Employers took 2,769 mass layoff actions in February that resulted in the separation of 295,477 workers. That was 542 more actions than in January involving 57,575 more workers.
In February, 1,235 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, resulting in 152,618 initial claims. The manufacturing sector accounted for 42% of all mass layoff events and 47 percent of initial claims filed in February 2009; a year earlier.
Thirteen of the 19 major industry sectors reported program highs in terms of average weekly initial claimants for the month of February- mining, construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade, transportation and warehousing, finance and insurance, real estate and rental and leasing, professional and technical services, management of companies and enterprises, educational services, accommodation and food services, and other services, except public administration.
Of the 9 geographic divisions, the Pacific had the highest number of initial claims (54,411) due to mass layoffs in February, followed by the East North Central (52,690) and the Middle Atlantic (24,387).
U.S. Post Office Closing Six District Offices
The U.S. Postal Service plans to close six of its 80 district offices, eliminating positions across the country and offering early retirement opportunities. These actions are expected to save the Postal Service more than $100 million annually.
The six offices closing are:
3415 W. Lake Mary Blvd. Lake Mary, FL
76 Main St., North Reading, MA
955 Goffs Falls Road, Manchester, NH
19-21 Kilmer Road, Edison, NJ
1618 Ash St., Erie, PA; and
421 W. Riverside Ave., Suite 103, Spokane, WA.
Additionally, administrative staff positions at the district level nationwide are being reduced by 15%. More than 1,400 mail processing supervisor and management positions at nearly 400 facilities around the country also are being eliminated and nearly 150,000 employees nationwide are being given the opportunity to take an early retirement.
In the past year the Postal Service cut 50 million workhours; halted construction of new postal facilities; instituted a nationwide hiring freeze; reduced authorized staffing levels at postal headquarters and area offices by at least 15%; and sold unused and under-utilized postal facilities.
National Layoffs & Closures
Alcoa announced a series of operational and financial actions to significantly improve its cost structure and liquidity. As previously announced, it is exiting four mid and downstream businesses and the Shining Prospect special purpose vehicle that held shares in Rio Tinto.
Bassett Furniture Industries Inc. in Bassett, VA, cut 50 positions in departments throughout the company affecting personnel in corporate retail, administration, customer service, manufacturing, and marketing. The cuts represent a 6% reduction in payroll. In addition, the company closed its Mt. Airy, NC, distribution facility at 1625 Sheep Farm Road. Overall distribution costs will be reduced by 7%. The Mt. Airy facility has been listed for sale.
Cortex Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Irvine, CA, is cutting its personnel by approximately 50%. The workforce reduction is in addition to other capital preserving initiatives, including the reduction of salaries of its executive officers.
Jewett-Cameron Trading Company Ltd. in North Plains, OR, announced a targeted 5% reduction in personnel. The staff reduction also includes Terry Schumacher, the company's CFO.
LeCroy Corp. in Chestnut Ridge, NY, has cut its staff by 6.5%.
National Semiconductor Corp. is taking actions this quarter to reduce overall expenses and shift more of its R&D investments towards new and emerging growth opportunities. As part of the plan, the company will eliminate approximately 850 positions worldwide in product lines, sales and marketing, manufacturing and support functions. As part of the manufacturing consolidation plan, the company will close its wafer fabrication plant at 1111 W. Bardin Road in Arlington, TX. The closures will occur in phases over several quarters, eventually resulting in the elimination of an additional 875 positions. After the consolidation, National will have three manufacturing facilities including one other in the U.S. in South Portland, ME.
Local Layoffs & Closures
| Company | Address | Closure or Layoff | # Affected | Impact Date | | AFC Cable Systems Inc. | 1600 E. Orangethorp Ave., Fullerton, CA | closure | 61 | 4/13/09 | | American Home Mortagage Servicing Inc. | 6501 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, CA | layoff | 210 | 4/15/09 | | AT&T, Information Technology | 2600 Camino Ramon, San Ramon, CA | layoff | 34 | 4/3/09 | | ATK Space Systems | 250 Klug Circle, Corona, CA | layoff | 22 | 4/17/09 | | Avalon Natural Products Inc. | 1105 Industrial Ave., Petaluma, CA | closure | 23 | 4/1/09 | | Biomet Sport Medicine | 4861 E. Airport Drive, Ontario, CA | closure | 12 | 4/3/09 | | California Institute of Technology | 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA | layoff | 103 | 4/2/09 | | Celestica | 520 Graves Ave., Oxnard, CA | closure | 81 | 4/6/09 | | Ceradyne Inc. | 1922 Barranca Pkwy, Irvine, CA | layoff | 91 | 4/6/09 | | Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. | 211 Main St., San Francisco, CA | layoff | 191 | 4/2/09 | | Community Hospital of Los Gatos | 815 Pollard Road, Los Gatos, CA | closure | 500 | 4/10/09 | | Creative Labs Inc. | 1901 Mccarthy Blvd., Milpitas, CA | layoff | 49 | 4/6/09 | | Elan Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 800 Gateway Blvd., South San Francisco, CA | layoff | 109 | 4/27/09 | | Electronic Arts Inc. | 5510 Lincoln Blvd., Playa Vista, CA | layoff | 17 | 4/13/09 | | Expo Design Center | 3211 Danville Blvd., Alamo, CA | layoff | 49 | 4/26/09 | | Expo Design Center | 1011 N. Tustin Ave., Anaheim, CA | layoff | 90 | 4/26/09 | | Expo Design Center | 1461 Concord Ave., Concord, CA | layoff | 75 | 4/26/09 | | Expo Design Center | 5424 Ygnacio Valley Road, Concord, CA | layoff | 45 | 4/26/09 | | Expo Design Center | 7050 Amador Plaza Road, Dublin, CA | layoff | 88 | 4/26/09 | | Expo Design Center | 1550 Leucadia Blvd., Encinitas, CA | layoff | 99 | 4/26/09 | | Expo Design Center | 6912 Edinger Ave, Huntington Beach, CA | layoff | 79 | 4/26/09 | | Expo Design Center | 25600 Rancho Niguel Road, Laguna Niguel, CA | layoff | 82 | 4/26/09 | | Expo Design Center | 10861 Weyburn Ave., Los Angeles, CA | layoff | 97 | 4/26/09 | | Expo Design Center | 407 W. Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA | layoff | 95 | 4/26/09 | | Expo Design Center | 1555 40th St., Oakland, CA | layoff | 99 | 4/26/09 | | Expo Design Center | 1519 Hawthorne Blvd., Redondo Beach, CA | layoff | 90 | 4/26/09 | | Expo Design Center | 1120 Galleria Blvd., Roseville, CA | layoff | 89 | 4/26/09 | | Expo Design Center | 7803 Othello Ave., San Diego, CA | layoff | 119 | 4/26/09 | | Expo Design Center | 5095 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, CA | layoff | 107 | 4/26/09 | | Farmers Services LLC | 3041 Cochran St., Simi Valley, CA | layoff | 82 | 4/10/09 | | GAF Materials Corp. | 6505 Zerker Road, Shafter, CA | closure | 62 | 4/3/09 | | Gemological Institute of America (GIA) | 5345 Armada Drive, Carlsbad, CA | layoff | 72 | 4/19/09 | | Goodrich Aerostructures Inc. | 850 Lagoon Drive, Chula Vista, CA | layoff | 112 | 4/4/09 | | Gregg Industries Inc. | 10460 Hickson St., El Monte, CA | layoff | 35 | 4/20/09 | | Hollingsead International Inc. | 2228 Goodyear Avenue, Ventura, CA | layoff | 35 | 4/6/09 | | Horizon Hobby | 4710 E Guasti Road, Ontario, CA | layoff | 12 | 4/2/09 | | JPMorgan Chase Bank | 17872 Gillette Ave.,17875 & 17877 Von Karman Ave., Irvine, CA | layoff | 29 | 4/30/09 | | JPMorgan Chase Bank | 4900,4920,4940,5020 & 5040 Johnson Drive, Pleasanton, CA | layoff | 53 | 4/30/09 | | JPMorgan Chase/Chase Home Lending | 770 The City Drive, Orange, CA | layoff | 52 | 4/4/09 | | La Jolla Pharmaceutical | 6455 Nancy Ridge Drive, San Diego, CA | closure | 94 | 4/20/09 | | Los Angeles Times Communications LLC | 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA | layoff | 28 | 4/10/09 | | Los Angeles Times Communications LLC | 2000 E. 8th St., Los Angeles, CA | layoff | 35 | 4/10/09 | | Naked Juice | 5303 Rivergrade Road, Irwindale, CA | closure | 37 | 4/3/09 | | Netapp Inc. | 495 E. Java Drive, Sunnyvale, CA | layoff | 251 | 4/10/09 | | Nolet Spirits USA | 30 Journey, Aliso Viejo, CA | layoff | 44 | 4/30/09 | | Numonyx Inc. | 2200 Mission College Blvd., Rnb-3-01, Santa Clara, CA | layoff | 57 | 4/1/09 | | O'Neil Product Development Inc. A Dover Co. | 8 Mason, Irvine, CA | layoff | 13 | 4/20/09 | | Owens Corning Masonry Products | 350 Tower Road, Napa, CA | layoff | 121 | 4/5/09 | | Pacific Life Insurance Company | 700 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA | layoff | 112 | 4/15/09 | | Pacific Motor Trucking Co. | 650 Hammond Way, Milpitas, CA | layoff | 56 | 4/13/09 | | Pacific Motor Trucking Co. | 4500-B Etiwanda Ave., Mira Loma, CA | layoff | 89 | 4/13/09 | | Petaluma Valley Hospital | 400 N. Mcdowell Blvd., Petaluma, CA | layoff | 44 | 4/8/09 | | Pioneer North America Inc. | 1800 Holt Ave., Pomona, CA | layoff | 86 | 4/30/09 | | Printronix | 14600 Myford Road, Irvine, CA | closure | 54 | 4/3/09 | | Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital | 1165 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, CA | layoff | 152 | 4/8/09 | | Sargent Fletcher Inc. | 9400 E. Flair Drive, El Monte, CA | closure | 15 | 4/14/09 | | Seagate Technology LLC | 155 & 195 S. Milpitas Blvd. & 311 Turquoise Drive, Milpitas, CA | layoff | 43 | 4/3/09 | | Sharp Cabrillo Skilled Nursing Center | 3475 Kenyon St., San Diego, CA | closure | 168 | 4/3/09 | | Shutterfly Inc. | 3157 Corporate Place, Hayward, CA | layoff | 45 | 4/2/09 | | Siemens Hearing Instruments Inc. | 14351 Firestone Blvd., La Mirada, CA | layoff | 83 | 4/4/09 | | Special Devices Inc. | 14370 White Sage Road, Moorpark, CA | layoff | 117 | 4/26/09 | | Tawa Supermarket Inc. dba 99 Ranch Market | 8150 E. Garvey Ave., Suite 121, Rosemead, CA | closure | 47 | 4/30/09 | | The Boeing Co. | 3370 Miraloma Ave., Anaheim, CA | layoff | 16 | 4/23/09 | | The Boeing Co. | 2260 E. Imperial Highway, El Segundo, CA | layoff | 21 | 4/2/09 | | The Boeing Co. | 5301 Bolsa Ave, Huntington Beach, CA | layoff | 61 | 4/23/09 | | The Boeing Co. | 2401 E. Wardlow Road, Long Beach, CA | layoff | 78 | 4/23/09 | | The Home Depot - Expo Orange Store Support Center | 3800 W. Chapman Ave., Orange, CA | layoff | 124 | 4/8/09 | | Valeant Pharmaceuticals International | One Enterprise, Aliso Viejo, CA | layoff | 23 | 3/31/09 | | Vertis Communications | 1345 Doolittle Drive, San Leandro, CA | closure | 88 | 4/5/09 | | Virgin Entertainment Group Inc. | 2 Stockton St., San Francisco, CA | closure | 95 | 4/27/09 | | Wilson Sonsini Goddrich & Rosati | 650 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA | layoff | 80 | 3/31/09 | | Wm. Bolthouse Farms Inc. | 7200 E. Brundage Lane, Bakersfield, CA | layoff | 93 | 3/31/09 | | Worldwide Flight Services Inc. (WFS) | 615 N. Nash St. Suite 304, El Segundo, CA | closure | 143 | 4/12/09 | | Zebra Technologies Corp. | 1001 Flynn Road, Camarillo, CA | layoff | 44 | 4/27/09 | | Zenith Insurance Co. | 21255 Califa St., Woodland Hills, CA | layoff | 43 | 4/13/09 |
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