23 Responses to Forward: Slow-Motion Train Wreck In Progress

1. mare says:

   November 9, 2012 at 8:24 am

   Good of them to wait until a day after the election to make these announcements. SCUM.

   Reply
   • R.D. Walker says:

     November 9, 2012 at 8:27 am

     The Blaze has an extensive list…

     • Energizer -

     The St. Louis-based company said Thursday that it expects to shed about 1,500 employees. When finished, the restructuring should lead to $200 million in pretax yearly savings, Energizer said. It aims to have most of its restructuring steps finished by the end of September 2014.

      

     • Westinghouse -

     Westinghouse Anniston, the contractor responsible for shutting down Anniston’s chemical weapons incinerator, has reduced its workforce by another 50 employees.

      

     • Research in Motion Limited -

     Research in Motion Ltd., the maker of BlackBerry smartphones, laid off about 200 people at its U.S. headquarters in Irving on Wednesday, according to a source close to the company who did not want to be named.

      

     • Lightyear Network Solutions -

     More than one dozen employees at a Pikeville company lost their jobs this week. Officials with Lightyear Network Solutions said they are consolidating offices in Louisville and Pikeville to save money.

      

     • Providence Journal -

     The Providence Journal Co. laid off 23 full-time workers Wednesday as part of a cost-cutting effort, including 16 members of the Providence Newspaper Guild and 7 non-union employees.

      

     • Hawker Beechcraft -

     The company says 240 employees will lose their jobs with the closing of Hawker Beechcraft Services facilities in Little Rock, Ark.; Mesa, Ariz.; and San Antonio, Texas.

      

     • Boeing (30% of their management staff) -

     Boeing Co. said Wednesday it plans to employ 30% fewer executives at its Boeing Defense, Space & Security unit by the end of 2012 compared to 2010 levels.

      

     • CVPH Medical Center -

     CVPH Medical Center has handed pink slips to 17 employees. The layoffs — nine in management and eight hourly staffers — are part of an effort to “help bolster the hospital’s financial position in 2013 and beyond,” a press release said.

      

     • US Cellular -

     The move will result in 980 job cuts at U.S. Cellular, with 640 in the Chicago area, according to a spokeswoman. The cuts are slightly under 12 percent of the approximately 8,400 total employees U.S. Cellular had at the end of the third quarter.

      

     • Momentive Performance Materials -

     About 150 workers at Sistersville’s Momentive Performance Materials plant will be temporarily laid off later this month, officials said this week.

      

     • Rocketdyne -

     About 100 employees at Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, most of whom work in the San Fernando Valley, were laid off Wednesday in response to dwindling government spending on space exploration, the company said. The layoffs were effective immediately, and 75 percent of them came at the facilities on Canoga and De Soto avenues, which employ about 1,100 people. The company has six sites across the Valley.

      

     • Brake Parts -

     The leader of an automotive parts plant in Lincoln County has told state officials that there are plans to lay off 75 workers starting in late December…The layoffs are expected to start Dec. 28 and continue in the first quarter of 2013

     • Vestas Wind Systems -

     Vestas Wind Systems A/S (VWS) is seeking to sell a stake of as much as 20 percent and said it’s reducing headcount by 3,000 to raise the staff cuts by the biggest wind turbine maker to almost a third over two years.

      

     • Husqvarna -

     Husqvarna AB (HUSQB), the world’s biggest maker of powered garden tools, plans to cut about 600 jobs in a move that will save 220 million kronor ($33 million) a year by 2014.

      

     • Center for Hospice New York -

     The Center for Hospice and Palliative Care plans to temporarily lay off as many as 40 employees next year as it embarks on a major renovation of the inpatient unit at its Cheektowaga campus.

      

     • Bristol-Meyers -

     Bristol-Myers Squibb is following up its lackluster third-quarter results with almost 480 layoffs. As Pharmalot reports, the company notified the New Jersey government that it would scale back in Plainsboro, which means the cuts will hit its sales operations.

      

     • OCE North America -

     Trumbull printer- and scanning-equipment provider Oce North America, Inc. will lay off 135 workers in three Connecticut communities, including East Hartford, according to its notice with the state Labor Department.

      

     • Darden Restaurants -

     The company, which was among those who had received an Obamacare waiver in the past, is looking to limit workers to 28 hours per week. A full time employee that is required to have health insurance (lest the employer pay a fine) works 30 hours per week, as defined by the Obamacare law.

      

     • West Ridge Mine -

     In its statement, UtahAmerican Energy blames the Obama administration for instituting policies that will close down “204 American coal-fired power plants by 2014″ and for drastically reducing the market for coal.

      

     • United Blood Services Gulf -

     United Blood Services Gulf South region, the non-profit blood service provider for much of south Louisiana and Mississippi, will lay off approximately 10 percent of its workforce. It was a hard decision to make according to Susan Begnaud, Regional Center Director for the Gulf South region.

     A layoff is tough enough for employees to deal with, imagine hearing the crushing news that your office is shutting down just before Thanksgiving and Christmas…  Here are some of the business closings that were announced in just the past two days:

     • Caterpillar Inc. will close its plant in Owatonna Minn.
     • Mount Pleasant’s Albrecht Sentry Foods
     • The Target store at Manassas Mall Va.
     • Millennium Academy in Wake Forest NC
     • Target Closing Kissimmee FL Location
     • The Andover Gift Shop in Andover MA
     • Grand Union Family Markets Closing Storrs Location CT
     • Movie Scene Milford Location NH
     • Update: TE Connectivity Closing Greensboro Plant – 620 Layoffs Expected
     • Gomer’s Fried Chicken in South Kansas City
     • Kmart in Homer Glen
     • Fresh Market on Pine Street in Burlington
     • AGC Glass North America to permanently close its Blue Ridge Plant in Kingsport Tenn.
     • The Target store at Platte and Academy in Colorado Springs
     • The Roses store on Reynold Road in Winston-Salem NC
     • Meanders Kitchen losing its West Seattle location at 6032 California Ave
     • Bost Harley-Davidson at 46th Avenue North and Delaware Ave. in West Nashville TN
     • Townsend Booksellers in Oakland
     • The Kmart store in Parkway Plaza off University Drive in Durham NC – 79 Jobs Lost

     Reply
2. DarthJay says:

   November 9, 2012 at 8:32 am

   And let’s not forget the downward spiral the stock market is in right now, either. (sigh)

   Reply
3. Greg B says:

   November 9, 2012 at 8:51 am

   My wife’s cousin is at Boeings Phantom Works.
   I haven’t talked to her yet but I’m wondering if they are going to get transferred, since ALL of Boeings CA plants are shutting down.

   Reply
4. Greg B says:

   November 9, 2012 at 8:56 am

   And don’t forget these defense contractors were pressured into not triggering pink slip notices.
   That they are required by law to issue, BEFORE, the election.

   Reply
5. RUDE JUDE says:

   November 9, 2012 at 9:17 am

   Maybe they will all get free phone.

   Reply
6. notamobster says:

   November 9, 2012 at 9:30 am

   …and a free lunch.

   Reply
7. Rockheim says:

   November 9, 2012 at 9:49 am

   I’m in that list.. I’m luckier than most. I have an expiration date that, due to the regulatory nature of things, stretches out for at least 9 months.. maybe up to a year and some change. I have time.
   Many don’t. Many show up to work and are told “We no longer need your services” and are shown the parking lot.

   Just remember folks.. “The economy is doing fine”..

   On a more positive note.. Our 2nd batch of laying chickens are ready for the coop and the old hens are ready to be processed. Learnin’ new skills all the time!!

   Reply
8. sortahwitte says:

   November 9, 2012 at 10:29 am

   Rockheim. Keep your head up. You are not alone. Think about writing of your egg and meat production. We can all read “how to books-this is easy”. We need to hear of real experiences, the good, bad and ugly. Thanks.

   Reply
   • notamobster says:

     November 9, 2012 at 11:32 am

     Freedom Works has put together a list of companies that will be laying off employees as a result of President Barack Obama’s health care law:

     Welch Allyn

     Welch Allyn, a company that manufactures medical diagnostic equipment in central New York, announced in September that they would be laying off 275 employees, or roughly 10% of their workforce over the next three years. One of the major reasons discussed for the layoffs was a proactive response to the Medical Device Tax mandated by the new healthcare law.

     Dana Holding Corp.

     As recently as a week ago, a global auto parts manufacturing company in Ohio known as Dana Holding Corp., warned their employees of potential layoffs, citing “$24 million over the next six years in additional U.S. health care expenses”. After laying off several white collar staffers, company insiders have hinted at more to come. The company will have to cover the additional $24 million cost somehow, which will likely equate to numerous cuts in their current workforce of 25,500 worldwide.

     Stryker

     One of the biggest medical device manufacturers in the world, Stryker will close their facility in Orchard Park, New York, eliminating 96 jobs in December. Worse, they plan on countering the medical device tax in Obamacare by slashing 5% of their global workforce - an estimated 1,170 positions.

     Boston Scientific

     In October of 2009, Boston Scientific CEO Ray Elliott, warned that proposed taxes in the health care reform bill could “lead to significant job losses” for his company. Nearly two years later, Elliott announced that the company would be cutting anywhere between 1,200 and 1,400 jobs, while simultaneously shifting investments and workers overseas – to China.

     Medtronic

     In March of 2010, medical device maker Medtronic warned that Obamacare taxes could result in a reduction of precisely 1,000 jobs. That plan became reality when the company cut 500 positions over the summer, with another 500 set for the end of 2013.

     Others

     A short list of other companies facing future layoffs at the hands of Obamacare:

     Smith & Nephew – 770 layoffs
     Abbott Labs – 700 layoffs
     Covidien – 595 layoffs
     Kinetic Concepts – 427 layoffs
     St. Jude Medical – 300 layoffs
     Hill Rom – 200 layoffs
     Beyond the complete elimination of a significant number of American jobs is another looming problem created by the health care law – a shift from full-time to part-time workers.

     Reply
9. rj says:

   November 9, 2012 at 12:28 pm

   I don’t think it’s gonna stay slow motion lor long….

   Reply
   • notamobster says:

     November 9, 2012 at 12:53 pm

     On Wednesday, Murray also laid off 54 people at American Coal, one of his subsidiary companies, and 102 at Utah American Energy, blaming a “war on coal” by the administration of President Barack Obama.”

     Murray Energy is the country’s largest privately owned coal mining company, with about 3,000 employees producing about 30 million tons of bituminous coal a year, according to its Web site.

     Reply
10. Greg B says:

    November 9, 2012 at 1:48 pm

    Anyone have odds on when zero will attempt to nationalize all industries?
    It’s been a nagging thought in my head for a while.

    Reply
11. R.D. Walker says:

    November 9, 2012 at 1:55 pm

    He won’t attempt nationalization. He didn’t nationalize the auto industry so he won’t nationalize anything. A run a du jure socialism is a bridge to far for him. In any case, why would he? He can accomplish the same thing much more easily with corporatist de facto socialism of taxation and regulation.

    Reply
12. Greg B says:

    November 9, 2012 at 2:09 pm

    My thoughts are ( and I may not know what the hell I’m talking about) IF the large corporations decide that in order to be done with taxation & regulation, they just lay EVERYONE off and shutter factories and stores.
    I mean, what do they have to lose by such an action? They don’t need to keep working, they’re set. ( And I don’t see this as theirs people vs the rich, they are just being practical)
    The layoffs happening right now seem to be an “I told you so” kind of deal.
    I’m really having a difficult time putting this into words at the moment.
    Need to think some more. Cause I feel like I’m just rambling.

    Reply
13. R.D. Walker says:

    November 9, 2012 at 2:14 pm

    There isn’t much chance of large, publicly traded companies to do anything other than follow their fiscal map. GE or Ford Motors can’t just shut their doors out of spite.

    These firms are laying off workers because the iron clad laws of economics require it.

    In any case, there would be massive constitutional issues associated with a Hugo Chavez type nationalization play. Things are in the shitter, but they aren’t that bad.

    Reply
14. fubar says:

    November 9, 2012 at 2:21 pm

    I read somewhere that seizure and nationalization isn’t necessary with regulation and taxation in play. I wish I could remember where. i remember my blood chilling when i read the article.

    I also thought, at one time, the only way the USA would flip to communism would be by way of gulags, mysterious deaths, and firing squads. I didn’t even consider we’d go out with a whimper and not a bang. (not us personally – the country)

    Reply
15. notamobster says:

    November 9, 2012 at 2:24 pm

    I agree. He won’t nationalize. He’s a corporatist. More influence -peddling is in order. He’s knows which side his bread’s buttered on, and corporatism is the cow from which his butter comes!

    This term will be a model of rent-seeking. The veritable poster-child for fascism.

    His regulatory agenda will destroy his corporate ideological foes, and his favor will inure the enrichment of his corporate bedfellows.

    He will destroy major swaths of our economy and create artificial demand for others. Long, shitty ride ahead as he knocks America down a few notches to where he sees that she needs to be.

    Reply
16. R.D. Walker says:

    November 9, 2012 at 2:26 pm

    Maybe you read it right here, Fubar.

    The Fascism of a New Generation

    http://therealrevo.com/blog/?p=6306

    Reply
17. Bman says:

    November 9, 2012 at 2:31 pm

    Fast “foward” to 2015. Think there would be many in congress who would like to have a convention to dismantle the 22nd amendment?

    I think it could be possible.

    Reply
18. R.D. Walker says:

    November 9, 2012 at 2:39 pm

    You can’t dismantle the Constitution without the approval of the states ad we have more Republican governors and legislatures than ever before.

    On a side note, our electorate is schizophrenic to elect Republicans at the state level, GOP House, Democratic Senate and a communist executive.

    Reply
19. John B. says:

    November 9, 2012 at 9:00 pm

    I work at the Momentive plant in Sistersville, WV a couple times a month. Never heard a peep about possible layoffs. There will be a lot more in this part of the Ohio valley after the first of the year.

    Reply
20. Greg B says:

    November 9, 2012 at 11:09 pm

    Bman, this is where my train of thought is coming from.
    The level of disregard and disdain for the Constitution that this president has already displayed really makes me suspicious.
    Paranoid? Perhaps.

    RD, I just read what you wrote in ’09. I had to read it twice to (hopefully) get a full understanding.
    But with the massive economic crisis coming, and prices of EVERYTHING starting to rise, what would stop him from attempting to seize total control?
    For the “greater good”, of course.
    This whole thing seems like a frikkin movie plot.
    But stranger things…… so on & so forth.

    Reply