Nearly 600 workers at Pawtucket-based Hasbro must report to work in Boston in January or lose their jobs, according to a notice filed with the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training.
The iconic toymaker, home of Mr. Potato Head, Monopoly, Nerf and Play-Doh, announced last year that it would move its longtime headquarters from Pawtucket to Boston’s Seaport District.
According to paperwork filed with the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Hasbro sent pink slips to 587 employees, effective December 24. Under federal law, companies with more than 100 full-time employees have to give at least 60 days' notice before initiating large-scale layoffs or closing facilities.
In its Oct. 8 filing, the company told DLT it had not yet confirmed how many employees planned to move with the company to Boston.
Liam Rice, an economics lecturer at Bryant University and a Pawtucket resident, said losing hundreds of jobs could significantly impact the local economy.
“When you lose jobs, it’s not just the jobs themselves. It’s the ripple effect of that spending in the local community at restaurants, bars, everywhere else,” Rice said.
Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien said he’s disappointed that Hasbro officials haven’t engaged with his administration about the company’s relocation and its impact on employees.
“Hasbro has an obligation to engage with the community that has supported it for generations,” Grebien said in a statement. “I strongly urge the company to meet with both my administration and the incoming administration to discuss the transition, the impact on its employees, and the future of its Pawtucket property. Pawtucket deserves that conversation, and we expect Hasbro to come to the table.”
Hasbro did not respond to a request for more information.
The director of the state Department of Labor and Training says his agency plans to host a major job fair next month to help Hasbro workers find new opportunities.
Local and state officials pushed to keep Hasbro in Rhode Island – including an offer of an acre of downtown Providence riverfront property for $1 – but ultimately came up short.
At the time, Hasbro said moving to Boston’s Seaport District “positions the company to accelerate innovation, attract top talent, and drive long-term growth in line with Hasbro’s Playing to Win strategy, which emphasizes play-driven engagement and collaboration with partners.”
Rice, the Bryant University economist, said Rhode Island doesn’t offer multinational firms the same advantages as Boston.
“Rhode Island has really great colleges, really great community networks, but they are not connected in the same community way that Boston and Massachusetts are,” Rice said. “Until that changes in Rhode Island, you would expect to see kind of the same thing going that we see with Hasbro.”
