Tornado Alley (PROG)

[StephanieVanbryce]

LAYOFFS (31) Week of Jan 4th


AUTOMOTIVE

Chrysler LLC
Auburn Hills, MI
Belvidere, IL

Chrysler LLC will lay off more than 1,000 workers in a planned cutback of workers at its northern Illinois plant. The Auburn Hills, Mich.-based automaker announced Nov. 1 that it would lay off up to 12,000 workers and eliminate shifts in five North American plants to combat sagging sales. On Wednesday, Chrysler said starting Jan. 31 it will eliminate the third shift at the Belvidere assembly plant. The move affects 1,096 workers or nearly one-third of the plant's approximately 3,400 workers. The Belvidere plant, which has three shifts, makes the Dodge Caliber, Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot.

Approximate Affected Workforce: over 1000
Source: The Associated Press State & Local Wire - January 3, 2008



BUSINESS SERVICES

McClain Finlon Advertising, Inc.
Denver, CO

McClain Finlon, one of the largest independent advertising agencies in the Rocky Mountain region, notified employees of layoffs Friday in the wake of losing the $95 million Qwest Communications account. The Denver agency, which has handled a large part of Qwest's marketing and advertising since 1996, didn't disclose the number of layoffs. McClain Finlon has about 200 employees and freelancers. AdWeek earlier this year listed McClain Finlon as the 68th largest ad agency in the country.

Approximate Affected Workforce: N/A
Source: Rocky Mountain News - December 22, 2007



BUSINESS SERVICES

Ormet Corporation
Canonsburg, PA
Burnside, LA

Ormet Corp. will close its terminal in the Burnside community of Ascension Parish and lay off the 25 people working there by Jan. 11. The terminal served Ormet's Burnside alumina plant, which closed in late 2006, and also provided third-party stevedoring services on the Mississippi River, Temple said. With the alumina plant closed, there was little demand for loading and unloading ships at the terminal.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 1-50
Source: The Associated Press State & Local Wire - December 28, 2007



BUSINESS SERVICES

Universities Research Association, Inc.
Washington, DC

Blindsided by budget cuts passed by Congress this week, Fermilab officials said they would lay off 10 percent of their employees. The Fermilab Director warned the lab's 1,900 employees that 200 jobs will have to be cut and research for the proposed multibillion-dollar International Linear Collider will halt. Funding will be cut immediately from a number of cutting-edge projects. Despite the bad news, lab officials were relieved that the cuts were $10 million less than projections earlier this week.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 101-500
Source: Chicago Tribune - December 21, 2007



CHEMICALS

Total Holdings USA, Inc.
Houston, TX
Crosby, TX

Arkema says it will eliminate 26 positions, about 30% of the facility's total headcount, at its Crosby, TX, organic peroxides plant. Arkema says the workforce reduction will enable it to more effectively utilize the capabilities of its production facilities in North America.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 1-50
Source: ChemWeek's Business Daily - December 21, 2007



ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS

Baltimore Ravens, Lp
Owing Mills, MD

Brian Billick never came close to duplicating the success he enjoyed early in his career as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, and it finally cost him his job. Billick was fired Monday, less than 24 hours after his team concluded a season of high expectations with a 5-11 record. His entire staff also was dismissed.

Approximate Affected Workforce: N/A
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - January 1, 2008



FINANCIAL SERVICES

Countrywide Financial Corporation
Calabasas, CA
Rolling Meadows, IL

Countrywide Financial Corp. will cut 127 jobs at its Rolling Meadows office starting Jan. 18. In the wake of the subprime market collapse, record defaults and foreclosures, California-based Countrywide announced plans in November to cut as many as 12,000 jobs nationally.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 101-500
Source: Chicago Sun Times - January 4, 2008



FINANCIAL SERVICES

Heartland Bank
Clayton, MO
St. Louis, MO

Heartland Bank is closing its wholesale mortgage division and eliminating about 30 jobs in the St. Louis area amid shrinking demand for broker-originated loans, and the continued fallout from the collapse of the subprime mortgage market. Clayton-based Heartland, which has been in the mortgage business for 120 years, is maintaining its retail division, or loans made directly to customers.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 1-50
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - December 28, 2007



FINANCIAL SERVICES

Merrill Lynch & Company, Inc.
New York, NY

Merrill Lynch & Co. plans to announce about 1,600 layoffs after disclosing fourth-quarter write-downs. The layoffs are likely to be in trading positions and related areas, and will not likely include investment banking or private client groups. Merrill Lynch & Co. had about 64,000 employees as of the end of September, so the potential for 1,600 layoffs would represent less than three percent of the company's workforce.

Approximate Affected Workforce: over 1000
Source: The Calgary Herald - December 28, 2007



FINANCIAL SERVICES

National City Corporation
Cleveland, OH

National City Corp., Ohio's largest bank, will eliminate 900 more jobs and halve its dividend, the first reduction since the payout began in 1935. The company plans to raise capital and has hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc. as its advisor, Cleveland-based National City said. It is halting home loans through brokers and firing the employees in that business, bringing total cuts to 3,400, or about 10% of its workforce, in one year.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 501-1000
Source: Los Angeles Times - January 3, 2008



FINANCIAL SERVICES

Wachovia Corporation
Charlotte, NC
San Antonio, TX

Wachovia Corp. has begun eliminating 243 mortgage and other banking-related jobs here amid widespread trouble in the industry. Affected employees were notified several months ago of the cuts, but the jobs are being eliminated by Sept. 30, said a Wachovia spokesman. The Charlotte, N.C.-based company notified the Texas Workforce Commission of the cuts last week. Wachovia has about 3,300 employees in San Antonio.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 101-500
Source: The Associated Press - January 2, 2008



FOOD AND BEVERAGES

The Penn Traffic Company
Syracuse, NY

Regional baker Penn Traffic Co. has shut down its Penny Curtiss commercial bakery and is eliminating about 160 jobs. The company, which operates 103 supermarkets in Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire and upstate New York, said the bakery accounted for less than 4 percent of its annual revenue. In August, the unit lost a significant contract to supply Aldi grocery stores with fresh-baked goods. Penn Traffic employs about 7,700 people, nearly a third of them in Syracuse. The company said Wednesday Penny Curtiss will shut down immediately.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 101-500
Source: The Associated Press - January 2, 2008



GOVERNMENT

Board of Public Utilities
Kansas City, KS

The Kansas City, Kan., Board of Public Utilities approved a 2008 budget last week that does not call for either an electric or a water rate increase. The $289 million budget does call for eliminating 10 positions, bringing the utility's total number of positions to 699.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 1-50
Source: The Kansas City Star - December 26, 2007



GOVERNMENT

Passaic County Youth Reception and Rehabilitation Center
Patterson, NJ

Passaic County eliminated 53 jobs at the Passaic County Youth Reception and Rehabilitation Center, commonly called the youth detention center, to help offset a budget deficit.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 51-100
Source: The Record - December 28, 2007



HIGH TECHNOLOGY

Cypress Semiconductor Corporation
San Jose, CA
Round Rock, TX

Cypress Semiconductor Corp. said Wednesday it will sell or exit its manufacturing facility in Round Rock, Texas and transition production to its more "cost-competitive" Minnesota facility and outside third-party foundries eliminating 245 jobs in the process. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the memory chip maker said it expects to exit the plant by the end of 2008.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 101-500
Source: Associated Press Financial Wire - December 26, 2007



HIGH TECHNOLOGY

Flextronics International Ltd.
Singapore,
San Jose, CA
Wilmington, MA

Flextronics International Ltd., one of the world's largest contract electronics makers, plans to close its Wilmington manufacturing plant next month, eliminating more than 100 jobs. The job cuts will occur between Jan. 17 and 31.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 51-100
Source: The Boston Globe - December 28, 2007



HIGH TECHNOLOGY

Micronas Semiconductor Holdings, AG
Zurich, Switzerland
Santa Clara, CA

Semiconductor maker Micronas said Friday it will cut 100 jobs in its Santa Clara, California, subsidiary as part of a restructuring program. The company, based in Zurich, Switzerland, said in a statement it decided to stop its business of set-top boxes for Internet television, which will lead to the job cuts in the United States. Another 20 jobs will be cut in Shanghai, China. The discontinuation of its business of set-top boxes for IPTV is expected to be completed during the first quarter of 2008.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 51-100
Source: The Associated Press - December 28, 2007



LUMBER

Portac Inc.
Tacoma, WA

After three decades, Portac Inc., a sawmill on Tacoma's Tideflats, is closing. The company's president said Friday that a combination of timber supply problems and the nation's weakening housing market is putting the sawmill out of business. Portac Inc. will lay off 71 workers, most of whom work in the sawmill, starting near the end of February. Log suppliers have taken to harvesting their trees in shorter rotations, making for fewer and more expensive large logs. Meanwhile, lumber prices are declining as the housing market slows. Though the Portac Tacoma mill's products are used mostly for commercial construction, the company still felt the effects of the housing market.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 51-100
Source: The News Tribune - December 29, 2007



MANUFACTURING

Keiper Enterprises Inc.
Troy, MI
London, ON

Keiper said yesterday about 20 employees will be laid off Jan. 12 and another 71 in March. The layoffs will affect both hourly and salaried staff at the plant that employees 400. That brings the total number of auto parts layoffs announced in the past week alone in the London area to more than 260. The Keiper layoffs are due to cutbacks at Chrysler, the plant's major customer. The London plant manufactures seat structures.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 51-100
Source: Sarnia Observer - December 22, 2007



MANUFACTURING

Protected Vehicles Inc.
North Charleston, SC

A company that makes armored military vehicles has fired most of its employees and shut down permanently. Protected Vehicles Inc. told its employees in a Dec. 19 letter that it was "unable to continue production operations" and that layoffs previously thought to be temporary were now permanent. Protected Vehicles abruptly ceased operations earlier this month. It's unclear exactly how many people are affected by the layoffs. Protected Vehicles laid off 230 workers, about half of its employees, in August. The company was founded in 2005 and builds armored trucks for the U.S. military. The armored military vehicle industry is going through difficult times. The Marine Corps recently decided to buy a third fewer bomb-resistant vehicles to protect U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan from deadly roadside bombs, and some observers have said the reduced violence in Iraq may lead to fewer orders.

Approximate Affected Workforce: N/A
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - December 26, 2007



MANUFACTURING

Riverside Millwork Inc.
Nashua, NH
Penacook, NH

The 36 workers laid off by Riverside Millwork received no advance notice of the decision. Employees at the Penacook office learned of the layoffs last Thursday afternoon, after company executives brought out a stack of envelopes and said that some workers would retain their positions while others would be let go. Employees opened their letters to find out whether they still had jobs.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 1-50
Source: Concord Monitor - December 27, 2007



MANUFACTURING

Tenneco Automotive Operating Company Inc.
Lake Forest, IL
Owen Sound, ON

Recent job losses at Tenneco Automotive in Owen Sound have not affected the factory's permanent full-time staff. But 45 temporary positions have been eliminated due to reductions at General Motors. Industry forecasters have said automobile production in North America is expected to decline this year, which impacts parts manufacturers like Tenneco.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 1-50
Source: Owen Sound Sun Times - January 3, 2008



MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS

McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
New York, NY
Dubuque, IA

McGraw-Hill Higher Education's local operations McGraw-Hill Higher Education's $32 million building serves as the company's global headquarters of science, engineering and math textbook publishing operations. Despite predicted job growth and a gala grand opening of a $32 million building along the Port of Dubuque in October, McGraw-Hill Companies confirmed last week that 15 jobs were cut from its Dubuque work force.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 1-50
Source: Telegraph Herald - December 27, 2007



MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS

The Seattle Times Company
Seattle, WA
Yakima, WA

The Yakima Herald-Republic announced a handful of job cuts Thursday, as well as other steps intended to reduce expenses. The job cuts amount to less than 3 percent of the newspaper's total staff of 196 people. The Yakima Herald-Republic is owned by The Seattle Times Co. The newspaper has a daily circulation of 36,392, with a Sunday circulation of 37,684. The changes come as the newspaper, like other newspapers, adjusts to major shifts in news consumption and advertising spending on the Internet.

Approximate Affected Workforce: N/A
Source: The Associated Press State & Local Wire - January 4, 2008



PHARMACEUTICALS/BIOTECHNOLOGY

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.
San Diego, CA

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. announced staff reductions of approximately 130 employees at its San Diego campus, as a part of its restructuring program to prioritize its research and development programs and associated costs and expenses after the setback on indiplon. Following these reductions, Neurocrine will have approximately 120 employees. Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on neurological and endocrine diseases and disorders. Our product candidates address some of the largest pharmaceutical markets in the world including insomnia, anxiety, depression, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, and CNS related disorders.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 101-500
Source: Healthcare Finance, Tax & Law Weekly - December 26, 2007



RESTAURANTS

Crouching Lion Inn
Kaaawa, HI

The owner of the landmark restaurant at the Crouching Lion Inn in Kaaawa laid off 35 employees yesterday as part of the restaurant's closure for renovations. The restaurant, a regular stop for tour buses, and in the past a favorite for local folks driving around the island, has seen a drop-off in patrons in recent years as competition increased from other restaurants in the area. The restaurant closed Sunday night, and the workers were terminated yesterday.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 1-50
Source: The Honolulu Advertiser - December 25, 2007



RETAIL

CompUSA, Inc.
Dallas, TX

CompUSA plans to permanently shut down corporate operations by March 14, resulting in 638 people losing their jobs, the Dallas-based company said. CompUSA is in the process of closing its 103 stores after the chain was purchased Dec. 7 by Gordon Brothers Group LLC. The consumer electronics retailer struggled to find a profitable position in a market dominated by discounters such as Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy and Fry's, and online sellers Tiger Direct and Newegg.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 501-1000
Source: THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS - December 28, 2007



RETAIL

CVS/Caremark Corporation
Woonsocket, RI
Phoenix, AZ

CVS Caremark will shut down its mail-order pharmacy operations in Phoenix at the end of the year, a move that will eliminate more than 400 jobs. The Rhode Island-based retail and pharmacy-benefits company said the move was prompted by "changing business demands" and the $27 billion merger of CVS and Caremark earlier this year.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 101-500
Source: The Arizona Republic - December 28, 2007



RETAIL

Freeway Ford
Columbus, GA

Freeway Ford in Columbus will close its doors and merge with Rivertown Ford, dealership officials announced this week. The owner of both dealerships, informed Freeway Ford's approximately 60 employees Thursday that the consolidation, effective immediately, will cut overhead costs and allow for more sales out of a single location. In the move, five Freeway Ford employees were laid off.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 1-50
Source: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer - December 29, 2007



RETAIL

Macy's Inc.
Cincinnati, OH

Macy's Inc., the owner of its namesake chain and Bloomingdale's, is closing nine stores with inadequate sales and said it will eliminate 899 jobs. Macy's will shut locations in Ohio; Utah; Indiana; Oklahoma; and Texas. Final clearance sales will begin in the next few weeks, the retailer said Friday in a statement. The company will operate 815 Macy's after shuttering the stores, all of which are locations the chain acquired when it bought May Department Stores Co. in 2005. The retailer's sales growth has been hurt by the former May stores, which were converted to the Macy's name last year. The Cincinnati-based company opened 10 new stores and one furniture gallery in 2007. In 2008, it expects to open five stores, with an additional six to eight new locations planned for 2009.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 501-1000
Source: The Leader-Post - December 29, 2007



RETAIL

Sportsman's Warehouse Inc
Midvale, UT
West Bend, WI

Sportsman's Warehouse Inc. will close its West Bend store by late February. All 63 employees will be laid off starting on Feb. 27 with the rest shortly after that. Sportsman's Warehouse sells hunting, fishing and camping equipment and apparel.

Approximate Affected Workforce: 51-100
Source: Milwaukee Business Journal - December 28, 2007

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