on 11 April 2014, but they notified the Idaho Department of Labor that they will kill 443 jobs on 11 June 2014!

Those 443 jobs are in Sandpoint and Coeur d’Alene.  This is proof the company is shutting down altogether.  The majority of Coldwater Creek stores are in California and Texas.  Once all U.S. stores are closed there will be an additional 6-thousand people unemployed in the United States.

Coldwater Creek now busted!

Incomplete list of announced closings & layoffs.

California: In Santa Clara, data storage device maker Violin Memory said it must “restructure” which means killing 100 jobs!  In Fresno, GAF continues to kill jobs, this time 31 employees let go.  In Long Beach, Nordstroms Rack killed 43 jobs.

Colorado: Banner Health shutdown its bariatric clinic at the North Colorado Medical Center.   850 patients adversely affected!  Company officials said the new realities of healthcare mean that bariatric services are no longer profitable.

Connecticut: Webster Bank shutting down offices in Enfield and Rocky Hill, by May.

Georgia: In Doraville, Georgia Pacific shutting down their cardboard box factory in April.  90 jobs lost.

Idaho: In Meridian, Utah based First National Bank of Layton killed 56 jobs.

Warren Buffet owned Heinz Frozen Food made it official and notified Idaho that it will shutter its Pokey plant, killing at least 400 jobs!

Kentucky: Booth Energy laid off 30 miners due to crashing demand for coal.

Massachusetts: In Malden, Too Big to Jail Bank of America laid off 59 employees.

Missouri: What housing market recovery?  In Saint Louis, Nationstar Mortgage killing 115 jobs by April!  Company officials blame it on a decline in demand for mortgage services.

New Jersey:  What housing market recovery?  Mortgage company PHH Corporation killed 130 jobs at their Mount Laurel HQ!  This is on top of hundreds of jobs killed in other states, and hundreds of job cuts made in 2013.  Company officials cited Mortgage Bankers of America data which warns of an impending housing market crash!

New York: NYC based national law firm Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman laid off 30 people.  In Long Island, after only three years the Malu homemade ice cream shop shutdown.  No reason given.  In Amsterdam, Quandt’s Foodservice Distributors shutting down by May, 116 jobs lost!

North Carolina:  The Department of Health and Human Services shutting down three Children’s Developmental Services Agency operations by July, 170 jobs lost!  Officials blame reduced government funding (Obama Care) and will contract out many healthcare jobs.

Oklahoma: In Chickasaw, after 11 years Aunt Jean’s Attic shutdown.  The owner is dealing with health problems.

Oregon:  After 77 years, charter bus service RAZ Transportation shutdown.  60 jobs lost.  The company shutdown without warning.  Company officials admit the bus service has been in trouble since last year due to the loss of a major contract, and should have shutdown then.  In Klamath Falls, Kmart announced they will close in June, 64 jobs lost.

Pennsylvania: West York Area School District killed 29 jobs, on top of the 40 positions eliminated through attrition.  Taxpayers question the job cuts because the school district is spending money on building renovations.

Texas: In Houston, airline toilet and water service contractor AccuFleet International killing 70 jobs, due to losing its contract with United Continental.

Vermont: What automotive industry recovery?  Plasan Carbon Composites shutting down their Bennington operations by May, and consolidating to Michigan. 143 jobs lost!  The company makes carbon parts for the Dodge Viper and Chevy Corvette.  However, company officials say they might figure out a way to use the factory to make armor plate made from carbon.

Virginia: In Leesburg, another Ben Franklin’s store shutdown.  This one had been in operation for 40 years.  After 32 years Hallmark’s Treasure House store shutdown.

19 February 2014: Massive restaurant shutdowns! 

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.

“Our ideals and principles, as well as our national security……..That’s what makes America different. That’s what makes us exceptional.”-Barack Obama, 10 September 2013

29 May 2014 (17:54 UTC-07 Tango)/29 Rajab 1435/08 Khordad 1393/01 Ji Si (5th) 4712

Once again, reality bitch slaps Idaho’s own state economist (and TV news media): The Gem State’s unemployment rate is not going down due to job creation, it’s going down because there is an ongoing exodus of unemployed leaving for jobs elsewhere!

And once again the area of Idaho with the most residents fleeing for their economic lives is east Idaho, specifically Bannock County.

For the past few years the unemployment rate has been falling in Idaho, and every time we hear state economists and local TV news reports saying that’s a good sign for the labor market.  Yet only a few weeks later we get the real news, that the unemployment rate fell because Idahoans gave up looking for work and left!

For 2013 the city of Pocatello saw 382 residents flee.  That’s big for city with a population of about 54-thousand.  (it also explains the massive amount of homes and apartment complexes up for sale)

But wait there’s more.  Already this year Pocatello saw Warren Buffet shutdown a major employer, the Heinz plant.  State Department of Labor (DoL) officials said the result was the loss of 410 direct Heinz jobs, and 200 additional outside jobs in support of Heinz operations, for a total of 610 jobs lost by the time the Heinz factory is completely shuttered this summer.    So that’s potentially 610 more local residents fleeing for their economic lives (in the past two months I’ve already witnessed several families in my neighborhood pack up and leave literally overnight).

According to the latest Idaho DoL numbers Pocatello continues to lead the Gem State with job losses and mass exodus of residents.  Chubbuck (with a population of 14-thousand) takes third position.  Both Chubbuck and Pocatello are in Bannock County.  The city of Blackfoot (population 12-thousand), in Bingham County, takes second position for population loss.

This exodus has been ongoing since before 2013:

“The month of October brought lower unemployment numbers to the state because workers are leaving the state’s labor force……..October marked the fifth straight month of labor force decline. Over 7,000 workers have left the labor force since May…….Department of Employment figures show employers reported hiring over 17,000 new workers in October, but nearly all of them were due to shifts within the labor pool because of retirements, firings and other separations rather than creation of new jobs.”-Blackfoot Journal, 17 November 2012

But where are Idahoans going once they leave the Gem State? California?

Based on my own Job Losses & Store Closings reports California leads the whole country in job losses.  The Golden State has also been experiencing it’s own exodus of unemployed looking for work elsewhere.

In 2005, for the first time the number of people leaving the Golden State outpaced those moving in: 160 people leaving for every 100 people moving in.  In 2011 the number of those fleeing for their economic lives was still more than those moving in: 120 escaping for every 100 making the mistake of calling California their new home.

Unfortunately many of those ex-Californians moved to Idaho (those dumb asses)!  In fact it seems that many people fleeing their home states are simply not doing their homework and end up moving to states that don’t have any new jobs!

So what states are seeing true job growth?  According to many reports Texas and North Dakota are seeing massive job growth.

Forbes claims that North Dakota has jobs because of the oil boom.  But I’ve also seen reports that show the oil boom has plateaued, and jobs are now being cut back.

Many reports cite Texas as the place to go for employment, but they’re based on the generous incentive Texas offers companies to move in and the fact that people are indeed flooding into the Lone Star State (but that doesn’t mean they’re all finding employment).  My own ongoing reports on Job Losses & Store Closings show that Texas is actually losing a lot of jobs (a lot more than Idaho), as well as companies outright shutting down.

So how can you do your employment research?  Well I’ve discovered there is no hard and fast way, even the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is flawed.

The BLS Current Employment Statistics (CES) reports, for the month of April 2014, show that Texas is the leader in job creation, followed (surprisingly) by California.  The state of Illinois is the big loser with a loss of 6800 jobs!

The BLS CES report is not hard and fast data but simply “surveys approximately 144,000 businesses and government agencies”.  My own Job Losses & Store Closings reports, which are based on actual reports of job destruction, show California is still a leader in job destruction, and Texas is killing off far more jobs than Idaho (however, I do agree that Illinois is going down the unemployment toilet).

I have a hypothesis about where many of the unemployed are going: They’re actually leaving the United States.  This would also explain the massive student population decline affecting grade schools and universities, both public and private.  I’ve often asked “Where are all those students going?”  I can’t believe that potential college students would give up on higher education for a job flipping burgers (and some employment data show jobs for young adults are the most scarce).  And what about all those grade schools whining about funding cut backs because their student populations are crashing?  Entire families just up and disappearing?   It seems to me that the declining labor force participation and the declining student populations across the United States are directly connected, and that many families are not just leaving their home states but are fleeing the U.S. altogether.

Basically, there is no true economic recovery taking place anywhere in the United States!

Yet another east Idaho mall going down!

Coldwater Creek…..All remaining stores to shutdown! 

Ashley Furniture shuts down liquidation center in Pocatello! 

GENERAL MILLS ABANDONS EAST IDAHO!

IDAHO POLITICIANS GIVE AWAY MORE THAN $18-MILLION IN IDAHO TAXES, TO OUT-O-STATE LAWYERS!

IDAHO POLITICIANS GIVE AWAY MORE THAN $1-MILLION IN IDAHO TAXES, TO FRANCE!

IDAHO CHRISTIAN REPUBLICAN RIPS OFF TAXPAYERS THEN GIVES FLIPPANT EXPLANATION!

Fred Meyer & Albertsons……did not close down in the 1990s