Mass Layoffs As 2 Plants Shutter In Illinois, Other Companies Cut Workers

Illinois is seeing thousands of job reductions at large companies, with more than 1,300 layoff notices going out in the last month and more than 3,000 in the last 30 days, according to recent WARN notices.

More than 300 employees were laid off, effective Oct. 6, from Baker and Taylor LLC's facility in Momence, which is closing after a proposed sale was called off, NBC Chicago reported.

Related: Nearly 300 Jobs Cut As IL Meat Packing Plant Abruptly Closes

Virgin Hotels Chicago laid off 180 employees effective Oct. 3, and nearly 400 employees at Discover Financial Services’ Chicago headquarters will be laid off, with the first job cuts coming Nov. 17. Capital One Financial Services in Riverwoods also issued a notice that 215 workers will be laid off starting Oct. 17.

Close to 250 northern Illinois workers will be laid off or transferred as Elkay Plumbing and Ingersoll Rand close plants in Savanna and Princeton, respectively, KWQC reports.

Ingersoll Rand will lay off employees, whereas Elkay has given 178 workers the option to transfer to plants in Freeport and Lanark, per a statement from the company. Elkay's Lanark plant is about 18 miles east of the plant that is closing in Savanna. The Freeport plant is about 44 miles northeast of the company's Savanna location.

Elkay cited space limitations and building repair costs as the reason for closing the plant in Savanna.

Ingersoll Rand's closure is expected to come within the next six months to allow employees to "time to prepare and to allow us to support them throughout the transition," per a company statement. Per KWQC, the air compressor manufacturer's Princeton plant's closure is part of efforts to "streamline operations."

More via KWQC

Other recent mass layoff notices include 117 jobs cut effective Nov. 17 at Brookdale Senior Living in Chicago due to a lost contract, 168 jobs lost effective Nov. 21 at Industrial Container Services, LLC in Chicago, and 289 jobs cut at effective Oct. 25 at Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago.