SALINAS - A bombshell announcement that stunned employees and will force our central coast economy to stagger is a reminisence for employees who have been through this once before.
Capital One is shutting down its Salinas location laying off 850 employees.
After it announced it bought HSBC in December, a company spokesperson told Central Coast News no one was getting laid off.
So today's announcement came as a shock to many people.
"They laid me off one month before my 20-year anniversary with the company," said Angie, who was laid off back in June.
Angie, who asked us not to give her last name, said says it's the same 'ole story.
She used to work for HSBC before Capital One bought it and said there's always been instability here.
"There used to be a time you'd come to work and you weren't sure if you're badge was going to work when you badged in," she said.
One year after losing her job, she's watching the same thing happen to her friends and the hundreds of other people who work here.
"It's not a surprise. It's kind of been coming that. We knew HSBC when it acquired household credit services, we knew it was going come to that when we realized they didn't need us anymore," she said.
Employees at the credit card processing center didn't want to talk on camera.
Capital One will remain open here for another year and workers are worried about severance pay and benefits if they talk without the company's permission.
But off camera -- it was clear.
The majority of workers are devastated by Wednesday's announcement.
Some even felt stabbed in the back since Capital One just welcomed them to the company the day before.
One woman said she has no clue what's next after uprooting her life and moving to Salinas for this specific job.
As for Angie, she knows what these people can expect.
"It's been hard. It's still hard," she said.
