From Today's Headlines (to Tomorrow's Breadlines)

From The Sampson Independent:

Clinton’s Nestaway plant is reducing its workforce, effective at the end of May. It will impact 75 production, administrative and management employees.

Employees were actually notified of the reduction on the last day of March from the management of Nestaway, LLC, a Leggett & Platt Incorporated company. The company is recognized as an industry leader in the appliance and housewares market. The Clinton plant primarily manufactures dishwasher racks. According to company officials, the reduction in force is the result of excess manufacturing capacity.

“We are certainly concerned about the reduction in the workforce at the Nestaway plant here in Clinton,” said John Swope, Sampson County Economic Development director. “ Any time you have a reduction in the workforce it hurts the local economy, but it hurts the employees even more. This action from the home office of Nestaway is not surprising given the current state of the national economic situation. We are very optimistic that the economy will soon be turning around and we will not see any more additional cuts locally.”

The press release from Nestaway indicated the decision to reduce the Clinton operation was in no way related to the abilities or productivity of the employees at the local facility.

The first reduction is expected to occur later this month. In accordance with the federal Workers’ Adjustment and Retraining Act (WARN), employees will receive at least 60 days of pay and benefits from the date they receive formal notice of the plant closure.

Peggy Davis, manager of the Sampson County office of the Employment Security Commission, said her office will conduct an informational meeting with the Nestaway employees later this week to provide them employment and training opportunities that are available they enter the ranks of the unemployed.

Davis also stated that other agencies would accompany her to provide information on services that they may be able to provide. Those agencies include DSS, Sampson Community College; the Sampson County Health Department and WIA, (Workforce Investment Act).

In the memo released by Jim Trimble, manager, Human Resources, Nestaway, it reads, “The company is exploring several sources of outplacement assistance for employees, including job placements services available through various outside agencies.”

Outplacement activities for employees will be coordinated through his offices Any area businesses with employment opportunities for workers displaced by the closing are encouraged to contact Trimble’s office.

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First, the good news: I didn't get a sixty day layoff notice at the end of March, as noted in the above story. The "effective end of May" part isn't quite right, either, as we should be going on at a pretty good clip past that date.

Now, the other news: I got my layoff notice today. I am pretty much guaranteed employment through July 17th, but after that, the crystal ball goes dark.

The sad thing is, I can't really blame this on the current economic fiasco. But that's all I'm going to say about that aspect of it for right now.

I guess I'd better cram in as many medical visits as I can between now and mid-July...