Mike: Good day to all.

Yesterday was GM bankruptcy day and the death of another American icon. The job loss carnage of both the Chrysler and GM bankruptcies will be felt for years to come as hundreds of thousands of decent paying auto related jobs end and are replaced with lower paying  jobs. Maybe the $50 billion in US (and $10.5 billion Canadian) taxpayer money used to get those former auto giants into bankruptcy was well spent, but I have a feeling that the $50 billion was wasted as the same result would have occurred regardless. That $50 billion would have been much better off in the hands of people than in the hands of failing businesses. With 100 million US households, that means each household could have received a $500 check from the feds, but instead, that money went to the black hole of corporate bankruptcy. The initial worry of a quick corporate bankruptcy was the adverse impact it would have on jobs and the overall economy. As I see it, there are still hundreds of thousands of lost jobs and the economy will still see those affects for years, but the $50 billion in taxpayer money is gone. Time will tell if the the feds attempt at a controlled bankruptcy – and becoming a majority owner – was any better than a corporate controlled bankruptcy. 
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Jim Morin - June 2

Jim Morin - June 2

* Larger layoff announcements and important economic reports:
US/Canada:
International:
Navigation links to today’s stories:

Microsoft/Google/IBM and other Rumors & News

 

Mike: If you don’t need all the bells and whistles of IE, I highly recommend Google Chrome for it’s non crashing habit and it’s ease of use and speed. I am trying IE8 and it has only crashed twice on me today. That’s an improvement over IE7, but I’ll stay with Chrome. 

 

– Computerworld – Google’s Chrome and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) were the big winners last month in the browser share sweepstakes, according to Web measurement company Net Applications.

Chrome’s usage share climbed by 0.4 of a percentage point, from 1.4% to 1.8%, the largest one-month increase since the browser debuted last September. The gain represented a 27% surge over April.

Microsoft’s newest browser also posted its biggest-ever increase, gaining 3.7 percentage points to end May at 7.6% — a one-month growth rate of over 91% — as the upgrade process rolled out to more users.

via Microsoft’s IE8, Google’s Chrome post record gains in browser share.

 

General Economic News

 

-General Motors Corp.’s sales fell 30 percent from a year ago, but they improved 11 percent from April as consumers pushed the automaker to its best sales month this year.

Ford Motor Co. posted even better results as it continued to snatch market share from its crosstown rivals. Ford said its May U.S. sales fell 24 percent from last year but rose 20 percent from April, and its share of the U.S. market rose to the highest level since 2006.

Other automakers reported month-to-month improvements Tuesday, a day after GM filed for bankruptcy protection in New York.

Toyota Motor Corp. said its U.S. sales fell 40 percent from last year but climbed 21 percent from April. Honda Motor Co. reported its year-over-year volumes dropped 41 percent, while Nissan Motor Co. said sales fell 33 percent.

via Chrysler’s sales fall 47 pct. but people still buy – Yahoo! Finance.

– US chain store sales fell 0.6 pct last week-ICSC
Redbook
[Bullet
8:55 AM ET
– NEW YORK (Dow Jones)–National chain store sales fell 0.3% in the first four weeks of May versus the previous month, according to Redbook Research’s latest indicator of national retail sales released Tuesday.

The drop was in contrast to a targeted 0.1% decline.

via Redbook: US Retail Sales -0.3% First 4 Weeks May Vs April.

– WASHINGTON (AP) — Pending U.S. home sales in April posted the biggest monthly jump in nearly eight years, a sign that home sales are finally coming to life after a long and painful slump.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Mike: While companies can do as they please, it seems tragic that Ohio, which is getting crushed by auto and manufacturing job losses, now has to suffer the loss of NCR and another 1,250 jobs. Companies come and go, but the pain and destruction they can leave behind is often monumental and is given, unfortunately, little attention. Maybe the Chase promise of Ohio jobs will lessen the blow.

– NCR Corp., a Fortune 500 company, will move its corporate headquarters from Dayton, Ohio, to Duluth, Ga., adding clout to metro Atlanta’s technology reputation.

NCR will relocate 1,250 corporate jobs to its Gwinnett County operation, a source familiar with the plan said. The company is also expected to launch a 550,000-square-foot manufacturing operation in Macon, Ga., where it will employ nearly 880, the source said.

via NCR moving HQ to Duluth, to bring 2,100-plus jobs to Georgia – Atlanta Business Chronicle: .

 

– “Certainly a shutdown of GM … would be devastating, especially if they were not diversified in their customer base,” Richland County Economic Development Corp.’s president said. “But most of those suppliers that I’m aware of, are not solely dependent on GM work and would probably survive — although they would probably have to dramatically down-size.”

Greene said recovery depends on the diversity of GM’s client base. On Monday, Greene said he wasn’t aware of any of collaboration by local distributors.

“If GM is 25 percent or less of their business now, they will probably be able to continue in business with their other customers while they look for other markets with which they might be able to develop relationships,” Greene said. “Those companies that depend on GM for 50 percent of their income will have a much more difficult time.”

via GM special: Auto suppliers forced to adapt | mansfieldnewsjournal.com | Mansfield News Journal.

 

– At least 1,000 of the jobs were to be split between Chase’s McCoy Center in Polaris and its lending facility near Easton Town Center. The remaining 150 will be at the company’s Cleveland Avenue offices in Westerville, the company said.

 

Mike: While I’m glad to see that the sale of Hummer may save 3000 jobs, I’m disappointed that this auto relic of the bad old days of gas guzzling, poorly built, environmentally destructive vehilces lives another day. Maybe the new owers have a less destructive course for Hummer, but I won’t be shocked if they continued on the same course.

– GM has been trying to sell the brand for a year and has said it is negotiations with interested parties for several months. The automaker said the sale would likely be completed in the third quarter of this year and could save 3,000 jobs.

via GM has buyer for Hummer – Los Angeles Times.

 

– DETROIT (AP) — General Motors Corp. took a key step toward its downsizing on Tuesday, striking a tentative deal to sell its Hummer brand to a Chinese manufacturer, while also revealing that it has potential buyers for its Saturn and Saab brands.

GM has an agreement to sell its Hummer brand to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. of China, said a person briefed on the deal.

via AP source: GM to sell Hummer to Chinese company – Yahoo! Finance.

 

 

Government Layoff News

 

 

– San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom unveiled a $6.6 billion budget Monday for the 2009-10 fiscal year that he said “does a lot of extraordinary things” including bridging a half-billion-dollar deficit without raising taxes or laying off police officers, firefighters or teachers.

via S.F. budget cuts 1,600 jobs, trims services.

 

– More than 1,100 city employees — none sworn police officers or firefighters — will start receiving layoff notices later this week after organized labor refused Mayor Daley’s demand for 17 days off without pay and comp time instead of cash overtime.

 

– Alameda County Superior Court officials said today that they will lay off 73 court employees as a result of the state’s budget reductions.

via Alameda County court officials to lay off 73 – San Jose Mercury News.

 

– The Clarksville Community School Corp.’s board voted unanimously last night to lay off seven teachers at the end of the school year.

via Clarksville lays off 7 teachers | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal.

 

– OCEAN PINES — In a 4-3 closed-session vote, the Worcester County Commissioners eliminated 12 positions and consolidated the staffs of three county departments that deal with land use and development.

via County to cut 12 positions 4 to 3 vote seals fate of 12 workers | delmarvanow.com | The Daily Times.

 

– Hickory Schools officials announced this week that they are cutting 30 teaching positions at the end of the current school year, and they will make staffing cuts in other areas.

via Hickory lays off teachers | CharlotteObserver.com.

 

– Saying Hawaii faces a “fiscal emergency that is unprecedented in size and scope,” Gov. Linda Lingle on Monday ordered all state workers to take three unpaid days off per month.

via Lingle orders unpaid days off for workers – Pacific Business News (Honolulu): .

 

– Palm Beach County’s Clerk & Comptroller’s Office is cutting 66 employees to meet a state-mandated $7.1 million, or 18 percent, reduction in the office’s budget by July 1, county clerk Sharon Bock said in a news release.

via Palm Beach County clerk cuts 66 employees – South Florida Business Journal: .

 

– POMEROY — Lower than anticipated tax collections from the state of Ohio have caused the Meigs County Library Board to revise its budget, resulting in reducing the hours some country library branches are open as well as the layoffs of two part-time employees and an unpaid 10-day furlough for full-time employees.

via Pomeroy Daily Sentinel – Library forced to cut budget hours staff.

 

– Along with business hour cuts, Shafer said 15 of the 87 part-time workers will lose their jobs July 6.

via Lima library cuts hours, staff | library, lima, cuts – Local News – LimaOhio.com.

 

– The Grand Rapids Public Schools District will eliminate 95 teacher positions and about 30 additional staff positions next year. The district’s board approved the changes last night, to close what they say is a $15 million budget shortfall.

via MICHIGAN: GRPS To Eliminate 95 Teachers And More Than 30 Staff Members (2009-06-01) .

 

– The City of Lemoore will likely shut down a park, cut back on services and lay off about 20 people, including 10% of the officers at the Lemoore Police Department. City leaders are trying to cut $1.5 million out of their budget over three years.

via Major Budget Cuts in Lemoore – 6/01/09 – Fresno News – abc30.com.

 

Mike: I had to chuckle at the following layoff announcement because if they had laid off one administrator they could have likely kept the nine custodians who actually perform a useful service. Yet I don’t see a layoff of the administrator who manages the custodians. The last person a manager/administrator will lay off is another manager/administrator. Eventually they have to eat their own, but that’s a last gasp measure, only.

 

– The Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted to lay off nine custodians at their regular meeting Tuesday.

 

 

US and some Canada Layoff News

 

 

– Pace Industries in Auburn announced it will be closing. The Auburn plant employs more than 150 workers.  Some of those workers may possibly transfer to another company plant.

via Auburn job cuts – WSFA 12 News Montgomery, AL |.

 

– A Southern Indiana manufacturer of aluminum components used in the automotive, recreational vehicle, office furniture and sporting goods industries has told state labor officials that it will lay off 60 employees starting in late July and early August.

 

– OEM says ten employees at the Neillsville plant and nine at the Woodville facility have been placed on temporary layoff. Last month, OEM imposed a furlough and 81 people were temporarily laid off. All of the employees are expected to be recalled.

via Temporary Layoffs at OEM Fabricators .

 

hospital– Showing even health care isn’t immune to the recession, Greenwich Hospital announced plans Monday to lay off 77 employees over the next week.

via Greenwich hospital lays off 77 – The Advocate.

 

boe– The Boeing Co. shed 517 jobs in Washington state last month as it tries to trim its workforce by 6 percent this year.

via HeraldNet: Boeing cuts 517 jobs in Washington in May.

 

gm13– Others won’t be so fortunate. GM plans to shut 2,600 dealers around the country, which means 62 dealers and 3,900 jobs are expected to be eliminated in New Jersey, according to James Appleton, president of the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers.

via N.J. expected to lose 62 dealers and 3,900 jobs in restructuring – NJ.com.

 

uab– The University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System is cutting 245 jobs after the completion of a $720,000 performance review.

via UAB to cut 245 jobs – Birmingham Business Journal: .

 

– Carhartt officials announced the closing of its Galesburg facility, resulting in 16 individuals losing their jobs.

via Galesburg Radio 14…WGIL.

 

newspaper1– Some 17 full-time journalist positions at The Tampa Tribune were eliminated as part of another round of layoffs at the combined newsroom of the newspaper, WFLA-TV and the local Web site, TBO.com.

via Another 17 Newsroom Positions Axed at ‘Tampa Tribune’ .

 

-WAUKESHA, Wis. — Waukesha Engine will lay off 113 employees at the end of the week.

The layoffs, plus the 84 layoffs and 17 early retirements in February, account for 40 percent of the plant’s union members. That’s according to Mike Kluth, president of International Association of Machinists local branch 1377.

via Waukesha Engine to lay off 113 | AP Texas News | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle.

 

manitowoc-crane– MANITOWOC – Manitowoc Cranes announced Tuesday it is laying off 19 production workers.

The layoffs will be effective Thursday. Dennis Rooney, the vice president of human resources, said the move is an unfortunate one, but one the company needed to make

via Manitowoc Cranes to lay off 19 production workers | htrnews.com | Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter.

 

– The (Dayton) orchestra also will cut two full-time marketing positions and one full-time development position.

via WTTE FOX 28 – Ohio News.

 

– Almost 500 workers at the firm’s cooked meats factory in Great Witchingham will be working one day less for the next three weeks

via Teletext Anglia News – Turkey firm cuts staff hours .

 

– Sanyo Vice President and Controller Joe Keeton said Sanyo officials told employees Friday that two of the operations currently performed at the Forrest City plant are moving to Tijuana, Mexico.

via Sanyo cuts workforce again; 55 to lose jobs.

 

deere1– Of the production work force, 494 will go on indefinite layoff effective June 29. The remaining 195 production employees will face periodic inventory adjustment layoffs.

via Deere lays off 494 in Ottumwa.

 

– A Southern Indiana manufacturer of aluminum components used in the automotive, recreational vehicle, office furniture and sporting goods industries has told state labor officials that it will lay off 60 employees starting in late July and early August.

via Indiana aluminum-parts maker to lay off 60 | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal.

 

– QUEBEC — Technology company Lyrtech Inc. has temporarily cut its payroll by 2% and trimmed managers’ wages by 10% to address the economic slowdown and the sale of a division.

via London Free Press – Business – Tech firm cuts staff, wages to adjust to sale of division.

 

– As a result of the consolidation, most of the PCS workforce will be leaving the company, while the remaining PCS workforce has been consolidated into the Systemax’s Port Washington, NY, location.

via Systemax Shutting Down PCS Software Unit.

 

–  the MAHLE Group, an international manufacturer of automotive components, announced late last week it will lay off approximately 20 percent of the workforce at its Russellville facility due to decreased demand for the plant’s products.

40 of the plant’s 198 employees will be laid off over the course of three to four months, a company spokesperson said Monday.

via The Courier, Russellville, Ark. .

 

hospital1– The workforce reduction will come from normal attrition, normal retirements and by eliminating some filled positions, according to the news release. Many open positions will also go unfilled.

 

 

International Layoff News

 

 

– UP to 70,000 jobs in Irish firms are on the line, the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) has warned.

 

– Saab Group, the Stockholm aerospace and defense manufacturer, said it would cut 370 office jobs at four business locations.

via Saab Group to cut 370 jobs at 4 locations – MarketWatch.

 

– LDV has fallen back into administration after a takeover bid collapsed, putting hundreds of jobs at risk again.

via Hundreds of jobs at risk after LDV rescue deal stalls | Business | guardian.co.uk .

 

– STAFF have reacted with anger at the news more than 200 jobs will be lost because of the collapse of an insurance company.

Management at Pure Insurance in Bridgend told staff the company had gone into liquidation.

via WalesOnline – News – Wales News – 200 lose jobs as insurance company fails.

 

– Seventy people have lost their jobs after one of mid-Ulster’s biggest employers announced that it has been forced to close

via BBC NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | 70 jobs lost at electrical firm.

 

– SATYAM Computer Services has dropped its local headcount by 200 people as a result of the economic crisis.

Satyam yesterday announced the appointments of a new country head and a “principal adviser” for its Australian business as outsourcer tries to find its feet after being rocked by fraud allegations at its India headquarters.

via 200 jobs go as Satyam finds its feet | Australian IT.

 

– BAGUIO, Philippines (AP) – A US manufacturer of precision instruments has laid off 293 of its 1,000 employees in a northern Philippine export processing zone due to the global economic slump, officials said today.

via US company lays off 293 workers in RP | Home >> Other Sections >> Breaking News .

 

newspaper–  Mexico’s only national English-language daily newspaper, the News, based in Mexico City, was bought by a Mexican media company, and dozens of staffers were laid off over the weekend, a development that left employees standing outside the newspaper’s offices “looking bewildered,” according to an editorial in the paper Monday morning.

via Mexico’s only English-language daily sold; staff cut by two-thirds | La Plaza | Los Angeles Times.

 

– The restructuring was reported earlier by Nikkei English News, which said Konica Minolta will cut more than 5,000 temporary positions.

via Konica Minolta Plans to Cut 33 Billion Yen in Costs This Year – Bloomberg.com.

 

– The Community and Public Sector Union said today that it has received a letter from the Australian Taxation Office which said the Office intended to cut its IT staff by 120.

via ATO looks to cut 120 IT jobs: News – Business – ZDNet Australia.

 

– Martin Sorrell’s WPP Plc has seen four straight months of “lower sales”, which will probably result in further job cuts this year.

via WPP Will Cut Jobs as 2009 Progresses – mediabistro.com: AgencySpy.

 

ubs– Swiss bank UBS AG (UBSN.VX) plans to cut 50 out of 470 jobs at its Luxembourg custodian bank and will start talks this week about redundancies with trade unions and local authorities.

via UBS to cut 50 jobs at Luxembourg branch | Industries | Financial Services & Real Estate | Reuters .

 

– The company, which reduced its employee count by 1,568 to 18,740 last fiscal year, is slated to eliminate another 440 positions this fiscal year, the paper said.

 

 

Hiring News and News You Can Use– 

 

 

– Applying for a federal position requires detailed and concise information. This information is captured in categories called Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). KSAs are defined as “a list of special qualifications and personal attributes that you need for a particular job. A primary purpose of KSAs is to measure those qualities that will set one candidate apart from the others”.

 

– Go to an online job board and search for jobs that you think you’re a great match for. Then study the language they use to perform your own searches.

For example, if you find a listing for a project coordinator position that sounds ideal, you should apply for it, of course, and then pull out key phrases to search other jobs. If they use the phrase “method calibrations,” then plug that into the search field to see what other positions comes up.

via Using the right keywords in your job search – CNN.com.

 

– DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – Airplane manufacturer Cirrus Design is rehiring about 50 employees laid off in January.

via Charleston Daily Mail – West Virginia News and Sports – AP Featured News – Cirrus Design rehires 50 employees .

 

– At least 1,000 of the jobs were to be split between Chase’s McCoy Center in Polaris and its lending facility near Easton Town Center. The remaining 150 will be at the company’s Cleveland Avenue offices in Westerville, the company said.

via Chase To Bring 1,150 Jobs To Columbus, Westerville | NBC4i.com.

 

– A majority of U.S. companies are using salary reductions or freezes instead of layoffs to lower their costs, according to a survey by Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.

More than half (52.4 percent) of human-resources executives surveyed in May reported their firms had instituted salary cuts or freezes. That’s up from the 27.2 percent who reported similar cutbacks in January.

via Challenger, Gray & Christmas survey: Firms cut pay, hold off on layoffs – Pittsburgh Business Times: .

 

– Wells Fargo Home Mortgage plans to add up to 200 employees in its San Antonio customer service operations.

 

Mike: A relatively busy Tuesday for layoff announcements and the fallout from the auto makers is still taking shape. Pending home sale sand autos showed increases from the previous month and that a good sign for economic stability, if not expansion. Banks seem to be hiring more than they are laying off, so that’s a positive jobs step. These could also be spring-time blips, deals too good to be true, or a more relaxed consumer willing to open the wallet wider. A continuation of these improvements is necessary before it’s safe to believe the worst is over, but any news is good news at this point. I just won’t get complacent, since history tells me that the real economic improvement is still in the distance. Till Wednesday…………..

 

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Mike Luckovich - June 2

Mike Luckovich - June 2

 

 

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