Alliance@IBM CWA Local 1701 Presses IBM to Save Jobs and Stop Off-shoring of US Jobs

[Omaha Steve]

http://news.prnewswire.com/ViewContent.aspx?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/01-19-2009/0004956951&EDATE=

JOHNSON CITY, N.Y., Jan. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- IBM Corp. employees communities nationwide are anxiously waiting for the company to publicly announce the number of job cuts likely to take place in the United States.

"The Alliance is strongly urging IBM not to go forward with a new round of job cuts and to stop the off-shoring of U.S. workers' jobs," said Lee Conrad, national coordinator of the Alliance.

Alliance@IBM CWA Local 1701 outlined several steps IBM should take to maintain quality jobs and service and address the company's financial picture:

1. IBM must make every effort to save jobs.

2. If cost cutting is needed, IBM should suspend its stock buyback program -- the company has spent $26 billion since 2007 -- instead of terminating workers.

3. If job cuts occur, IBM must divulge the number of job cuts, where they are taking place and whether any of these affected jobs are being shifted offshore.

4. Executive positions should be eliminated in divisions where job cuts occur.

5. Pay, bonuses and perquisites for executives should be slashed.

6. Work cannot be shifted from IBM workers in the United States to offshore locations.

7. Full disclosure of why individual jobs are being eliminated is essential.

8. Before any new hires are added to the payroll, IBM must recall and rehire employees terminated in past resource actions.

"There is a growing concern among employees that IBM will accelerate the off-shoring of our jobs. To offshore U.S. jobs in the middle of an economic crisis and rising unemployment is simply unacceptable," said Tom Midgley, Alliance president. "We will work with our elected representatives to push for legislation that protects U.S. jobs and calls for the full disclosure of IBM's offshoring and outsourcing of American jobs."

To help break the secrecy of the IBM job cuts, the Alliance has a section on its web page called Job Cut Comments. Go to http://www.allianceibm.org/jobcutstatusandcomments.php for news, information and stories from IBM employees swept up in job cuts.

[2Design]

1. ibm has been doing this since the 80's to all usa workers n/t