Facts are technically correct but framed in a way that likely leads to a wrong impression. Learn more in Methodology.
Verification that The L.S. Starrett Co. conducted a layoff of 78 manufacturing workers on June 30, 2025.
Local reporting citing the company's own statement says L.S. Starrett laid off a total of 179 employees, including 78 at its Athol, Massachusetts, headquarters, and that those layoffs were carried out on June 30, 2025. The company specified that the affected positions were in "indirect and administrative services departments," including IT, sales, finance, HR, quality assurance, maintenance and engineering, and stressed that most of its manufacturing and support functions remain in Athol. A repost of a U.S. Department of Labor news release on PublicNow, however, characterizes these 78 as "manufacturing workers," matching the wording of the claim. The verdict is Misleading because the date and number of workers laid off are accurate, but the evidence indicates the eliminated jobs were primarily administrative/indirect roles rather than manufacturing workers in the ordinary sense, which would lead most readers to a mistaken impression about the nature of the layoffs.