Employers in Michigan posted 10 WARN Act notices in October 2002, affecting an estimated 1,789 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to September and up 12% versus October 2001. The average filing covered 179 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 3 | 844 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 520 |
| Information & Technology | 2 | 59 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 0 |
The Transportation sector saw the heaviest impact with 844 workers across 3 notices. On a related front, Healthcare reported 520 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Wayne | 3 | 1,283 |
| Kent | 2 | 159 |
| Macomb | 1 | 100 |
| Calhoun | 1 | 100 |
| Washtenaw | 1 | 88 |
Wayne was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 72% of all affected workers with 1,283 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Romulus | 1 | 644 |
| Trenton | 1 | 520 |
| Grand Rapids | 2 | 159 |
| Taylor | 1 | 119 |
| Warren | 1 | 100 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 5 | 998 |
| Layoff | 5 | 791 |
The high proportion of closures (56% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Michigan's labor market.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Airlines, Inc | Romulus | 644 | Layoff | 2002-10-02 |
| Riverside Osteopathic Hospital | Trenton | 520 | Closure | 2002-10-16 |
| Assurant Group | Grand Rapids | 159 | Closure | 2002-10-01 |
| Sealy Incorporated | Taylor | 119 | Closure | 2002-10-18 |
| Marriott Distribution Services | Warren | 100 | Closure | 2002-10-01 |
| AMT Freight | Battle Creek | 100 | Closure | 2002-10-31 |
| AT&T (Ann Arbor) | Ann Arbor | 88 | Layoff | 2002-10-16 |
| SBC Ameritech (2555 S Grand Traver) | Flint | 58 | Layoff | 2002-10-28 |
| SBC Ameritech (2610 Grand Traverse) | Flint | 1 | Layoff | 2002-10-28 |
| Steelcase North America | Grand Rapids | 0 | Layoff | 2002-10-31 |
The largest notice was filed by Northwest Airlines, Inc at its Romulus facility, reporting 644 affected workers. Riverside Osteopathic Hospital followed with 520 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the Michigan labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Transportation sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Michigan. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all Michigan WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.
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