Brooks Brothers plant, 39-25 Skillman Avenue (Queens Post)
May 19, 2020 By Michael Dorgan
Brooks Brothers, America’s oldest clothing company, has notified the New York State Department of Labor that it is closing its Long Island City manufacturing plant and 136 employees are going to lose their jobs.
The company will begin laying off its workers from the 39-25 Skillman Ave. factory on Aug. 18, according to a WARN notice filed with the state.
Manufacturing operations at the facility will cease on Aug. 18.
The company, best known for making high-end men’s clothing, cited “unforeseeable business circumstances prompted by COVID-19,” as the reason for the closure in its filing.
Brooks Brothers, however, told the Queens Post in a statement this morning that the decision to shut down the plant is not final.
“We delivered WARN notices this week to the impacted employees in order to provide workers with sufficient time to prepare for potential loss of employment,” the company said in a statement. “This decision is subject to change, should alternative solutions be uncovered in the near-term. The factory is incredibly meaningful to our heritage and we value our employees.”
The company, which was founded in 1818 in Manhattan, has been struggling financially for some time–even before the pandemic hit, according to reports. It is currently saddled with $600 million in debt and the owner was looking to sell the company last year.
Brooks Brothers has around 250 retail store locations across the U.S. and 40 stores in other countries, according to its website..
Meanwhile, there are other job losses coming to Queens.
Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology notified the Dept. of Labor that it is laying off a total of 66 staff members from eight locations. Four of those locations are in Queens, including Bayside, Elmhurst, Laurlelton and Ozone Park. The company did not provide a break down per location.
Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology, at 88-12 Queens Blvd., Elmhurst. (Google Maps)
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23 Comments
This is great. I can’t wait to see the size of the building that goes up there. I can’t wait until skillman ave starts looking like Brooklyn
Shows how quickly one forgets the fundamental importance of job opportunities underlies everything when times are frothy. Anyone now think AOC was qualified to kill 50K job locally? I’d say her railing on about more money for public transportation no one in hell wants to ride now is also likely debateable. Virtue signalling politicians squandering jobs is a luxury NYC can ill afford.
A deep seated switch has been flipped in business due to this pandemic that bodes ill for NYC. All these companies overnight changed the model for how they do business with their workforces going entirely remote. They’ve had to spend huge money unplanned to get the full capability just to survive and will run on it for the next year so its effectively been made permanent. HR polices and practices are already realigning to follow. Next step is these same companies cutting their office spaces to offset that huge unplanned spend. Given much corporate open plan office space represents a giant petri dish it cant be used without throwing yet more money and more time to renovate them with new Covid waves imminent. Its a structural economic change just like the vanishing of manufacturing jobs in NYC post WWII. It will make it much harder for NYC to come back economically. The ubiquity of remote working will make other cheaper parts of the country far more attractive as the workforce and geographic link has just come untethered in unprecedented fashion. Its not just for the rich or special cases anymore. With profligate spenders like AOC and DiBlockhead NYC will need some real leadership talent instead. Who needs to be in the Northeast or NYC when firms won’t need to have big corporate campuses.
Trump had all the info in January. Waited around until the end of March while thousands of Americans died.
Now we have twice the number of dead Americans as Vietnam, no economy, and no jobs. Why isn’t a game show host better at national health crises?
Oh also, it’s all AOC’s fault because…socialism or something?
If the socialist clowns in Queens wouldn’t have tried to extort me and run me out i could have hired these people and thousands of others to work for me…i have been hiring like crazy during this pandemic…guess all those LIC restaurants and small biz will be going belly up now…remember the ancient Chinese curse “may you always get the social justice you wish for…”
That’s because your a transplant not a real Sunnyside Resident.
Watch the libs try to dunk on this ! Their tears sweeten my coffee
And we’re at an all-time record unemployment. So yeah the store is closing.
Wait sorry did you explain how managing a national health crisis is Democrats’ job and not the game show host running the country?
Trump’s slow pandemic response wiped out the economy and we have RECORD unemployment. So yeah stores are closing.
Does…anything more need to be said?
BAGS OF ONIONS SMELL LIKE JVB, what exactly does this potential factory closure have to do with Jimmy von Bramer?
Too bad for the workers, a little factory in our nabe, bet photo op JVB knew they were there, getting his discounted irregular ties for short little men always looking for a bargain at the factory sale Can’t he realize how depised he is within his own community, nonexistant,irrelevant, but he did make sure that the sidewalks and streets surrounding his block got paved, while the rest of us on the south side of the BLVD can’t even have a pot hole fixed.
There are several businesses at that location, including, as mentioned, an HVAC plant. I’ve been walking past there every day for 18 years and have never seen anything related to clothing.
Well, Well, Well, What do we have hear an article about a company folding now this is some sad new especially for the employees. But, the better question is where is that little man JVB to make a photo opp or statement. Not just this business but the countless buisnesses in his district. This guy is a straight up clown and loser who don’t care about no one except his dam self. Good Riddance of this coward, he can go back to his library job. JVB will be remember with the like of Richard Nixon and Anthony Wiener a lowlife of a politician who only look out for themselves.
Hashtagger- Go for a walk already. Pathetic!!
I remember years ago it was a Electronics repair place, I had my Revox Reel to Reel tape recorder fixed there, they did mostly warrantee work from Circuit City PC Richards Best Buy ….but you could walk in
For rent https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/39-15-39-25-Skillman-Ave-Long-Island-City-NY/13085832/
This factory is not closing because of COVID, its because it’s cheaper to make things in China. Company of this size doesn’t just shut down with 2 months of downturn. Someone is filling their pockets and chasing out no doubt.
Perfect excuse for not being able to bring jobs and manufacturing back to USA is here people!!!
Reply to ak NY
My mom used to work at Brooks Bros Factory where it was located off 36th Ave & 33 St. She sew silk ties by hand . There was diffetent dept there . My guess they move over on Skillman .
I thought that was a HVAC duct plant never saw clothes coming out of there
Heading to a more business friendly state with lower taxes and rent, no doubt.
Trump’s pandemic response wiping out the economy and all the jobs is temporary, they don’t need to change laws.
wow. all these years of living here and I never knew this was a Brooks Brothers manufacturing facility. Anyone know what exactly was made here?
Yes, locking down a state has consequences. When the governor and mayor and the KARENS shriek that this is “all for your own good” remind them of the people who are out of work and can’t pay their rent and have given up on life. Poverty kills. But Cuomo and DeBlasio still get paid so why should they care? By the way: where is Jimmy Van Bramer?
Absolutely! That’s why you don’t go outside without a mask right?
Oh wait, the president has a huge wave of a deadly pandemic sweeping the state.
>Poverty kills
What’s the right usually say about this again? “Just get more money, that’s what we do in America, not handouts (unless Trump is giving the country free money)”
But be sure to clap at 7pm because reasons.