Amazing the things you can stumble upon. Today I was reading an article in the online edition of the San Jose Mercury-News when I noticed a sidebar link for a California Layoffs Database.
The database is aggregated from advance layoff notifications given under the WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) Act. My curiosity was to see if my company was on the list (it wasn't, confirming what I thought), but I was struck by some of companies that are planning huge layoffs.
Such as: the San Francisco Chronicle, which by the numbers listed looks almost as if it is going out of business; JPMorgan Chase, which appears to be gutting every banking branch in the state; USAA, my insurer, which is planning a grand total of two layoffs in Sacramento; and retailer Gottschalks, which is actually shutting down, I believe.
The site also incorporates a search function, so you can enter your company's name and location, or you can search by either company or city.
The site provides a type of morbid satisfaction where one can say to oneself, "There but for the grace of (fill in your religion's deity) go I," or if the other shoe is falling, "Uh, oh! What do I do now?"
Showing posts with label layoffs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label layoffs. Show all posts
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Sacre Bleu! Managers Held Hostage in France?
Let's hope American labor leaders don't read international news reports.
Turns out that a new habit is taking hold in France in labor relations. To wit: When employees hear bad news, they hold their manager hostage until s/he changes the bad news. Police refuse to intervene for fear of violence.
A manager of a French sbusidiary of 3M is, as I write, being held hostage after he announced a layoff of 110 workers. Employees say they won't let him out until he makes amends. Just what amends aren't clear--whether they want no or fewer layoffs, better severance packages or what--but Luc Rousselet is barricaded in his office until he pulls out his magic wand and makes things right.
Rousselet told reporters (presumably by phone, but that's not clear in the story either) that he "knew there was this risk when I came here."
There's some recent precedent for the union and workers at the 3M factory in Pithiviers, near Orleans in the South of France. Earlier this month, employees at Sony, also in the south of France, held both the chief executive and human resources director overnight until they agreed to better pay packages for workers being let go.
Who needs the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) when a good ol' lynch mob will do?
Turns out that a new habit is taking hold in France in labor relations. To wit: When employees hear bad news, they hold their manager hostage until s/he changes the bad news. Police refuse to intervene for fear of violence.
A manager of a French sbusidiary of 3M is, as I write, being held hostage after he announced a layoff of 110 workers. Employees say they won't let him out until he makes amends. Just what amends aren't clear--whether they want no or fewer layoffs, better severance packages or what--but Luc Rousselet is barricaded in his office until he pulls out his magic wand and makes things right.
Rousselet told reporters (presumably by phone, but that's not clear in the story either) that he "knew there was this risk when I came here."
There's some recent precedent for the union and workers at the 3M factory in Pithiviers, near Orleans in the South of France. Earlier this month, employees at Sony, also in the south of France, held both the chief executive and human resources director overnight until they agreed to better pay packages for workers being let go.
Who needs the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) when a good ol' lynch mob will do?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
