IBM cuts hundreds of jobs, sliver of 400K workers

[OhioChick]

Source: Economic Times India

2 Mar 2010, 0611 hrs IST, AGENCIES

SAN FRANCISCO: IBM Corp. has cut hundreds of jobs across a number of divisions. The cuts Monday represent a sliver of the technology company's nearly 400,000 workers worldwide.

IBM wouldn't comment. Documents submitted by laid-off workers to the Alliance(at)IBM, a labor union at IBM, indicate that at least 856 jobs were cut. It's not known where the positions were located.

IBM, which is based in Armonk, New York, generally doesn't release details of its job cuts. The company's overall head count has grown over the last few years despite ongoing job cuts.


Read more: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international-business/IBM-cuts-hundreds-of-jobs-sliver-of-400K-workers/articleshow/5631708.cms

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Hmmm....wonder what country the job cuts came from?

[ChromeFoundry]

1. I'll bet they were not cut...

from India and China.

[Skittles]

2. they were probably cut TO send to cheap fucks in India and China

[OutNow]

3. 1518 fired so far today in USA and Canada

Over 1500 IBMers fired today in USA and Canada. This is just the next step for IBM to "reduce costs" by sending all work to India and China and sending its former US employees to the unemployment line.

But wait, that's not all. After getting major tax breaks to build a support center in Iowa, current employees were told they had a job waiting for them in Iowa IF they paid for the move themselves and IF they were willing to take a pay cut.

Much more info available at the union's web site
http://www.endicottalliance.org/

Yes, I am proud member of the Alliance@IBM CWA Local 1701.

[OhioChick]

4. "reduce costs" by sending all work to India and China"

That's a damn shame.

Yet....
IBM CEO begs Obama for bailout

The world's biggest IT services firm fed the New York Times a copy of a speech CEO Sam Palmisano was scheduled to make today in front of the Council of Foreign Relations in New York City. Sam's proposal is blatant: "A technology-fueled economic recovery plan that calls for public and private investment in more efficient systems for utility grids, traffic management, food distribution, water conservation and health care." Also, free Zipcars for gossip bloggers.

http://gawker.com/5078804/ibm-ceo-begs-obama-for-bailout

Sam should go begging for $$$$ in China and India.

[Blue_Tires]

5. bailout?? for decades wasn't IBM the icon of

fiscally conservative, patient, safe, sound, long-term financial strategy??

or am I wrong and it was all an front?? I haven't even seen IBM in the news much since the dot-commer glory days...

[CatholicEdHead]

7. Their focus changed

from a hardware and software services provider to just a services provider and much of that can be done offshore.

[CatholicEdHead]

6. Some are going to Argentina and they are doing it by phone

There is an IBM plant in Rochester MN.

http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=7&a=441284

One Rochester IBM worker who wishes to remain anonymous said he was notified of being laid off -- his fourth layoff from IBM -- with a phone call.

IBM offered him one week of pay for each six months of service. The maximum is 26 weeks of severance pay.
....
"We're hearing many people are being asked to train their replacements in Argentina or India," said Conrad. "That's what this is all about. IBM is abandoning its U.S. employees."

At least one Rochester worker being laid off reportedly was told to train a replacement who is in Argentina.

[2Design]

8. Union site - interesting how it is documented for years about ibm

cutting systematically and rehire new - they did this in the 80's and 90s and those are now the people being let go - those people then said - oh those who were losing their jobs were overpaid or old or skills were old - tune is the same and the pain is the same

[2Design]

9. link to union reporting

http://www.endicottalliance.org/jobcutsreports.php

[OhioChick]

10. IBM layoffs blamed on offshoring (up to 2,000)

As many as 2,000 workers may be hit in latest round of cuts

March 2, 2010 01:36 PM ET

Computerworld - After shrinking its U.S. workforce by as many as 10,000 employees last year, IBM this week may be on its way to cutting another 2,000 workers.

IBM isn't commenting on its latest round of cuts and information about it comes from the Alliance@IBM/CWA Local 1701, which gathers its data directly from IBM employees. The Alliance, which has blamed offshoring for many of the layoffs, has been trying to win bargaining rights for employees.

"IBM is clearly offshoring things where they can," said one IBM employee who received his notice yesterday and spoke on the condition of anonymity because he didn't want to jeopardize his severance. A 10-year veteran and UNIX administrator, this employee said his customer support team once had 15 U.S.-based workers. That staff was reduced over time to just three workers in the U.S., with other members of the customer support team now in Brazil, Argentina and India.

The employee said he was not given a good reason for his layoff. "Higher ups made a decision that a certain percentage had to be cut - it was not performance-based at all," he said. Although the employee said he's uncertain about the job market, "my sense is that it is not horrendous I'll have to assume that I'll have to take a cut in pay."

More: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9164379/IBM_layoffs_blamed_on_offshoring