Job Creation & Labor
FREE Email Newsletter
Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
New IN Aluminum Factory To Add Jobs
March 18, 2013 4:25 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsOfficials say a new aluminum components factory in Lafayette plans to add dozens of workers this year as it ramps up production. Work on the Chinese-owned Nanshan America Co. plant began a couple years ago and now has about 80 workers. The Journal & Courier reports that company executive David Kummer says the plant will be operating at 50 percent of its manufacturing capacity by the end of this year.
Business, Labor Still At Odds On Temporary Workers
March 18, 2013 4:25 pm | by Erica Werner, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Chamber of Commerce's lead immigration negotiator said he's hoping for a deal soon with the AFL-CIO on a new temporary worker program, but the sides are still apart on important details. The issue has emerged as perhaps the toughest obstacle to completion of comprehensive immigration legislation on Capitol Hill.
Can 10 Million People Be Wrong?
March 18, 2013 9:00 am | by Mark Schmit, Manager, Strategic Partnerships, SelectUSA | Blogs | CommentsLast month Hasbro missed a golden opportunity to immortalize the importance of our country’s manufacturing sector, especially with the renaissance the sector is currently experiencing. Hasbro ran a poll to elect a new game icon to be included in all new editions of the game Monopoly, an All-American game if there ever was one.
France Mulls Law To Let Strikers Ransack Offices
March 15, 2013 2:03 pm | by Sarah DiLorenzo, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsWith its long vacations, short hours and myriad workers' rights, France has a reputation for being a hard place to do business. Now add this to the mix: A law working its way through parliament would grant amnesty to workers who have ransacked their company's offices or threatened their bosses during a labor dispute.
Detroit Emergency Manager Warns Against Bankruptcy
March 15, 2013 10:20 am | by Corey Williams, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe turnaround expert who represented Chrysler during its successful restructuring is taking on one of the toughest fiscal tasks anywhere in the country: Fixing Detroit. Kevyn Orr, hired Thursday as Detroit's emergency manager, brings expertise from his work at one of the world's largest law firms plus the threat of Chapter 9 bankruptcy, which he says favors cities like Detroit when it comes to erasing debt.
Bridgestone Workers Protest Italy Plant Closure
March 15, 2013 10:15 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsAbout 250 employees of a Bridgestone group company demonstrated Thursday in front of the Italian Ministry of Economic Development against the planned closure of the company's factory in Bari, southern Italy. The employees called for continued operation of the passenger car tire-making factory, which Bridgestone Corp. said will close in the first half of 2014.
Workers Protest For EU Leaders To End Austerity
March 14, 2013 1:47 pm | by Raf Casert, Associated Press | News | CommentsThousands of workers protested in Brussels on Thursday to demand that EU leaders gathering for a summit bring an end to austerity measures and instead focus on boosting growth and reducing unemployment. The demonstration vented frustration over years of austerity imposed by EU leaders that unions and many economists say is worsening the recession and driving ever more people into unemployment and poverty.
Small Businesses Find Ways To Beat Skills Shortage
March 14, 2013 1:44 pm | by Joyce M. Rosenberg, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsThere are three jobs open at Rodon Group, a plastic parts manufacturer near Philadelphia. But despite the reports of a shortage of skilled workers nationwide, CEO Michael Araten isn't sweating it. Rodon, located in Hatfield, Pa., works with local community colleges to make sure prospective employees get the skills they need to work at the company.
The Training Manufacturers Really Need
March 13, 2013 4:41 pm | by Mike Collins, Author, Saving American Manufacturing | Blogs | CommentsA recent study authored by Deloitte LLP and the Manufacturing Institute says that “for years, manufacturers have reported a significant gap between the talent they need and what they can actually find.” In fact “67 percent of manufacturers reported that moderate to severe shortages of available, qualified workers exist.
Renault, Unions Reach Deal To Cut Jobs, Costs
March 13, 2013 2:13 pm | by Sarah DiLorenzo, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsFrench carmaker Renault SA reached a potentially groundbreaking deal with leading unions Wednesday that allows it to reduce its workforce and cut costs in exchange for keeping jobs and production in France. Renault and other European carmakers have been struggling to stay competitive globally as Europe's car market flails.
U.S. CEOs Optimistic About Economy, Wary Of Hiring
March 13, 2013 2:09 pm | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsChief executives at the largest U.S. companies are much more optimistic about their sales prospects than they were three months ago, though many remain cautious about hiring. The Business Roundtable said Wednesday that 72 percent of its members expect sales will increase in the next six months.
GM Breaks Ground On Additions To KCK Plant
March 13, 2013 10:21 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsGeneral Motors has begun building a new paint shop at its Fairfax assembly plant in Kansas City, Kan. The automaker says in a release that construction began Tuesday on the 450,000-square-foot paint shop, which is part of a $600 million investment in the plant.
Plane Firm Cuts 180 Jobs In Missouri
March 13, 2013 10:20 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsJob cuts at an airplane overhaul and maintenance plant in southeast Missouri are being blamed on federal budget cuts and reduced military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Southeast Missourian reports that Sabreliner Corp. has laid off nearly 180 workers at its Perryville facility since Nov. 28, and the most recent cuts are tied to the federal sequester.
Suntech Power To Close Arizona Factory
March 12, 2013 1:58 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsChinese solar panel maker Suntech Power Holdings Co. is closing its factory in Goodyear, Ariz., in part because of higher production costs. The broader solar industry has struggled in recent years due to a steep price drop for solar panels. Global demand for panels has languished in Europe and elsewhere, even as manufacturing capacity soared.
First Workers Move Into New CAT Plant
March 12, 2013 10:25 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe first group of Caterpillar workers is moving in to office space at the company's new Georgia plant. The Athens Banner-Herald reports that the 850,000-square-foot facility is now home to 50 workers. They moved in to the new space less than a year after the official groundbreaking for the plant in Bogart, just west of Athens.
Analyst: Drop In Unemployment Good For Automakers
March 8, 2013 2:22 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA Sterne Agee analyst said auto sales have been strongly tied to the unemployment rate for years, and that makes February's drop in the jobless rate to 7.7 percent good news for automakers. Michael Ward said the unemployment rate has been an indicator of vehicle demand for the past 30 years, and the trend continues to hold up now.
Small Businesses Feel Sequester Pinch
March 8, 2013 1:45 pm | by CBS News | Videos | CommentsThe automatic sequester budget cuts are expected to slash $43 billion in defense spending over the next seven months - 8 percent of the Pentagon's budget. And, as CBS News' Ben Tracy reports, that will impact thousands of small businesses that work in the defense industry.
Italy Protests Bridgestone Tire Plant Closure
March 8, 2013 10:15 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsItaly's labor minister is criticizing a decision by the Bridgestone tire company to close a plant in southern Italy as "serious and without reason." Corrado Passera protested in a letter to the Japanese company, released by the labor ministry Thursday, that the company had failed to work with authorities to find another solution.
Google Cutting 1,200 More Motorola Jobs
March 8, 2013 10:13 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsGoogle is cutting an additional 1,200 jobs in its Motorola division as the unprofitable cellphone maker struggles to compete. Last year, Google Inc. announced 4,000 Motorola job cuts. The latest reductions are in addition to those and will be in countries including the U.S., China and India.
Weekly Unemployment Claims Fall To 340,000
March 7, 2013 12:27 pm | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsThe Labor Department says applications fell 7,000 in the week ended March 2. That's near five-year lows reached in January. And the four-week average, a less volatile measure, dropped 7,000 to 348,750. That's the lowest since March 2008, just a few months into the Great Recession.
Preparing A Workforce For Advanced Manufacturing
March 4, 2013 2:43 pm | by Science Nation | Videos | CommentsThe Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Program at the National Science Foundation (NSF) focuses on the education of technicians for high technology fields. ATE supports rigorous educational programs that incorporate industry recognized skills and competencies to prepare a qualified technical workforce for industries that are vitally important to the nation's prosperity and security.
Tyson To Close Springdale Plant, Move Workers
March 4, 2013 10:16 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsTyson Foods has announced plans to close its small processing plant in Springdale. The company announced this week that "changing demand for certain specialty products" led to the decision to shut down the plant. The company says the plant's about 60 hourly workers will be offered jobs at other company locations in Springdale and northwest Arkansas.
GM's Opel, Employees Seal Deal On German Plant
March 1, 2013 10:22 am | by Geir Moulson, Associated Press | News | CommentsGeneral Motors Co.'s Opel unit reached a deal with its employee council on Thursday to keep car production going at a troubled German plant until the end of 2016, after which it hopes to keep the site open as a components factory. The announcement followed long-running and sometimes rancorous negotiations on a turnaround plan for GM's struggling European unit.
Boeing Cuts Back On Contract Workers At SC Plant
March 1, 2013 10:20 am | by Bruce Smith, Associated Press | News | CommentsBoeing is trimming the number of temporary contract workers employed at its South Carolina assembly plant. The company says the reductions have been planned for some time and have nothing to do with battery problems in its 787 jetliners. Spokeswoman Candy Eslinger says the North Charleston plant employs more than 6,100 workers including regular employees and contract workers.
Chrysler To Invest $374M In The U.S.
February 28, 2013 2:16 pm | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsChrysler said it will invest nearly $400M and create 1,250 new jobs at transmission and metal casting factories in the Kokomo, Indiana, area. CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed that Chrysler will spend $162M and add 850 new jobs at a former Getrag Transmission plant in nearby Tipton. The company will spend another $212M for equipment and tooling at three other factoring, creating 400 new jobs.
