Recent Job Losses

Listed below are some of the more “newsworthy” layoffs that have occurred in the Tri-Cities since January 1 of 2009. These are the numbers reported by the local news outlets:

Wellmont Health systems in Kingsport – 86 people in January
Mountain States Health Alliance in Johnson City – 100+ people in January
AGC Flat Glass facility between Surgoinsville and Church Hill - 34 people in January
General Shale Brick at its Johnson City brick plant - about 50 people in January
AGC Flat Glass North America at its Blue Ridge Plant in Kingsport – 100 people (Temporary) in February
Wyndham Vacations in Johnson City – 200+ people in February
Holliston Mills Church Hill plant - 29 employees in March
Eastman Chemical Co. in Kingsport - 200 people in April
Bristol Metals in Bristol – 37 people in April
Exide Technologies at its Bristol plant - 567 employees starting May 1

That’s over 1,400 jobs that are acknowledged in the local media. There are many smaller businesses laying off people that do not get reported in the local news. This is a huge amount of people considering the population. And don’t forget, these are not just employees affected, but many families, too.

Some Area Stats

While recently working on a research paper for a non-profit class I was taking, I found the following statistics for the Tri-Cities area:

Unemployment
The Tri-Cities area has unemployment rates ranging from a low of 7.4% to a high of 11.0%. These rates are from February 2008, and more layoffs and business closings have occurred in the region since then. (Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and Virginia Employment Commission)

Poverty Rate
Tennessee – The Northeast Tennessee counties have 14.3% of the population living at or below the poverty level. This compares to 15.9% for the state and 13.3% in the United States. (U.S. Census Bureau)
Virginia – The Southwest Virginia counties have 16.8% of the population living at or below the poverty level. This compares to 9.9% for the state and 13.3% in the United States. (U.S. Census Bureau)

Population 65 Years and Older
Tennessee – The Northeast Tennessee counties and cities area have the following percentages of residents 65 years or older: (U.S. Census Bureau)
· Sullivan County – 17.9%
· Washington County – 14.7%
· City of Bristol – 17.9%
· City of Johnson City – 15.9%
· City of Kingsport – 20.3%
Virginia – The Southwest Virginia counties have 17.9% of their residents 65 years or older. (U.S. Census Bureau)

As the data shows, this area has a large number of elderly residents and residents living at or below the poverty line. With the large number of people currently needing assistance, it is not hard to imagine the impact the current economic problems are going to have on the agencies that help those in need.

Welcome

The purpose of this blog is to help others in the Tri-Cities (Kingsport, TN, Johnson City, TN, and Bristol, TN/VA) find resources to help them during these difficult economic times. Our neighbors are losing jobs or taking pay cuts nearly every day now, and there is no end in sight. If we can help our neighbors in their time of need, then we may be able to lighten their load.