AM I NEXT? NO LOVE -- LAYOFFS AT GATEWAY HEALTH

Another contract loss, this time at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Gateway Health, a managed healthcare maintenance organization, who lost a West Virginia Family Health Medicaid support contract in West Virginia. The impact of the contract loss includes the layoff of 100 employees, mostly home-based workers in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The layoffs are scheduled between July 15, 2019 and July 29, 2019. Even worse is the impact on the plan;s clients who received cancellation letters and sent scrambling to find a new medical service provider by June 30.

According to a West Virginia Family Health spokesperson, “​West Virginia Family Health (WVFH) has announced its intention to not renew its West Virginia Medicaid managed care contract, effective June 30, 2019. WVFH will be working together with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources’ (DHHR) Bureau for Medical Services (BMS) on a smooth transition of its approximately 60,000 members to other West Virginia Medicaid Managed Care Organizations, and to complete the terms of the current contract. WVFH entered the West Virginia Medicaid market five years ago with the goal of delivering high-quality, cost-effective services to eligible managed care Medicaid members in the state. After four contract renewals, and significant analysis, WVFH has decided to exit the West Virginia Medicaid market.”

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE -- LAYOFFS AT SECURITY INDUSTRY SPECIALISTS

Again, we see contractual relationships change and employees pay the price. Culver City, California-based Security Industry Specialists, the subject of a union organizing campaign, appears to have lost the contract to provide security at Amazon’s Seattle, Washington-based headquarters and elsewhere that SIS held since 2012. The company plans to lay off approximately 1066 employees, some of whom have been invited to join the union and be employed by the new unionized security vendors, said to be Allied Universal and Securitas. Allied Universal will provide security at Amazon’s headquarters while Securitas, a global security providers, will provide security at other locations.

According to an Amazon spokesperson, a company’s union status was not a factor in vendor selection, but the primary concerns were companies able to scale with Amazon’s growth and increasing number of locations.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere ... No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE -- LAYOFFS AT BURKE DISTRIBUTING CORPORATION

It is a story well-known to hundreds of thousands of employees in the United States; a company is forced to restructure or downsize by a lost contract. In this case, Randolph, Massachusetts-based Burke Distributing Corporation, a fourth-generation beer and beverage distributor has announced the layoff of approximately 72 employees who worked on accounts associated with Red Bull energy drinks.

According to Burke President and CEO Bill Burke, "Due to unforeseen circumstances arising out of the termination of a major business contract, Burke Distributing Corporation will be conducting a mass layoff at its corporate offices."

Santa Monica, California-based Red Bull has decided to change its beverage distribution model in favor of an in-house division to be known as Red Bull Distribution Company. According to a company spokesperson, "Our goal is providing the most effective and efficient route to market in every geography. We are committed to the three-tier distribution model, optimizing all elements of the value chain and continuing to elevate the entire network’s capability. Route to market changes in recent years have included awarding territory to independently owned third-party distributors in some markets and launching our own distribution program in others.” Red Bull Distribution Company operates in 22 states with 82 warehouses and more than 2,000 employees.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere ... are you now wondering, Am I Next?