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February 7, 2020

Milford, state seek to help laid off Subway workers

PHOTO | New Haven Biz
By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo

Following franchise giant Subway’s elimination of roughly 300 jobs at its Milford global headquarters this week, city and state officials are planning a job fair to help newly displaced workers. 

Alan Marcus, senior director of public relations for Subway, said in a statement, that “a reduction in workforce is never an easy decision.”

“Streamlining and simplifying our business with a smaller and nimbler workforce will help us react quickly to the changing needs of the business,” Marcus said.

Marcus noted that each Subway restaurant is locally owned and operated.

“We must do what we can to fully support our owners and our guests in every neighborhood in which we do business,” Marcus said. “Our focus remains on ensuring Subway guests get great service and value at every restaurant they visit, our franchise owners get the full support and tools they need to help them grow and be successful and that we strengthen our overall business performance.”

The City of Milford announced on its Facebook page that the community will be hosting a Career Assistance Program on Feb. 20 to rally around “friends, family and neighbors” impacted by the layoffs. 

The event will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Parsons Complex gymnasium, 70 West River St. Those who were laid off can get help updating their résumés, creating or updating LinkedIn profiles, and getting free headshots.

Laura St. John Photography of Milford indicated on Facebook that it “had to do something” after hearing about the layoffs, and the business is offering the free headshots to help those impacted.

Various companies will also be at the event to interview candidates, including Amazon, the U.S. Census and Yale New Haven Health, and the list is growing daily. Representatives from the Holberton School will be in attendance to talk to potential students interested in its software engineering program, according to Julie Nash, Milford’s director of economic and community development.

Nash said Friday she is expecting more companies and several recruiters to be there, too.

“We want to make sure people have a chance, and we are trying to provide a robust offering,” Nash said. “We hope to get people back in the workforce as soon as possible.”

According to Nash, the Workforce Alliance, state Department of Labor and state Department of Economic & Community Development are assisting with the effort.

The layoffs come a short time after a flurry of recent changes in upper management at Subway.

Those changes came after new CEO John Chidsey, formerly Burger King’s CEO, started at the Milford headquarters in mid-November. 

Subway, which first launched in Bridgeport in 1965, has seen sales fall and stores close in recent years. As of November, the chain reported having a presence in 100 countries and 20,000 franchise owners. 

Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com.

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