Employers in Michigan filed 14 WARN Act notices in November 2008, impacting roughly 4,248 workers — representing a pullback from October and up 136% versus November 2007. The average filing covered 303 workers, with 7 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 6 | 3,461 |
| Transportation | 1 | 62 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 3,461 workers across 6 notices. In a parallel development, Transportation reported 62 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Wayne | 3 | 2,118 |
| Oakland | 3 | 1,391 |
| Marquette | 2 | 329 |
| Cass | 1 | 175 |
| Monroe | 1 | 52 |
Wayne felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 50% of all affected workers with 2,118 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| River Rouge | 1 | 2,038 |
| Lake Orion | 1 | 1,227 |
| Ishpeming | 1 | 179 |
| Dowagiac | 1 | 175 |
| Negaunee | 1 | 150 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 7 | 2,580 |
| Layoff | 7 | 1,668 |
The high proportion of closures (61% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Michigan's labor market.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U. S. Steel (Great Lakes Works) | River Rouge | 2,038 | Closure | 2008-11-21 |
| GM Lake Orion Ass'y Plant | Lake Orion | 1,227 | Layoff | 2008-11-08 |
| Cliffs Natural Resources (Tilden Mine) | Ishpeming | 179 | Layoff | 2008-11-07 |
| National Copper Products | Dowagiac | 175 | Closure | 2008-11-05 |
| Cliffs Natural Resources (Empire) | Negaunee | 150 | Layoff | 2008-11-07 |
| GM (Service Parts Operation) | Waterford | 109 | Closure | 2008-11-26 |
| International Paper Co | Brownstown | 89 | Closure | 2008-11-17 |
| ABX Logistics | Belleville | 62 | Closure | 2008-11-26 |
| SKD Automotive Group | Troy | 55 | Closure | 2008-11-12 |
| International Paper Co | Newport | 52 | Closure | 2008-11-17 |
| Universal Forest Products, Inc | White Pigeon | 49 | Layoff | 2008-11-07 |
| Speedrack | Quincy | 45 | Layoff | 2008-11-14 |
| Diversified Machine, Inc | Detroit | 18 | Layoff | 2008-11-17 |
| SKD Automotive Group | Jonesville | 0 | Layoff | 2008-11-12 |
The single largest action involved U. S. Steel (Great Lakes Works) at its River Rouge facility, reporting 2,038 affected workers. GM Lake Orion Ass'y Plant followed with 1,227 workers.
The data underscores a mixed picture for Michigan's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Manufacturing 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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