Over 1,300 Layoffs Expected in Illinois in Coming Months

By: Daniel Steingold | June 06, 2016

A number of Illinois-based firms warned employees about layoffs in May, most of which were the result of lost contracts.

Aramark, which primarily provides food and facility services to educational institutions, expects to layoff 297 individuals, due to a lost food service contract with the University of Chicago.

The University of Chicago, who had used Aramark for nearly 30 years, expects to contract with Bon Appetit, another food service provider.

Northstar Aerospace, another large employer, plans to layoff 226 employees by June 30th. Westrock, a manufacturing firm, is expected to get rid of 173 employees.

Centrad Healthcare expects 162 workers to be affected by a lost contract. Laird Technologies, a British-based firm, expects to layoff 53 individuals starting on July 1st at its Schaumburg manufacturing plant.

Even Sears, the Chicago-bred retailer that has stood the test of time, expects to cut 57 jobs by August 7th, when its 90-year-old store in the Ravenwood district of Chicago permanently shuts its doors.

The list goes on, spanning many industries; Illinois employers are expected to layoff over 1,300 workers in the coming months.

It is important to note that many of the firms downsizing have legal obligations they must fulfill.

Namely, the Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act mandates that employers with 75 or more full-time employees provide 60 days of advance notice before closing a plant or conducting a mass layoff.

A mass layoff is defined as any layoff that either affects at least a third of a firm’s workforce, or 250 employees.


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