Job Creation & Labor
FREE Email Newsletter
Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Tech Firms Offer Perks To Recruit, Retain Talent
April 3, 2013 4:28 pm | by AssociatedPress | Videos | CommentsMany Silicon Valley companies say extraordinary campuses are a necessity, to recruit and retain top talent. But some critics say the perks are a colossal waste of money, and only intended to encourage employees to put in too many hours.
Bills Spark Debate Over Paid Sick Time In MI
April 3, 2013 1:43 pm | by Alanna Durkin, Associated Press | News | CommentsSome Michigan Republicans are pushing to ban local governments from requiring employers to provide paid sick leave as cities in other states move to enact such mandates. Legislation recently approved by committees in the Republican-controlled House and Senate would prohibit counties, townships and cities from adopting policies that requires employers to provide paid or unpaid leave not required under federal or state law.
Turkish Company Plans TX Steel Pipe Plant
April 3, 2013 10:12 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA Turkish company has announced plans to build a $148 million steel pipe-making plant near Houston. Gov. Rick Perry says about 250 jobs are expected to be created at the facility planned for Baytown. Perry on Tuesday announced Borusan Mannesmann will receive $1.6 million from the Texas Enterprise Fund in support of the project.
Lilly To Spend $260M On Indianapolis Expansion
April 2, 2013 2:14 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsDrugmaker Eli Lilly and Co. is planning to spend about $260 million to expand insulin production and make some other capital improvements to sites in its home city. The Indianapolis company said Tuesday it aims to spend about $180 million on some new construction, the addition of another insulin cartridge-filling line to an expansion it announced last fall and the installation of some new equipment.
Essex Expects To Create 215 Jobs In Marion
March 29, 2013 2:02 pm | by CNN Money | News | CommentsEssex Holdings Inc. says it's building a new plant in rural Marion, S.C. and creating 215 jobs. The Miami-based global producer and trader of commodities announced Wednesday it's investing $54.4 million in the facility expected to open this summer. Hiring should begin in May.
Auto Workers Union Membership Up Slightly In 2012
March 29, 2013 10:15 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe United Auto Workers union says its membership rose slightly last year as the U.S. manufacturing sector continued its recovery. The UAW said Thursday it had 382,513 members in 2012. That was an increase of nearly 1,800 workers — or less than 1 percent — from the previous year.
MI Now Right-To-Work; Effects Will Be Delayed
March 29, 2013 10:12 am | by David Eggert, Mike Householder, Associated Press | News | CommentsA right-to-work law is on the books in Michigan, a mainstay of organized labor, but those considering opting out of paying union dues will have to wait months or years to do so. The law, which lets workers choose not to pay to the unions that bargain on their behalf, applies to labor contracts that are extended or renewed starting Thursday.
Q&A: On Equity (And Unions) At Nissan’s Miss. Plant
March 29, 2013 8:02 am | by Joel Hans, Managing Editor, Manufacturing.net | Articles | CommentsBack in the early aughts, global automaker Nissan invested some $2 billion in 4.2 million square-foot vehicle assembly plant in Canton, Mississippi. Since May 27, 2003, the company has been producing as many as 10 different models there, and currently employs 4,350. However, the relationship between Nissan management and plant floor employees haven’t always been smooth.
Right-To-Work Law Takes Effect In Michigan
March 28, 2013 2:08 pm | by David Eggert, Mike Householder, Associated Press | News | CommentsRepublican Gov. Rick Snyder said a right-to-work law that took effect Thursday is a milestone that will bring jobs to Michigan, while protesters promised to exact revenge at the polls for the contentious measure Snyder signed in December.
Ground Broken For ND Diesel Refinery
March 26, 2013 2:03 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsBismarck-based MDU Resources Group Inc. and Indianapolis-based Calumet Specialty Products Partners have broken ground for a diesel refinery in North Dakota. The $300 million Dakota Prairie Refinery on 318 acres west of Dickinson will process up to 20,000 barrels of oil daily.
Boeing To Lay Off 800 In Washington
March 25, 2013 2:09 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Boeing Co. is planning to lay off about 800 workers in the Puget Sound area of Washington by the end of the year. The company said Friday it will cut another 1,200 to 1,500 jobs through attrition and other means. The Daily Herald newspaper reports the job cuts will be mostly from the 747 and 787 jet programs in Everett, Wash.
Tough Laws, Reduced Ranks—What Next For Unions?
March 25, 2013 10:14 am | by Sharon Cohen, AP National Writer | News | CommentsFrom a sprawling United Auto Workers hall outside Detroit, John Zimmick has seen factories close and grown men cry when their jobs disappear. Through all the economic uncertainties of life in auto country, there has been one constant: the union.
NC, OR Daimler Trucks Plants To Lose Fewer Jobs
March 25, 2013 10:05 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsDaimler Trucks North America says it won't have to lay off 1,300 factory workers in North Carolina and Oregon as it warned in January and instead will cut about 600 jobs. Portland, Ore.-based Daimler Trucks says its Portland factory that builds Western Star trucks has cut its workforce by about 230 employees.
Coca-Cola To Cut 750 Jobs In U.S.
March 22, 2013 5:10 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsCoca-Cola says it's cutting 750 jobs in the U.S. as it continues to streamline its business. The world's biggest beverage maker says the jobs cuts will be across the board and that affected individuals will be notified in coming weeks. The cuts represent roughly 1 percent of the company's workforce of 75,000 in North America.
Opel Employees Reject Redevelopment Plan
March 22, 2013 10:09 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsEmployees at General Motor Co.'s Opel troubled German plant in Bochum have rejected a redevelopment plan, which means production there could end by late 2014. German news agency dpa said Thursday that a majority of the Bochum plant's workers rejected a redevelopment plan that would have left only 1,200 jobs there after the year 2016.
Poll: Low-Wage Workers, Bosses At Odds On Training
March 22, 2013 10:04 am | by Jennifer Agiesta, Sam Hananel, Associated Press | News | CommentsAs they struggle to get ahead, many low-wage workers are not taking advantage of job training or educational programs that could help them make the leap to better-paying jobs. They are often skeptical about whether such programs are even worth the trouble, a new survey shows.
Metal Processing Plant To Locate In Fort Smith
March 22, 2013 10:02 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA Georgia-based manufacturer says it will invest $12 million in a metal processing plant at Chaffee Crossing in Fort Smith. The Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority approved a plan Thursday to donate 11 acres of land for the new plant to be built by Phoenix Metals Co.
U.S. Mining, Energy Sectors Face Workforce Shortage
March 21, 2013 1:52 pm | by Vicki Smith, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe United States isn't producing enough qualified workers to meet the future needs of the mining and energy sectors, from coal digging and gas drilling to solar and wind power, a new report says. The report released Thursday by the National Research Council urges new partnerships to tackle the problem of retiring Baby Boomers who cannot readily be replaced.
Fed Sees High Unemployment Into 2015
March 21, 2013 11:48 am | by The Associated Press | Videos | CommentsFederal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke stayed cautious in his economic projections for 2013, though he showed a little optimism due to lower unemployment claims. Bernanke says unemployment will remain high into 2015, suggesting the Fed will keep short-term interest rates near record lows at least until then.
Ford Will Pay $750M To Close Belgian Plant
March 20, 2013 10:11 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsFord Motor Co. will pay $750 million in separation benefits to hourly workers at a Belgian factory it plans to close next year. Ford revealed the cost in a government filing Tuesday. Ford employs 4,000 hourly workers at the Genk plant. Most approved the separation plan last week.
Survey: Low-Wage Workers Gloomy About Future
March 20, 2013 10:09 am | by Jennifer Agiesta, Tom Raum, Associated Press | News | CommentsAmerica's lower-income workers have posted the biggest job gains since the deep 2007-09 recession — but few are bragging. As a workforce sector, those earning $35,000 or less annually are generally pessimistic about their finances and career prospects.
Ericsson, STMicroelectronics To Cut 1,600 Jobs
March 19, 2013 1:55 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsSwedish wireless equipment maker Ericsson and Switzerland's STMicroelectronics say they will lay off up to 1,600 workers globally as part of a plan for splitting up their unprofitable joint venture. STMicroelectronics, one of Europe's largest chipmakers, announced in December that it wanted out of ST-Ericsson as it struggled with a downturn in global demand.
Lego Plans First China Factory As Asian Sales Leap
March 19, 2013 9:39 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsLego is building its first factory in China as part of a plan to move production closer to Asia, its fastest growing market. The Danish maker of colorful plastic building blocks for children said it's investing at least 100 million euros ($130 million) in the new plant. Construction will start in 2014 and it will be fully operational by 2017.
Defense Contractor In PA Fights For Its Survival
March 19, 2013 9:37 am | by Lauren Boyer, York Daily Record/Sunday News | News | CommentsA manufacturer that once worked around the clock — trying not to wake its rural neighbors with evening test track runs — barely has enough work to sustain a second shift. And things are about to get worse. "When I said some areas are dark," Alice Conner said, "I meant it."
Boeing Tech Workers Taking Re-Vote On Contract
March 18, 2013 4:25 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe union for 7,400 Boeing technical workers counts ballots Monday night in the re-vote on a contract that would replace pensions with a 401(k) retirement plan. The technical unit split with engineers represented by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace in the Feb. 19 vote. The 15,500 engineers approved a new four-year contract.
