Mike: Wednesday started out quiet and remained that way. This has to be the quietest weekday for layoff announcements in a couple of months. If this is a trend, it’s a trend we can all live with.
Mike: The fine people at The 405 Club (http://www.the405club.com/) are running their first major event on March 25th (4-7pm @ The Galway Hooker Pub) called the PROJECT 405 PARTY. It’s a casual gathering with recruiters, advisers, counselors, and fellow unemployed New Yorkers. So if you are in the NYC area, stop by the event and visit with this fine gathering. Their poster follows. Please pass it along to all that may benefit and be sure to visit http://www.the405club.com/ for additional information.
4051
* Larger layoff announcements and important economic reports:
US/Canada

International:
  

Microsoft/Google/IBM and other Rumors & News

 

ibm3* International Business Machines (IBM) may buy Sun Microsystems (JAVA) to bolster its position in the server market. If so, it would end the smaller company’s years of poor management, layoffs, and pain for shareholders.

General Economic News

 

* MBA Purchase Applications

[Report][Bullet7:00 AM ET

* NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. mortgage applications surged in the latest week, driven by a spike in demand for refinancing as the average rate on 30-year fixed-rate home loans fell, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Wednesday.

via U.S. mortgage applications spike on refinance demand | Reuters .

*Consumer prices rise in Feb. by largest amount in 7 months as gasoline, clothing prices jump
Mike: This should be an entertaining Congressional questioning:
* WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of insurance giant AIG goes to Capitol Hill this morning, where he’ll reluctantly defend millions of dollars’ worth of bonuses doled out to employees despite the company’s need for a $170 billion government bailout. Edward M. Liddy, who took over AIG last fall, says the bonus payments, while “distasteful,” had to be paid.
Mike Luckovich - Mar 17

Mike Luckovich - Mar 17

 

Municipal News

* CLIFTON PARK The Shenendehowa school district is looking to shed 46 jobs as the nation’s economic problems are even reaching into the normally prosperous suburb.

via Shenendehowa looks to cut 46 jobs –– Page 1 — Times Union – Albany NY.

 

* The Delaware River and Bay Authority will freeze wages, eliminate 14 jobs and cut its donations to local nonprofits this year to cope with the economic downturn, officials decided Tuesday.

via DRBA to freeze wages, cut jobs | delawareonline | The News Journal.

 

* EAGLE POINT — Twenty-eight Eagle Point School District employees received pink slips Monday in preparation for what is expected to be a difficult financial year in 2009-10, employees said Tuesday.

via MailTribune.com: Eagle Point schools to cut 28 workers.

 

* The new school budget, which totals $96,049,345, includes a 2-cent school tax increase and eliminates 11 district positions, all of which are currently filled.

via Millville BOE axing 11 jobs – NJ.com.

 

* ELLENSBURG — Six Kittitas county employees will be out of a job by the end of this month.

via KAPPTV.com.

 

* Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel said the city will cut 12 jobs. He said most of those will be made by eliminating open positions.

via NEWS 25 – WEHT: Evansville, Henderson, Owensboro.

 

* Last week, the city’s utilities department laid off 15 employees, and six new employees still in their probationary period were let go. Eleven other workers were reassigned within the department. Officials said the cutback is due to lack of work for utility hookups in new homes, not the anticipated $10 million shortfall in next year’s city budget.

US and some Canada News

 

Mike: I’ve noticed over the last couple of months that a number of these temporary layoffs (2 stories below) have turned into permanent layoffs.

* Signature Aluminum has notified government officials that it is closing its plant in Mercer County by the end of the month, eliminating about 300 jobs.

The company said about 275 workers were already in temporary layoff from the Greenville plant because of a drop-off in orders and the deteriorating economy

via Mercer County aluminum plant closing.

 

* MARATHON, Ont. – Marathon Pulp Inc. told its workforce of about 240 Tuesday that its pulp mill is going bankrupt and won’t be seeking an extended 30-day protection period from creditors.

via Marathon Pulp Inc. closing for good – The Sault Star – Ontario, CA .

 

siemens1* Siemens Energy Inc. is laying off 75 workers in Churchill and throttling back its fuel cell business that was launched by Westinghouse Electric Corp. more than a generation ago.

via Siemens Energy to lay off 75 in Churchill – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review .

 

* Ramtron International Corp. laid off 21 people last week as part of a restructuring to free up cash for manufacturing equipment that will be used in an IBM Corp. plant in Vermont to produce new lines of semiconductors.

* DALLAS — What began as a curtailment several weeks ago ended as a closure Tuesday.

Weyerhaeuser announced Tuesday morning that it is closing its Dallas mill, effective immediately. Workers were notified as they arrived to work at 6 a.m.

via Dallas mill closure puts 78 out of work | StatesmanJournal.com | Statesman Journal.

 

* ICF International Inc., the company that managed Louisiana’s $7.8 billion Road Home program, will cut 516 jobs beginning next week.

* General Motors (GM) will close its assembly plant in Orion Township, Michigan, for three weeks beginning later this month. The Detroit News reports on its website that the plant, which employs 3,200 workers, will close on March 30 and stay shut until April 20.

* Johns Manville, which manufactures glass fibers for gypsum wallboards, is laying off 68 people at its Etowah plant between April 1-30; Eclipse Manufacturing, which makes custom-formed parts for the automotive, recreational vehicle and other industries, is closing its Pikeville facility and laying off 50 people between April 24-May 1, and Clinicient Inc., which offers management software and billing services for physical therapy clinics, is closing its Mountain City facility and laying off 19 people effective April 30.

via Three East Tennessee companies cut 137 jobs : Business : Knoxville News Sentinel.

 

* NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Hampton Roads latest job cuts are coming from a surprising source. Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News just eliminated 23 jobs.

via Job Cuts At Riverside.

 

* WAUPACA — ThyssenKrupp Waupaca, a foundry that employs close to 1,400 people in Waupaca, today announced plans to lay off 160 workers effective April 3.

* ROCHESTER (KTTC-DT) — Crenlo will lay off an estimated 55 more employees at its Rochester manufacturing plants this Friday. The latest cut in the work force at Crenlo follows two other recent layoffs in the past six weeks.

via KTTC Rochester, Austin, Mason City News, Weather and Sports -Ax falling again at Crenlo in Rochester.

 

* Churchill Corp. (TSX: CUQ) is cutting about 30 staff at its Triton industrial construction division and closing its Bonnyville maintenance operation.

via Triton slashes 30 area jobs .

 

* Three positions will be eliminated amidst a reorganization effort in the Central Michigan University Public Relations and Marketing department.

via Three jobs cut from university public relations – News.

 

* Solar energy company Energy Conversion Devices in Rochester Hills plans to lay off 70 workers, slow down production at its Auburn Hills plants and delay hiring new employees at its new Battle Creek solar cell manufacturing facility.

via Solar cell firm to cut 70 jobs | detnews.com | The Detroit News.

 

* Belden Inc. said it will close its Midlothian, Va., manufacturing plant by July, resulting in the elimination of 45 positions.

via Belden to close Virginia plant, eliminate 45 jobs – Forbes.com.

 

* Thermo Fisher Scientific of Fitchburg has cut 22 jobs, reducing its work force of 450.

via WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL.

 

* The California Redwood Co. and Green Diamond Resource Co. would make significant cuts to their workforce due to continued poor demand for lumber and wood products, as Times Standard informed Lesprom Network.

via Green Diamond and California Redwood cut 85 workers – Lesprom Network.

 

* DuPont has cut its Town of Tonawanda work force by 29 jobs, less than the number estimated by the company when it disclosed its plans for reductions last December.

via DuPont cuts 29 jobs in Tonawanda : Business : The Buffalo News.

 

* Hawaii Superferry officials said they will start laying off employees Friday after the company suspended operations last night.

via Superferry to start laying off employees Friday – Bulletin – Starbulletin.com .

 

* ELGIN, Ore. (AP) – Boise Cascade says it’s curtailing production at its Elgin stud mill, and about 30 workers will be laid off.

via KTVZ.com Central Oregons News, Weather and Sports Leader – Boise Cascade announces 30 layoffs in Elgin.

 

* About 45 Roseburg employees will be laid off indefinitely. The company also plans to lay off 43 employees at its Glendale plywood mill and 24 at its other divisions.

via Swanson Group announces 112 layoffs | The News-Review – NRtoday.com.

 

* Another 17 pink slips were handed out this week at Garlock Sealing Technologies, part of what company officials said is their strategy to get through the economic downturn.

via Layoffs continue at Garlock – Canandaigua, NY – MPNnow.

 

* WestPoint Home Inc., a textile manufacturer in Biddeford, laid off at least a dozen people last week, according to Richard Fifield, director of the Springvale CareerCenter.

via Mainebiz.

 

* WICHITA – ICM sliced its work force by about 25 percent Tuesday when the Colwich-based company announced it was laying off 98 employees effective immediately.

via ICM lays off 98 workers | Wichita Business – Kansas Business | Wichita Eagle.

 

* LENOX — Shakespeare & Company is laying off seven employees, reducing two others to part-time, and instituting a 10 percent pay cut for the remaining 41 year-round staff as part of a restructuring plan to save $900,000.

via Shakespeare & Co. trims staff, salaries – Berkshire Eagle Online.

 

* SACO — Another 180 people are out of work with the closing of Wood Structures Inc.’s manufacturing plant here and its offices in Biddeford on Monday.

via SACO Wood Structures closes up shop.

 

newspaper21* COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) — The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer in Georgia says it is eliminating 20 positions.

via The Associated Press: Columbus, Ga., newspaper to eliminate 20 positions.

 

* SOUTH KINGSTOWN – APC by Schneider Electric plans to eliminate about 75 jobs at its manufacturing facilities in Rhode Island and transfer another 25

via APC to idle 75 workers, transfer 25 – PBN.com – Providence Business News.

 

* ChaCha, the expert mobile search service we profiled back in 2007 at South by Southwest, has just laid off one-third of its staff (about 25 people) and cut the remaining employees’ salaries,

via ChaCha Lays Off One-Third of Staff – AppScout.

 

* Robert Bosch LLC is planning to shut down some operations at its North Charleston plant for a week during each of the next three months.

via Charleston Regional Business Journal | Charleston, SC.

 

cat7* Caterpillar Inc.’s plant near Jefferson will close by the end of June, leaving its 89 employees without jobs, according to plans the heavy equipment manufacturer announced Tuesday.

via Jefferson plant will shut down |adam.thompson@onlineathens.com.

 

sonoco* HARTSVILLE, S.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sonoco (NYSE: SON), one of the largest diversified global packaging companies, announced today that it will permanently close its Lancaster, Ohio, uncoated recycled paperboard mill, effective May 16, 2009, according to James Harrell, division vice president and general manager, Paper North America.

via Sonoco Closing Lancaster, Ohio Paperboard Mill.

 

Mike: I hate to see anyone lose a job, but I had the worst flower delivery adventure from FTD that I ever had with any flower delivery company. Lousy customer service and even lousier flowers:

* Flower-delivery company FTD Group’s West Coast owner, citing the slowing economy’s hit to consumer spending, disclosed in a regulatory filing that it is cutting 50 FTD jobs, most of them in the subsidiary’s Downers Grove headquarters.

via 50 jobs cut at FTD — chicagotribune.com.

 

* WAUPACA — ThyssenKrupp Waupaca, a foundry that employs close to 1,400 here, today announced plans to lay off 160 workers effective April 3.

via ThyssenKrupp Waupaca to cut 160 jobs | Postcrescent.com | Appleton Post-Crescent.

 

*More workers from Buchanan Forest Products have received layoff notices, the company’s owners announced.

Included in the layoffs are management, engineering and maintenance staff. More than 40 people have lost their jobs as a result of these layoffs.

via 91.5 CKPR .

 

* The company has announced it will lay off 70 employees by merging work at two Auburn Hills solar-laminate production facilities into one. It will also begin a two-week production hiatus on Sunday.

via Energy Conversion Devices cuts 70 employees – Detroit Business News and Information – Crain’s Detroit Business .

 

* The recent layoffs at St. Mary’s Innovis in Detroit Lakes eliminated 19 jobs, with most of the cuts involving part-time positions.

via Detroit Lakes St. Mary’s Innovis lays off 19 as more put off health care | Park Rapids Enterprise | Park Rapids, Minnesota .

 

* Lynchburg, VA – More layoffs in our area, this time at American Hofmann in Lynchburg. The company’s president tells us 20 people were let go on Friday,

via Layoffs at American Hofmann|ABC 13.

 

* The recession has claimed another victim as Marathon Equipment Co. announced yesterday that it is permanently shutting down its Clearfield operations.

Seventy-one full-time employees work at the factory that manufactures compactors and containers for the recycling industry.

via The Progress News: Marathon Equipment closing; 71 jobs will be lost.

 

International News

 

* MANILA, Philippines – TDK Fujitsu Philippines Corp. (TFPC), which makes magnetic recording heads for computer hard disk drives, said it laid off 2,000 workers in its Biñan, Laguna facility.

via GMANews.TV – Laguna-based TDK-Fujitsu cuts 2,000 jobs – Business – Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs – Latest Philippine News – BETA.

 

* UK unemployment has risen above two million for the first time since 1997, official figures have shown.

During the three months to January, the number of people unemployed totalled 2.03 million, up by 165,000, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

via BBC NEWS | Business | Unemployment passes two million.

 

* “We have reduced pagination from 42 in July last year to 32 now. So we need to reduce manpower proportionately,” Rao said. DNA employs 850 people across five editions—Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.

via DNA To Cut 30-35 Jobs; Revenues Grew 24% Y-O-Y, Says CEO Rao | contentSutra.com .

 

* Christchurch-based water jet manufacturer CWF Hamilton said yesterday it had chosen 28 of its 218 workers for redundancy based on the skills needed by the business. All those made redundant had been permanent employees.

via Redundancies ‘based on skill’ – Business – NZ Herald News.

 

* Eight people have been made redundant from a long-established Dereham law firm.

Hood Vores and Allwood Solicitors, which has offices in Dereham and Aylsham, this week announced the redundancies which were finalised at the end of last week.

via Dereham Times – Law firm makes eight redundant .

 

* March 18 (Bloomberg) — Sony Corp., the world’s second largest consumer-electronics maker, plans to cut jobs in the U.K. as part of its reduction of 8,000 full-time positions globally at its electronics operations.

via Sony Plans U.K. Job Cuts as Part of Global Reduction of 8,000 – Bloomberg.com .

 

* Telstra is to cut 150 jobs from its Sensis unit, the Community and Public Sector Union said today in an e-mailed statement.

via Telstra to cut 150 jobs at Sensis, says union : thewest.com.au.

 

* The Sunrice company owned by Riverina and Murray ricegrowers says it is having to do further downscaling and 36 jobs are being cut.

via Sunrice cuts 36 jobs – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).

 

* In total, 130 staff at Panasonic Semiconductor Asia will be laid off, according to executive secretary of the United Workers of Electronics and Electrical Industries Halimah Yacob. While the bulk are rank-and-file workers, 30 are from the ranks of professionals, managers, executives and technicians. About 50 are foreigners.

via TODAYonline.

 

Hiring News

* Owings Mills, MD (PRWEB) March 18, 2009 — While many jobless Americans are drowning in debt with limited prospects for employment, American Pool Enterprises, Inc. is throwing out a life ring by hiring 3,300 employees during this current economic crisis. Offering flexible hours and full and part-time positions, the company hopes to help those in need of work by providing a rewarding job opportunity. Employment as a lifeguard is available to anyone at least 15-years-old who becomes certified by a nationally recognized program. American Pool Enterprises, Inc. offers free training and certification to all its employees.

via American Pool Enterprises, Inc Makes a Splash by Hiring 3,300 Employees During Recession.

 

Mike: This was a very quiet Wednesday and I hope it continues. While there were a number of smaller layoff announcements, the larger announcements were missing. For those of you who lost jobs today, I wish you good fortune in finding another. Maybe business are rethinking their layoff planes, but it’s only been one day. I guess I have a bit of optimist in me today! Till tomorrow……………..

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.797825&w=425&h=350&fv=autoPlay%3Dfalse]

Tom Toles - Mar 18

Tom Toles - Mar 18

top

Mike: Good day to all. Tuesday is shaping up as a busy day in the layoff announcements department. Today we can also see the state of retail sales Store Sales and Housing Starts.

Mike: As you can see from the stories below, there is little reason to not understand why a university education now costs upwards of $40,000 per year. These types of actions are not reserved for Clemson alone and likely happen throughout the country in the salary bloated halls of university administrations.

When the higher ups of these universities chop job benefits and salaries (furloughs) at the lower levels and then raise their own pay at the same time, you know that the corruption once reserved for the like of banks, investment banks, insurance companies and other major corporations has now made it’s presence felt in the major university. Some of the yearly raises mentioned are enough to have covered the entire salary of two or three full-time employees. And I love the headline: Top Clemson administrators defend pay hikes amid cutbacks. What are these people expected to do, admit their pay hikes are a mistake during times when others are losing their jobs or having their benefits cut? These administrators will certainly eat their own to receive a salary increase and they aren’t ashamed to justify their feast:

* The raises for top administrators at Clemson who got double-digit pay increases ranged from 12.1 percent to 32.8 percent. None of the administrators receiving the raises earned less than $150,373 in 2006.

One, vice president and provost Dori Helms, saw her pay jump over the past two years by $66,791, an increase of 32.8 percent. Clemson records show that Helms was earning $270,389 on Oct. 1, 2008.

Several top officials at USC also received double-digit raises between Oct. 1, 2006, and Oct. 1, 2008. But fewer top administrators at USC got large pay increases during that time……

Margaret Lamb, director of media relations at USC, said the raises “reflect a variety of personnel actions,” which include paying for outstanding performances, re-tention and salary adjustments for those who have taken on multiple jobs or those with increased re-sponsibility.

Mike: I also find the following statement amusing. It reminds me of the AIG debacle that is currently in the headlies. AIG feels they are obligated give bonuses to their employees even though the company has lost billions of taxpayer dollars, but they will cut bonuses in the coming year. Why not cut bonuses now, or in the case of Clemson, whynot cut those outrageous salary increases in the face of a dramatic economic downturn?

 

Going forward, all expenditures are being and will be scrutinized,” she said. “Salaries certainly will be a part of that.”

via The Beaufort Gazette: Top Clemson administrators defend pay hikes amid cutbacks.

 

Mike: Clemson is faced with cutting costs to meet a reduced state budget, yet it still has the money for those top-tier raises:

Clemson is one of a number of state higher education institutions that has seen its budget cut in the 2008-2009 fiscal year. The state, facing a decline of $1 billion in its original $7 billion budget, has ordered cuts totaling $38 million to Clemson’s budget, Barker said.

via Clemson president tries to sell legislators on school’s worth to state : Local News : Anderson Independent-Mail.

 

Mike: And the cuts demanded include five days of unpaid furlough. So there you have it. Clemson administrators are receiving large salary increases at the same time that the state is cutting support and these same administrators are demanding furloughs of underlings. Quite the gig if you can get it:

Employees in full-time or part-time full-time equivalent (FTE) positions are eligible for the Voluntary Furlough Program. It will allow any employee to request up to 90 calendar days of leave without pay — in addition to the five-day mandatory furlough — by June 30. Approval is required.

via Clemson University budget-reduction measures include three employment options.

 

Marshall Ramsey - Mar 17

Marshall Ramsey - Mar 17

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

International:
   

Microsoft/Google/IBM and other Rumors & News

msft2* Members of the Service Employees International Union Local 6 demonstrated at Microsoft’s Redmond campus for a second day Monday. Their gripe is not with the software giant but with a subcontractor, SBM Site Services of Sacramento, Calif., which was awarded the custodial contract in December to clean buildings at the corporate campus.

msft3* Microsoft Corp. will deliver a release candidate of Windows 7 to the public in late May, according to a report from a noted Windows Web site.

Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC), the next slated major milestone for the under-development operating system, will be made available to the public the last week of May, said Neowin.net today.

via Report: Microsoft plans May public Windows 7 release candidate.

 

* Pali Research analyst Rich Greenfield says “sizable layoffs” are coming to Fox Interactive. Mostly this has to do with Google being unlikely to renew its search deal with the News Corp. (NWS) property when it expires in 2010.

General Economic News

 

ICSC-Goldman Store Sales
[Bullet
7:45 AM ET

* U.S. retailers had a rough time in the week ending March 14, according to a survey from ICSC, which pointed to less spending compared to the previous week.

The ICSC-Goldman Sachs survey reported that chain store sales fell by an annual pace of 1.4%, compared to the previous week’s 0.9% contraction. On a weekly basis, sales fell 0.1%, partially reversing the previous week’s 0.2% increase.

via Two Key U.S. Weekly Retail Reports Show Spending Down | CEP News.

 

* Housing Starts

[Report][Star]8:30 AM ET
* WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of new housing projects that builders broke ground on in February rose sharply, defying economists’ forecasts for yet another drop in activity.

The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that construction of new homes and apartments jumped 22.2 percent from January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 583,000 units. Economists were expecting construction to drop to a pace of around 450,000 units.

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February’s pickup was led by a big increase in apartment construction.

By region, all parts of the country reported an increase in overall housing construction, except for the West, which led the housing boom and has been hard hit by the bust.

via New-home construction logs unexpected gain: Financial News – Yahoo! Finance.

But:

* While gains in starts are certainly more encouraging than declines, today’s numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. Seasonal factors are large during winter months and it does not take much to jack up the adjusted numbers. And this likely was the case-especially with the volatile multifamily component taking the lead. January was not as weak as many believed and February is not as strong as suggested by the headline.

Bloomberg.com: Economic Calendar.

 

Jerry Holbert - Mar 17

Jerry Holbert - Mar 17

* March 17 (Bloomberg) — Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and Federal Reserve policy makers may have to ramp up their purchases of mortgage securities and other assets after the economy and job market deteriorated further since they last met.

The Federal Open Market Committee, gathering today and tomorrow in Washington, needs to redouble its efforts after the central bank’s balance sheet shrank 17 percent from a $2.3 trillion December peak, Fed watchers said. The retreat came even as Bernanke acknowledged the chance that the unemployment rate will exceed 10 percent for the first time in a quarter century.

via Bernanke May Need to Ramp Up Fed’s Asset Purchases (Update1) – Bloomberg.com .

 

Municipal News

 

* NEW HANOVER COUNY, NC (WECT) – More than two dozen people in New Hanover County will lose their jobs Tuesday in an effort to save the county $1.6 million.

via WECT TV6 – WECT.com – Wilmington, NC news and weather – More than two dozen will face layoffs in New Hanover County.

 

* Declining tax revenue caused by the recession was cited as the main reason for eliminating 29 positions at Grayslake Elementary District 46 for the 2009-10 academic year.

via Daily Herald | 29 jobs cut at Grayslake elementary schools.

 

* Of those employees, 106 are teachers, librarians and other certified personnel. Cutting them will save the district $6 million in salaries and benefits, according to Vickie Nissen, assistant superintendent for finance. The rest are office workers, custodians, aides and the like.

US and some Canada News

 

cat2* PITTSBURGH (AP) — Caterpillar Inc. announced a fresh round of job cuts Tuesday, laying off more than 2,400 employees at five plants in Illinois, Indiana and Georgia as the heavy equipment maker continues to cut costs amid the global economic downturn.

In the latest cuts, the Peoria, Ill.-based company said 2,365 support and management workers had been laid off for at least six months and 89 workers had been let go permanently. Some 245 of the 2,365 layoffs had been announced previously.

Among the affected workers are 1,726 people at plants in East Peoria and Aurora, Ill.; 439 at a plant in Lafayette, Ind., and 289 in Jefferson and Griffin, Ga.

via Caterpillar lays off 2,454 workers in 3 states: Financial News – Yahoo! Finance.

 

cat3* Caterpillar Inc., gearing down production even further in response to still-eroding global demand, disclosed plans Tuesday to idle an additional 2,454 U.S. workers, including 1,726 in Illinois.

via Caterpillar layoffs”: Caterpillar to lay off another 2,500 workers — chicagotribune.com.

 

cat4* LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Caterpillar Inc. is laying off more than 400 employees at an Indiana engine plant for at least six months.

via Caterpillar laying off 439 from Indiana plant — chicagotribune.com.

 

cat1* PONTIAC, Ill. – Caterpillar Inc. has instituted rolling layoffs at its Pontiac plant. The move allows the heavy equipment maker to furlough the entire work force for a time while remaining in operation.

united-technologies5* Connecticut could lose between 2,000 and 3,000 jobs, mostly at United Technologies Corp., if the Pentagon cancels production of the F-22 fighter jet, UTC said Monday.

via UTC: 2,000 To 3,000 Conn. Jobs At Risk If Pentagon Cancels F-22s — Courant.com.

 

dana* Slumping auto output in North America, where Dana gets almost 50% of its revenue, dragged the company to a fourth loss since its bankruptcy exit on Feb. 1, 2008. Dana will eliminate more than 5,800 jobs by the end of this year, up from 5,000 announced Nov. 6, the company said in a slide presentation.

kaiser* Update: But the agreement with IBM puts 700 Kaiser jobs in jeopardy at data centers in California and Maryland. Phil Fasano, chief information officer for Kaiser Permanente, said a good portion of those workers could become IBM employees. “Forty percent of those will find jobs in IBM during a transition period of six months,” Fasano said.

In a separate action, Kaiser is eliminating an additional 160 information technology jobs scattered across 30 locations as it pares back spending due to the impact of the economic downturn.

via Kaiser to cut 860 information technology jobs.

 

kaiser1* The Oakland-based health maintenance organization says it will eliminate 275 jobs locally as part of a nationwide move to have IBM Corp. manage some of its data centers.

weyerh3* Weyerhaeuser Co (WY.N) said on Tuesday it would close two lumber mills, cutting 307 jobs, in the latest in a series of plant shutdowns in the wood products industry due to the weak housing market.

* In a wide-ranging interview with Sun Media, Heritage Minister James Moore also said CBC layoffs were nearly certain and expected 600 to 1,200 people across the country would lose their jobs.

via CBC layoffs nearly certain | Canada | News | Winnipeg Sun.

 

* SASKATOON — Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. has issued 940 temporary layoff notices to employees at its Lanigan, Allan and Rocanville operations, the result of a new cutback in potash production.

* Publisher Mi-Ai Parrish tells NewsChannel 7 the paper will cut ten percent of its workforce – or 25 jobs.

via Statesman to layoff 25, cut pay for others | KTVB.COM | Idaho Business | Boise, Idaho News, Weather, Sports & Traffic.

 

* The United Way for Southeastern Michigan is cutting 43 positions and trimming aid to the nonprofit agencies it supports due to a dramatic drop in revenue.

via Southeastern Michigan United Way to cut 43 jobs | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press.

 

* Faced with reduced state funding in the upcoming two-year budget, the Ohio Historical Society is eliminating 25 full- and part-time employees and reducing hours at a number of its sites.

via Ohio Historical Society cutting 25 jobs, trimming hours – Business First of Columbus: .

 

* Merkle Inc. laid off 34 workers Monday, resulting from its banking and financial services clients scaling back on marketing.

via Merkle Inc. cuts 36 jobs – Baltimore Business Journal: .

 

* SPENCER, Iowa – The RR Donnelley printing plant in Spencer has closed, eliminating 160 jobs.

The plant shut down on Friday, about 2 months after the Chicago-based company announced the closing because of the economic downturn.

via RR Donnelley closes Spencer plant — chicagotribune.com.

 

* WINONA, Minn. – TRW Automotive plants in southeastern Minnesota and southwestern Wisconsin are announcing more layoffs.

TRW spokesman John Wilkerson says a total of 42 salaried employees at plants in Winona, Minn. and Ettrick, Wis., and Galesville, Wis., were let go last Thursday.

via Layoffs announced at TRW Automotive in SE Minn. — chicagotribune.com.

 

* More bad news in the newspaper industry: The Tacoma and Olympia newspapers both announced layoffs Monday.

The News Tribune of Tacoma is reducing its staff by 30. The Olympian is cutting 15 positions. Jobs will be lost in all areas of the newspapers, including the newsroom. The two newspapers are owned by The McClatchy Co.

via Local News | Tacoma, Olympia newspapers announce layoffs | Seattle Times Newspaper.

 

* Turner Broadcasting System has laid off about 60 employees, a company spokeswoman said Monday.

The cuts were made sporadically over the past few months in various departments, including CNN, Cartoon Network, TNT, human resources, corporate communications, research, information technology and advertising sales, spokeswoman Shirley Powell said. They represent less than 1 percent of Turner’s 10,000-person work force.

via Turner has laid off 60, but is still hiring | ajc.com.

 

* Facing a decline in investments and donations, the American Red Cross of Summit and Portage Counties said today it will lay off employees.

Ten employees from the chapter’s 35-member staff are losing their jobs, effective today.

via Ohio.com – Red Cross to lay off workers in area .

 

* Two employees were laid off from KTVB Channel 7 on Monday as part of a company-wide staff reduction announced last week by the Belo Corporation, said KTVB General Manager Doug Armstrong.

via KTVB lays off 2 employees | Business | Idaho Statesman .

 

beech* Airplane maker Hawker Beechcraft’s promised layoffs struck Salina Friday as 41 workers were notified that they were losing their jobs.

via salina.com – an online service of the Salina Journal.

 

* Because of the two closings, about 23 teachers, four administrators and principals and six school workers were be laid off at the end of the school year.

via INFORUM | Fargo, ND .

 

* Timken Canada’s St. Thomas plant is shutting down for two weeks and worries are escalating more downtime may loom.

via Two-week Timken shutdown idles 355.

 

* Lexington Precision Corp. will shut down its facility here, putting 150 out of work. The closure is expected to start at the end of May and take several weeks, according to a notice filed with the state of Ohio.

via Lexington Precision and Other Manufacturers Announce Layoffs in Ohio – Manufacturing & Technology eJournal.

 

* Yet an unexpected thing happened: so few people applied for the Minot jobs that the Tampa-headquartered company will have to close the call center on May 10 — a cutback by Sykes that will result in 200 people losing their jobs.

via US firm to close branch due to lack of employees.

 

* Confronted with a larger-than-anticipated deficit, the Writers Guild of America, West plans to cut as many as 20 positions from its payroll by the end of the month.

via Writers Guild of America, West plans job cuts | Company Town | Los Angeles Times.

 

* The Port of Portland, a big employer that runs the port and the airport, expects layoffs as the global economic crunch clobbers transportation.

via Port of Portland is looking at some layoffs Pay cuts and furloughs will help reduce some costs – OregonLive.com.

 

newspaper19* The Belleville News Group is eliminating 30 jobs and reducing salaries at the News-Democrat and its weeklies, President and Publisher Jay Tebbe announced Monday.

* CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Several employees at Clarksville Gas and Water have been told they would lose their jobs at the ends of month.

Fifty-five people who have worked for the utility and watched the economy fall apart around them, are now part of that collapse.

via NewsChannel 5.com – Nashville, Tennessee – Layoffs Announced For Clarksville Gas & Water.

 

* Corning Cable Systems will permanently close its production facility at 1928 Main Ave. in Hickory. The move will affect 208 workers, according to a company filing with the N.C. Department of Commerce.

via Corning Cable to shut Hickory facility – Charlotte Business Journal:

 

Mike: Below is another company that refuses to give layoff totals. They should be forced to disclose layoff numbers:

* Mike Infante, a bank spokesman in Blairsville, said United Community reduced its work force company-wide, including at the corporate level. He declined to say how many employees were let go. The workers were told of the layoffs last week.

via United Community Bank announces layoffs.

 

* The company laid off about 16 percent of its U.S. work force — roughly 90 people — on Thursday as part of a restructuring. These layoffs come on the heels of a 12 percent cut, or 78 workers, who were let go over several weeks in late 2008 as the company vacated some of its leased space at Corporate Woods in Brighton.

via Harris Interactive lays off 90 | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle.

 

aig* AIG last week laid off six information technology employees in its Amarillo offices, a company spokesman confirmed Monday.

via AIG lays off six information technology employees at Amarillo offices | MORRIS NEWS SERVICE.

 

newspaper20* BRADENTON — The Bradenton Herald will eliminate 15 full-time positions, and most of the remaining staff will see their salaries reduced as part of the company’s expense reduction plan.

via Herald announces staff cuts – Business – Bradenton.com.

 

* Universal Brixius Inc., a Milwaukee contract manufacturer, permanently laid off 14 employees on March 13 after a reduction in orders by a major customer.

via Universal Brixius announces job cuts – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: .

 

* MITCHELL, S.D. (AP) One of the largest private employers in Mitchell is making another round of job cuts.

Trail King Industries announced Monday it will lay off 75 workers.

via Trail King in Mitchell lays off another 75 | KXNet.com North Dakota News.

 

* New Britain-based Stanley Works is cutting 36 jobs at its hand tools manufacturing facility in New Britain, the company announced Tuesday.

International News

 

* Dutch insurer Eureko [EUREK.UL] said on Tuesday it would cut 2,500 jobs by 2011 in order to reduce its cost base by 300 million euros after confirming a net loss of 2.1 billion euros ($2.7 billion) over 2008.

via UPDATE 1-Dutch Eureko to cut 2,500 jobs by 2011 | Industries | Financial Services & Real Estate | Reuters .

 

nokia* Nokia Corp. (NOK: News ) announced further actions it is taking in Devices and Markets units and also in its Corporate Development Office and global support functions. The company said it expects these plans to affect nearly 1,700 employees globally. Further, Nokia stated that it continues to seek savings in operational expenses.

via RTTNews – Quick facts Articles, Positive EPS Surprises, News Analysis, Earnings, Audio News…. .

 

nokia1* HELSINKI (Reuters) – The world’s top cellphone maker Nokia Oyj said on Tuesday it would slash 1,700 jobs globally across several units over the coming few months as part of its major cost cut drive.

via Nokia to cut 1,700 jobs – washingtonpost.com.

 

* Konkola Copper Mines, Zambia’s largest copper mine, is planning to cut 1,321 jobs next month as a cost cutting measure as it continues to suffer the effects of the global economic downturn, the president of Mines Union of Zambia told Dow Jones Newswires Tuesday.

* According to data by the Labor Inspection in the district city, 300 workers from the wagon repairs factory in Septemvri will be laid off by the end of April, while 196 employees will be discharged by the Panagyurishte company “Asarel-Medet” by May 20.

via News.bg – 700 employees from the Pazardzhik region to be laid off.

 

* Some 330 employees of Sauer-Danfoss are to be laid off, according to JydskeVestkysten in a report that has not yet been confirmed by the company.

* Its demise follows news the Clifton Wool Scour plant near Invercargill will close, leaving up to 40 people out of work, while 56 workers have been axed from their jobs at West Otago sawmill Blue Mountain Lumber.

via City business to close | Stuff.co.nz.

 

gavel15* Denton Wilde Sapte has finalised the details of its redundancy programme, with the firm confirming the loss of 76 jobs, including 37 fee earners.

via Dentons finalises job cuts with 76 staff laid off – Legal Week, legal news, comment, events and legal jobs.

 

* AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L) is considering cutting 120 jobs in Germany, or just over 9 percent of its staff in the country, the drugmaker’s German unit said on Tuesday.

Hiring News

 

* In fact, DECC officials said Monday that the project will put about 300 local, union construction people back to work over the next 19 months. Pykkonen said many construction workers’ outlook are grim but he is optimistic with projects like these.

via WDIO.com – DECC’s New Arena Promises 300 Jobs .

 

* A contract manufacturing company has moved offices to Durham from Morrisville and plans to double in size by adding 25 workers in the coming years, according to the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce.

Mike: More news as the day develops……………….

Jeff Stahler - Mar 17

Jeff Stahler - Mar 17

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Mike: I hope you all had an enjoyable weekend. A couple economic reports are do this day that will show the health of the economy and will indicate if the job market is likely to improve in the near-term. The Empire State Mfg Survey: New York Manufacturing Index Slumped to Record Low and Industrial Production: Industrial output drops in February .

The morning US layoff announcements are slow to get started on Monday, but the international announcements are underway.

*Mike: The below articles show how some companies don’t want to advertise their layoffs. Without adequate job loss reporting mechanisms, how can we know the extent of unemployment or how layoffs are being conducted at companies? Why are these companies allowed to have layoffs in incremental bits that flaunt the federal job loss reporting requirements and give those that are laid off fair warning so they can prepare for the loss of their job?

So here’s how a large company layoff can be kept quiet: The company merely has to layoff 48 people instead of the 50 that would require federal reporting requirements. Then the next week they can layoff another 48 and so forth. So the company that’s cheating the system cheats the laid off worker and that cheats the system by skewing the unemployment figures. There’s a mass layoffs statistic that is released by the BLS, but if companies are not reporting mass layoffs, it leaves those numbers in doubt. Having reliable numbers is important to devising a reliable financial plan.

So the new way of doing business in the US is banks hiding toxic assets, the Federal Reserve hiding who they lend to, US firms and individuals hiding assets overseas, officials hiding taxes due, and companies hiding layoff announcements. This is a game of hide and seek where the hiding is a lot easier than the seeking, but we need to discover these hiding places in order to restore faith in the financial system.

The stories:

* With the economy weakening, chief executives want Wall Street to see them as tough cost-cutters who are not afraid to lay off workers. But plenty of job cuts are not trumpeted in news releases. Big companies also routinely carry out scattered layoffs that are small enough to stay under the radar, contributing to an unemployment rate that keeps climbing, as the monthly jobs report is likely to show. IBM is one such company. It reported surprisingly strong quarterly profits in January, and in an e-mail message to employees, Samuel J Palmisano, the Chief Executive, said that while other companies were cutting back, his would not. “Most importantly, we will invest in our people,” he wrote. via Deccan Herald – Quiet layoffs sting workers without notice .

* These “LRs,” as Cisco sources call them, are a way for the company to cut costs by reducing workforce in small, incremental moves without having to publicly announce or disclose the actions in compliance with U.S. Department of Labor regulations, like the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN). These specific NMTG LRs are separate from the planned reduction of 1,500 to 2,000 positions Cisco announced during its earnings call last month, which, the company says, complied fully with WARN and other federal labor regulations.

via Cisco quietly downsizing through outsourcing – Network World.

* At least 200 people. That’s the best gauge of the depth of IBM’s secretive mass layoff at the Essex Junction microelectronics plant announced at the end of January.

via January layoffs struck at least 200 at IBM | burlingtonfreepress.com | The Burlington Free Press.

* Dell remained mum Thursday about the extent of the layoffs this week at its Forsyth County computer assembly plant, but Winston-Salem officials called reports that 300 people had lost their jobs inaccurate.

via Dell won’t say how many were laid off : News-Record.com : Greensboro, North Carolina.

* Montana-Dakota Utilities has laid off some workers, but spokesman Mark Hanson says the number is not being released to protect the workers’ privacy.

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


International:
  

Microsoft/Google/IBM and other Rumors & News

* Local NBC affiliate KTTC took a closer look at the firings (to call them layoffs, as if these people are possibly going to be rehired, is a cruel joke) and brought attention to a high percentage of over-50 employees that were sent packing. Advisory software engineers and advisory engineers were two job titles specifically noted because approximately 60 percent of the eliminated jobs belonged to folks 50 years old or older. These jobs are within the Systems and Technology Group.

General Economic News

Empire State Mfg Survey

[Report][Bullet8:30 AM ET
* March 16 (Bloomberg) — Manufacturing in New York contracted in March at the fastest pace on record as orders, sales and inventories plunged.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s general economic index dropped to minus 38.2, the lowest level since data began in 2001, from minus 34.7 in February, the bank said today. Readings below zero for the Empire State index signal manufacturing activity is shrinking.

via New York Manufacturing Index Slumped to Record Low (Update1) – Bloomberg.com .

* WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s industrial output fell for the fourth straight month in February with the factory operating rate dropping to the lowest level in more than a half-century of record keeping.

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The Federal Reserve reported Monday that industrial output dropped by 1.4 percent last month, slightly worse than the 1.2 percent decline that economists had expected.

via Industrial output drops in February: Financial News – Yahoo! Finance.

*Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Monday planned to announce a broad package that includes reduced small-business lending fees and an increase on the guarantee to some Small Business Administration loans. A day earlier, the president’s advisers said in television interviews that they remained confident in the nation’s economic fundamentals, at times adopting upbeat rhetoric the president once mocked.

via Obama plans small-business lending boost: Financial News – Yahoo! Finance.

* Bernanke said Sunday night the recession would probably end this year if the government’s program to boost the ailing banking sector succeed.

Mike: The Obama administration is offering you choices about the direction of the economy: Above, you have Obama and Bernanke saying that the economy is sound with Barnenke saying the recession could be over in 2009. Below you have Summers saying that large job losses are likely to continue with no conviction that the economic downturn is over. Take you pick and go with your mood of the day. I guess you can look at it this way; if you have a job and a home the economy is good, but if you have lost your job and/or your home the economy is bad.

* March 15 (Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama’s top economic adviser said it’s impossible to predict when the recession will end and cautioned that monthly job losses of about 600,000 are unlikely to end soon.

Lawrence Summers, director of the White House’s National Economic Council, said on ABC’s “This Week” program that job cuts are “probably not going to stop imminently.” When asked if the economic downturn is over, he said, “no one can make that judgment.”

via Summers Says Economy Hasn’t Hit Bottom, Job Losses May Continue – Bloomberg.com .

Mike: Being a teacher in California looks like a well paid career. At the link below you will see the proposed layoffs for Orange County and the salary averages, which show that a teacher with 13.3 years experience makes on average $74,263, but I don’t see if that includes benefits, which I would doubt it does. There are likely to be thousands less teachers on the CA payroll over the next couple months as they wield the budget ax.

* The following chart includes data provided by Orange County school districts on their layoff plans, anticipated job cuts and spending reductions for this year and 2009-10. It also includes 2007-08 data on school districts taken from the state Department of Education.

via Chart: 2009 Job losses, budget cuts and salary details | – News – OCRegister.com.

And Chesterfield County’s jobless rate soared from 12.9 percent in December to 16.7 percent in January, according to the commission’s unadjusted figures.

South Carolina’s unemployment rate rocketed to 10.4 percent, the commission reported. The annual benchmarking/revision process conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revised December’s rate for the state downward from 9.5 percent to 8.8 percent.

January’s statewide figure was the highest since April 1983 when the rate reached 10.7 percent.

via County unemployment hits 13.1 percent | SCNow.

Non Sequitur - Mar 16

Non Sequitur - Mar 16

* A new national poll indicates that worries about unemployment have tripled over the past year.

In a new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Monday morning, 36% of people questioned said unemployment is the most important economic issue facing the country today, almost three times higher than the 13% who felt the same way last April. Unemployment is the top economic concern in the new poll. Inflation is second at 20%, followed by the mortgage crisis at 16%, the stock market at 14% and taxes at 11%.

via Unemployment concerns triple: Financial News – Yahoo! Finance.

newspaper18* SEATTLE (CNN) — The Hearst Corp. announced Monday it will publish its last print edition of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on Tuesday and shift the operation of Seattle’s oldest business wholly to the Internet.

Municipal News

* ELGIN — To avoid going $17 million in the hole, School District U46 is cutting nearly 350 positions, from administrators to bus drivers.

The district expects about $427 million in revenue in 2009-10, a decrease of $8 million compared to what was expected for this school year.

via District to cut close to 350 jobs :: The Courier News :: Local News.

* (EVANSVILLE, IN) – Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel is announcing today that the City has identified efficiencies in City government that will lead to the elimination of 12 positions at a savings of $553,226 based on 2008 salaries and benefits. Most of the positions have already been eliminated or will occur through attrition.

US and some Canada News

bluegreen* Bluegreen Corp (BXG.N), which markets resorts and sells home sites, said it has cut more than 50 percent of its total workforce.

baker-hughes* HOUSTON: Oilfield services provider Baker Hughes Inc. says it can’t rule out another job reduction later this year after announcing late last week it was cutting another 1,500 positions, bringing its total to 3,000 so far this year.

via Baker Hughes to cut another 1,500 jobs – International Herald Tribune.

baker-hughes1* Oilfield services provider Baker Hughes Inc. says it can’t rule out another job reduction later this year after announcing last week it was cutting another 1,500 positions, bringing its total to 3,000 so far this year.

via Baker Hughes to cut another 1,500 jobs – Forbes.com.

* An information technology partnership between Kaiser Permanente and IBM, plus other IT-related staff reductions at Oakland-based Kaiser, will result in 860 jobs being eliminated at the health-care giant.

* New Brunswick’s public sector unions are preparing for 700 job cuts and the loss of several programs when the Liberal government hands down its budget on Tuesday.

Civil servants have already been put on notice that they should expect a two-year wage freeze, but now unions say they must plan to lose 700 jobs without any pension buyouts or money to soften the blow.

via N.B. unions brace for 700 civil service job cuts in budget.

* KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) – Window and door manufacturer Jeld-Wen plans to lay off nearly 50 people from its corporate administrative staff.

via KTVZ.com Central Oregons News, Weather and Sports Leader – Jeld-Wen to lay off nearly 50 corporate staff.

* WSLS general manager Warren Fiihr says the station has laid off 11 employees this winter as it has reduced staff 14 percent to about 80 total.

via Roanoke area TV stations cut staff – wtop.com.

* KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) – Officials at a Kearney manufacturing plant say the company is temporarily laying off 17 employees, effective Monday.

There’s no word on how long those workers would be off the job at Eaton Corp., or if it might be permanent.

via KMEG 14 – News, Weather, Sports for Sioux City and Siouxland | More layoffs announced at Kearney, Neb., plant.

* TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) – Dozens of workers at Art Iron Incorporated will soon be looking for work because of the slow economy and a lack of construction.

Ironworkers Local 499 President Larry Sievert has confirmed to WTOL that the workers found out about the layoffs just yesterday.

via WTOL.com, Toledo’s News Leader, News 11 | Layoffs at South Toledo factory.

* Montana-Dakota Utilities has laid off some workers, but spokesman Mark Hanson says the number is not being released to protect the workers’ privacy.

via Radio 1380 KOTA News-On-Demand.

* Green Diamond Resource Co., which owns land in Del Norte County, has announced it is laying off dozens of workers due to a lagging demand for lumber.

The layoffs will affect one of Green Diamond’s subsidiaries, California Redwood Co., formerly known as Simpson Timber Co., that also operates mills in the area.

via Dozens of timber jobs lost | Crescent City California News, Sports, & Weather | The Triplicate.

* Sources say Brookdale Hospital has handed out more than 200 pink slips this morning to hospital employees, sparking fear that the hospital may be closing.

via NY1 | 24 Hour Local News | Top Stories | Hundreds Laid Off From Brookdale Hospital .

newspaper16* RALEIGH, N.C. — The News & Observer is cutting salaries of all employees earning $25,000 or more per year and eliminating 78 jobs in the newspaper’s latest series of cost-cutting measures.

via N&O cutting pay, eliminating 78 jobs :: WRAL.com.

* Harris Interactive is cutting 38 Rochester-area jobs, as the market research company tries to get leaner in this tough economy.

via Harris Interactive Cutting 38 Jobs in Rochester.

stanford-financial4* Over the weekend of March 6, 1,000 employees across the Houston-based company’s U.S. offices were terminated. That’s roughly 85 percent of Stanford’s total U.S. head count. According to a letter to the Texas Workforce Commission dated March 11, 16 employees were laid off in Austin.

via Sixteen Stanford workers lose jobs in Austin – Austin Business Journal: .

applied-materials* Applied Materials Inc. is cutting 50 employees from its Austin operations.

via Applied Materials eliminating 50 local jobs – Austin Business Journal: .

* The Valet Girls have seen their bookings drop 60% in the last year. As a result, they’ve decided to cut their staff in half and cut wages from ten dollars per hour to eight. Apparently the corporate bookings and private parties have shriveled as a result of the crappy economy, leaving these ladies in a tight spot.

via Carpocalypse: Even Scantily-Clad Female Valet Services Are Cutting Jobs.

* In total, 131 employees will be laid off between May 5 and May 15, the letter said.

via Tussway announces layoffs, facility remains open – Fort Worth Business Press.

* Lufkin Industries continued its resizing with the layoffs of 77 foundry employees Friday, a company spokesman said Monday.

via Lufkin Industries lays off 77 at foundry.

* MANCHESTER — Reflecting the challenging economic times, Burr and Burton Academy has announced it will trim its workforce by four, and possibly five, employees by the end of the current school year.

via Burr and Burton announces staff cuts – Bennington Banner.

* On Tuesday, Darby joined the ranks of the unemployed as she and the office manager at the local United Way office were laid off. Darby, speaking Thursday to members of the Newnan Civitan Club about her work with the Task Force for Coweta’s Homeless, referred to herself as “a temporary casualty of the economy.”

via United Way cuts staff in Coweta – The Times-Herald.

* DENVER—The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver is cutting four of 20 full-time staff positions and shrinking benefits to reduce costs as the economy continues to sink, the Denver Post reports.

via Denver Museum Cuts Staff – ARTINFO.com.

* Triton, a provider of heavy-industrial general contracting, will cut 35 percent of its workforce and close its Bonnyville, Alberta facility.

newspaper17* Members of the California Media Workers Guild voted 10-1 to approve concessions, including at least 150 job cuts and the removal of some benefits and rights.

International News

ubs* GENEVA (Reuters) – Switzerland’s biggest bank UBS (UBSN.VX) plans to cut up to 5,000 senior and management jobs in the next few weeks, Swiss weekly SonntagsZeitung said on Sunday.

It said up to 2,500 management positions could go in UBS’s dominant and profitable wealth management division, which accounts for 50,000 of the bank’s total 77,000 staff.

A UBS spokesman declined to comment on the report.

via UBS cutting 5,000 management jobs:report.

* McCormick Macnaughton, the distributor of Caterpillar machinery in Ireland, has suffered a 75 per cent collapse in business and plans to lay off 100 staff to cut costs.

via Sunday Business Post | Irish Business News.

* The West Australian Government will offer 500 public servants voluntary redundancies in a bid to cut a spiralling wages bill.

via WA to slash 500 public servant jobs – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).

* It was heartening to read the letter (14 March) from MPs disturbed by Guardian Media Group’s announcement of drastic changes at its weekly newspapers around Greater Manchester and at the Manchester Evening News, with the loss of 150 jobs, including 78 journalists. The company has similar devastating plans in Surrey and Berkshire.

via Letters: Job cuts at Guardian Media Group | Media | The Guardian .

* A FACTORY is to close its gates for the last time this month with the loss of nearly 100 jobs.

Hero Group, the Swiss food company, will this month shut its Sherburn-in-Elmet plant in Bishopdyke Road.

via Hero Group food plant in Sherburn-in-Elmet closes its doors (From York Press).

* Sources inform ”Globes” that Comverse Technology Inc. (Pink Sheets: CMVT) is about to fire this morning 300 employees, a third of them in Israel. The layoffs amount to 7% of the company’s workforce. The news comes after two tense weeks for Comverse employees, who knew that hundreds of layoffs were pending.

via Comverse axes 300 jobs.

* Bulgarian fleet operator Navibulgar will reduce the number of sailors by more than 26 per cent over the next four months, the company’s executive director Hristo Donev told Dnevnik.

The firm will make redundant 719 sailors, out of the 2700 it employs, in a bid to streamline costs.

via Bulgarian Navibulgar to axe 26% of sailing workforce – Business – The Sofia Echo.

* Employees at the company have been told that 28 UK posts will be lost within the next few weeks, during which time the management will be consulting with employees and their union.

via Morphy Richards to axe jobs and cut spending.

* Regional newspaper publisher Archant is set to reduce the number of editorial redundancies it is seeking at its Norfolk operation by 20 after a public outcry over the planned cuts.

via Regional newspaper publisher Archant to reduce job cuts in Norfolk by 20 after public outcry | Media | guardian.co.uk .

* The company, which employs about 7,000 people worldwide, has already made 1,100 people redundant and closed factories in Essex and south Wales. Today it warned that about 500 more jobs will be lost this year, including about 100 in Britain. TT has also introduced production slowdowns, shorter working hours and a pay freeze for all employees.

via TT Electronics to cut 500 more jobs as demand collapses – Telegraph.

* The company added the layoff extensions would affect some 300 people, with up to 90 jobs to be cut.

via NewsRoom Finland.

* Speaking to INSIDEFILM, Smith said that while there had been 12 redundancies in total – equal to a 10 per cent cut in staff across the group – all of these were service staff and “in no way creative personnel”.

via Inside Film – Cutting Edge explains staff cuts.

* Infostrada Hayters, the London-based sports news agency, has cut six staff – a third of its total workforce.

via Sports agency Infostrada Hayters cuts a third of staff – Press Gazette.

ryanair* Ryanair has announced further cuts in routes and flights from Dublin Airport this summer with the loss of 50 jobs.

via RTÉ News: 50 jobs lost as Ryanair cuts Dublin routes.

* Advertising agency Spot Runner told its employees last week that it will axe a further 60 staff in what will be the company’s third round of layoffs in less than a year. Last August, 50 people lost their jobs and a further 115 were sacked last December.

Hiring News

* As businesses lay off staff by the thousands, the City of Toronto is proposing a hiring spurt of 1,300 new staffers.

Mike: A quiet day when compared to many, but stil a number of unpleasant layoff announcements. This blogger has noticed that Mondays and Fridays are usually the less busy of the weekdays for layoff announcements, so don’t be surprised if the layoff news increases over the next couple of days. Till tomorrow………………..

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Walt Handelsman - Mar 16

Walt Handelsman - Mar 16

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