Mike: It was a quieter day for layoff announcements, which is good news for us all.

Mike: I hope you all had a fine weekend and welcome to Monday. It’s a rather quiet day for economic reports, yet the layoff news continues to be active. There are a few stories showing that the layoff numbers should start to improve in the near future with January being the worst month. Let’s hope that is the case. I’ll post a couple of those brighter forecasts later in the day. Let’s me start with the latest from the unemployment lines in Texas:

Mike: The following two stories illustrate the need for some governors to bite their conservative bullet and allow for some small changes in their state’s unemployment insurance regulations. I have mentioned this in a previous post and it stands even more important today. I wonder if these same governors still think that giving the unemployed a few extra bucks is still a bad idea? There’s a constant Republican cry to cut taxes on businesses, but when times are tough and these same businesses shed jobs by the millions, shouldn’t those that were left jobless by these companies get at least enough money to survive until the next job comes along? There is no better way to show how these governors think more of big business than they do of the struggling person looking for work.

texas1* The Texas Legislature and Gov. Rick Perry are facing a rather stark political choice: They can accept $555 million from the federal government to help workers who lost their jobs, or they can refuse the money and deny the workers but spare employers a small but permanent increase in their unemployment taxes. The choice is easy: Help the workers………

But the governor and the Legislature must act on behalf of the people of Texas, not just its employers. If Texas doesn’t take that $555 million — money that would be spent by unemployed workers for groceries, rent, clothes, medical bills, utility bills, gasoline and the like — it will go to another state.

Take the money. Pay the small tax increase.

via State should take the $555 million for the jobless.

texas* FORT WORTH – Texas’ system for assisting people out of work is bursting at the seams and running low on money.

Unemployment insurance claims specialist Gloria Hardy, taking a call at the Texas Workforce Commission’s North Texas Tele-Center in Fort Worth, does her best to stay patient with people seeking benefits. ‘They’ve gone through something that’s very traumatic,’ she said. The average wait time for callers to the Fort Worth center is 20 minutes, an improvement reflecting added staff.

As the economy worsens, about 26,000 Texans are filing new unemployment insurance claims each week – more than double the volume of a year ago, rapidly depleting the state’s $1 billion fund.

And last week, almost 100,000 people got through to the Texas Workforce Commission’s four call centers, which are scrambling to add workers. Even supervisors help man the phones, but the workers are busier than ever.

via Unemployment call centers overwhelmed by jobless Texans seeking benefits | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Dallas Business News .

Ben Sargent - Mar 8

Ben Sargent - Mar 8

* Larger llayoff announcements and important economic reports:
US/Canada


International:
  

Microsoft/Google/IBM and other Rumors & News

msft1*March 9, 2009 (Computerworld) Microsoft Corp. is letting H-1B workers go as part of its plan to lay off about 5,000 employees over 18 months, but the vendor will continue to hire visa holders as well, according to a letter that it sent to Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) last week.

via Microsoft cut some H-1B workers but will hire more.

apple6* Is this really a surprise to anyone who was following the whole Sirius StarPlayr for the iPhone debacle? No wonder Nicemac said their iPhone StarPlayr app was “not rejected” but rather “not approved”. It looks like they ran into some sirius issues with Sirius XM and not Apple. Which I might point out, is what many of our readers predicted.

via StarPlayr for iPhone Officially Waves Bye | The iPhone Blog.

apple7* Sources who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal confirmed reports by Valleywag and 9to5Mac.com that roughly 50 salespeople were let go by the company for “business and economic reasons,” according to one source. An entire sales group based in Austin, Texas, was let go as well as workers in Cupertino, Calif., where Apple is headquartered. Those affected were given severance packages and the opportunity to apply for other jobs inside Apple.

General Economic News

* As Magna Powertrain drained jobs from its DeWitt auto parts plant, the state poured in $32.2 million that cannot be recovered if the plant shuts down.

New York state taxpayers pick up the property tax bill for Magna’s New Process Gear division, and the state has reduced and refunded other income taxes since 2004 through the state’s Empire Zone program, according to records the company filed with the state.

At the same time, the company has cut more than half of its employees — from 3,700 at the start of 2004 to 1,400 today.

The fate of New Process Gear may be decided in about a week. In February, workers rejected a contract that would have cut their pay and benefits again, and the company announced it would close the plant. Last week, the company and the union negotiated a new agreement that will be put up for a vote March 16.

via Millions in tax breaks flow while Magna cuts jobs.

* Since its peak, December 2007, the temporary workforce has been cut almost 27% for a total of 685,600 jobs lost. This is a massive cut in employment; for comparison, total payroll has fallen a little more than 3% over the same period.

via RGE – Temporary help is getting pummeled.

* Recent columns on unemployment and the federal subsidy for COBRA health coverage have generated a lot of questions from readers. Here are some answers.

via Unemployment, COBRA coverage questions.

Tom Toles - Mar 8

Tom Toles - Mar 8

* OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire Warren Buffett said unemployment will likely climb a lot higher depending upon how effective the nation’s policies are, but he remains optimistic over the long term.

Buffett said the nation’s leaders need to support President Barack Obama’s efforts to repair the economy because fear is dominating Americans’ behavior and the economy has basically followed the worst-case scenario he envisioned.

“It’s fallen off a cliff,” Buffett said Monday during a live appearance on cable network CNBC. “Not only has the economy slowed down a lot, but people have really changed their habits like I haven’t seen.”

via Warren Buffett says economy fell off a cliff: Financial News – Yahoo! Finance.

Municipal News

* The Lodi Unified School District is proposing its 3,100 employees take a pay cut of up to 10 percent, district officials have confirmed.

via School district wants 10 percent pay cut for teachers and staff to save jobs – San Jose Mercury News.

* Layoff notices were sent to 26 of the 67 teachers in the Wheatland School District, says the president of the teachers association — who is very disappointed so many instructors were informed they may not have jobs.

via 1 in 3 teachers get layoff notices | teachers, layoff, notices – Local News – Appeal-Democrat.

* ROCKAWAY TWP. — The K-8 school district is planning to eliminate five full-time elementary schooljobs — including two teachers — reduce hours worked by six full-time staff assistants and lay off one nurse, Superintendent Gary Vitta said today.

US and some Canada News

* SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — McClatchy says it plans to eliminate 1,600 jobs, or 15 percent of its work force, as it contends with declining revenue and a deepening recession.

Sacramento, Calif.-based McClatchy Co. says the job cuts, which will start by the end of the first quarter, will come through attrition, consolidating and outsourcing some functions and will include about $30 million in severance costs.

via McClatchy plans to eliminate 1,600 jobs: Financial News – Yahoo! Finance.

arcelormittal2* The world’s larghest steel maker ArcelorMittal has has said that it will stop production at its Cleveland plant in the US by May, where about 700 workers would be laid off indefinitely, keeping only a skeleton staff of around 250 until the market for steel improves.

via domain-b.com : ArcelorMittal to idle Cleveland plant; lay off 700 workers.

arcelormittal3* ArcelorMittal Cleveland said Friday that it will halt operations at its mill and finishing plant in the Flats in early May, suspending jobs for about 950 steelworkers and leaving the fates of about 200 salaried employees uncertain.

via ArcelorMittal Cleveland halts steel operations, leaving 250 workers to maintain plant – Cleveland.com.

hamilton-sundstrand* Hat tip to reader U: Hamilton Sundstrand (division of United Technologies) will lay off up to 900: All employees last week were told of the need for mandatory furloughs and forced reductions. Both union and non union areas will be affected. UTC CEO expects all cuts to be completed by the end of the first quarter (end of March).

* GRAND JUCTION, Colo. — Steel-bridge and specialty girder-manufacturer Grand Junction Steel, a company founded 62 years ago, is closing its doors and eliminating 100 jobs.

via 100 jobs eliminated in steel plant closing | Business news | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle.

* The U.S. Postal Service plans to cut 17 positions and move some operations out of the Athens post office, which has been without a postmaster since the end of January.

via Post office to cut jobs, operations in Athens | Athens Banner-Herald.

* North American infrastructure spending will limit the length of any layoffs at Essar Steel Algoma, says Mayor Rowswell.

An online news report Friday said the steelmaker would cut 80 to 100 jobs Sunday because of poor market conditions.

via Job cuts at Essar – Timmins Daily Press – Ontario, CA .

* Piney Flats, Tenn.—Modern Forge, a company based in Piney Flats that heats and shapes steel, confirmed they let 33 workers go this week.

via Modern Forge: First Layoff Since 1991 | TriCities.

garmin* Garmin Ltd. will lay off 141 employees by the end of the week, spokesman Ted Gartner said Monday.

The layoffs constitute 5.6 percent of the Olathe-based company’s roughly 2,510 employees, Gartner said.

via Garmin will lay off 141 Kansas City-area employees – Kansas City Business Journal: .

* BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – The interim chairman of the Crow Tribe has laid off eight workers, including his predecessor’s former wife, who is herself seeking to become chairman.

via Native American Times – Interim Crow Tribe chairman lays off 8 workers.

* Update: A court-appointed receiver notified 1,000 employees of the Stanford Financial Group on Friday that their jobs were terminated in an effort to preserve the value of whatever resources were left in the company, The New York Times’s Clifford Krauss reports.

The company’s assets were frozen last month when the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil fraud complaint against Robert Allen Stanford and two other senior executives.

via 1,000 Stanford Employees Dismissed to Save Company Assets – DealBook Blog – NYTimes.com.

eastman-chemical* Eastman Chemical Co. (EMN) will cut 200 to 300 jobs, or up to 3% of its work force, as it looks to cut costs by another $100 million.

The chemical company projected 2009 earnings of $2 to $3 a share. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, on average, expected $2.31.

via Eastman To Cut 200-300 Jobs, Doubles Expected Cost Cuts.

* The Jackson Laboratory will cut approximately 55 jobs and temporarily reduce work hours in an attempt to keep the research facility on solid financial footing.

via Mainebiz.

* L.L. Bean Inc., the Maine-based clothing and outdoor-goods retailer, anticipates layoffs this year after annual revenue dropped for only the third time since 1960, the company’s CEO told employees in a memo Monday.

via L.L. Bean sales fall, layoffs to come – BusinessWeek.

* Thirty workers at Emerson Climate Technologies (formerly known as Copeland Canada), at 145 Sherwood Dr., will lose their jobs due to corporate restructuring.

Employees were told of the cuts on Friday. The last day of work for the affected employees is expected to be May 1.

via Emerson Climate Technologies cuts 30 Brantford jobs – Brantford Expositor – Ontario, CA .

* Closely held Electro-Motive Diesel Inc. has warned 347 workers at its LaGrange plant that they will lose their jobs beginning in April, according to a report issued by the State of Illinois.

International News

* Texas Instruments France will cut one-third of jobs at its wireless communication chip facility in Villeneuve-Loubet, France. TI France Christian Tordo told AFP that of the 305 job cuts announced last autumn, around 130 workers will be laid off and 170 would take voluntary redundancy.

via TXN ‘Texas Instruments to cut 300 jobs in France.

* A northwest Queensland mine in receivership since last year has become the latest resource firm to cut jobs with nearly 100 workers laid off.

* PRAGUE, March 9 (Reuters) – Czech exports dropped by their fastest annual pace on record in January and companies slashed jobs to confront a plunge in euro zone demand, showing the central European state was feeling the full impact of the global crisis.

via Czech exports plunge, jobless jumps as crisis hits – Forbes.com.

* Lev Leviev Diamonds (LLD) Namibia polishing factory is scaling down its operations and has cut 77 workers leaving it with a staff of approximately 30 people, LLD CEO Kombadayedu Kapwanga told the Namibian Economist.

via Diamonds.net News – LLD Cuts 77 Workers, 30 Left at Polishing Factory .

* Northcliffe Media plans to cut up to 95 jobs and close or merge a number of the weekly papers it publishes across Essex, Kent and Surrey, as part of proposals to amalgamate subediting in a single centre.

via Northcliffe Media to cut up to 95 jobs | Media | guardian.co.uk .

opel3* Opel has announced plans to cut 250 jobs at the Gliwice plant in southern Poland by end-May. The deepening recession on the European automotive market caused Opel to cut employment by a similar number of workers already last autumn, TV Biznes reports.

via Polish Market Online .:. Polish Market Online .:. Opel lays off 250 workers in Gliwice.

* Swiss independent watchmaker Chopard is cutting 36 jobs as consumers rein in spending on Swiss-made watches, the head of the group’s watchmaking unit was quoted as saying on Monday.

via Swiss watchmaker Chopard cuts jobs – report – Forbes.com.

* MORE than 60 jobs in the Premier’s Department will go as part of the State Government’s bid to slash spending.

via AdelaideNow... Rann’s office to cut jobs.

* The company reduced its workforce to 8,000, chief executive officer Teo Siong Seng told reporters here yesterday.

Hiring News

* TACOMA, Wash. — The Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers baseball team had 775 job seekers at a weekend job fair sponsored by the team.

The aspiring hot dog vendors, ticket sellers, gift shop workers, cleanup crew members and security guards turned out Saturday in hopes of landing some of an estimated 300 seasonal jobs offered by the Pacific Coast League farm club.

via 775 turn out looking for Wash. baseball jobs.

Mike: It was a quieter day for layoff announcements, which is good news for us all. I’m trying to shake a nasty head cold, so till tomorrow……………

Non Sequitur - Mar 9

Non Sequitur - Mar 9

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2 Comments to “March 9 – McClatchy to eliminate 1,600 – ArcelorMittal to cut 700 in Cleveland – Up to 300 gone at Eastman Chemical – Garmin will lay off 141 – Electro-Motive details 347 job cuts – Layoff List reader tip: up to 900 will be gone at Hamilton Sundstrand – Apple deletes sales staff”

  1. Pam Stuckey says:

    Tuff times

    I found your website on alphainvention.com – Great traffic

  2. layofflist says:

    Tuff times, indeed, Pam. Thanks for visiting!

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