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CKE Restaurants' roots began in California roughly seven decades ago, but you won't see the parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's expanding there much anymore. Related Stories What's causing what company CEO Andy Puzder describes as "very little growth" in the state? In part it's because "the minimum wage is so high so it's harder to come up with profitable business models," Puzder said in an interview. The state's minimum wage is set to rise to $9 in July, making it among the nation's highest, and $10 by January 2016. In cities in other states where the minimum wage...

Tyler Durden 05/22/2014 16:26 -0400 The biggest scandal in today's release of Hewlett Packard Q2 earnings was not that it hit 30 minutes prematurely, catching algos unaware and unable to BTFD when the stock tumbled on what was a revenue miss and 1% decline from last year, nor that the company guided below estimate, pushing its stock some 3% lower in the last minutes of trading. The biggest scandal was this disclosure in the second quarter results press release: "As HP continues to reengineer the workforce to be more competitive and meet its objectives, the previously estimated number of eliminated...

The 28,000 U.S. initial weekly jobless claims bounce to 326,000 reversed the 23,000 drop to a cycle-low 298,000 (was 297,000) from a similar 321,000 in the first week of May and a 345,000 recent-high at the end of April. Claims are averaging a lean 314,000 thus far in May, following recent averages of 322,000 in April, 320,000 in March, and 337,000 in February. Today's 326,000 survey week reading overshot the lean 305,000 April figure, but sits close to the 323,000 March figure and below the 334,000 February figure.

Here Comes Congress' Next Big Economic Crisis, And It Could Be Even Worse Than The Fiscal Cliff Brett LoGiuratoMay 15, 2014, 10:51 AM We survived the fiscal cliff and the government shutdown. But there's another big battle brewing this summer between Congress and the Obama administration with dire economic consequences that could cost the country hundreds of thousands of jobs. And even though politicians on both sides of the aisle agree this disaster is "completely avoidable," all signs indicate we're on a collision course with crisis. On Wednesday, President Barack Obama gave his first formal warning about this impending self-inflicted...

It’s “Pomp and Circumstance” time for 1.6 million US college graduates. While members of the class of 2014 have some cause to celebrate, they also know they are a few short months away from starting to pay down their share of the $1 trillion-plus student-loan debt. The most shocking number of all is that only 17 percent of these soon-to-be grads have a job lined up, according to AfterCollege Inc., which crunches these numbers and also tries to help match employers with recent graduates. Despite our being a year further along on the road to economic recovery, this year’s 17...

Just one of Obamacare’s many taxes could cost the U.S. hundreds of thousands of jobs over the next decade, according to an industry report published Tuesday. The National Federation of Independent Business projects that between 152,000 and 286,000 jobs will be lost by 2023 due to Obamacare’s health insurance tax. NFIB, a nonprofit association of business owners, actively supports the repeal of the tax. The health insurance tax has proved to be one of Obamacare’s more controversial fundraising measures. The tax targets insurance companies, charging each one proportional to their market share — the more health plans sold (Obamacare’s goal,...

Producers have the chance to be rehired – at lower salaries CNN cut or reduced 50 positions across multiple divisions on Thursday, changing roles and reducing positions and salaries across the board, a CNN executive told TheWrap. “There is essentially no head count change,” a network executive wrote in an email. “Fifty positions have been impacted. Roles will [be] changed.” CNN President Jeff Zucker met with newsroom reporters on Thursday to tell them the bad news, an insider told TheWrap. The cuts mainly affect news producers and managers, some of whom will be invited to reapply for new or “updated”...

With JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank having exited the commodities business (and numerous other banks discussing it ahead of the Fed and regulators' decisions over banking rules of ownership), it appears a few short months of regulatory scrutiny is enough to warrant more broad-based cuts across bulge-bracket banks historically most manipulated and profitable business units. As The FT reports, Barclays, one of the world’s biggest commodities traders, is planning to exit large parts of its metals, agricultural and energy business in a move expected to be announced this week. This comes on the heels of Barclays shuttering its power-trading operations...

More than two-thirds of the states reported job gains in March, as hiring has improved for much of the country during what has been a sluggish but sustained 4 1/2-year recovery. The Labor Department said Friday that unemployment rates dropped in 21 states, rose in 17 and were unchanged in the remaining 12. Meanwhile, hiring increased in 34 states and fell in 16. The unemployment rate varies from as low as 2.6 percent in North Dakota to as much as 8.7 percent in Rhode Island. South Carolina has experienced the sharpest rate decline over 12 months to 5.5 percent from...

Al Jazeera America, which launched last August with nearly 850 employees and 12 news bureaus in the United States, has laid off dozens of employees as part of restructuring. The channel is disbanding its sports unit and scaling back its social-media-driven show The Stream from a daily show to a once-a-week program.

HIGH POINT, NC - Stanley Furniture Company, Inc. today reported it will cease domestic furniture production in the factory that supports its Young America brand. “We have a healthy Stanley business that is making money. It is supported by a wonderful heritage, strong product in the field and future pipeline, and we are looking forward to the prospects of focusing our team solely on the growth and profitability of this brand in the short-term” “We have decided to cease manufacturing operations in Robbinsville,” said Glenn Prillaman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “After a thorough review of both our own operations...

By the time ObamaCare and the minimum wage get done wiping out jobs, everyone will need that basic guaranteed income that libs love talking about. Citing Obamacare and an increase in the stateÂ’s minimum wage, the owner of Waterford-based Yankee One Dollar is closing down shop on all 23 remaining locations.Its owner Keith Flike blamed the Affordable Care Act and the increase in the stateÂ’s minimum wage for the decision to shut down. Each store has six to 10 employees, he told the Post Star. Those are just more employees who have been liberated from job lock to explore their...

Citing Obamacare and an increase in the state’s minimum wage, the owner of Waterford-based Yankee One Dollar is closing down shop on all 23 remaining locations. Via the Times Union: Waterford-based Yankee One Dollar stores will be gone within the next five months, its owner told the Post Star of Glens Falls. Keith Flike blamed the Affordable Care Act and the increase in the state’s minimum wage for the decision to shut down. Each store has six to 10 employees, he told the Post Star. Yankee One Dollar has 23 stores, down from a peak of 39. The Daily Gazette reported...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – After 129 years, North Adams Regional Hospital is shutting down. Hospital workers were informed of the decision on Tuesday. Around 530 people will lose their jobs. The decision to shut down comes as the hospital files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. It also affects the VNA & Hospice, along with the Northern Berkshire Healthcare Physicians Group. Current patients will be transferred to other facilities through April 4. The emergency room will close on Friday. “In the six years that I have been on the board we have investigated every possible avenue and exhausted all options as we...

Caesars Entertainment announced in a press release Wednesday that it will close Harrah's Tunica on June 2. This is one of three casinos Harrah's operates in Tunica in northern Mississippi. The 1,300 jobs that will be lost makes this one of the biggest layoffs ever in Mississippi, said Richard Bennett, chairman of the House Gaming Committee. The layoffs come at a time when Tunica County had the highest unemployment in state in February at 17.3 percent. Bennett said 75 percent of the jobs are held by Mississippi residents, with the remaining 25 percent of the employees from Tennessee and Arkansas....

Walgreen Co. on Tuesday said it plans to shutter 76 unprofitable drugstores by August as part of a plan to save $40 million to $50 million per year beginning in fiscal 2015. The drugstore chain, the nation's largest, declined to specify the locations of the stores slated to close aside from saying they're "spread across the country." Walgreen, based in Deerfield, IL, said it will confirm the closures in the coming months after it notifies employees. Most stores that will close either have had other Walgreen locations open in the same area or have seen real estate values decline since...

Restaurant chains are dropping like flies this week. On Monday pizza franchise Sbarro dipped into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Following in its footsteps on Friday, sub shop Quiznos announced that it too would sink into bankruptcy as part of a “pre-packaged” deal to cut its debt by more than $400 million, or two-thirds.

Brick-and-mortar retailers have been suffering from slow economic activity for years, as well as from increased competition from online retailers. The rise in store closings is a prominent sign of their struggles. Weakened companies cannot afford the real estate and personnel costs that go along with supporting hundreds of unprofitable locations. The clearest proof of the problem was Radio ShackÂ’s recent decision to close more than 1,000 stores. Radio Shack is hardly alone. During that last several years Gap has closed 20% of its locations. Even MacyÂ’s, which has forecast strong earnings and is considered the most successful of the...

On February 27th, Gordon Brothers Group, a global advisory, restructuring and investment firm was awarded the store closing process for all locations by the bankruptcy court. Store closing sales will begin on March 1st and will involve significant discounts on all merchandise, as well as store furniture, fixtures and equipment in order to wind down company operations. “Our employees continue to do a tremendous job maintaining high quality standards and they are dedicated to fully serving our customers during this transition,” David Minnix, president of Dots, said. “We appreciate the continued support of our valued customers over the years and...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (AP) — Staples will close up to 225 stores in North America by the end of next year as it seeks to trim about $500 million in costs annually by 2015. The nation’s largest office-supply retailer said Thursday that nearly half of its sales are now generated online, so it will aggressively cut costs to become more efficient....