Ron Johnson Has Fired 19,000 People Since Taking Over JC Penney

AP

JCPenney has been ambiguous about the total number of layoffs at the company.

But today, CEO Ron Johnson dropped the number in court as he testified in the fight between JCPenney/Martha Stewart and Macy's.

Johnson said that JCPenney has laid off 19,000 employees throughout its transformation thus far, according to CNBC's Courtney Reagan.

This includes in-store associates, middle managers, salon receptionists, call center workers, corporate employees, and more.

JCPenney had around 136,000 full- and part-time workers before the layoffs started to roll last April.

The situation at headquarters was an issue. COO Michael Kramer, who was brought on by Johnson, called the culture "pathetic." Now, 1,600 of the 4,800 original home office employees have been cut.

Early on, JCPenney would announce job cuts. But lately, when a round hits, the company hasn't been so transparent.