Chase Center, Ross Stores each lay off more than 1,000.
Both corporations expect the layoffs to be temporary
Two high-profile corporations have launched layoffs in the Bay Area amid the widening economic fallout unleashed by the coronavirus: Chase Center and Ross Stores each have laid off more than 1,000 workers.
Executives with Ross Stores and Chase Center described the wrenching layoffs as “temporary” in nature, according to the official notices filed to state labor officials.
GSW Arena-Chase Center temporarily laid off 1,720 people from its operations in San Francisco, according to an official filing with the state’s Employment Development Department. Chase Center is the home of the Golden State Warriors and is a popular entertainment venue.
“Unforeseeable circumstances surrounding the sudden and severe impact from the global COVID-19 pandemic” were the reasons behind the layoffs, Erin Dangerfield, vice president human resources for Chase Center, stated in the company’s notice to the EDD.
Dublin-based Ross Stores temporarily laid off 1,500 workers at seven locations, including five Bay Area cities and in two counties adjacent to the Bay Area, the retailer told the EDD. Ross laid off 1,100 in the Bay Area proper.
The layoffs at Ross Stores included 208 in San Jose, 171 in Fairfield, 169 in Brent
wood, 312 in San Francisco, 244 in Daly City, 193 in Salinas, and 177 in Capitola, for a total of 1,534.
So far in May, employers have revealed plans for temporary or permanent layoffs or business closures affecting slightly more than 9,100 workers, according to this news organization’s analysis of the notices to the EDD.
Other sports-related layoffs or furloughs in recent weeks in the Bay Area that were linked to coronavirus-spawned economic woes: The San Francisco Giants have laid off 1,200 part-time gameday employees, while the Oakland Athletics have laid off slightly more than 800.
“Affected employees have been provided with information on unemployment insurance available to them,” Chase Center officials stated in the notice to the EDD. “They have also been provided information on eligibility to receive other benefits, including funds through the Warriors Community Fund.”
In the Chase Center layoffs, the largest employment category affected was stage technicians, who collectively suffered a loss of 1,067 jobs. Ross Stores cited the coronavirus as a key factor behind its job cuts.
“We are taking this action because of COVID19-related business circumstances that were not reasonably foreseeable,” Deon Riley, group vice president global human resources for Ross Stores, wrote in the retailer’s notice to state labor officials.