I remarked a while back about IBM’s occasional, under the radar, layoff policy and that’s what seems to be happening now again, this time in Colorado it seems (not according to Cringley though… see big “job action”). Per a reuter’s report:

IBM the world’s largest technology services company, is cutting 1,315 services-related jobs in the United States, a union trying to organize IBM workers said on Tuesday.

The cuts affect employees in a variety of areas including computer server systems operations, technology integration and management and financial services, said the Alliance at IBM, a union group affiliated with the Communications Workers of America, on its Web site.

I don’t think there’s any major shift in policy or anything… just the previously announced, ongoing shift to increasingly capable and inexpesive overseas employees.

The best source I see for now about this round of IBM layoffs is:
http://www.allianceibm.org/

IBM fires 1315 Employees
and an unknown number of contractors,
across the country, May 1st, in
IBM Global Services ITD.
More Job Cuts expected!

Segments are:

  • Server Systems Operations
  • Technology Integration & Management
  • Global Infrastructure & Resource Management Americas Delivery Engagement Support
  • Security, Asset and Risk Management Americas Industrial Sector Delivery
  • Financial Services Sector Delivery
  • Distribution Sector Delivery
  • Communications Sector Delivery
  • IBM Global Account Delivery
  • Global Network Services Delivery

——————————————————————————–
Resource Action Alert!
Job Cuts are Happening.
ITD / IGS various IBM sites
IBM Employees and Contractors
Job Cuts in ITD 3/06/07
and 3/26/07 with 213 employees fired

They have a contact address requesting fired employees to call with grievance stories to help them in their push to unionize Big Blue..

Here are a couple links to news stories covering the layoffs:

Here’s a good overview. 

http://www.wral.com/business/local_tech_wire/opinion/blogpost/1374664//
"IBM typically doesn’t announce layoff news, but a spokesperson for Big Blue
told The Wall Street Journal and another New York newspaper that the reductions
should not come as a surprise. In its last quarterly earnings report, he noted
that IBM would be ‘putting in place a series of actions to address our U.S. cost
base.’"

This story is local to Boulder but is unique:

http://www.longmontfyi.com/Local-Story.asp?id=16109

In contrast to this, is an IBM story somewhat local for me: Slots, IBM create win-win situation. It talks about a new call center IBM is putting in in Indiana (lots of ins in a row there).

Something that was interesting to me, though not really relevant to anything: I heard about the IBM layoffs from my server logs. Early this afternoon (EST) someone somewhere must have gotten wind of the layoffs before they were made public and my site traffic tripled from searches for “IBM layoff” and related terms. I think that’s the first time something like that has ever happened with the site. I wish I knew more to tell folks. It’s a shame to know that people are coming here looking for information on something and are leaving unsatisfied.
(note: I’ve edited this post a few times so as to include more info as it became available)

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