What's the Matter With Oklahoma, Part 2

image: never trust a state government that places an oil well on its own capitol grounds

Lots of recent manufacturing layoffs, actually:

Oklahoma has lost more than 20,000 manufacturing jobs since 2008, reports KOSU’s Ben Allen, who filed a story that highlights how the state’s employment is evolving.

Unfortunately, as Allen reports, the shift is bringing plant closings, layoffs and unemployment.

The KOSU piece examines the plight of the Mercury Mercruiser plant in Stillwater, which boasted about 400 employees in its heyday.

But then in 2009, the company wanted to cut costs. They managed to get major union concessions from their larger plant in Wisconsin, so they’ll soon move all their operations there.

Stillwater’s QuadGraphics, which prints magazines, is also closing. The 240 jobs there are going out-of-state, KOSU reports.

Since 2008, the state has lost more than 20-thousand jobs in the manufacturing industry. Oil and gas drilling has started to build payrolls up, but not enough to get back to previous levels, Allen reported, citing figures from the state Employment Security Commission.

So which companies are doing all of these layoffs?

Announced manufacturing layoffs in the state since 2010:

Air Systems Components (Ponca City, OK) – 63 employees

Caterpillar (Tulsa, OK) – 289

Gatorade/Pepsico (Pryor) – 107

High Sierra Energy (Centrahoma) – 125

Imation (Weatherford) – 107

L-3 Stratis (Oklahoma City) – 43

Lufthansa Technik (Tulsa) – 59

Mercury Marine (Stillwater) – 56

Plant Performance Service (Sand Springs) – 63

Raytheon (Oklahoma City) – 152

Simonton (McAlester) – 246

Terex Corporation (Oklahoma City) – 117

URS (Enid) – 74

VT Group (Ft. Sill) – 243

Zeledyne – 2 rounds of layoffs – Tulsa : 206, Broken Arrow : 325

Oklahoma, of course, is a deep red state that has staunchly supported conservative candidates at all levels of government for many years even as those same conservatives once in office have most ardently favored "free" trade agreements and other laws that have utterly destroyed the state's manufacturing base. Right about now I ought to write something about how this situation desperately needs to change, but at this point it is already likely far too late.


Bonus: Sadly, "Tulsa Time" has become the idle time of unemployment