Additional layoffs and business closings will be listed as they are announced throughout the day. Below are reports found on November 18, 2012.
Layoffs: November 18, 2012
Kaiser Permanente Lays Off 530 Employees In Southern California
Kaiser Permanente officials have confirmed 530 union employees in Southern California have been laid off.
At least 85 position were eliminated at the Fontana and Ontario medical centers, officials said Friday.
Officials at the health-care provider did not release the locations of the other 445 positions.
The layoffs do not include physicians.
"We expect that over the next year we will experience significant membership growth and anticipate that many of these affected employees will have new opportunities to be placed in other positions and remain with our organization," said Peggy Hinz, spokeswoman for Kaiser Permanente.
Kaiser officials said they have undertaken a series of layoffs to ensure they meet possible changes that could occur with the implementation of President Obama's Affordable Care Act
Local officials lay blame for Suntech layoffs in Goodyear, AZ on bad federal policy
With Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. slowing down production at its Goodyear facility and laying off 50 workers, local officials were quick to blame the federal government for recently imposed tariffs as one of the root causes.
Westchester, NY, 189 Layoffs Proposed In Budget, County Executive Blames Civil Service Employees Union (CSEA)
Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino had no qualms about expressing his displeasure about the 2013 budget process at a news conference Wednesday, where he was particularly vocal about the 189 layoffs included in the proposal.
"I pleaded with our largest union, the Civil Service Employees Union (CSEA) to help avoid layoffs," stated Astorino. "Had they followed the lead of three other unions to start contributing to the cost of their health care, we could have saved jobs and programs."
Areas of the county hit the hardest from the job cuts will be in social services, public works, parks and transportation.
Modesto CA Memorial Medical Center Cutting 114 Jobs
Memorial Medical Center filed a state-required notice on job cuts Friday, giving more clarity to the staff reductions at the Modesto hospital.
Memorial notified Stanislaus County officials that 114 employees would be laid off in January.
[...]
Memorial officials said a decrease in patients and sharp decline in payments from insurers led to the staff reductions. The hospital is affiliated with Sacramento-based Sutter Health, which has medical offices and hospitals across Northern California.
1,890 Florida state employees to lose jobs as state outsources prison healthcare
Nearly 2,000 state workers are being displaced from Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s administration because of the nation’s biggest outsourcing of prison health care.
“Due to the outsourcing of this function, your position will be deleted,” reads a dryly worded dismissal notice from the Department of Corrections, sent to 1,890 state employees in the past two weeks.
The Department of Corrections signed a $230 million contract with Corizon Healthcare of Nashville to provide all health care in central and north Florida prisons and is negotiating contract terms with Wexford Health Sources of Pittsburgh to take over health care in nine South Florida prisons for $48 million a year.
In the dismissal letters, prison officials emphasize that dismissed workers will get first consideration for new jobs at one of the two for-profit vendors, though with fewer benefits. The workers also expect to pay more out of their pockets for their own health insurance.
Business Closings: November 18, 2012
Oldest Business in Collierville TN Closing Down After 146 Years
It is closing time for the oldest business in Collierville.
McGinnis Hardware on the Historic Town Square will shut its doors in a few weeks after 146 years in business.
Chippewa Falls WI Pactiv plant closing starts Jan. 18
Pactiv will begin closing its plant at 1500 W. River St. in Chippewa Falls over a two-week period starting Jan. 18, 2013, the company has told Mayor Greg Hoffman.
The plant closure, which the company announced in August, will throw 152 people out of work, including 13 salary and 139 hourly positions.
Kmart closing West Smithfield store in NC
The Kmart store on Market Street in West Smithfield is closing after 34 years.
The store began advertising the closing earlier this month, with roadside signs directing traffic to a going-out-of-business sale. It will close for good in late January.
The store’s 59 employees, mostly part-time workers, are eligible for severance pay, said Sears spokesman Chris Brathwaite.
The Boston Beanery restaurant in Staunton Mall VA.
The Boston Beanery restaurant at the Staunton Mall is closing Saturday after 15 years in business.
Seattle WA Veterans Museum closing its doors
Supporters of the Seattle Veterans Museum have lost their battle to save the institution.
KING-TV reported that a shortage of money has led Todd Crooks to close the museum's doors after 10 years in downtown Seattle.
"King and I" Thai restaurant in Minneapolis is closing fter 32 years
King and I Thai Restaurant and Lounge, located in the Loring Park neighborhood of Minneapolis, is closing after 32 years of business.
Griselle Tufford, a hostess at the restaurant at 1346 Lasalle Ave. S., confirmed Saturday night that the eatery would close on Dec. 17. It will will keep its regular business hours until then.
Vons to close Hesperia store after 23+ years
Vons will close its Hesperia store on Jan. 5 after operating more than 23 years on Main Street, according to a company official.
“It is always a difficult decision to close a store, and one we never like to make,” Jenna Watkinson, Vons public affairs and government relations manager, said in an email Friday. “However, we have performance standards for all of our locations and as it relates to our Hesperia store, this is a location that simply did not meet expectations.”
Lucas and Howard Furniture to close after 92 years in Klamath
One of the oldest retail stores in Klamath Falls is closing its doors.
The owner of Lucas and Howard Furniture on South Sixth Street has elected to shut down after 92 years in the business community.
“There is some sadness to the closure, but things change,” said the store’s owner, Paul Bigby. “We’ve been really blessed and I have no regrets.”
While the stagnant local economy was a factor in the closure — sales at the store have been lagging since 2008 — the decision to close the location was not strictly based on finances, Bigby said.
Obama's Economy pieces at this link.