PITTSBURG — Target’s decision to close three crime-plagued stores will erase hundreds of jobs in the Bay Area, state filings show.
The big-box retailer has decided to permanently shut down three Bay Area stores, located in Oakland, Pittsburg and San Francisco, in the wake of thefts and crimes that afflicted the trio of retail sites.
That move also has erased 238 Bay Area jobs as a result of the permanent shutdowns, with dozens of layoffs at each of the three store sites.
Here are the details of the Target layoffs that arose from the store shutdown decision:
— Pittsburg, 4301 Century Boulevard, 106 job cuts
— Oakland, 2650 Broadway, 69 layoffs
— San Francisco, 1690 Folsom Street, 63 job cuts
“Our team continues to face an unacceptable amount of retail theft and organized retail crime,” Brian Cornell, Target’s chief executive officer, said in a conference call with Wall Street analysts in August.
Within a month of that conference call, Target disclosed it would close nine stores in four states, including three in the Bay Area.
“We cannot continue operating these stores because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests, and contributing to unsustainable business performance,” Target said in September. “We know that our stores serve an important role in their communities, but we can only be successful if the working and shopping environment is safe for all.”
The employees affected by the Bay Area layoffs are not represented by a union. The workers also do not have the right to displace, or “bump,” employees with less seniority. Target stated the store shutdowns would be permanent in WARN letters the retailer sent to the state Employment Development Department.
Despite the pending job cuts, which were scheduled to begin Nov. 9 and be complete by the end of this year, Target held out hope that employees might land jobs at other Target stores, details contained in the WARN letters show.
“Target separately provided information to employees about the opportunity to transfer to another Target store or receive separation pay,” Sonia Kumari, Target human resources business partner, said in the WARN letters.
The terminations will officially occur by Dec. 30 for those employees who choose not to transfer to another store or who are not eligible for a transfer.
“Target anticipates few involuntary terminations,” the retailer stated in the WARN notices.
