Mike: Hello to all and thanks for visiting the new home of  The Layoff List. WordPress is giving me some trouble this Sunday, so updates may be delayed.

Mike: Credit card legislative actions are long overdue, but NY Senator Charles Schumer has an odd way of describing the relationship between the so called “credit card crisis” and student loans, especially since loans through Sallie Mae are more burdensome than any credit card bill. I’ll have more on that in another post:

According to Senator Chuck Schumer’s office, college students in our area carry about $230 million in credit card debt. The average student graduates owing about $3,200 to credit card companies, and that’s on top of student loans. Schumer said, “They don’t know the…high interest rates…the penalties, the fees. Some of them don’t even know they have to pay back within a month, and so they go overboard.”
Mike: There are some good points to the new credit card legislation, such as those listed below. While these are minor improvements, it’s a step in the right direction.

I have a story on how one particular credit card, Discover, is able to do as it pleases with regards to interest rates. A couple months ago I called Discover with an issue and as a matter of practice, I asked for a lower interest rate. They looked at my credit and said “sure,” we can do that for you. So they lowered my rate to 10.25%, which while not stellar, was an improvement to the 13.9% I was carrying. A month later I receive a notice from Discover stating that my interest rate is going up to 16.5% effective on June 15! I called and asked why this was happening and the representative said that a lot of banks are doing this because of the economy! What the heck does that have to do with my credit interest rate, I asked! She offered not real explanation and then I asked if that affects the rate on my current balance. She responded by saying that it would. I am carrying a balance due to a slowdown in work projects, but I have excellent credit scores without ANY late payments, overages, or defaults.

While the banks may be weeping about their product being controlled through legislation, a company that can change the rules whenever it wants to for whatever reason, needs to be controlled. Unfortunately the legislation proposed by Congress is more fluff than substance, it’s at least an attempt to control some predatory practices of credit card companies
– Under a proposal passed overwhelmingly by the House last week, you would no longer face late charges and higher interest just because the mail carrier arrives late at the credit card office on the day your payment is due. In addition, if your card firm does decide to raise your interest rate, the rate can only go up on new purchases, not those already sitting on your balance. And changes in rates are less likely to take you by surprise because early, clear warnings are required.
Flu News
Mike: To put the swine flu outbreak into perspective, there are an average of 36,000 deaths per year in the US from the “normal” flu. I wish the media was as impressed with those 36,000 deaths as they are about the current flu strain:

Citing “new and improved” statistical models, scientists at CDC have increased by 16,000 deaths — from 20,000 to 36,000 — the average number of people who die from influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) per year.

via Flu Kills Far More Than Thought, CDC Reports.

Mike: I’m not sure what frightens me more, the media spending precious time quoting Paris Hilton about the flu or the flu itself:
– CHICAGO – Paris Hilton says “I don’t eat that” when asked about swine flu in an online video. She’s not the only one confused about the outbreak.

via Paris Hilton not only one confused about swine flu.

 

– WASHINGTON – Scores more schools shut down around the country because of the swine flu virus at week’s end and Education Secretary Arne Duncan offered tips to teachers and students on how to deal with classroom interruptions.

Mike: Don’t forget to track the flu here: Google maps app – swine flu tracker.
Scott Stantis - May 1

Scott Stantis - May 1

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* Larger layoff announcements and important economic reports:
Chrysler

US/Canada

International:

Microsoft/Google/IBM and other Rumors & News

msft– The Wall Street Journal reports as fact, not as “according to sources,” that Microsoft has a multimedia touchscreen phone code-named Pink. Microsoft and Verizon, the Journal says, plan to launch the phone and an app store early next year specifically as an iPhone competitor.

via Verizon, Microsoft to Launch iPhone Killer ‘Pink’ in 2010 – PC World.

 

ibm– He wouldn’t specify how many people were let go, or where the layoffs were occurring.

via KAALtv.com – IBM Cuts More Jobs.

 

ibm1 An IBM Corp. nationwide downsizing Thursday that cut about 245 jobs left 11 more people soon-to-be jobless at the company’s East Fishkill plant.

General Economic News

Mike: If you are looking for a site that brings you the best in economic reports and analysis, I highly recommend that you frequently visit http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/ . As an example of the fine work done there, take a look at the following post relating to April’s economic condition:

– Here is a collection of real estate and economic graphs for data released in April …

Mike: The below story made me chuckle, since it brought back memories of a time at Radio Shack a number of years ago. Better finish my story…….. I bought a set of car speakers and spent the day hooking them up only to find out that one of them crackled loudly. I remember when I opened the box that the speakers weren’t wrapped in plastic, but the plastic was in the box. That was odd, but no big deal at the time. I removed the speakers and brought them back to Radio Shack for a return. I was questioned like a criminal, but I finally received a new set of speakers. I walked out the door, but I realized I had to ask the guy a question about the speakers. I went back into the store and the same guy is putting the same speakers back on the shelf! I told him that the speakers were not working properly and why was he putting them back on the shelf. It struck me that the speakers I had originally purchased weren’t wrapped and were likely brought back by another customer! He was somewhat flustered and took them off the shelf without much of an attempt at explanation. I told him he had wasted my time and he was about to waste another person’s time by reselling the same damaged speakers. That day I stopped shopping at Radio Shack and I don’t think I have bought one item there in over 20 years. Buyer beware.

Amazingly enough, however, Wal-Mart soon caved after learning that the same box of rocks had been previously returned by another disgruntled customer. How exactly it made it back onto store shelves remains a mystery, but for her troubles, Wykle was given a full refund and a $20 gift card. via Florida teen finds rocks in Nintendo DS box – plugged in – Yahoo! Games.

 

– The Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers said its final index of confidence climbed to 65.1 in April from 57.3 in March. That was the highest since September 2008 and the biggest one-month increase since October 2006.

via Consumer sentiment soars as confidence returns – Yahoo! Finance.

 

– The Tempe, Ariz.-based Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing index rose to a reading of 40.1 in April from 36.3 in March. A reading below 50 indicates manufacturing activity is shrinking.

Economists had forecast a reading of 38.4, according to consensus estimates gathered by Briefing.com.

“The decline in the manufacturing sector continues to moderate,” said Norbert Ore, chair of the ISM’s survey committee, in a statement. “This is definitely a good start for the second quarter.”

via Manufacturing activity ticks up – purchasing managers – Yahoo! Finance.

 

– The Commerce Department’s reported decrease exceeded the 0.6 percent fall that economists had predicted. Shipments of manufactured products tumbled 1.2 percent, an eighth consecutive decline. It marked the longest such stretch of declines on records dating to 1992.

American manufacturers have been battered by the prolonged recession in the United States and by spreading weakness overseas that has sharply reduced their foreign sales.

Adding to the picture of weakness in March, the government report Friday sharply revised the February increase, to show a smaller 0.7 percent rise rather than the 1.8 percent gain originally reported.

via Factory orders drop 0.9 percent in March – Yahoo! Finance.

 

– Sales at U.S. automaker Ford Motor Co (NYSE:F – News) slid almost 32 percent last month, while sales General Motors Corp (NYSE:GM – News), which like Chrysler has been operating under federal supervision, fell 34 percent.

Gary Markstein - May 1

Gary Markstein - May 1

 

 

Government Layoff News

 

 

nyc-NEW YORK, April 30 (Reuters) – New York City’s workforce will shrink by 13,500 people and their unions will be asked to accept higher health care costs and lower pension benefits for new hires, under Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s new budget plan, administration officials said on Thursday.

via New York City plans 13,500 job cuts – officials | Markets | Markets News | Reuters .

 

nyc1– May 1 (Bloomberg) — New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed a 0.5 percentage-point sales tax increase and elimination of 13,500 jobs to close a $4 billion spending gap he forecast in next year’s $59.4 billion budget.

The spending plan for the 2010 fiscal year that begins July 1 would reduce the city’s 300,000-worker payroll 4.5 percent and require 3,750 layoffs, sparing only the city’s uniformed services and teachers.

via Bloomberg to Close Gap With Sales Tax Rise, Job Cuts (Update2) – Bloomberg.com.

 

nasa– The first 160 layoff notices go out on Friday, primarily to contractors producing the space shuttle fuel tanks outside New Orleans and the shuttle solid rocket boosters in Utah.

via NASA to begin layoffs as shuttle retirement nears | Reuters .

 

nasa1– The space agency issued 160 layoff notices today for manufacturing jobs that are no longer required to support the last eight missions slated to launch between now and the December 2010 deadline to mothball NASA’s three aging space shuttles.

“This is the first significant loss of manufacturing capability,” John Shannon, NASA’s shuttle program manager, told reporters late Thursday.

via SPACE.com — NASA Begins Job Cuts for Shuttle Retirement.

 

– Governor Deval Patrick’s administration yesterday laid off 49 managers and clerical workers from state transportation agencies, the first wave in a plan to cut 750 government jobs and slash spending in response to plunging tax revenues.

via Patrick administration lays off 49 at transportation agencies – The Boston Globe.

 

– Nine Revere police officers, all patrolmen, and one who is fighting the war in Iraq, have been laid off this month from their jobs at the department, bringing the top-heavy department to a contingent of 86 officers.

via Nine officers laid off; RPD down to 86 officers | Revere Journal – Revere Massachusetts Newspaper.

 

– The Hoquiam School Board authorized layoff notices to the equivalent of 10.6 teachers Wednesday night in its first crack at dealing with a higher-than-expected $1.3 million revenue shortfall to its current $20 million operating budget.

via The Daily World.

 

– STOCKTON – City Hall will issue layoff notices today to about 55 police officers and 35 civilian employees to shed costs, officials said Thursday, after Stockton and its police union ended labor talks without a deal.

via Recordnet.com: 55 cops to get layoff notices.

– Contracts for more than 300 Paradise Valley Unified School District teachers have not been renewed for next school year,

via 300-plus PV teacher contracts not renewed.

 

-According to Megan MacPherson, communications manager, the layoffs began Thursday morning and will continue throughout next week. As of Friday morning, the number of city employees dismissed was unknown.

via Roseville begins layoff process – Roseville Press-Tribune.

 

– SEQUIM — The number of laid-off teachers in the Sequim School District has been reduced to a handful, thanks to smaller-than-expected cuts in the district’s budget for the 2009-2010 school year.

 

 

US and some Canada Layoff News

 

Mike: While I understand completely the frustration that Chrysler’s bankruptcy is causing many communities, the problem didn’t start last week, last month or last year; the auto companies have been riding down the road to destruction for decades. Nothing short of a complete government takeover would have kept Chrysler alive in its current form and it would have cost billions more to keep them in a dysfunctional state of quarterly losses and diminished output. At least now Chrysler has a chance to become a better company under the guidance of Fiat. As with most issues, those most affected don’t want to see the oncoming destruction until it’s too late to make much of a difference. The auto companies history warned us of an impending economic tsunami, but we only react after it has hit shore and it’s too late to change the outcome.

 

chrysler7– Kenosha Ald. Patrick Juliana, whose district includes the Chrysler plant on the city’s west side, was furious.

“We were sold out by the Obama administration and the people that he appointed to negotiate this for us,” Juliana said. The administration, he said, “couldn’t negotiate a milk contract with second-graders.”

via Kenosha Angry, Stunned Officials Look to Fiat in Hope of Saving Plant .


chrysler– The 2.3 million-square-foot St. Louis North Assembly Plant in Fenton, Mo., makes the Dodge Ram and employs about 1,200 people. Also closing will be the Sterling Heights, Mich., plant and the Conner Avenue plant in Detroit, along with the Twinsburg, Ohio, parts stamping plant and the Kenosha, Wis., engine plant.

via Chrysler to close five more plants – Kansas City Star..

 

chrysler1– Documents filed Friday in the automaker’s bankruptcy case show the Twinsburg plant is one of five more plants scheduled to close by the end of 2010.

The Twinsburg stamping plant has about 1,200 workers.

via Chrysler to shut plant in Ohio, cutting 1,200 jobs.

 

chrysler2– Local companies which supply parts exclusively to Chrysler’s Windsor Assembly Plant ceased production Friday morning, throwing hundreds of employees out of work for up to nine weeks.

The companies affected immediately by Chrysler’s decision to shut down most manufacturing operations during the bankruptcy process include Dakkota Integrated Systems, Oakley Sub-Assembly, HBPO Canada and TRW Automotive.

via Suppliers close shop in sync with Chrysler shutdown .

 

chrysler3– TORONTO (AP) — Chrysler Canada’s southern Ontario assembly plants have halted production indefinitely while its parent company restructures under bankruptcy protection in the United States.

The company announced in a statement Friday that production operations at its assembly plants in Windsor and Brampton were canceled until further notice. Those two plants employ 7,000 people.

via The Associated Press: Chrysler’s Canadian plants halt production.

 

chrysler4– DETROIT — Chrysler Financial is no longer offering auto loans as dealers begin shifting to a new loan provider as part of Chrysler LLC’s bankruptcy process.

Dealers who were briefed by Chrysler Financial said the lender halted consumer loans as GMAC LLC, the finance arm affiliated with General Motors Corp., begins e-mailing applications to dealers.

via Chrysler halts auto loans – The Denver Post.

 

– The struggling automotive market claims another local supplier plant with 150 stateline workers losing their jobs.

Gates Corporation will be shutting the doors permanently at its Rockford plant on Sandy Hollow road. A spokesman for the Denver based company says that the closing is expected to be complete by the fourth quarter of 2010.

via Gates Corporation in Rockford Layoff Hundreds of Employees .

 

– PORTLAND (AP) — Cessna Aircraft Co. plans to close a plant in Bend that it bought nearly 18 months ago for $26 million, its hopes for a turnaround dashed as buyers canceled orders and put off purchases.

via The Argus Observer | Online – News.

 

– Out of 500 employees, about 150 hourly and salaried workers will be affected.

via IAC in Mendon plans temporary layoffs | mendon, slow, mich – Top Stories – WWMT NEWSCHANNEL 3.

 

– Western Industries Engineered Products Group of Watertown will lay off 51 employees and extend the short-term voluntary layoff of four other employees.

via WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL.

 

– SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Converse College in Spartanburg County announced a reorganization plan on Thursday that includes several job cuts.

via Converse College Announces Job Cuts – Education News Story – WHNS Greenville.

 

-AMES, Iowa — Iowa State University Extension announced plans Thursday to cut jobs and scale back the number of extension offices in the state.

via ISU Extension Announces Job Cuts, Changes – Des Moines News Story – KCCI Des Moines.

 

– First National Credit Card Center, a subsidiary of First National Bank of Omaha, said Thursday it will close two metro Atlanta offices that employ 215 people.

via Credit card issuer to close 2 offices; 215 jobs affected | ajc.com.

 

wells-fargo– Up to 100 Jacksonville-area employees at Wells Fargo & Co. could lose their jobs as part of a reorganization of the company’s mortgage operations.

via Wells Fargo says Jacksonville-area workers could lose jobs | Jacksonville.com.

 

– Callaway Golf has laid off 185 workers in the first quarter as it cuts cost in the wake of weaker sales of golf clubs and balls. The Carlsbad company, which reported first-quarter earnings yesterday, said the job cuts occurred worldwide, but a majority of them were in Southern California. In a filing with the state, the company said it eliminated 168 jobs in Carlsbad.

via Callaway Golf lays off 185, mostly in Southern Calif.. .

 

sovereign-bank– Sovereign Bank will immediately cut its workforce by 950 positions, according to a statement released this morning by Sovereign President and CEO Gabriel Jaramillo.

via Sovereign Bank To Cut 950 Jobs Immediately : WFMZ-TV 69News.

 

sovereign-bank1– Sovereign Bank announced today the immediate layoff of 950 employees – about 265 of them in Massachusetts.

Arkansas-based Baldor Electric Co. will eliminate 122 jobs at its Columbus plant by June 30, after deciding to move much of the facility’s work to other locations.

IBJ.com – Indianapolis Business Journal – Story Detail.

 

weyerh– Those cutbacks could lead to the loss of 160 jobs in the woods in Aberdeen, Raymond and Pe Ell, reported the Aberdeen Daily World.

– Jackson Mayor Jerry Ludwig confirmed Production Engineering was laying off workers, though he did not know how many. Jarrett Hall, an employee, told WLNS in Lansing there would be 50 layoffs.

via Workers will lose jobs at Jackson plant – MLive.com.

 

– She said Severstal Wheeling is at a very low level of operations now, so the work force is being studied among measures to align operations “with a very poor order book right now.”

“So, salaried work force positions are in the mix,” she said. Kovach said the company might have more specifics early next week.

via Severstal May Cut Workers – News, Sports, Jobs – The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register.

 

– Bottomline Inc. will be reducing its workforce by 40 employees, the company revealed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

via New Hampshire Business Review.

 

– OWEN SOUND, Ont. — Over half of the workers at Tenneco Automotive Inc. in Owen Sound, Ont., are being laid off as of today.

via The Canadian Press: Tenneco Inc. to lay off 201 workers in Owen Sound, Ont., for up to 11 weeks.

 

-The Montana State University Foundation laid off three of its 33 employees this week, in the wake of the stock market’s collapse and the national recession that have cut into its income from fundraising and investments.

via Bozeman Montana Local News.

 

– PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A coal company says it has idled six mining operations in Kentucky and West Virginia over the last two weeks and laid off nearly 400 workers.

The Ashland, Ky.-based Appalachian Fuels said the temporary idling was done to “evaluate when the market will improve.”

via Fort Mill Times | FortMillTimes.com – Coal company idles 6 plants, lays off 400 – Fort Mill, SC.

 

– BUTTE, Mont. (AP) One of Butte’s largest employers, MSE Technology Applications, has laid off 11 employees due to a business slowdown.

via MSE lays off 11 | KXNet.com North Dakota News.

 

bridgestone– The recession, which claimed 67 jobs at Bridgestone Firestone Off Road Tire earlier this year, has claimed 50 more.

via Tirereview – Global Tire News .

 

hospital– Hospital President and CEO Peter Jennings said a total of 11 full-time employees will be laid off, including seven management positions and four union employees.

via OSF laying off workers : News : WLUC TV6 .

 

– He confirmed Texas Petrochemicals in Port Neches released a number of salary employees on Thursday, and plans to make a large reduction in its hourly employees.

via 64 Laid Off From Texas Petrochemicals in Port Neches | KBMT ABC 12 – News, Weather and Sports – Beaumont – Port Arthur, TX Beaumont – Port Arthur, Texas | Local News Top Stories .

 

washington-state-university– SPOKANE, Wash. — Washington State University will cut about 370 jobs and eliminate several academic programs as part of its preliminary plan to cut $54 million from its budget.

via WSU budget plan includes 370 job cuts.

 

– Hardinge President and CEO Richard Simons said 81 workers from the company’s machine operations department will begin a 10-week furlough on May 11. Other departments within the company, which now employs about 400 people, are not affected.

via Hardinge Inc. to furlough 81 workers later this month | stargazette.com | Star-Gazette.

 

– At this point, about 240 hourly and salaried workers are being laid off as Mohawk Fine Papers takes over part of the operations, said Tim Needham, CEO of SMART Papers.

via Last day at SMART Papers for about 240 workers.

 

– The closure means 57 lost jobs for the contract workers.

International Layoff News

 

 

Mike: I found the below story rather interesting, not only for the continued Japanese job losses, but because of the mention of “Labor conditions may even be more severe than the numbers reflect since the unemployment rate does not include those who have simply given up looking for a job.” Not often do I see US media reports mentioning that fact about US job losses, but it’s mentioned early in the Japanese report. Odd.

– Labor conditions may even be more severe than the numbers reflect since the unemployment rate does not include those who have simply given up looking for a job, said Chiwoong Lee, an economist at Goldman Sachs in Tokyo.

“Since unemployment is a lagging indicator — it lags manufacturing capacity utilization by three months, for example — further worsening is in store as the current real economy is reflected,” Lee said in a note to clients.

via Japan’s jobless rate up, household spending down – Yahoo! Finance.

 

– HAMBURG, April 30 (Reuters) – Hydro Aluminium, the German unit of Norwegian group Norsk Hydro (NHY.OL), may stop production at its loss-making aluminium plant at Neuss in Germany in June if talks to cut its power supply costs are unsuccessful, the company said on Thursday.

via Hydro mulls closing German aluminium plant in June | Industries | Industrials, Materials & Utilities | Reuters .

 

– MORE than 450 workers this Thursday afternoon left Dell for the last time as the computer giant’s shutdown of its manufacturing division in Raheen brought its first casualties.

via Anger in air as Dell staff clock out for last time – Limerick Leader .

 

– The majority of the company’s approximately 380 employees in Europe are likely to lose their jobs, people familiar with the matter said. The company said there would be job cuts but declined to give a figure.

via UPDATE 1-Hartford Financial to close Europe units, cut jobs | Global Industries | Financial Services | Reuters .

 

– Five Pizza Hut outlets in the North are set to close with the loss of around 130 jobs.

via 130 people to lose jobs at NI Pizza Hut outlets – Business, Ireland – Belfasttelegraph.co.uk.

 

– The plumbing and heating supplier’s cost-cutting exercise affects 133 jobs at Chorley DC and 76 at Didcot DC – where the lease expires in August this year. A further 60 permanent positions at the transport out-bases that support the two depots will also go.

via Wolseley cuts 269 jobs and closes depots.

 

– Harman technology Ltd, which owns the famous Ilford black & white film brand, is poised to cut around 80 jobs as the economic downturn hits sales.

via Harman to cut 80 jobs as recession bites news – Amateur Photographer – news, camera reviews, lens reviews, camera equipment guides, photography courses, competitions, photography forums.

 

newspaper– Johnston Press is understood to be looking to cut up to 25 editorial staff as it merges the newsrooms of its Edinburgh-based newspapers Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday.

via Johnston Press: up to 25 editorial jobs to go on Edinburgh newspapers | Media | guardian.co.uk .

 

-Estimates put the total number of job losses at between 20 and 30, but a Global Radio spokesman declined to comment on specific figur

via Up to 30 more jobs to go at Global Radio – with Xfm and Gold set to be hit hardest | Media | guardian.co.uk .

 

– A trade union representative has claimed that 23 jobs are to go at Arntz Belting factory in Londonderry.

via BBC NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | Foyle and West | 23 further job losses at Arntz.

 

lloyds-banking-British financial services firm Lloyds Bank Group plans to cut 305 jobs, as it combines sales forces of its life insurance and investment businesses Scottish Widows and Clerical Medical to simplify its business.

via Lloyds to cut 305 jobs, drops Clerical Medical brand – Insurance Business Review.

 

– MUMBAI: Jet Airways on Friday laid off 119 employees from its overseas base and 50 probationary cabin crew serving in the Indian skies. The fresh

round of lay-offs came after the airline announced the closure of its overseas bases in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore for “cost-cutting measures”.

via Jet lays off 169 more staffers – India Business – Business – The Times of India.

 

– They are understood to be looking for 25 redundancies as the group faces a sharp downturn in advertising revenue and in circulation.

via BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Jobs to go in merger at Scotsman.

 

– THERE have been 191 confirmed redundancies in Ballymoney over the year to March 31 2009.

via Figures reveal over 190 redundancies – Ballymoney Today .

 

– The news that Clerical Medical, part of the Lloyds Banking Group, was cutting 305 posts, 115 of them in Clevedon, was revealed on this website on Wednesday afternoon.

via |Clerical Medical Liam Fox criticises job cuts | This is Clevedon.

 

– THIRTEEN PROMENS employees at Beccles could lose their jobs as the company aims to “restructure,” it was announced on Monday .

Hiring News and News You Can Use

 

 

Mike: Beware of the scam, especially when times are difficult. I feel for a scam, which on the face looked truly professional, and I lost a nice chunk of change:

– Another hot scam, Rivner says: Fraudsters gain access to the names of your friends on social networking sites, like MySpace.com, and invite you to click on a hyperlink to view a funny video. Victims figure they know the sender, so they click to watch. Then their screen freezes, and they get a message telling them their video player needs upgrading.

Click to upgrade, however, and you have just accepted a Trojan horse, which follows your movements online. Through it, scammers can capture personal information, including credit card numbers, social security numbers and even online check photographs when you conduct business online.

via Scams-You-Can-Bank-On: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance.

 

– FRANKFORT, Ky. — Distiller Sazerac North America is considering a $22 million Kentucky expansion that would create 51 management jobs in Louisville and upgrading distillation and bottling operations in Frankfort and Owensboro, company and state officials said yesterday.

via Distiller plans expansion; to add 51 Louisville jobs | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal.

 

– The Lee County Office of Economic Development announced this week that the county and state have approved financial incentives for Gartner Inc. to support its expansion plans in Fort Myers, Florida. The assistance will help the company retain 346 jobs and expand its facilities to accommodate 200 new, full-time jobs over the next 5 years.

via Company’s expansion to create 200 Fla. jobs – cape-coral-daily-breeze.com | News, sports, community info. – Cape Coral Daily Breeze.

 

– A commercial refrigeration company is bringing 150 jobs to South Carolina’s Upstate.

via Refrigeration company to bring 150 jobs to SC – Columbian.com.

 

– Here’s some refreshing news: instead of cutting jobs like so many other biotechs, Cambridge, MA-based Acceleron announced that it will increase its workforce by more than 50 percent this year “to support the continuing growth of its R&D and manufacturing activities.” The company says it’s “hiring staff across essentially all functions.” Acceleron has also expanded to a third lab in the Cambridge area and increased its facility space by 25 percent.

via Acceleron expands facilities, workforce – FierceBiotech.

 

– A survey of career counselors at nearly 200 colleges and universities conducted last month found that 90 percent of the students working with their offices are interested in federal jobs or internships.

Mike: A hectic week with it ending on the Chrysler’s bankruptcy. Let’s hope the fallout from the auto industry implosion isn’t as bad as some have predicted. Auto jobs once produced stable middle class incomes that were the engine of the economy, but both union and management demanded increased compensation without a corresponding increase in product quality. The demise was decades in the making and the economy will suffer from the fallout of these lost US auto companies.

On a lighter note, I faintly remember Ricardo Moltoban doing this classic Chrysler commercial. Everyone at the time was saying “soft Corinthian leather” in a butchered Moltoban impersonation 🙂

 


On that note, I’m calling it a week. Thanks for dropping by and be sure to let me know if you would like any particular features added to the new location of The Layoff List………….


Steve Benson - May 1

Steve Benson - May 1

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One Comment to “May 1, 2, 3 – Chrysler bankruptcy: the aftermath – Credit card bill of rights passes House: What’s in it for you? – NYC plans 13,500 layoffs – NASA jobs: first 160 of 900 gone today – Consumer confidence soars, while factory orders and car sales plunge – Sovereign Bank cuts 950”

  1. Imee says:

    It’s sad that Chrysler had to file bankcruptcy, but so far I think it’s the best thing they could do. However, loads of people are losing their jobs again so it’s definitely terrible for their part. I hope the economy rises back soon so companies can start hiring that many again.

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