Nearly 800 Kentucky workers are bracing for significant job losses as three major companies prepare to close facilities across the state, while in Nebraska, a spirited protest has erupted at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln over proposed budget cuts threatening faculty jobs and academic programs. These two developments, though separated by hundreds of miles and different industries, spotlight the growing anxieties surrounding job security and institutional stability in the American heartland.
According to The Courier Journal, the wave of Kentucky layoffs comes as Akebono Brake Corporation, HJI Supply Chain Solutions, and Wayfair each move forward with plans to shutter key facilities. Together, these closures will impact nearly 800 employees—an unsettling figure for communities already grappling with economic uncertainty.
The largest blow will come from Akebono Brake Corporation, a Japanese-based manufacturer, which announced it will close its Elizabethtown brake production plant at 300 Ring Road. This decision alone will leave 450 workers without jobs. The layoffs are scheduled to begin December 5, 2025, and will roll out in phases, concluding by the end of 2026. Akebono cited “a decline in Akebono’s U.S. Business” as the primary reason for the closure. The company, which employs over 5,300 people globally, also recently let go of 48 employees at its U.S. headquarters in Michigan.
Meanwhile, HJI Supply Chain Solutions, a logistics company headquartered in Louisville, is set to permanently close its Shepherdsville facility at 548 Cedar Grove Road by December 31, 2025. The closure will result in 117 job cuts, carried out over a two-week period starting December 8, 2025. The reason? It’s tied directly to Ford’s nearly $2 billion investment in updating its Louisville Assembly Plant to produce electric vehicles—a move that requires shutting down operations at the plant in December 2025 for a complete retooling. Rahima Avdic, HJI’s vice president of operations, explained to The Courier Journal, “Due to this shift, our location in Shepherdsville is a single customer-sourced facility that assembles part of the seat for the Louisville Assembly Plant.” Avdic added that affected employees are being encouraged to apply for open positions at other Louisville-area HJI facilities.
Wayfair, the Boston-based online furniture retailer, is also making headlines for its decision to close its warehouse in Erlanger, Northern Kentucky, at 1600 Donaldson Highway. The closure, scheduled to be completed by September 30, 2026, will result in 215 employees being laid off in phases starting January 1, 2026. In a statement to state officials, Wayfair said, “Wayfair made the decision not to renew its lease at the Erlanger, Kentucky facility as part of our ongoing efforts to optimize our logistics network. We are deeply grateful to our Erlanger team for their contributions and are committed to supporting impacted employees through internal opportunities and comprehensive transition support as we wind down operations over the next year.” As of December 2024, Wayfair reported employing approximately 13,500 people.
These closures have all been reported under the U.S. Department of Labor’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which requires companies to provide advance notice of major layoffs or plant shutdowns. While some workers may find opportunities elsewhere within their companies, the overall impact on local economies and families is expected to be significant.
As Kentucky workers brace for layoffs, a different kind of job anxiety is brewing in Nebraska. On October 25, 2025, faculty, students, and community members gathered in front of the Nebraska Union at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) to protest proposed $27.5 million budget cuts. The rally, organized by the UNL chapter of the American Association of University Professors, took place just before the Husker football team’s game against Northwestern, ensuring a large and attentive crowd.
According to KLKN News, the proposed cuts would eliminate 58 faculty positions and axe six academic programs—an unwelcome prospect for many who see the university as a pillar of educational excellence in the state. Professor Theresa Catalano, speaking passionately at the rally, urged, “Let’s support the university because we need to keep these great minds in the state. It’s a world-class university, let’s keep it that way. These cuts will not allow us to do our job.”
The timing of these proposed reductions is especially troubling for many. Over the past five years, UNL has already slashed $75 million from its budget, leaving faculty and students feeling squeezed. Jake Kirkland Jr., a university employee for three decades, didn’t mince words about the potential fallout: “I believe it’s going to do great harm to the institution, let alone to the students and graduate students that have looked to this institution for many, many years. The programs they are looking at right now are a travesty. It’s their backbone of making this institution a quality institution that it is.”
Rally-goers waved signs, circulated petitions, and tried to draw the attention of football fans streaming across campus. The message was clear: these cuts would not just impact those directly losing jobs, but would ripple through the entire academic community, potentially diminishing the university’s reputation and its ability to attract and retain top talent.
“Like Midas, we have a golden touch across every angle, every area of this state,” Catalano told the crowd, warning that slashing departments would inevitably lead to a decline in quality and prestige. The University of Nebraska Board of Regents is set to vote on the proposed cuts in December 2025, leaving a window for continued advocacy and debate.
Despite the uncertainty, those rallying vowed to keep fighting. Kirkland captured the mood: “We all have an opportunity, and we all are trying to make sure we take advantage of it right now. I’m hoping that we all have noise made by people who really want to continue to see students thrive and see this institution stay the flagship of Nebraska.”
Both Kentucky and Nebraska are facing pivotal moments—one battling the economic headwinds of industrial change, the other struggling to safeguard educational excellence amid fiscal constraints. For workers and educators alike, the coming months will test their resilience, adaptability, and determination to shape outcomes in their communities.
As decisions loom and livelihoods hang in the balance, these stories serve as a stark reminder: behind every budget line and layoff notice are real people, families, and futures—each hoping for a fair chance to weather the storm.