AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT LAGUNITAS BREWING

Stephen Levine October 11, 2018

Heineken-owned Lagunitas Brewing Company, in Petaluma, California announced that it would be laying off 12 percent of its workforce, an estimated 100+ employees.

The reasoning behind the decision was given by Lagunitas CEO Maria Stipp who wrote…

“I wanted to write a letter about the layoffs that occurred in our company today.

The craft beer market is rapidly evolving and, in many ways, more challenging. More breweries, more choices…very much like the late 90’s when the craft beer segment had similar pressure. At that time, it took nearly seven years to rebound and our company weathered that storm very well. Here we are again a few years into it, history repeating itself. We are dedicated to weathering the storm, to continue to be successful both in the U.S. and globally. In order to do that, we took difficult but necessary actions.

We are reducing employee headcount by 12%, which impacts all departments across the country. We do not take this lightly and are making every effort to do it in the right way, as these actions impact our valued co-workers, friends and community who have contributed to our tribe story.

We are taking steps to drive our flagship IPA, loved by beer drinkers who are craft fans or otherwise. Despite over 7,000 breweries in the U.S., all of which make 3-4 IPA’s, maintaining this spot isn’t easy.

Lagunitas has been built on our determination to look to the future for the good of our people and consumers alike. We believe these changes put us in a position to meet the future head-on, with a team that is well-suited to get us there.”

Best, Maria Stipp, CEO

It appears that the company, which had always had a marijuana-vibe, is responding to the increasing competition in the craft brew market by developing and marketing a brewed drink infused with the psychoactive ingredient (THC) of marijuana to produce “higher” consumption and profits. Unfortunately, California Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill A.B. 2914 which would “prohibit a licensee from selling, offering, or providing a cannabis product that is an alcoholic beverage, including, but not limited to, an infusion of cannabis or cannabinoids derived from industrial hemp into an alcoholic beverage..”

With the disruption and downsizing of its major competitors, the layoffs should have come as no surprise to employees, especially those working in areas that can be easily be re-filled from community resources.

Are you wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT PROMEDICA (01/12/23)

Stephen Levine September 4, 2018

Am I Next? ProMedica layoff - 100 employees.

JANUARY 12, 2023 — 262 EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING SKILLED NURSING EMPLOYEES

ProMedica has announced it is laying off 262 employees as the company divests from its skilled nursing facilities business.

According to a company statement, “262 employees will lose their jobs. 255 are remote employees working for nursing homes around the country, and seven work at the ProMedica Summit Center in Toledo, Ohio. Layoffs are scheduled between March 10, 2023, and April 1, 2023.

A spokesperson noted, "We empathize with the affected employees and are committed to assisting them through their transition. We are encouraging them to explore possible open positions with the new operators. ProMedica’s human resources department is also working closely with affected employees to provide support during this process."

JULY 5, 2022 — MORE LAYOFFS

Plagued with continuing financial problems, the company laid off an unspecified number of non-clinical employees in recent days.

According to a company spokesperson, ProMedica has "made the difficult decision to eliminate some non-clinical positions, amounting to less than one percent of ProMedica's workforce, and that affected positions were primarily related to pilots and processes outside of our core business as well as certain corporate services."

Since ProMedica employs approximately 44,000, according to its most recent financial filing, less than one percent would mean roughly 440 or fewer employees lost their jobs.

APRIL 10, 2022 — 200 LAYOFFS AT PARAMOUNT

Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica, a non-profit health care system with locations in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan, has announced the loss of a Medicaid contract after a protracted appeals process.

The contract will impact 200 employees in the company's health maintenance organization, Paramount Health Care.

According to a company statement, "With the contract loss, Paramount is being forced to eliminate some positions, which will be effective around July 2022, depending on the position. We are in the process of informing approximately 200 affected employees well in advance."

APRIL 17, 2019 - ANOTHER REDUCTION IN FORCE

ProMedica has confirmed that it is planning another reduction in force. This time, another 100 employees will be involved. According to the company, some workers have been offered and taken, buy-outs.

President and CEO Randy Oostra, noted…

“This week, ProMedica experienced a small workforce reduction that affected a fraction of a percent of its workforce. The reduction was related to the reorganization of some operational functions across our system.”

“Healthcare market trends, such as rising costs, declining reimbursements, and the accelerating movement of care from inpatient to outpatient locations, challenges our organization to be proactive in identifying ways to transform our organization while providing compassionate care and superior service to our patients,”

Like most healthcare companies that live or die on patient volume and insurer reimbursements, ProMedica is waiting for the next shoe to drop — changes in the Affordable Care Act, Trump Administration Edition. (h/t reader go4smith)

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018 — Original Post…

Healthcare provider, Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica, has announced that it laid off approximately 100 employees this week and left another 60 positions unfilled. According to Randy Oostra, ProMedica CEO the decision to cut staff was conditioned on decreasing reimbursement rates and rising operational costs.

In an official statement, ProMedica spokesperson Karen Strauss noted “The healthcare industry continues to face a series of challenges, including decreasing reimbursement rates for services and rising operational costs. To adapt, health systems around the country have had to make tough financial decisions.

ProMedica has worked diligently to improve efficiencies and reduce costs across the organization, and we have made great progress. Unfortunately, like so many other health systems, it has not been enough given the current healthcare environment. As a result, and after a rigorous and thoughtful review, we have made the tough decision to reduce our workforce to address and respond to these external factors. Approximately 100 employees were notified this week of their positions being eliminated — the majority of those positions being in leadership roles and corporate functions. In addition, 60 non-direct patient care positions that were vacant will not be filled.”

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT JOHNSON CONTROLS (02/19/21)

Stephen Levine August 21, 2018

Am I Next? Johnson Controls; Layoffs, Asset Sale

FEBRUARY 19, 2021 — PLANT CLOSURE AND 200 LAYOFFS IN CARROLLTON, TEXAS

The company has announced that it will be closing its Ruskin Rooftop Systems HVAC plant located in Carrollton, Texas by the end of September 2021. The closure will affect 200 employees.

According to a company spokesperson, “We appreciate the great contributions our employees have made in serving many customers over the years. However, recent business conditions have changed production demand for Carrollton’s products, resulting in the decision to consolidate its operations and maximize our current equipment capacity elsewhere, including other Ruskin facilities.”

AUGUST 21, 2018 — Original post…

Johnson Controls, formerly headquartered in Glendale, Wisconsin, and now headquartered in Cork, Ireland, has noted that its restructuring plans for 2016-2018 were based on a reduction-in-force of 9,200 employees, with 4,300 having already been separated from the company as of June 30, 2018.

According to its quarterly report for the period ending June 30, 2018…

“The Company's fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016 restructuring plans included workforce reductions of approximately 9,200 employees ( 7,300 for the Building Technologies & Solutions business, 1,700 for Corporate and 200 for Power Solutions). Restructuring charges associated with employee severance and termination benefits are paid over the severance period granted to each employee or on a lump sum basis in accordance with individual severance agreements.
As of June 30, 2018, approximately 4,300 of the employees have been separated from the Company pursuant to the restructuring plans. In addition, the restructuring plans included eleven plant closures in the Building Technologies & Solutions business. As of June 30, 2018, six of the eleven plants have been closed.”

“Company management closely monitors its overall cost structure and continually analyzes each of its businesses for opportunities to consolidate current operations, improve operating efficiencies and locate facilities in close proximity to customers. This ongoing analysis includes a review of its manufacturing, engineering and purchasing operations, as well as the overall global footprint for all its businesses.”

Bloomberg has reported that Johnson Controls will be selling its Power Solutions business to a private equity firm for as much as $12 billion dollars. All four of the finalist bidders have experience with cost containment, asset divestiture, and employee layoffs.