This is just sickening!
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/01/oregonians_feel_inner_panic _as.html

Just as bad as the first time you posted it!

ummm only posted it once andrew. TRY AGAIN!

Well, someone with the username "Beano" posted the same exact post at 4:28pm. Are there two of you?

Yup, I must have an imposter because I was driving in my car at 4:28pm!!

So you posted this one at 4:31 but at 4:28 you were still driving? You ran right from the car so you could post this one as soon as you logged in?

Hey, cut him some slack, he's been using CJ's time machine!

You mean...Bush may still be president in his universe?

Just heard that Intel is letting go another 1000 employees.

Actually, Intel is closing an old factory in Oregon (12 years old is ancient in the semiconductor industry), and it wasn't a surprise to the workers; they've been looking for work for months inside Intel. The factory won't close til the end of the year. Some of those 1,000 workers will likely find positions inside the company by then.

Intel cut its workforce considerably a couple of years ago, so now they are considered to be a lot leaner and better able to weather this recession than otherwise.

Intel over pays it's employees like no other business I've ever seen. If they cut the salaries of some of the slackers making $150K a year between salary and bonuses for doing basically nothing other than traveling all over the world, checking email, and being on conference calls, they'd be a lot better off. They wouldn't have to lay off anyone and their stock would be double what it's currently worth (and has been at for years now).

Andrew, do you know which plant they are closing?

They are closing Fab 20, which is at Ronler Acres.

Only Fab 20 or all of Ronler? (D1B, D1C and D1D)

I can't imagine that they'd close D1D since they just built it about 5 years ago.

It's only 1,000 people (at most) and only Fab 20 according to news articles. It's really not terrible news for Intel - it's an ancient fab. I think they were planning to phase it out anyway but the economic slow-down simply accelerated their plans.

And Ronler isn't just fabs - they have a design center there, too.

Intel over pays it's employees like no other business I've ever seen.

Oh really? I'm quite sure you've made comments like this before aimed at other classes of employees.

Me thinks Vitalogy is peeved at any employer (or union) that pays out (or gets) good health benefits, especially since he is getting hammered in the health insurance dept just about right now.

So Vitalogy, why can't you just accept the fact that some private employers are just gonna pay
wages and benefits at a level they feel their employees are worth? Who are you to judge? Butt out.

If you respond to this post then be prepared to disclose your source of income and the dollar amounts, along with the benefits that you get (or don't get) so we all can judge whether YOU are over paid or not.

How about it?

Hmm?

Andrew, know anything about SEH Vancouver? They seem to be just plugging along with older technology or am I wrong?

Yep. Ronler is a special place! I have a green badge that is issued at Ronler. Apparently if you have a "Ronler" badge, it's something special!

I've spent days and days walking around that facility (along with all the ones in Santa Clara, CA and Hudson, MA!). There is some cool stuff that they do there.

I HATE going into the fabs. The bunny suits suck, but are neccessary.

Nah, don't know anything about SEH. But different semi makers have different markets.

Building a fab takes a huge initial outlay but once it's paid off it's a cash cow. The only reason you shut it down is because the products you make in it are no longer competitive or in demand. Intel of course moves many of its product lines quickly to newer technologies, for the CPUs, but not all semi products move that fast. Some are made for years on the same processes, if the cost structure can support it.

Intel has the luxury of moving older products to its newer fabs to save money. Fab 20 can make only 200mm wafers whereas the standard is now 300mm - which means much lower cost per chip. Lower forecasts for demand mean the newer fabs will not be as full as had been projected, and they are expensive to operate when not operating at full capacity. Better to shut down the older fabs and keep the newer ones fuller.

SEH presumably doesn't have that kind of luxury, although I have no idea what markets they service.

Here comes Skeptical to the rescue! You must have some kind of short man's complex or something. Maybe you were picked on too much as young lad?

First off, I don't know whether unions exist at Intel and don't really care. That's not my point. Intel is free to pay their employees what they want, and I'm free to criticize it. After all, I've seen the wages of many employees at Intel in many sectors of their business, and they are all making way more than their counterparts at other private businesses, with the exception of the engineers who are paid less than their sales people and almost equal to their purchasing managers. Because it's a free country and I've seen the numbers for myself, I'm free to comment on it as I see fit, especially when I hear they are laying people off.

And for the record, you're not going to get your way with me. I'm not going to disclose what I do for a living or where I work. But I will tell you that I do have a job I like, my household consistently pulls in 6 figures year after year, I pay NOTHING for my health benefits, and have a nice 401K plan with profit sharing. In fact, my wife just had a baby and we didn't pay a dime. That's how good our health benefits are.

Am I worth what I'm paid? You bet! I know this because I share a percentage of the revenue I generate for my company.

I worked in the design center in Ronler for only a couple of months before I quit Intel. Most of my time was spent at Jones Farm. Among design engineers, there's nothing particularly special about RA vs. JF or any other site, really. I still meet my old co-workers for lunch almost once a week out there; some work in RA, others in JF. The biggest distinction made about the difference between sites is which site is closer to which lunch place. RA is more convenient to the freeway...

Sitting by the computer all night?

I don't know if this Intel has a union or not either, but they do hire great people and Intel has skyrocketed to promience in the market place on the backs of these workers and had held that position quite well. If Intel wants to spread the wealth around, more power to them.

Based on your posts, you wouldn't past muster with my outfit. And I'm sure you wouldn't hire me either as I'd be organizing the minute I find out you won't let us sleep on the job (even though we'd get the work done right and on time -- something non-union workers, or especially, scabs, would have a difficult time accomplishing if they worked for you.)

SEH presumably doesn't have that kind of luxury, although I have no idea what markets they service.

I've a "friend" that works there and he's tight lipped about most things and I've no clue as to what SEH is up to other than what I read in the papers.

As pointed out earlier this is a regular closing of a plant because it's to old. But if your in government and your not in the know you would begin thinking what tax breaks can we give them to help.

So Washington County lowers the Personal Property Tax and other tax breaks. Intel in return keeps on building plants in Washington County.

The 1,000 job announcement should just be bypassed and ignored (no more tax breaks.).

So, anybody have a job lead? I'm looking at Broadcasting or entry level tech for a career.....

Oh yeah, and a house in the 35-50K range. two bedrooms is fine

December unemployment rate in neighboring States:

Oregon 9.0%
Washington 7.1%
Idaho 6.6%
California 8.4% (have not reported Dec. yet)

Roger, I have a house for you for under $35K. It's in my glove compartment. I'll have to dig it out for you and see if I can get the stick people out of it.

Wonder what the over/under is for California for December...

I am predicting around 10%.

Clark co is reporting a 8.6% unemployment rate -- a bit higher than Washington overall.

double to triple the figure for an accurate number of total unemployed and those who are underemployed or have just plain stopped looking for work.

....underemployed.....

un·der·em·ployed (ndr-m-ploid)
adj.
1. Employed only part-time when one needs and desires full-time employment.
2. Inadequately employed, especially employed at a low-paying job that requires less skill or training than one possesses.
3. Not fully or adequately used or employed.
n. (used with a pl. verb)
Underemployed persons considered as a group. Used with the.