By Nick Falsone | For lehighvalleylive.com
Close to 2,700 Pennsylvania workers could lose their jobs at large companies this year, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry reports.
The companies, which include Emmaus-based published Rodale and chain retailers such as Sears, disclosed their plans to cut workers in WARN (The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act) notices published by the state from the start of the year through early February.
The notices come after a year in which Pennsylvania saw a drop in its statewide unemployment rate. It went from 5.4 percent in December 2016 to 4.7 percent in December 2017, the state reports.
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MEPCO, LLC
MEPCO operates a coal mine in Greene County, in the southwestern part of the state. The company said it is shutting down the mine because it "is no longer productive enough to be economically competitive given current market conditions," CNN Money reports.
Number of layoffs: 370
Timing of layoffs: Beginning March 2
Al Amrhein | For NJ Advance Media
Sodexo, Inc.
The company lost a bid to another vendor to provide food and environmental services to four UMPC Pinnacle hospitals in the Harrisburg area, ABC 27 reports. The news station, quoting a UMPC Pinnacle spokeswoman, says in the report that Sodexo employees in good standing will be offered jobs with the new vendor.
Number of layoffs: 462
Timing of layoffs: March 31
Lehighvalleylive.com file photo
Kmart
The owner of the discount department store chain has announced dozens of upcoming store closings nationwide as the retail landscape continues to shift toward online sales. Two Pennsylvania Kmart stores – one in Philadelphia and the other in Franklin, Venango County – are closing this spring.
Number of layoffs: 131
Timing of layoffs: April 8
Dover Corp.
The corporation that manufactures industrial product plans to close its Neptune pump manufacturing facility in North Wales, Montgomery County. The pumps "are typically used for chemical metering in process and agricultural industries," the corporation's website says.
Number of layoffs: 63
Timing of layoffs: April 30, June 29 and Dec. 28
AP file photo
Johnson & Johnson
The pharmaceutical company is in the second phase of a move to eliminate its insulin pump business, thestreet.com reports. These pumps were made at two suburban Philadelphia sites – one in West Chester and another in Wayne. Both sites are closing.
Number of layoffs: 34
Timing of layoffs: March 9-23
Steve Novak | For lehighvalleyli
Sears
The retailer, which also owns Kmart, released its latest list of store closures in early January. A Philadelphia Sears made that list, which included dozens going out of business nationwide.
Number of layoffs: 103
Timing of layoffs: April 8
Rodale
Hearst closed a deal to acquire the Emmaus-based publisher of popular magazines such as Runner's World and Men's Health. Hearst's president told The Morning Call the cuts were in part a result of the companies integrating.
Number of layoffs: 145
Timing of layoffs: March 10 for all but one individual
AP file photo
TEVA Pharmaceuticals
The international company that manufactures generic drugs operates its U.S. headquarters in North Wales, Montgomery County, and other facilities in the Philadelphia suburbs. The company is looking to consolidate as part of a restructuring plan, the Philadelphia Business Journal reports.
Number of layoffs: 208
Timing of layoffs: Jan. 18-Dec. 31
Technicolor Home Entertainment Services
The company is shutting down a compact disc duplication and packaging center it operates in Lackawanna County. A company spokesman told The Citizen's Voice that the closure is part of "an an ongoing assessment of market conditions and operational requirements to remain competitive in our key areas of business."
Number of layoffs: 160
Timing of layoffs: March 17-May 1
Pennlive.com file photo
Lord & Taylor
The department store chain is closing one of its distribution centers in Luzerne County. Other Lord & Taylor facilities will remain open in that region of the state and "transfer opportunities will be identified as feasible," a spokeswoman told the Hazleton Standard-Speaker.
Number of layoffs: 202
Timing of layoffs: March 13, March 30 and April 27
Pittsburgh Glass Works, LLC
The automotive glass manufacturing plant in Allegheny County will be closing for good in June but a partial shutdown is starting sooner, Triblive.com reports. A company director told the news website that the closing in part is due to "aging facilities at the 130-year-old plant that are unable to meet increasing technological demands."
Number of layoffs: 61
Timing of layoffs: March 18-June 30
John Middleton Company
The company is closing its cigar and pipe tobacco manufacturing plant in Limerick, Montgomery County, and relocating operations to Richmond, Virginia, the Daily Local News reports. "We hope as many employees as possible will make the move to Richmond," a spokesman told the newspaper.
Number of layoffs: 118
Timing of layoffs: March 29-April 12
Ryder Integrated Logistics
The company provides commercial fleet management, dedicated transportation and supply-chain solution services. It has a facility in Jonestown, Lebanon County. The company's profits plunged in the fourth quarter last year, but its CEO said "2017 earnings would improve due to layoffs and other cost-savings actions," Transport Topics reports.
Number of layoffs: 136
Timing of layoffs: Feb. 22
Gordon Food Service
The Michigan-based food distribution company acquired Ettline Food Corp. in October and announced the closure of the former Ettline distribution center in York County in January, Central Penn Business Journal reports. A spokesman told the publication the company was encouraging affected employees to seek jobs at one of his other distribution centers in Maryland.
Number of layoffs: 64
Timing of layoffs: March 23-June 16
Convergys
The customer-management company headquartered in Cincinnati is closing one of its call centers in Allegheny County, but is keeping a larger call center open in Johnstown, Cambria County, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Number of layoffs: 52
Timing of layoffs: March 31
Lehighvalleylive.com file photo
Embassy Suites Pittsburgh Airport
The hotel, which has been in operation for nearly three decades, is shutting down and being converted into an assisted-living facility in a $55 million redevelopment project, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Number of layoffs: 100
Timing of layoffs: March 15
Harbison Walker International
The company is shutting down its refractory plant in Blair County and will build a new plant in Ohio. "These are extremely difficult decisions, given the impact on families, residents, and the longtime presence of these plants in their communities. We explored a multitude of possible options before determining that we would need to cease operations at these facilities," the company's CEO says in a statement.
Number of layoffs: 88
Timing on layoffs: April 2
Sykes
The company that provides business process outsourcing services is closing its call center in Upper Macungie Township, but says it will work to transition as many affected employees as possible to a virtual call center, The Morning Call reports.
Number of layoffs: 96
Timing of layoffs: March 31
Syracuse.com file photo
Macy's
The retail chain is closing one of its department stores in Homestead, Allegheny County. It is one of six Pennsylvania Macy's slated to close, the chain announced in early January. The Lehigh Valley Mall Macy's is not among those closing.
Number of layoffs: 94
Timing of layoffs: April 7-20
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Nick Falsone may be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickfalsone. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
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