Mike: Good weekend to all. First let me start with the news that The Layoff List will be changing locations. Over the next month I am going to transition from http://layofflist.wordpress.com/ to http://www.layofflist.org/. The reasons for the move:

These are how I hope the transition occurs:

So I ask you, the reader of The Layoff List, to:

  • Take a look at http://www.layofflist.org/.
  • Send along any suggestion that you may have that would make visiting The Layoff List a more enjoyable experience.
  • Place your recommendations/suggestions in the comments area or send me a note at Mike@layofflist.org.

Thanks.

Mike: It was a tumultous week for job loss announcements and economic reports.

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


International:

  

Microsoft/Google/IBM and other Rumors & News

apple5* Something’s going on at Apple. Normally a leak-proof ship, the S.S. Steve Jobs has been taking on rumors of layoffs. The latest: Cuts in Mac hardware and software units, says a tipster:

There are layoffs at Apple today. Lots of security around. Looks like Mac hardware and pro applications folks are being impacted. Don’t have any idea of numbers….but it seems like a lot.

via Rumormonger: More Job Cuts at Apple?.

* Of the 10 U.S.-based software and hardware companies that have the largest market valuations, only Apple and Qualcomm have not made job cuts.

General Economic News

Mike: The report below can be looked at as encouraging, but it may not explain why layoffs continue to spike. Here are my humble and anecdotal reasons why the larger companies may be cutting back on layoff announcements, while the unemployment rate continues to climb.

  • Company earnings releases have slowed during the past few weeks, which means companies aren’t forced to present layoff plans to investors in order to show that they are cutting costs to boost profits. Once earnings season returns, the larger layoff announcements may also return.
  • Smaller companies that derive their work from the larger companies are laying off more workers in response to less work coming from the larger companies. As an example: GM cuts 10,000 jobs in January, but those effects aren’t felt in employment numbers at smaller companies until a month or so later when 100 smaller companies have to lay off 50 each. Smaller companies make up a greater percentage of workers than large companies.
  • Larger companies may be holding back on layoff announcements until they determine how their profits will be affected by government programs, such as the stimulus package.

* It has been another subdued week for the Forbes.com Layoff Tracker, even as the Labor Department released more bleak employment numbers. We now know that more than 650,000 nonagricultural jobs were lost in February, pushing unemployment up to 8.1%. Also, Labor revised its numbers for December and January to add 160,000 more job losses in those months.

Here, highlights of the week’s activity recorded by the Forbes.com Layoff Tracker, which counts the layoffs at all the nation’s 500 largest corporations.

The Layoff Tracker paints a more attractive picture than the government’s stats. Job cut announcements within the tracker’s universe of companies have virtually ceased, at least for now. This week only five of the 500 businesses announced cuts, and they added up to only about 4,000 jobs. That makes it by far the quietest week so far this year.

via The Weekly Layoff Report: An Eerie Stillness – Forbes.com.

Mike: For those who want to read the BLS EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: FEBRUARY 2009, it’s available in PDF at:http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf . But here is the less than cheery summary:

* Nonfarm payroll employment continued to fall sharply in February (-651,000), and the unemployment rate rose from 7.6 to 8.1 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Payroll employment has declined by 2.6 million in the past 4 months. In February, job losses were large and widespread across nearly all major industry sectors.

Mike: Losing a job is difficult for anyone, but it has to be even more difficult for those who live in areas that thought they would be immune to the problem. I recall reading a number of TX articles indicating they would not feel the impacts of unemployment that other areas would because of the energy sector cushioning job losses and being in a state that was business friendly tax wise. While TX may not see the same job loss destruction as MI, it will nonetheless feel its affects, and for TX to ignore that reality is not in their best interests.

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

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

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

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

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

* After last week’s column on the insurance subsidy included in President Obama’s stimulus package, we received quite a lot of mail asking more questions. That’s understandable. The details are complicated.

* MASSILON, Ohio (AP) — Evidence of the slumping economy is stacking up at an Ohio school which has nearly 700 applications for one open janitorial job.

via The Associated Press: Ohio school gets 700 applicants for janitorial job.

* Out of work, with bills piling high, Bruce Keane perched on the edge of the sofa in his Port Orange home, gently folded his hands, stared at the floor between his feet and slowly shook his head.

“It’s frustrating,” said the 48-year-old who was laid off from Crane Cams in February, along with about 200 others. “I don’t know how I am going to pay my bills. We just moved into this house eight months ago.”

Keane raised his gaze, emotion clouding his face. He turned to his wife, Nancy, who joined him on the couch. She deftly picked up the story.

Everyone who worked at Crane is in a bind,” she said. “People went to the plant on Tuesday to get their checks — after the last ones bounced — and they are still taking out insurance premiums, but we don’t have any insurance coverage any more. We have to pay for our own prescriptions.”

via Business & Technology – newsjournalonline.com.

Municipal News

* PONTIAC –The Pontiac School District is laying off all its employees effective June 30 and will call them back as needed next school year, under a proposal by the superintendent.

In a letter Interim Superintendent Linda Paramore sent to employees, workers will be recalled based on seniority, certification and qualifications. Human Resources and the curriculum department will initiate the recall process with assistance of the president of the Pontiac Education Association .

via Pontiac School District to lay off all employees, recall them as needed | detnews.com | The Detroit News.

* Woonsocket, Rhode Island took another step toward compromising the safety of citizens and firefighters when the city delivered 11 layoff notices to the local.

US and some Canada News

stanford-financial* About 1,000 workers in Stanford Financial Group’s U.S. offices — 85 percent of the company’s U.S. employees — lost their jobs Friday.

The court-appointed receiver in control of the company’s assets, Dallas lawyer Ralph Janvey, issued a statement saying he had concluded that keeping them on the job wasn’t in the interest of preserving whatever money is left because there are “insufficient resources” to keep paying the workers.

via 1,000 of Stanford Financial’s U.S. workers get the ax | Business | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle.

stanford-financial1* HOUSTON (AP) — About 1,000 people working around the nation for the troubled Stanford Financial Group founded by Texas billionaire R. Allen Stanford were laid off Friday by order of the court-appointed receiver in the investment firm’s case.

via The Associated Press: Employees of troubled investment firm laid off.

freightliner* Freightliner announced plans today for another hefty layoff of employees at its truck manufacturing plant in Cleveland.

The company said it would lay off 420 workers effective May 8, cutting dramatically into the remaining first-shift workforce. Union officials and employees received notification today.

An additional 80 employees at Freightliner’s Gastonia Components and Logistics Plant also will be displaced May 8.

via SalisburyPost.com – Breaking – Freightliner confirms more layoffs in Cleveland .

spr1* A Sprint Nextel Corp. representative told KMBC that the layoffs are part of the 8,000 job cuts announced on Jan. 26.

* Blood substitute developer Northfield Laboratories Inc. has cut 13 jobs and will close its corporate headquarters in Evanston as the biotech firm tries to conserve cash.

via Northfield Laboratories cuts 13 jobs, to close headquarters — chicagotribune.com.

mitsubishi* The closing, which eliminated about 30 jobs, comes as Mitsubishi is consolidating its design work at its corporate headquarters in Tokyo. A Mitsubishi design center in Germany will remain open, but with a greatly reduced staff.

via Mitsubishi Motors shuts vehicle design center in Cypress – Los Angeles Times.

* LOS ANGELES, March 5 (Reuters) – Mall department store Dillard’s Inc (DDS.N) posted a surprising loss after charges on Thursday, and said it has identified five underperforming stores to close this year.

via UPDATE 1-Dillard’s posts surprise loss, to close 5 stores | Markets | Markets News | Reuters .

* The retailer said it would now close a total of 163 stores by the end of fiscal 2010. Previously, it said it would close 117 stores.

via AnnTaylor expands store closure program – Forbes.com.

cadmus-communications* EASTON, Md. — Cadmus Communications Corp., is closing its Easton plant next month after 60 years in the town.

Mayor Bob Willey says a letter to town officials received Tuesday did not explain why the plant, which employs about 200 people, would close on April 25.

via Cadmus to close plant in Maryland next month | Richmond Times-Dispatch.

* Five other full-time employees and one part-time employee at the company’s four St. Louis stations also lost their jobs as Emmis cut its work force by 7.5 percent.

via 03/07/2009 – Mark Klose, 7 others lose jobs at 4 St. Louis radio stations – STLtoday.com .

schneider-electric* Schneider Electric announced today that it is laying off 67 hourly employees at the Square D manufacturing facility on Route B.

via Local plant to lay off 67 employees | The Columbia Daily Tribune – Columbia, MO.

* Carlisle Power Transmission Products Inc. announced in a news release today that it will lay off 56 employees at the Springfield plant, effective Wednesday.

via 56 laid off at Carlisle Transmission | News-Leader.com | Springfield News-Leader.

* Atlanta-based King & Spalding has just announced that it is laying off a total of 122 people: 37 associates and counsel and 85 staff.

via King & Spalding Cuts 37 Lawyers, 85 Staff | ABA Journal – Law News Now.

* ASHTABULA — RTS Cos., which Thursday received a tax abatement for a $1.3 million expansion at its Austinburg facility, recently reduced its workforce by a dozen workers.

via The Star Beacon; Ashtabula, Ohio – Abated company recently laid off workers.

* SOUTH BURLINGTON — Lane Press, the printer for Vermont Life and the University of Vermont’s alumni magazine, announced Friday it laid off 29 employees earlier this week.

via Lane Press lays off 29 workers | burlingtonfreepress.com | The Burlington Free Press.

* American Showa has laid off 264 full-time workers since December, including 37 in the past week.

via American Showa lays off 37.

* Facing declining endowments and donations, the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland laid off 25 people Thursday and announced plans to trim $600,000 from its operating expenses.

via Jewish Community Federation lays off 25, faces nearly $3 million shortfall – Metro – cleveland.com.

* The ripple effect from the slowdown in the automotive industry is being felt in Mount Airy, where 14 employees were laid off Friday by United Plastics Corp.

via Mount Airy News – Another local company lays off workers.

* Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld laid off 47 associates and 57 paralegals and staff today, a source within the firm has confirmed.

via The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times : Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld to Cut 47 Associates, 57 Staff.

smurfit-stone* Smurfit-Stone Container Corp., a packaging product company in New Hartford, has laid off 22 people – 18 hourly employees and four salaried workers, a company spokesman said Friday.

via Smurfit-Stone lays off 22 – Utica, NY – The Observer-Dispatch.

duncan-aviation* For the first time in company history, Duncan Aviation will be laying off employees, with some cuts likely coming at its Battle Creek plant.

This week, local employees at Duncan Aviation received notification the company would soon implement a “work force reduction plan.” Employees were not informed who would be affected, only that reductions would soon be announced.

Duncan is Battle Creek’s 12th-largest employer, with approximately 600 employees at its facility at 15745 S. Airport Road.

via Duncan facing job cuts | battlecreekenquirer.com | The Enquirer.

cat* Caterpillar, which has manufacturing plants in Fargo and West Fargo, is cutting costs through temporary factory shutdowns, voluntary and involuntary layoffs and temporary layoffs.

The company will not provide location-specific information, but the actions affect Caterpillar operations in every region of the world, including North Dakota, Jim Dugan, Caterpillar’s chief corporate spokesman, said in an e-mail.

via Local Caterpillar plants could face shutdowns, layoffs | INFORUM | Fargo, ND .

* ITW-CIP of Waterbury, formerly known as Anchor Stampings, will close in July due to the ongoing downturn in the automobile industry, the company’s manager said Friday.

The company’s parent, Illinois Tool Works Inc. of Glenview, Ill., announced the closing to ITW-CIP’s 40 employees Thursday at the company’s plant at 130 Huntingdon Ave., said Anthony Pascariello, the plant manager.

via ITW-CIP in Waterbury to close by July, 40 losing their jobs The Republican-American .

International News

opel1* BERLIN (AFP) — Troubled German carmaker Opel is threatening to close three of its plants in Europe and sack 11,000 people, one fifth of its workforce, as it seeks billions of euros in state aid, reports said Saturday.

opel2* The German weekly Der Spiegel reports that car manufacturer Opel is planning to close three factories at a cost of 11,000 jobs. The factories are said to be the Bochum and Eisenach plants in Germany and the Antwerp plant in Belgium. The closures would save nearly 950 million in personnel costs.

* Archant Norfolk, which publishes the Eastern Daily Press and Evening News amongst others, has announced 54 editorial redundancies as part of ongoing plans to integrate news operations at the division.

via Editorial redundancies at Archant Norfolk: 54 go from 179 | Journalism.co.uk Editors’ Blog.

* LONDON: Administrators for Principles Retail Ltd. said Saturday they had been unable to find a buyer for the British womenswear chain, putting as many as 2,300 jobs at risk.

via Fashion retailer Principles to close 66 stores – International Herald Tribune.

* The AA has confirmed that 25 jobs will be made redundant from its publishing business, 12% of its staff.

via AA cuts 25 publishing jobs | theBookseller.com.

* A 60-year-old piece of Merthyr’s proud industrial heritage will close for good this week.

Workers at the town’s iconic Hoover factory were told on Friday they were out of a job.

The company said their 90-day consultation period had ended and manufacture in Merthyr will cease on March 14.

via WalesOnline – News – Wales News – End of Hoover in Merthyr likened to the mines closing.

Hiring News

Mike: I was asked if I would post the following information regarding positions that need to be filled quickly. I’m still looking to see how to post the Word documents, but if you want further information now, contact Mr. Walia at bkwalia@emergentindia.in . Take a look and best of luck :

As of now, I will not be able to disclose the name of the company because of confidentiality agreement signed with the company, until the Resume of desired applicants are short listed by the company for further round of assessment.

We are looking for the following profiles, given as under:

  1. Asst General Manager (exterior & interior Design) / Min 12yrs exp / Exp in styling design of Automotive Exterior & Interior from creating concepts, CAD & Clay Modelling etc

  2. Safety Engineer / Min 8yrs exp / Exp in Automotive Component & Crash Safety related testing & development, Compliance to regulatory req, Dummy Calibration, Crash Instrumentation etc

  3. Clay Modeler / Min 15yrs exp / Should have aesthetic sense like sculptor with engineering logic, strong exp in Clay Modeling & managing activities related to Clay Models

JDs for the said positions are attached with the mail, for your kind perusal. Here, I would like to clarify, that we do not charge any service fees/ registration fees/ any other fees from candidates, whether successful or unsuccessful.

You can write to me at bkwalia@emergentindia.in

These openings are very critical, hence if anyone is interested would suggest an early revert.

Regards

B.K. Walia

Managing Partner

EMERGENT INDIA

* That is why this business is doing so well. They are looking to hire about 200 more employees by the end of this year. That doubles the amount they have now. “We have a very, very, very good workforce and now is the time to find good people,” said Brenan. Diamond Wire Technology operates 24/7 and it takes at least 1 person to operate 6 of the machines. When there are 78 machines, they estimate 50 people will be needed per shift, with 5 shifts per day.

via KRDO.com Colorado Springs, Pueblo – Weather, News, Sports – 200 New Jobs-Good News For Pikes Peak Region.

Mike: More later in the weekend…………

Jeff Stahler - Mar 7

Jeff Stahler - Mar 7

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Mike: Hello to all.

Today’s much anticipated monthly Employment Situation number will show the extent of job losses and indicate whether the job market is improving or continues to deteriorate. The consensus is that the unemployment rate will increase from 7.6% to 7.9%. As i have mentioned on this site repeatedly, those numbers don’t adequately reflect the extent of unemployment, which is currently closer to 13% than 8%. Many so called analysts think this may be the worst number yet, but then we can expect improvements. Why those improvements are expected baffles me, but I’m no expert.

Mike: As usual, the experts are clueless:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government says the nation’s unemployment rate bolted to 8.1 percent in February, the highest since late 1983, as cost-cutting employers slashed 651,000 jobs.

AP – Job seekers join a line of hundreds of people at a job fair sponsored by Monster.com on Thursday, …

The Labor Department’s report shows America’s workers being clobbered by a relentless wave of layoffs.

The net loss of 651,000 jobs in February came after even deeper payroll reductions in the prior two months, according to revised figures. The economy lost 681,000 jobs in December and another 655,000 in January.

via Jobless rate bolts to 8.1 percent, 651K jobs lost – Yahoo! Finance.

Mike: Here again are the real unemployment numbers as opposed to the reported reported numbers. I do this on a monthly basis to remind my regular readers that unemployment is worse than reported by the government and to inform my new readers of the same. The following graph from John Williams’ Shadow Government Statistics shows REAL unemployment, or unemployment including “discouraged workers” (which were counted in the unemployment numbers prior to 1998) is over 18%! So when you hear people spout that the unemployment rate of 8.1% is still lower than the 10.8% which occurred in 1983, you will know they are misleading you.

The following graph from John Williams’ Shadow Government Statistics shows REAL unemployment near 18%:

* The SGS Alternate Unemployment Rate reflects current unemployment reporting methodology adjusted for SGS-estimated “discouraged workers” defined away during the Clinton Administration added to the existing BLS estimates of level U-6 unemployment.

via Inflation, Money Supply, GDP, Unemployment and the Dollar – Alternate Data Series:

Chart of U.S. Unemployment

Until the Clinton administration, a discouraged worker was one who was willing, able and ready to work but had given up looking because there were no jobs to be had. The Clinton administration dismissed to the non-reporting netherworld about five million discouraged workers who had been so categorized for more than a year.

The Clinton administration also reduced monthly household sampling from 60,000 to about 50,000, eliminating significant surveying in the inner cities. Despite claims of corrective statistical adjustments, reported unemployment among people of color declined sharply, and the piggybacked poverty survey showed a remarkable reversal in decades of worsening poverty trends.

via Employment and Unemployment Shadow Government Statistics- .

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


International:
Mike Luckovich - Mar 5

Mike Luckovich - Mar 5

  

    Mike: There’s a request to fill a few international auto engineering postions in the Hiring News section:

Microsoft/Google/IBM and other Rumors & News

apple4* Amazon.com’s release of a free e-book reader for the iPhone proves that Apple is simply not interested in the electronic book market, one expert said today.

“It’s a very smart move for Amazon, which first and foremost is in the business of selling books,” said Gartner Inc. analyst Van Baker. “Adding the iPhone [reader] is smart and will solidify their position as the go-to source for e-books.”

via Analyst: Apple turns its back on e-book market.

General Economic News

Employment Situation
[Report][Star]
8:30 AM ET

* March 6 (Bloomberg) — The U.S. unemployment rate surged in February to the highest level in more than 25 years and the economy lost more than 600,000 jobs for a third consecutive month, pointing to further reductions in spending.

Payrolls fell by 651,000 and revisions for the prior two months lopped off an additional 161,000 jobs, the Labor Department said today in Washington. The jobless rate surged to 8.1 percent, more than forecast and the highest since December 1983.

via Bloomberg.com: Worldwide.

* U.S. retailers slashed 39,500 jobs in February as they keep closing stores and getting rid of sales staff amid the spending slump. But the pace of cuts appears to be moderating, another sign that the worst may be behind the industry.

* This all adds up to a total of not quite 1,500 law firm jobs eliminated in a little less than a week. And, of course, the total could well be higher if so-called stealth layoffs were made by other law firms also struggling to cope with dismal economic conditions. Although the Latham layoffs properly are included in last month’s total, it appears that March mayhem is well under way.

Municipal News

* YAKIMA, Wash.- The Department of Social and Health Services is cutting more jobs as our economy worsens. Around 120 notices were sent out to DSHS employees across the region.

via KNDO/KNDU Tri-Cities, Yakima, WA | DSHS Continues Cutting Jobs and Enforcing Hiring Freeze.

* GALVESTON — Galveston public school district trustees Wednesday cut 163 positions, including 99 teachers, in the district’s second round of layoffs.

via The Galveston County Daily News.

* The Vallejo school board voted unanimously Wednesday night to issue layoff notices to 248 employees because of an anticipated $8-$11 million deficit in the 2009-2010 school budget.

via Vallejo school board approves 248 layoff notices – San Jose Mercury News.

* By the end of next week, at least 25 Livermore School District teachers will have received preliminary layoff notices in the mail. The notices aren’t an automatic pink slip. The final notification does not happen until May 15. Even then there is a slim chance some positions could be restored by the start of the 2009/10 school year.

via The Independent Newspaper.

* ANAHEIM – The Anaheim Union High School Board voted Thursday to cut 151 jobs as part of an effort to erase a looming budget deficit.

via 151 jobs cut in Anaheim Union High School District | school, district, teachers, jobs, officials – News – OCRegister.com.

* In the past 12 months, Hernando County has either eliminated or shuffled around 56 full-time employees, representing almost 7 percent of its 759-member workforce, according to county Human Resources statistics.

via 56 County Workers Cut Or Transferred.

* Earlier in the meeting, Chambers announced a total of 17 positions for layoffs; only four of those positions are currently filled.

via City of Ukiah announces pay cuts, layoffs – Ukiah Daily Journal.

* The Orlando Police Department will cut an unspecified number of jobs as part of a departmental reorganization, city officials said Thursday. OPD employees have been told that jobs will be shed as part of the reorganization, said Sgt. Barbara Jones, a police spokeswoman.

via Reorganization cuts jobs at Police Department –– OrlandoSentinel.com.

* Six employees have been laid off in Paradise Valley, the first such staff reduction for the town, prompted by a decrease in workload tied to the anemic economy.

via PV lays off 6, cites declining workload.

* APPLE VALLEY • The Apple Valley Unified School District unanimously voted to issue pink slips to 48 teachers and counselors on Thursday evening.

US and some Canada News

general-dynamics2* Local workers at Gulfstream will be taking up to a month off as part of a work reduction program, according to an announcement Thursday from General Dynamics, which owns Gulfstream. In addition, the company will lay off 1,200 workers (about half full-time employees and half contract employees) at its five locations including Savannah, Brunswick, Appleton, Wisconsin, Dallas,Texas and Long Beach, California.

via Gulfstream to furlough 1,500 workers in Savannah, may lay off others | WSAV.

komatsu-america* CANDIAC, Que. – Komatsu America Corp., a Japanese heavy equipment maker, plans to close its Canadian plant south of Montreal later this year, cutting 245 jobs.

* INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis-based Emmis Communications announced Thursday it would trim more than 100 positions from its media divisions.

via Emmis To Slash More Than 100 Jobs – Money News Story – WRTV Indianapolis.

us-bancorp* FARGO, N.D. (AP) U.S. Bancorp says it has cut 20 positions at its service center in Fargo.

via Bancorp cuts 20 jobs in Fargo | KXNet.com North Dakota News.

new-york-jets* March 5 (Bloomberg) — Some New York Jets employees have been told to take two weeks of unpaid leave later this year as the National Football League team seeks to trim expenses with the economy in recession.

via Bloomberg.com: North American.

*Among the cost-saving measures: Senior executives will voluntarily cut back salaries up to 15 percent, cash bonuses of nearly $400,000, and options earned by Ghauri and two divisional presidents were voluntarily forfeited and layoffs of up to 15 percent of he company’s almost 1,000 employees, mostly in Pakistan.

via NetSol announces cost cuts, layoffs – Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal: .

us-steel2* U.S. Steel is shutting its Lorain Tubular Steel Operations for at least two weeks, laying off about 77 employees.

via Lorain Tubular Steel Operations idled for at least two weeks; 77 laid off – Cleveland.com.

* Methodist Medical Center will save from $3 million to $4 million this year through layoffs announced Thursday.

via Methodist CEO: 60 full-time workers laid off – Peoria, IL – pjstar.com.

* Several of the towns’ larger businesses — including plastics manufacturer Nypro Inc., bookbinding and publishing company Dunn & Co., and the Perkins School — have seen layoffs this year, although not all the major employers are making cuts: Clinton Savings Bank and Weetabix, among others, have no plans to pare their workforces.

via Downturn brings layoffs to Dunn, Nypro, Perkins School – Lancaster, MA – Wicked Local Lancaster.

certainteed* TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) – Thursday, the plant manager at Certainteed confirmed to News 10 that about 60 employees will be temporally laid off. About two weeks ago, the company laid off 25 workers.

via 60 employees laid off from Certainteed.

halliburton* Employees of Halliburton Energy Services, one of the largest drilling contractors in Colorado’s Piceance Basin, were laid off Thursday, the company confirmed.

There was no word on how many Halliburton employees were let go.

via Halliburton lays off workers in Grand Junction – Denver Business Journal: .

evraz* REGINA — Evraz Inc. will lay off 75 workers at its Regina steel mill on March 21 — the first layoffs in the company’s steel division in more than 15 years — due to the downturn in oil and natural gas drilling.

via Evraz lays off 75 workers from steel mill in Regina .

* CHARLESTON, W.Va. — KS of West Virginia, an auto parts maker in Silverton, Jackson County, announced it has laid off 19 workers because of a reduction in orders.

via Charleston Daily Mail – West Virginia News and Sports – State News – Jackson County auto parts maker lays off 19 .

* It owns Renewable Environmental Solutions, a Carthage plant that turns turkey processing byproducts into fuel. It laid off almost all of the plant’s 50 workers this week.

via Plant at center of Carthage odor fight goes bankrupt | KSPR News | Local News .

* GRAND BLANC, Michigan — General Motors plans to lay off 185 employees at its Grand Blanc Weld Tool Center — one-third of its total workforce there — and there are no promises about when or whether those jobs will return.

via GM to lay off 185 employees at Grand Blanc Weld Tool Center – Flint News – The Latest News, Blogs, Photos & Videos – MLive.com .

* CITING losses stemming from the global economic downturn, the NagaWorld Hotel and Casino laid off 15 Cambodian employees on February 26, Sok Narith, the head of hotel’s 1,000-member union, told the Post Wednesday.

via The Phnom Penh Post – Naga lays off 15 staff, blames downturn.

* The companies said they met Thursday with officials of the Canadian Auto Workers Local 1067 to discuss the closing, which they expect by year end. The plant has 165 employees.

via Steel-making plant in Canada to close – Forbes.com.

* WATERTOWN, N.Y. — Nearly 250 employees of a Watertown medical products plant will all be laid off in the next 12 to 18 months after they were told the plant is closing.

via News 10 Now | 24 Hour Local News | TOP STORIES | Covidien to close Watertown facility .

pentair* Many of the jobs held by the 55 employees currently working at the Erwin plant will reportedly be transferred back to the Sanford campus.

“We believe that a vast majority of the employees will be offered the opportunity to continue their employment at Pentair in our Sanford location should they choose,” said Pete Dyke, Pentair Water-Pool’s vice president of human resources.

via Pentair Says Erwin Plant Will Close.

* Joe Goldcamp, general manager for the Ford City-based Nature’s Blend, said the company laid off 22 workers Friday between the Redbank Valley and Ford City plants.

via Courier-Express/Tri-County – Nature’s Blend plans to close plant near New Bethlehem.

* More than 120 workers at Crane Plumbing on Erie Street learned yesterday the plant will be closed by May.

via Crane plant to close – The Beacon Herald – Ontario, CA .

* In all, 550 employees at plants in North Carolina and Tennessee are losing their jobs as a result of the closing, including 232 at plants in Belmont. More than 1,200 Gaston County workers are scheduled to lose jobs this month in mass layoffs at Stowe, Freightliner plants, Parkdale Mills and Auto Truck Transport.

via Stowe Mills closes today | stowe, belmont, mills – Local Business – Gaston Gazette.

* External Affairs Director Kimberly Templeton said five of the Roanoke mu-seum’s 33 full-time employees were laid off Tuesday. One full-time worker will go on contract status.

via Roanoke’s Taubman museum cuts staff by 18 percent | GoDanRiver.

* With a financial earthquake shaking up the ranks of the world’s biotech companies, Bradmer Pharmaceuticals has opted to cut back as it loses hope in finding new operating capital. Bradmer is cutting 13 jobs–70 percent of its staff

via Bradmer cuts staff, ends trial enrollment – FierceBiotech.

d-magazine* Dallas-based D Magazine confirmed on the D Frontburner blog that the magazine will be cutting 12 staff positions, approximately 12 percent of its total work force.

via D Magazine lays off 12 – Dallas Business Journal: .

* Forest City Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: FCEA, FCEB) has informed 100 people nationwide — half of them in Northeast Ohio — that their jobs will be eliminated, spokesman Jeff Linton said.

via Crain’s Cleveland Business: Forest City Enterprises eliminating another 100 jobs .

university-of-massachusetts* AMHERST – While the University of Massachusetts is trying to answer a projected $46 million deficit without knowing what will be available in federal stimulus benefits, 60 more non-tenured faculty were notified they would not be reappointed for next academic year.

via UMass lays off 60 faculty members – MassLive.com.

* A high-powered New Haven-based law firm has laid off 14 attorneys, as the recession deals another blow to the legal industry.

via New Haven Independent: Wiggin & Dana Slashes Jobs.

* Beverly Hills based interior design and development management firm, Candy & Candy Inc., announced to its staff recently (Monday 2nd March 2009) that it would be making staff reductions across the team.

via Curbed LA: Redundancies on Rodeo Drive: Candy & Candy Lays off Beverly Hills Staffers.

* CONTINENTAL – Employees at New Millennium Building Systems in Continental will no longer have a job after May 3.

Company officials said it would be closing the Continental plant as part of a consolidation with a plant located in Butler, Ind. Plant Manager Craig Bracken said they were notified of the closing on Tuesday.

via Continental factory will shut down May 3 | continental, millennium, new – Local News – LimaOhio.com.

goodyear* Employment at the Topeka Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plant will fall by 200 to 225 employees through buyouts and layoffs.

via Goodyear to cut up to 225 | CJOnline.com.

* FedEx Corp. is transferring 68 Anchorage-based pilots to new assignments elsewhere, a further sign the world economic crisis is beginning to gnaw more deeply at the local economy.

*BRISTOL, Tenn. – Triad Packaging Inc. laid off 12 workers here Monday to offset a downturn in revenues this year, said Mike McFerrin, the company’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer.

via 12 Workers Laid Off at Triad Packaging Inc. | TriCities.

lufkin-industries* Lufkin Industries laid off 173 oil field division employees Friday, according to company officials.

via Lufkin Industries laying off some oil field employees today.

* ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) – A Minneapolis-based company, Verifications, says it has laid off 27 people at its three locations in South Dakota.

via KTIV NewsChannel 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and Sports-Verifications lays off 27 in South Dakota.

* “My understanding is that six positions were eliminated in the newsroom and there were layoffs in other parts of the operation,” said Holman.

via 24 Hours newspaper lays off staff .

* Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP laid off 30 staff members on Monday, a group of workers that did not include lawyers.

via Stinson Morrison Hecker lays off 30 non-lawyers – St. Louis Business Journal: .

arcelormittal* Player was one of about 230 ArcelorMittal’s Georgetown plant workers who will be furloughed for several weeks, between Sunday and April 6, as the company deals with the economic downturn. The temporary layoffs will be done in two shifts.

via Georgetown steel mill hopes stimulus trickles down – Business – Myrtle Beach Online.

* Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman laid off 55 lawyers and 100 staff on Thursday, finalizing a move revealed by an indiscreet partner on an Amtrak train last month.

via Law.com – 155 Lose Jobs at Pillsbury .

* Another 51 union employees will be laid off from Shelbyville’s Pilkington North America Co. plant by the end of this month, company officials told workers this week.

via More layoffs at Shelbyville auto glass plant | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star .

univision* Spanish-language radio/television giant Univision changed the format of one of its Houston radio stations Sunday and laid off 19 Houston employees as part of what the company described as a 6 percent cut in its workforce nationwide.

via Houston layoffs reported at Univision | Television | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle.

* “We have a total of 93 employees and of those, right now, we’ve got 21 laid off,” Doug Brown said Thursday. “Most of those people would be sewing machine operators and assembly people.”

via Economy forces layoffs at H. D. Brown – Brantford Expositor – Ontario, CA .

* Roswell Park Cancer Institute, bracing for a significant loss in revenue as its state funding declines, today laid off 27 employees.

via Roswell lays off 27 as state cuts funding : Latest Local News : The Buffalo News.

* BAR HARBOR — The Jackson Laboratory will cut its work force by four percent over the next two weeks, in an attempt to combat what managers are referring to as a “challenging financial situation,” lab officials announced Thursday.

via Mount Desert Islander – Jackson Lab lays off 55.

* STOCKTON – With the recession continuing to take its toll on newspaper and advertising sales, The Record announced Thursday the layoff of 12 employees from its staff of about 295.

via Recordnet.com: Record lays off 12 employees.

letourneau-technologies* LeTourneau Technologies announced Thursday afternoon that the company is laying off 118 Longview workers effective immediately.

via Local plant lays off 118 employees.

* Delta Petroleum Corp., which has significant Piceance Basin holdings, laid off several employees this week.

via Delta Petroleum reports loss, cuts employees.

* Inventory and some employees would be moved to other dealerships, but other workers will be laid off, he said. Cannon would not say how many.

via Champion Chrysler dealership closing today | Front page | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle.

* Free Press publisher Bob Cox confirmed Thursday five Free Press employees lost their jobs in the second round of layoffs at the newspaper this year.

via Winnipeg Free Press.

* SUNBURY — Ten managers have been laid off from Knight-Celotex, according to one of the terminated workers, perhaps signaling the beginning of the end for the struggling fiberboard plant.

via The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA – Ten jobs axed at Knight-Celotex, worker says.

brown-u* The University will eliminate about 60 staff positions by July, as many as half of which may require layoffs.

“At least 30 to 35” of the cuts will eliminate currently vacant positions, but the rest will be made through layoffs, said Beppie Huidekoper, executive vice president for finance and administration.

via Attrition, layoffs to cut 60 positions – Campus News.

arcelormittal1* ArcelorMittal has discharged 51 probationary employees at its Burns Harbor facility.

via 51 recently hired steelworkers get the ax at Burns Harbor plant .

deere* Deere & Co (DE.N), the world’s largest maker of farm machinery, said on Friday it would lay off 325 people from its construction and forestry divisions due to lagging demand.

via UPDATE 1-Deere & Co to lay off 325 workers this month | Markets | Markets News | Reuters .

* BALTIMORE — M&T Bank will lay off about 29 percent of employees at Provident Bankshares Corp. when the banks merge in May.

M&T Mid-Atlantic Division President Atwood Collins III told The Baltimore Sun that M&T will eliminate 521 Provident jobs and keep 1,305 positions.

via M&T Bank To Lay Off 521 From Provident – Baltimore News Story – WBAL Baltimore.

Gary Markstein - Mar 6

Gary Markstein - Mar 6

International News

wpp* Sir Martin Sorrell has set a target of 2,000 job cuts this year to help WPP, the world’s second largest advertising and marketing company, weather the brunt of the downturn.

* Freemans Grattan Holdings (FGH), the home shopping group, is to axe more than 1,000 jobs as it cuts costs to help it trade through the recession. Its chief executive, Koert Tulleners, told the fashion magazine Drapers: “We are finalising consultations now, but I can confirm we are closing a warehouse in Peterborough, our office in London and a call centre in Bradford. This will affect more than 1,000 jobs.”

via 1,000 jobs cut at Freemans Grattan – Business News, Business – The Independent.

bank-of-queensland* Australian regional lender Bank of Queensland Ltd (BOQ.AX) is to cut 150 positions, or about 10 percent of its staff, by the end of March, the bank said on Friday.

via Bank of Queensland to cut 10 percent of its staff | Industries | Financial Services & Real Estate | Reuters .

* The National Trust for Scotland, (NTS), has announced that up to 90 jobs could be cut from its workforce, almost a fifth of its full time staff.

via BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | National Trust forced to cut jobs.

* Production of some parts will be transferred to a neighboring plant, and a total of 329 of the plant’s 508 employees will be offered jobs in this and other Faurecia facilities.

Faurecia will help the remaining 179 employees find employment elsewhere.

via Faurecia To Close Auchel Plant In Northern France.

* Cost cutting will be one theme of the strategic review that National Australia Bank will present to the market next Thursday. The Herald Sun reported that hundreds of full-time equivalent roles in Australia will be axed under the revamp, including contractors and permanent staff.

via NAB and BOQ cut staff.

* Yacht makers continue to feel the economic pinch. Today it was announced that luxury yacht firm, Princess Yachts will be cutting up to 450 jobs. The cuts represent almost a fifth of the workforce.

via Princess Yachts Cuts Jobs.

rbs* RBS international told staff that 90 jobs had to go across its businesses in Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and Gibraltar.

via channelonline.tv.

* Six people have lost their jobs and 20 others face the axe at a flagship Rotorua company as a result of new technology and the recession.

via Landmark Rotorua company cuts jobs – Local News – Rotorua Daily Post.

* The Belfast Telegraph has learned that Belfast Education and Library Board’s budget could be down by as much as £7m.

And Ulster Unionist education spokesman Basil McCrea said that he understands there could be up to 40 compulsory teacher redundancies in each education board area in a bid to save cash.

via Northern Ireland teachers face compulsory redundancy – Local & National, News – Belfasttelegraph.co.uk.

* “We took out more than 60 staff in February and it’s fair to say that we will continue to reduce the headcount in the second half,” said Bannatyne.

via Robert Walters to cut more jobs | UK | Reuters .

* AN ADELAIDE optical firm laying off 95 workers a fortnight after receiving Government funding makes a mockery of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s commitment to job security, the Federal opposition says.

via Optical firm to cut 95 workers, mocks Kevin Rudd’s job security claim, say opposition | The Australian.

* Regional newspaper publisher Archant plans to cut almost a third of editorial staff from its operation in Norfolk as it introduces an integrated editorial system across its Eastern Daily Press and Norwich Evening News titles.

via Archant to cut 54 editorial jobs in Norfolk | Media | guardian.co.uk

* Toyota Boshoku Group in Thai-land, a leading manufacturer of automobile seats and other interior components, expects to lay off 126 workers as sales are likely to decrease by Bt6.84 billion this year, group chairman Shozo Ishikawa said yesterday.

via Toyota Boshoku to cut 126 jobs as sales slump – Nationmultimedia.com.

* Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners, Zaha Hadid Architects and Gehry Partners have all revealed redundancies this week.

Rogers announced plans to make 35 of his 160 staff redundant on Monday, while Frank Gehry revealed to the LA Times that he has been forced to halve the number of staff working for him over the past year.

via Rogers and Hadid to cut jobs – Building Design.

* Broking firm Tolhurst says about 30 jobs will be cut as it merges with Patersons Securities, The Herald Sun reports.

via Business Spectator – Tolhurst slices 30 jobs ahead of Paterson Securities merger.

nbfc-fullerton* New Delhi: As many as 3,000 employees at NBFC Fullerton India, a Mumbai-based credit company, have been laid off.

Hiring News

Mike: I was asked if I would post the following information regarding positions that need to be filled quickly. I’m still looking to see how to post the Word documents, but if you want further information now, contact Mr. Walia at bkwalia@emergentindia.in . Take a look and best of luck :

As of now, I will not be able to disclose the name of the company because of confidentiality agreement signed with the company, until the Resume of desired applicants are short listed by the company for further round of assessment.

We are looking for the following profiles, given as under:

  1. Asst General Manager (exterior & interior Design) / Min 12yrs exp / Exp in styling design of Automotive Exterior & Interior from creating concepts, CAD & Clay Modelling etc

  2. Safety Engineer / Min 8yrs exp / Exp in Automotive Component & Crash Safety related testing & development, Compliance to regulatory req, Dummy Calibration, Crash Instrumentation etc

  3. Clay Modeler / Min 15yrs exp / Should have aesthetic sense like sculptor with engineering logic, strong exp in Clay Modeling & managing activities related to Clay Models

JDs for the said positions are attached with the mail, for your kind perusal. Here, I would like to clarify, that we do not charge any service fees/ registration fees/ any other fees from candidates, whether successful or unsuccessful.

You can write to me at bkwalia@emergentindia.in

These openings are very critical, hence if anyone is interested would suggest an early revert.

Regards

B.K. Walia

Managing Partner

EMERGENT INDIA

* Mike: reader Kelly sent me this interesting piece: 100 CREATIVE, PAINLESS (AND EVEN THERAPEUTIC) WAYS TO DOWNSIZE YOUR LIFE AFTER A LAYOFF , which includes a number of useful tips on how to save some extra cash during those difficult days following a layoff. Take a look and save a few dollars.

Mike: If your organization has any relevant and useful information for the readers of The Layoff List and you would like to see it posted here, send me a note at Mike@layofflist.org.

* Despite the recession and almost daily layoff announcements from major companies, many employers across the country are actually hiring.

via Layoffs and Job Openings: Where The Jobs Are – Economy * US * News * Story – CNBC.com.

Mike: A busy week that ends with an increasing unemployment number. I’m ready for some good news, so let’s end the week with a smile or two……….

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more about “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Offic…“, posted with vodpod

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Mike: Today’s big economic number is Jobless Claims, which will be released at 8:30. The consensus is a reduction in claims to 650,000, which is less than last week’s number of 667,000. The experts have been wrong about the upward trend for the past six months,so don’t be surprised if they are again wrong on the low side. We will keep our fingers crossed that the number does improve. Hold tight……..
Mike: It looks like jobless claims fell for the first time in weeks, so this is good news for a change. More about the jobless claims number as the story develops:

WASHINGTON, March 5 (Reuters) – The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits fell more than expected last week, a government report showed on Thursday, but remained at high levels consistent with a severe recession.

The Labor Department said initial claims for state unemployment insurance benefits fell by 31,000 to a seasonally adjusted 639,000 in the week ended Feb. 28 from an upwardly revised 670,000 the prior week.

Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast 650,000 new claims versus a previously reported 667,000 the previous week.

The number of people staying on the benefits roll after drawing an initial week of aid eased by 14,000 to 5.11 million in the week ended Feb. 21, the latest week for which the data is available, from 5.12 million the previous week.

via New U.S. jobless claims eased last week | Markets | Markets News | Reuters .

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

     

Microsoft/Google/IBM and other Rumors & News

google* LOS ANGELES (AP) — Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music recording company, is in talks with Google Inc.’s YouTube division to create a music video venture, according to people familiar with the matter.

Instead of just receiving licensing fees or a share of ad revenue from the online video site, Universal is seeking an equity relationship on an ad-supported site focused on high-quality music videos, separate from the grainy user-generated fare common to YouTube’s main site.

via Sources:Universal, Google mull music video venture: Financial News – Yahoo! Finance.

General Economic News

Jobless Claims
[Report][djStar]
8:30 AM ET
* The number of workers filing for state unemployment benefits fell by 31,000 to a seasonally adjusted 639,000 last week, while the smoothed average of continuing claims moved higher into record territory, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The smoothed average of new claims over the past four weeks rose to 641,750, the highest since October 1982.
Factory Orders
[Report][Bullet
10:00 AM ET
* NEW YORK (AP) — A government report that factory orders have fallen for a record sixth straight month is adding to the gloom on Wall Street.

The Commerce Department says demand for manufactured goods fell by 1.9 percent in January. While this is better than the 3.5 percent drop economists expected, it marks the sixth consecutive month that orders have dropped..

via Stocks extend slide after factory orders report: Financial News – Yahoo! Finance.

* WASHINGTON (AP) — The government says the deepening recession caused worker productivity to slide by a worse-than-expected amount in the fourth quarter while wage pressures shot up at the fastest clip in two years.

The Labor Department said Thursday productivity, the amount of output per hour of work, fell at an annual rate of 0.4 percent in the October-December period. At the same time, unit labor costs were surging by 5.7 percent.

via Productivity falls while wage pressures increase: Financial News – Yahoo! Finance.

* GM says in its report that its auditors cited recurring losses from operations, stockholders’ deficit and an inability to generate enough cash to meet its obligations in raising substantial doubts about its ability to continue as a going concern.

The company said in its filing that its future depends on successfully executing the viability plan submitted to the government in February to justify the loans.

“If we fail to do so for any reason, we would not be able to continue as a going concern and could potentially be forced to seek relief through a filing under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code,” GM said in the annual report, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

via GM auditors raise doubts on automaker’s viability: Financial News – Yahoo! Finance.

Mike: With most economists being wrong about the state of the economy on the bright side for the past two years, I think that the following prognostication is also on the rosey side. I don’t know how they can predict any improvement when most of these same “experts” couldn’t even predict this current economic disaster. One year in fed-speak is more likely two years in reality-speak.

* WASHINGTON (AP) — The businesses on the front lines of the dismal economy say the recession is getting worse in almost every part of the country, and in a bleak new forecast they see no improvement until late this year at the earliest.

A Federal Reserve snapshot of business activity issued Wednesday showed widespread declines in production, from the factories of Cleveland to the high-tech firms of Texas and California, in blue-collar construction jobs and at white-collar accounting firms.

The survey, known as the Beige Book, rated the prospects for economic improvement anytime soon as “poor, with a significant pickup not expected before late 2009 or early 2010.”

via The Associated Press: Fed survey sees recovery in late ’09 at earliest.

Ben Sargent - Mar 5

Ben Sargent - Mar 5

Mike: I wonder if this gesture by Patterson has anything to do with his dismal approval ratings of 26%? At least it’s a gesture that shows the seriousness of New York’s budget situation. I don’t blame Patterson for New York’s mess, but I do blame the rather useless, big spending Democrat legislature for driving the state’s economy into the ground:

* ALBANY – Gov. David A. Paterson is docking his own pay.

With the state facing a budget deficit estimated at $14 billion and the governor under fire for proposing new taxes on everything from music downloads to health club memberships, Mr. Paterson confirmed on Thursday that he is taking a salary cut.

via Paterson Will Take a 10 Percent Pay Cut – City Room Blog – NYTimes.com.

Municipal News

* Boston police will lay off 60 people from the department, 20 civilians and 40 cadets, as of July 1, according to an internal memo from Commissioner Edward F. Davis.

* CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is revealing a few details about how it plans to cut $5 million that Mecklenburg County is withholding for budget reasons.

School officials said they plan to cut jobs at the central office level by condensing 13 positions into four, which will save the district close to $500,000. But they promise not to lay off anyone inside schools, especially teachers.

via Office Layoffs, Delayed Purchases Help CMS Cut $5M – Charlotte News Story – WSOC Charlotte.

* Superintendent Charles Gobron last night presented the Board of Selectmen with a revised fiscal 2010 budget of $16.2 million that will mean eliminating the jobs of two teachers and four aides.

via Southborough schools to cut six jobs in fiscal 2010 – Framingham, MA – The MetroWest Daily News.

* OVIEDO – Last week, six city employees lost their jobs while others let out a sigh of relief as the Oviedo City Council adopted a new budget proposal that aims to balance the city’s funds and help save the depleting reserve fund.

via Seminole Chronicle – Budget plan to cut six city jobs.

*Though the 894 job cuts include only two filled positions, state Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp said the diminished prospect of new hires means state operations will be strained. “These cuts are not painless or harmless,” Kopp said. “And there will have to be more.”

via $82 million more in cuts made to Md. budget — baltimoresun.com.

* The five-member board unanimously agreed Tuesday to cut 26 certificated employees from next year’s spending plan as well as the equivalent of 6½ full-time workers who don’t have credentials.

via Byron school district to slash more than 30 jobs – San Jose Mercury News.

* The city of Fernley says it will lay off 14 workers to try close a $455,000 budget shortfall.

US and some Canada News

northrop-grumman* Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, created by the recent merger of the aerospace giant’s business sectors in El Segundo and Redondo Beach, will cut up to 750 jobs in coming months.

via Northrop will cut up to 750 jobs in coming months – ContraCostaTimes.com.

general-dynamics* General Dynamics Corp. lowered its full-year outlook Thursday and said it would layoff 1,200 workers and rollback its business-jet production rate because of a deteriorating backlog. The Falls Church, Va., aerospace company said it now expects to deliver 73 of its large-cabin and green-aircraft in 2009, versus the 94 previously expected.

via General Dynamics cuts 2009 outlook, plans 1,200 layoffs – MarketWatch .

general-dynamics1* WASHINGTON (AP) — General Dynamics Corp. says plummeting sales of business and personal jets has forced it to cut production of the luxury planes, leading to layoffs of 1,200 workers and a reduction in company profit guidance for the year.

gm2* General Motor’s officials announced 300 lay offs. Two hundred forty people are cut permanently and 60 more have been laid off temporarily.

via 300 GM Jobs Cut In Defiance Ohio | Indiana’s NewsCenter: Fort Wayne WPTA-TV, WISE-TV, CW, and My Network | Local & Regional .

alcoa* TORONTO, March 4 (Reuters) – Aluminum producer Alcoa Inc (AA.N) plans to chop payroll costs by 15 percent at its Canadian smelting operations in Quebec, a company spokesman said on Wednesday.

Alcoa, which like the rest of the aluminum industry has been stung by a sharp drop in prices, will cut management salaries starting next month and plans to negotiate lower wages or fewer hours worked with unionized workers.

via Alcoa to cut Canada smelter payroll cost by 15 pct | Reuters .

conocophillips1* ANCHORAGE, Alaska – ConocoPhillips is eliminating 80 jobs in Alaska.

A spokesman tells the Anchorage Daily News that 40 Alaska employees will receive severance packages, and another 40 will be transferred.

via newsminer.com • ConocoPhillips eliminates 80 jobs in Alaska.

* Faced with a dramatic drop in revenues, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts took steps Wednesday to trim $1.7 million from its operating budget by eliminating 6 percent of its staff and reducing executive salaries immediately, and cutting its exhibitions and programs by as much as 20 percent next year.

via Minneapolis Institute of Arts cuts staff and budget.

* The Toronto Star, Canada’s biggest daily newspaper, has laid off almost 40 employees in its advertising department as it copes with an ad market downturn and a weak economy, union officials said on Wednesday.

via Toronto Star cutting 38 advertising jobs, union says | Markets | US Markets | Reuters .

* FORT SMITH, Ark. — Riverside Furniture will eliminate 58 more jobs from its Fort Smith and Russellville facilities. This comes after the manufacturer announced 250 layoffs — about half its work force — last November.

via Riverside Furniture To Cut 58 More Jobs – Money News Story – KHBS NW Arkansas.

spr* Sprint Nextel Corp. decided to close its network operating center in Reston, which will cause nearly 100 employees there to lose their jobs.

via Sprint to close Reston center, fire 93 – Washington Business Journal: .

* KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) – Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney plans to eliminate 35 jobs and end a residential program for teen girls at its Richard Young mental hospital.

via NTV – KHGI/KWNB/WSWS-CA – hospital cuts 35 jobs, ends program.

* Baltimore-based Vertis Communications has closed a printing plant in Belcamp in Harford County, laying off 105 workers, the advertising and marketing company said today.

via Harford printing plant closes; around 100 workers laid off — baltimoresun.com.

* In all, 25 people were let go Wednesday morning. Many say they knew the plant was in trouble when it filed for bankruptcy in January, but it didn’t make the news any easier to swallow.

via 25 workers laid-off from Northeast Biofuels; workers react – NewsChannel 9 WSYR .

*WebMediaBrands Inc.– the MediaBistro and Internet.com parent-company better known by its former name, Jupitermedia — laid off 60 employees yesterday. That’s about 25% of WebMediaBrand’s workforce.

via Alan Meckler, WebMediaBrands Inc. Fire 60 (Memo) (WEBM).

* The latest local firm to lay off personnel is Stinson Morrison Hecker, which on Monday let about 30 people go.

via Legal proceedings: Stinson lays off 30 | Dollars & Sense.

* MASON CITY, Iowa – The Holcim cement plant, one of Mason City’s oldest industries, is closing because of hard economic times.

The company, which traces its history back 100 years, says it will close at the end of August. It employs 165 people.

via Holcim cement plant closing in Mason City — chicagotribune.com.

eaton* Eaton Corp., the Cleveland-based maker of circuit breakers and fuel pumps, plans to shutter a Pennsylvania plant for one week and lay off some of the facility’s 437 workers.

via Metro – Eaton to Shutter Pennsylvania Circuit Breaker Plant for Week.

sparton-corp* Mid-Michigan takes another hit – and 200 jobs will vanish.

Sparton Corporation announced it’s closing its Jackson plant.

The shutdown will happen before July, meaning the workers at the struggling electronics company will soon be out of a job.

via WLNS TV 6 Lansing Jackson Michigan News and Weather – WLNS.COM | Jackson Company Sparton To Lay Off 206.

* About 300 work at the plant of which approximately 250 are unionized, according to the company. The union disputes these figures. Officials state the number of union employees is close to 300 while the number of non-unionized workers is closer to 75.

via novanewsnow.com > County of Queens > Bowater Brooklyn plant shutting down for another five weeks.

sierra-pacific* QUINCY – Sierra Pacific Industries is closing its small-log mill in Quincy, eliminating about 150 jobs in this Plumas County town.

via Plumas town to lose 150 jobs as mill shuts – Sacramento News – Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee.

* Cuyahoga Falls — Aluminum wheel production will screech to a stop later this year at the Accuride facility on Marc Drive.

via Fallsnewspress.com – Accuride to close facility in Falls, 130 jobs to be eliminated.

casino* A company that owns Four Nevada casinos is cutting jobs and expenses to stay afloat.

via Las Vegas Now | Job Cuts at 4 Nevada Casinos.

* Nelson Pine Industries says 60 jobs are to go from its 265-strong workforce.

via Nelson Pine Industries to cut 60 jobs | BUSINESS.

* WinAir Airlines has announced that they will be cutting some of their routes, which will ultimately result in job cuts as well.

During this process, some 14 jobs will go and Hodge noted that it all forms part of his company’s attempt to “reshape and strengthen”, as they face the effects of the global economic downturn.

via Antigua Sun.

domtar* OTTAWA, March 5 (Reuters) – Canadian forestry firm Domtar Corp (UFS.TO) (UFS.N) said on Thursday it will idle its Woodland pulp mill in Baileyville, Maine, for an indefinite period, affecting 300 employees.

via UPDATE 1-Domtar idles Woodland mill, affects 300 jobs | Markets | Markets News | Reuters .

spartech* Spartech is cutting costs by $50 million so it eliminated about 260 additional jobs across the businesses including the closure of a portion of its Donchery Sheet extrusion operation in France. That’s in addition to 440 other job cuts last year.

via Spartech cuts more jobs – St. Louis Business Journal: .

ciena-corp* Equipment firm Ciena Corp. (Nasdaq: CIEN), which has been trying to allay fears of a market slump, reported worse than expected sales and earnings today, prompting an immediate round of cost-cutting that will see 200 staff, about 9 percent of its total workforce, made redundant.

via Light Reading – Optical Networking – Ciena Cuts 200 Jobs as Sales Plummet – Telecom News Analysis.

analogic* Designer and manufacturer of high-precision health and security imaging equipment, Analogic Corp. (ALOG: News ), Thursday, reported a decline in its profit for the second quarter, despite an increase in revenue. Analogic also announced a 9% reduction of its worldwide workforce impacting about 145 employees.

via RTTNews – Latest Earnings,Upcoming Earnings, Pos Pre Announcements, Pos Pre Announcements , Positive Surprises, Negative Surprises, Hot Stocks, Stock Split Calendar, Stock Buybacks, Dividends, Negative, Positive PreAnnouncements,Surprises …. .

* ARTHUR- More job cuts are hitting a small Douglas county town. Wednesday, Progress Tank Plant, in Arthur sent people home with pink slips. About 10 people lost their jobs today. Other workers are being asked to cut their hours down to a 4 day work week.

via Job Cuts in Arthur.

borders-group1* CHICAGO, March 5 (Reuters) – Borders Group Inc (BGP.N) cut 742 positions at Borders and Waldenbooks stores on Thursday as it tries to trim management levels and reduce costs.

via UPDATE 1-Borders cuts 742 jobs at U.S. book stores | Markets | Markets News | Reuters .

* The Fort Worth Star-Telegram newspaper will be cutting 12 percent of its staff, approximately 120 positions, and reducing salaries to deal with “unprecedented revenue declines due to the economic recession,” the paper confirmed by posting a memo from Publisher Gary Wortel online.

via Star-Telegram cutting 12% of staff – Dallas Business Journal: .

* SANTA CLARITA VALLEY, CA — Carwashes here are getting hit by the economic slump, and Randy Cressall, chief operating officer of Valencia Auto Spa, said the cutbacks have had significant impact on his business, and his staff has been reduced from 55 to 38 employees, The Signal reported.

via Professional Carwashing & Detailing Online :: Brought to you by Grand View Media.

seagate* SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. — Seagate Technology says it is cutting 20 percent of its vice presidents and other top executives on top of its previously announced layoffs in an effort to cushion the blow of plunging hard-drive sales.

via Seagate to cut 20 percent of its top executives | Wire Business News | Idaho Statesman .

* Amex Assurance announced Thursday that 72 workers will be laid off. Those job cuts will be permanent.

via Amex Assurance to cut 72 jobs.

coca-cola* About 68 employees at the Coca-Cola shared service center in Brandon will lose their jobs by May 20, according to a notice filed Thursday with the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation.

via Coca-Cola initiates layoffs at Brandon facility – Tampa Bay Business Journal: .

* The Fresno Bee plans to layoff up to 26 of its 90 rank-and-file newsroom employees to cut costs if union members do not agree to a salary reduction plan, the newspaper reported this week. Meanwhile, its sister paper in Texas, the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, said it is cutting staff.

via ‘Fresno Bee’ Threatens 25% Newsroom Cutback .

kmart* All told, Kmart will let go 166 employees due to the closings, according to filings with the state of Ohio. Of those, 47 employees work at Kmart’s Madison store, 61 work at a Kmart that’s closing in Bryan and 58 are being let go due to a store closing in Perrysburg.

via Crain’s Cleveland Business: Kmart to close store in Madison, two others in Ohio .

* U.S. Cellular is planning to close 10 stores in the Midwest this year, with a location at Clark Street and Wellington Avenue in Chicago shuttering by March 16, according to an internal memo.

via U.S. Cellular targets 10 Midwest stores for closing –– chicagotribune.com.

* WELLS — RR Donnelley plans to close its printing plant here in June because of the economic downturn, putting 374 people out of work, company officials announced Wednesday.

via Printer to close; job toll is 374 | Portland Press Herald.

* Mayor Bob Willey says a letter to town officials received Tuesday did not explain why the plant, which employs about 200 people, would close on April 25.

International News

bausch-lomb1* Waterford’s largest private sector employer Bausch & Lomb is to cut 195 staff from its workforce and keep the remaining staff on short-time working until the end of April at the earliest.

* Three expatriate workers and one Bermudian were let go from the firm last week, a LOM spokesperson confirmed yesterday.

via LOM sheds four jobs as island redundancies mount.

* French automotive parts supplier Faurecia (EPED.PA) will shut its loss-making Auchel plant in Northern France by end-2010, cutting 179 jobs, it said on Thursday.

via Faurecia to close Auchel plant, 179 jobs to go | Industries | Consumer Goods & Retail | Reuters .

* Serbia’s state-owned airline JAT Airways will cut about half its workforce this year to cope with the effects of the economic downturn, its general manager told the state news agency Tanjug on Thursday.

via Serbian airline JAT to axe 850 jobs by end-2009 – Forbes.com.

* EAST Midlands Trains has announced this morning that it is to cut 162 jobs in a bid to beat the credit crunch.

via Derby station|Pride Park|job losses.

* CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets, the regional brokerage unit of Credit Agricole SA, has cut about 90 jobs as the deepening global recession curbs demand for financial services, said Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Slone.

via Bloomberg.com: Asia.

* An expected surge in salmon industry layoffs appears to be taking shape now that southern Chile’s salmon companies – after prematurely harvesting their stocks – are reportedly running out of fish to process.

Chilean-owned Cultivos Marinos this week issued pink slips to approximately 370 contracted workers in its Ancud, Chiloé processing plant. The company let another 150 seasonal workers go last week.

via The Patagonia Times – Patagonia News – CHILE: 500 MORE SALMON WORKERS SENT PACKING.

Hiring News

Mike: reader Kelly sent me this interesting piece: 100 CREATIVE, PAINLESS (AND EVEN THERAPEUTIC) WAYS TO DOWNSIZE YOUR LIFE AFTER A LAYOFF , which includes a number of useful tips on how to save some extra cash during those difficult days following a layoff. Take a look and save a few dollars.

Mike: If your organization has any relevant and useful information for the readers of The Layoff List and you would like to see it posted here, send me a note at Mike@layofflist.org.

Mike: More as the day develops.…………….

Ed Stein - Mar 5

Ed Stein - Mar 5

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