Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development Archives

Eight Missouri jobs centers reopen to in-person help

July 3, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri’s 29 job centers temporarily closed due to coronavirus concerns are starting to reopen to in-person help. A press release from the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development says the Branson job center in southwest Missouri opened Monday and Job Centers in Kennett, Park Hills and Poplar Bluff in southeast Missouri reopened with Office of Workforce Development (OWD) staff returning to in-person work on Wednesday.

Eight Missouri jobs centers reopen to in-person help

Job centers in Springfield, St. Charles and St. Louis County opened back up in June. The St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) also began in-person services in June, by appointment only. It plans to open to walk-ins on July 6.

The release says the centers will follow social distancing and other health guidelines. They are critical sources for jobless people who don’t have access to computers and/or internet access.

The state’s other 21 job centers remain closed. They are expected to open up again in the coming weeks.

Since COVID-19 hit the state in mid-March, more than 686,000 unemployment claims have been filed. The most recent week’s claims, the week ending June 27, shows a slight increase of nearly 2,000 claims filed compared to the previous week.

Job seekers and displaced workers can still get help by phone at 1-888-728-5627, or online at jobs.mo.gov.

Kansas City area casino to lay off nearly 300 workers

June 17, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa in the Kansas City suburb of Riverside says it plans to lay off 289 workers beginning August 15. In a letter to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, the casino says the workforce cutbacks will be permanent.

Kansas City area casino to lay off nearly 300 workers

Argosy cites the decision is a result of COVID-19 related circumstances.

“The impact on our business was not reasonably foreseeable until now. We simply could not foresee, that the initial closures of our properties, that were issued by one or two states for a limited period of time, ultimately spread throughout all states in which we operate and eventually be extended, interrupting almost all business and travel temporarily. These significant drags on our business will likely continue for the foreseeable future. Finally, we could not have anticipated when our properties would be allowed to reopen and how restrictive the new operating conditions would be, and the negative impact this would have on business volumes,” the letter says.

Any bumping rights – the right to avoid termination by displacing another worker – for affected union employees would be governed by the collective bargaining agreement. There are no bumping rights for non-union workers.

In mid-March, all 13 Missouri casinos were closed to help fight the spread of the coronavirus. They were allowed to reopen on June 1.

Two casinos to cut nearly 800 St. Louis area jobs

June 15, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

About 784 St. Louis area casino workers are permanently losing their jobs. STL Gaming Ventures has notified the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development that Hollywood Casino in Maryland Heights is getting rid of 455 the positions beginning in mid-August. PNK River City says it plans to lay off 329 workers at River City Casino in St. Louis beginning around August 15.

The companies say the cutbacks are due to the unforeseen circumstances of the coronavirus.

“These significant drags on our business will likely continue for the foreseeable future. Finally, we could not have anticipated when our properties would be allowed to reopen and how restrictive the new operating conditions would be, and the negative impact this would have on business volumes. As a result of all of these unfortunate circumstances, we are notifying you of this decision as soon as we practically could, taking into account the great difficulties our entire industry faces in projecting future staffing needs under these unprecedented circumstances,” says STL Gaming Ventures in a letter to the state.

All 13 Missouri casinos were closed in mid-March to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. They were allowed to reopen on June 1.

Missouri aerospace company to furlough 60 workers

June 11, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

LMI Aerospace in St. Charles is furloughing 60 workers. In a notification to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, the eastern Missouri company says the furloughs are expected to happen around June 22 and last for about one month.

The company provides parts for the commercial and defense aerospace industries. Its website shows locations in eastern Missouri’s Washington, southeast Missouri’s Cuba, and two sites in St. Charles.

Nearly 1,000 St. Louis area hotel workers losing their jobs next week

June 5, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

LMS Services Corporation has notified the state that it is putting about 979 St. Louis area hotel workers out of jobs on June 12. In a letter to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, the company says it is permanently reducing its workforce due to the unforeseen consequences of the coronavirus.

Nearly 1,000 St. Louis area hotel workers losing their jobs next week

Workers affected include ones who work at:

Hilton Garden Inn St. Louis Airport – 19 jobs
Hilton Garden Inn St. Louis – Chesterfield – 16 jobs
Hilton Garden Inn St. Louis – O’Fallon – 14 jobs
Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark and 360 Rooftop Bar – 300 jobs
Hilton St. Louis Airport Hotel – 130 jobs
Doubletree St. Louis at Westport in Maryland Heights – 60 jobs
Doubletree Hotel & Conference Center – Chesterfield – 80 jobs
Embassy Suites St. Louis Airport in Bridgeton – 33 jobs
Homewood Suites St. Louis Westport in Maryland Heights – 20 jobs
Sheraton Westport Hotel in Maryland Heights – 190 jobs
The Cheshire – 23 jobs
St. Louis Union Station Hotel – 300 jobs

Many of the types of hotel jobs impacted are unknown.

Southeast Missouri company to permanently lay off 165 workers

June 4, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Piramal Glass – one of the world’s largest glass bottle companies – plans to lay off half its workforce in southeast Missouri’s Park Hills. In a letter to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, it says the layoffs will be permanent and will happen around July 31.

Southeast Missouri company to permanently lay off 165 workers

The company says the recent economic downturn has been difficult for many businesses and Piramal is no exception. Union Representative Paul Evans tells Missourinet the plant has been operating 24/7 during the coronavirus outbreak.

Piramal jobs being eliminated include 62 inspectors/packers, 22 bottle makers, 17 supervisors, 14 machinists, and 6 engineers, among others.

Park Hills City Councilman Adam Bowers says Piramal Glass is one of the top-paying employers in the city. About 9,000 people live in Park Hills.

The company makes glass bottles for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and specialty food and beverage industries.

Kansas City area firm to slash nearly 700 jobs beginning Friday

May 27, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

A U.S. defense and government services contractor based out of the Kansas City suburb of Lee’s Summit is laying off nearly 700 workers beginning Friday. Pacific Architects and Engineers has informed the state the cutbacks are expected to be permanent.

Kansas City area firm to slash nearly 700 jobs Friday

The company says its contract work with the federal government is being significantly reduced due to budget tightening.

“As you may be aware from recent media reports, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on UCIS’s (The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) financial outlook. Since the declaration of the national emergency, USCIS has reported that its application and petition receipts dropped to half their previous levels and with them, agency revenue significantly declined. USCIS has requested $1.2 billion in emergency funding from Congress due to the forecast that the agency will run out of money this summer. PAE has been advised that this agency budget shortfall necessitated this sudden and unexpected contract change,” a letter to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development says.

Pacific Architects and Engineers says most of the positions affected are general clerk workers.

Ameristar Casinos in Kansas City and St. Charles furloughing 1,500 workers with some positions to disappear

May 26, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Ameristar Casinos in Kansas City and St. Charles have notified the state that more than 1,500 workers have been furloughed and permanent layoffs could be ahead for as many as 60% of the furloughed workforce at both locations.

Ameristar Casinos in Kansas City and St. Charles furloughing 1,500 workers with some positions to disappear

In a letter to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, Boyd Gaming in Las Vegas, which owns the casinos, says it does not know how many jobs it could slash but says the cuts are expected between July 1 and July 14.

In Kansas City, 578 positions have been furloughed. In St. Charles, 947 workers have been laid off.

“Like many businesses across the country and in our industry, Boyd Gaming has been significantly affected by COVID-19 and the mandatory closures of all of our properties since mid-March,” the letter says.

All 13 Missouri casinos have been closed since mid-March in light of coronavirus fears. The state is expected to let them reopen June 1.

Mercy Hospitals furloughing 1,300 jobs in Springfield and St. Louis – some permanently

May 26, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Mercy Hospitals furloughing 1,300 jobs in Springfield and St. Louis – some permanently

Mercy Hospitals in St. Louis and southwest Missouri’s Springfield are furloughing more than 1,300 workers and the company says some of the jobs have been permanently eliminated. At several locations in St. Louis, 663 workers are being laid off with 186 of those jobs expected to be permanently cut. In Springfield, 696 employees are being laid off with 116 of the positions getting permanently dissolved.

Mercy has notified the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development that the cutbacks began on May 22 and are expected to continue through August 20. The company says it has notified all affected employees of their separation dates. The jobs getting slashed expand from entry level all the way to the Vice President of Operations.

Mercy says the cutbacks are a result of COVID-19’s dramatic downturn in business.

What you need to know about the revised Missouri budget proposal

April 29, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The Missouri Legislature will have a big job now that lawmakers are back to work – dealing with a projected state budget shortfall of about $700 million. Members have been on break for about one month due to the coronavirus threatening the state.

The Missouri House and Senate convene on January 9, 2019 for a joint session to commemorate the 100th General Assembly (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The Missouri House of Representatives is considering a revised state budget for the fiscal year beginning in July. The $34.9 billion budget outline is about a $4.5 billion increase over Gov. Mike Parson’s original fiscal plan released in January. It includes $10 billion in state general revenue, $14.5 billion in federal funding and $10.3 billion in other funds.

The blueprint includes two major differences from what Gov. Parson recommended in January. The latest version no longer includes a 2% pay raise that Parson recommended for most state workers and MoHealthnet is planning to use a savings plan in which the state moves to an outpatient fee schedule that is tied to Medicare. According to Chris Dunn with Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith’s office, upwards of $90 million would be saved in hospital and managed care reimbursements.

The revised budget plan includes about $10.4 billion to the Missouri Department of Social Services. Most of the Social Services budget goes to Medicaid costs.

About $3.5 billion in base funding would go to Missouri’s K-12 public schools – the same amount as in the current year’s budget. As for school bus transportation, $100 million is being proposed – a reduction of about $7 million compared to the current budget year.

Missouri Senate

About $1.5 billion would go to the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development – a roughly $200 million increase over the current year. The figure includes both the general revenue cuts that Representative Smith proposed and an increase of federal authority should federal funds be made available to support the state’s two-year and four-year colleges and universities. Under the plan, they would get a 10% reduction in funding compared to the current year.

The Department of Corrections budget proposal would be about $805 million – a $24 million increase over the current year. About $38.5 million would go to reimbursing county jails for transporting inmates and holding offenders who end up going to state prison – the same amount as the current year’s budget.

The Missouri Department of Transportation would get about $3 billion, compared to $2.93 billion in the current year’s budget.

Under the House plan, there would be some shuffling of the size of the state’s workforce. Missouri would have 53,935 state workers, a net increase of three full-time equivalent state employees.

Full-time equivalent, or FTE, refers to the number of hours worked by a single employee in a week. FTE is used to convert the hours worked by part-time employees into those worked by full-time staff.

The largest staff increase is 197.5 FTEs the governor requested to be added in the Department of Public Safety to help with the pandemic. The largest reduction would be 128 FTE workers in the Department of Corrections. As the offender population has declined, the agency plans to consolidate certain housing units so that some housing units can be closed. This is allowing the department to reduce vacant FTE positions.

The Missouri House is debating the budget bills and final approval is expected today. Then the Missouri Senate will go from there. Senate President Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, says the Senate Appropriations Committee is planning to take up the budget on Saturday and work through the weekend.