Job Creation & Labor

Manufacturing: The Solution To The Jobs Crisis

January 28, 2013 1:02 pm | by CNN Money | Videos | Comments

Dow Chemical CEO and chairman Andrew Liveris says advanced manufacturing is coming back to America and will drive our economy. Liveris argues that technology became the new word for manufacturing since technology has to be researched and made.

French Autoworkers Disrupt Peugeot Citroen Plant

January 28, 2013 10:13 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

A few hundred French striking autoworkers are disrupting production at a key Peugeot Citroen plant north of Paris, protesting layoffs linked to its pending closure. France's largest automaker, struggling to compete in Europe's stagnant car market, is cutting 8,000 jobs and closing the Aulnay-sous-Bois factory.

MI OKs Grants For $1B In Business Expansions

January 25, 2013 12:14 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

State officials say they have approved incentives for 14 business expansions that could generate more than $1 billion in investments and about 4,600 jobs in Michigan. Gov. Rick Snyder announced Wednesday the Michigan Strategic Fund approved the performance-based grants for projects across the Lower Peninsula.

Scuffles Outside PM's Office After Steel Layoffs

January 25, 2013 10:06 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Some 250 steel workers from Liege's ArcelorMittal plant have scuffled with police outside the prime minister's office, a day after the leading steel and mining company announced it would close seven facilities in eastern Belgium. The workers pitched stones at police, who retaliated by using the water cannon in freezing temperatures.

Manufacturers Cutting White-Collar Jobs Now, Too

January 24, 2013 2:21 pm | by Bernard Condon, Paul Wiseman, AP Business Writers | News | Comments

Manufacturers have been using technology to cut blue-collar jobs for years. Now, they're targeting their white-collar workers, too. Factory Automation Systems makes machines that help companies cut, bundle and load products faster and cheaper than humans can. But it didn't realize how much technology could help its own business until the Great Recession hit.

Is Technology A Job Killer?

January 23, 2013 2:17 pm | by Bernard Condon, AP Business Writer | News | Comments

To workers being pushed out of jobs by today's technology, history has a message: You're not the first. From textile machines to the horseless carriage to email, technology has upended industries and wiped out jobs for centuries. It also has created millions of jobs, though usually not for the people who lost them.

Unions See Sharp Decline In Membership

January 23, 2013 2:14 pm | by Sam Hananel, Associated Press | News | Comments

The nation's labor unions suffered sharp declines in membership last year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday, led by losses in the public sector as cash-strapped state and local governments laid off workers and — in some cases — limited collective bargaining rights.

Umicore OK Plant To Lay Off A Quarter Of Workforce

January 23, 2013 2:07 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

A northeastern Oklahoma plant has announced plans to lay off nearly a quarter of its workforce. Umicore Optical Materials USA said Tuesday that it will lay off 34 of its 137 workers at its plant in Quapaw. Umicore's Timothy Douglas tells the Miami News-Record that all affected employees were offered severance packages and job-seeking assistants.

Italy Steel Exec Arrested In UK Over ILVA Plant

January 23, 2013 10:26 am | by Nicole Winfield, Associated Press | News | Comments

An Italian steel executive turned himself into British authorities on Tuesday after being placed under investigation in Italy over environmental and health problems at Europe's largest steel mill — a case that has become a major headache for the government given the 20,000 jobs at risk if the plant closes.

Union: Rolls-Royce To Close UK Plant

January 22, 2013 2:05 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Britain's largest trade union, Unite, says that Rolls-Royce is planning to close one of its U.K. defense operations, resulting in the loss of some 400 jobs. The union said staff at the firm was informed of the company's plans to shut the plant at Ansty, near Coventry, an internal memo Tuesday.

Unsettled U.S. Budget Difficult For Rockwell Collins

January 22, 2013 2:01 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Military contractor Rockwell Collins could be forced to cut hundreds of jobs if Congress doesn't come to an agreement on the federal budget that prevents automatic defense spending cuts. The Cedar Rapids company's CEO Clay Jones says if no budget agreement is reached and across-the-board cuts known as sequestration occurs in March, layoffs would have to come next.

Chinese Workers Revolt Over Timed Toilet Breaks

January 22, 2013 10:26 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Chinese factory workers angry about strictly timed bathroom breaks and fines for starting work late held their managers hostage for a day and a half before police broke up the strike. About 1,000 workers at Shanghai Shinmei Electric Company held the 10 Japanese nationals and eight Chinese managers inside the factory in Shanghai starting Friday morning until 11.50 p.m. Saturday, said a statement from the parent company.

Is Labor Productivity The No. 1 Factor For Global Competiveness?

January 22, 2013 8:00 am | by Simon Macpherson, Senior Director Operations, Kronos EMEA | Blogs | Comments

It’s been my long-held belief that no matter what we automate in manufacturing, or how flexible and effective a supply chain we develop, it’s how we manage the people in the business that will make the difference between good and world class. When it comes to managing the workforce, very few industries are under more pressure than manufacturing.

Iowa Board Approves $7M In Incentives For New Jobs

January 21, 2013 2:26 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

State economic development officials offered $7 million in incentives to nine companies promising to create hundreds of jobs. In Friday's round of project approvals, the Iowa Economic Development Board offered incentives and loans to projects from existing companies that are proposing business expansions, the Des Moines Register reported.

Judge Dismisses IN Right-To-Work Law Challenge

January 18, 2013 2:13 pm | by Tom Davies, Associated Press | News | Comments

A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by union members challenging Indiana's right-to-work law that was enacted last year. U.S. District Court Judge Philip Simon in Hammond ruled that none of the union's arguments against the law could succeed in federal court, although a challenge could still be made in state courts.

Delaware Firm To Add Manufacturing Jobs

January 18, 2013 10:11 am | by Randall Chase, Associated Press | News | Comments

A Delaware firm best known for manufacturing NASA spacesuits is relocating a recently acquired subsidiary's manufacturing operations to Sussex County, with plans to bring 115 new jobs to Delaware. Gov. Jack Markell announced Thursday that ILC Dover will bring the manufacturing operations of Grayling Industries to a new plant near Seaford later this year.

Nokia Sheds 300 IT Jobs, Transfers 820 Workers

January 17, 2013 1:46 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Struggling Nokia Corp. is downsizing by more than 1,000 jobs, part of a wide-ranging plan to cut costs and streamline operations. The Finnish firm says it will lay off 300 workers in its IT sector and transfer "some activities and up to 820 employees to strategic partners," India-based HCL Technologies and TATA Consultancy Services, which have operations in Finland.

Caterpillar To Start Hiring Workers For GA Plant

January 16, 2013 10:06 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Officials at Caterpillar Inc. are seeking applicants for jobs at the company's new plant being constructed in northeast Georgia. The openings represent the latest milestone in the company's development of a one-million-square-foot facility the company is constructing in the Athens area. Workers will build tractors and excavators at the plant.

Renault Seeks 7,500 Headcount Reduction In France

January 15, 2013 2:25 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Renault says it needs to cut its headcount by about 17 percent — or 7,500 jobs — in France over the next three years to stem losses amid a downturn in Europe's car market. In a statement Tuesday, the French car maker says it is proposing to cut the headcount by 2016, largely by not replacing departing workers.

Jet Engine Maker Pratt & Whitney To Cut 350 Jobs

January 15, 2013 2:22 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney says it's cutting 350 salaried workers, about 200 of those jobs are in Connecticut. The subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. said Tuesday that it's responding to "business and economic conditions." The company, based in East Hartford, Conn., said the cuts are necessary to remain competitive.

Denso Plans $1B North American Investment

January 15, 2013 2:20 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Auto parts supplier Denso Corp. plans to invest nearly $1 billion in North America over the next four years and add more than 2,000 jobs as it works to localize its operations. The investment from the Japanese company was announced Tuesday during press previews for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Danny Glover Backs Union Protest Against Nissan

January 15, 2013 10:42 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Actor Danny Glover has joined supporters of unionization for workers at a Nissan Motor Co. assembly plant in Mississippi demonstrating outside the North American International Auto Show. The Mississippi Alliance for Fairness at Nissan protested Monday next to Detroit's Cobo Center.

Hemlock Laying Off 300 Of 400 Workers

January 15, 2013 10:36 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Hemlock Semiconductor is laying off three-fourths of its employees in Clarksville shortly before the planned start of production at its new $1.2 billion plant. Officials of the Michigan-based company met with The Leaf-Chronicle on Monday and said the company is laying off 300 of its 400 employees in Clarksville and 100 workers at its Michigan plant.

Jaguar Adds 800 Jobs As China Sales Accelerate

January 14, 2013 2:21 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Car company Jaguar Land Rover says it's adding 800 jobs in Britain as it enjoys a big boost in sales in China, which is now the luxury auto brand's largest market. Jaguar Land Rover said in a statement late Sunday that it had sold nearly 72,000 vehicles in China last year, more than the roughly 68,000 vehicles it sold in its U.K. home market.

Boeing To Build 787 Tail Part In Utah

January 11, 2013 2:05 pm | by Paul Foy, Associated Press | News | Comments

Aircraft maker Boeing Co. announced Friday it will expand manufacturing operations in Utah by opening a third factory in the Salt Lake City area to fabricate a tail piece for the Boeing 787. Boeing is taking over a factory originally built by KraftMaid Cabinetry in the Salt Lake suburb of West Jordan, where Gov. Gary Herbert joined company officials Friday for the announcement.