VA172's Profile

Located in: Southeast, MN

Current Status: (Offline)

Total Comments: 501

Latest Comments

• Study: Rochester's recession is over

  Profiler

  Mayo did not ship jobs overseas.  A new medical facility was built after 911 and staffed with new people.  The Arab community is a very lucrative business for Mayo.  Millions of dollars are involved here.

  03/06/2010 8:46 AM
• Study: Rochester's recession is over

  I also have to add my thoughts on those against Mayo for their layoffs.  My understanding was these were for reasons other than just to lay some off.  There were reasons some people were let go.  Mayo also does not let people go and offshore their jobs.  As far as limited pay increases and lack of OT, most companies are doing that. 

  Mayo may laid a few off for a reason, IBM just lays people off for no apparent reason except to get lower paid employees.  Not good for the companies image.  Oh, they don’t care about that anymore..... 

  03/04/2010 5:52 PM
• Study: Rochester's recession is over

  The recession will be over when companies start hiring more workers to the US work force and the unemployment rate falls.  When that happens, foreclosers will also fall.  That is when the recession will be over....

  03/04/2010 5:45 PM
• IBM reportedly laying off workers

  The article is 100% true.  Workers for years have been told to train their replacements or the severance pay would not be given to them.

  Here ia an article from KTTC

  ROCHESTER (KTTC-DT)—Computer giant IBM is engaged in a new round of job cuts at its Rochester complex Monday, an exercise said to be underway across all of its North American operations.  IBM calls the process “resource actions” and in the past has described the periodic layoffs and forced retirements as part of its global business model.

  One IBM employee in Toronto told KTTC NewsCenter that he was in shock, and had worked for Big Blue for 32 years.  He said his manager told him that the job action was “not confined to his work unit, but was North America-wide.” He estimated that 5% of the IBM employees at his location were affected.

  On a pro-union blog created by the Communications Workers of America, laid-off IBMers from work sites all over the U.S. have been reporting in with what they know—there are job actions underway not only in Rochester and Toronto, but also in Burlington, VT; Nashville, TN; Atlanta, GA; Poughkeepsie, NY; Tucson, AZ; Littleton, MA; San Jose, CA; Raleigh, NC; Boulder, CO; and Beaverton, OR.

  “We remix our skills and structure to meet the changing needs of our clients,” said Doug Shelton, an IBM spokesman based at company headquarters in Armonk , New York .  Shelton declined to provide further information about the process.

  One Rochester woman described the process to KTTC NewsCenter, saying that her husband had been threatened with termination but instead chose retirement as the best possible outcome in his own situation.  She said others in his work area had also been marked for termination, and all were near retirement age.  The notifications seemed to be occurring every three or four minutes in a methodical way.  All are unwilling to speak publicly about their situations, for fear of losing generous severance packages.

  The IBM units reportedly involved in this latest “resource action” are the Systems & Technology Group (STG), the Software Group (SWG), ISC, GTS and GBS units.  There is bitterness among some people being forced out of IBM who believe their jobs are being shifted overseas.

  “Yup - got my pink slip today too. Not that surprised - a couple others on my team got it too. I just better not have to talk to anyone in India today!” said Susan, in a posting from Oregon .

  Last year, IBM engaged in a similar round of cutbacks that affected hundreds of employees in the Rochester area.  The company refused to disclose exactly how many were impacted.

  The cuts underway now seem to have a familiar framework; last day will be March 31, and maximum severance package being offered is 26 weeks to the most senior IBMers.
  

  03/02/2010 2:23 PM
• RPU board backs increased water rates to encourage conservation

  Don’t complain about the price of water and sewer in Rochester.  Compare them to some of the smaller towns around like Byron.  It is not uncommon to have water and sewer bills over $100 a month for average users with a family of 4.

  02/24/2010 10:11 AM

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