[zonk]

Its official Whirlpool is closing the Maytag Newton Iowa plant on or by Oct.2007 in a way in relieved but yet feel uneasy. I do have another job driving truck yet about have to ride this out on severance package, anyhow haven't been on for awhile hope everyone takes care. http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060510/whirl...cuts.html?.v=6 See what the year brings Zonk

[crazy larry]

when you told us whirlpool bought ya'll out, i wondered when this would come. bastards. We love you Zonk.


well, i do anyways. cough *** cough.


Did you find this out on yahoo, or did they let you know before hand?

[zonk]

Went to work this morning had a big meeting told us the news gave us the rest of day off with pay. Woo pee. I guess we knew it was coming but yet when you get the official word kind of a shock. Deep down inside I'm ready to move on can't keep going like this. Driving truck might be a welcome relief I've been in factory life the last 30 years need to do something completely different. Thanks for the thoughts Zonk

[home brew]

zonk - Don't look at this as a setback but as an opportunity. I went through the same thing three times in my career and each time I found something better and more fulfilling. Good luck in the future.

[WakBordr7387]

Sorry to hear bout your job Zonk, Those corporate bastards. Take care of yourself buddy, crap like this happens way to much.
This same thing is about to happen to my mom. She types dictation for doctor's. They record themselves on tape and she types it up. She's done this for 20 years and made good money from it. But now the doctor's found out they can save money by getting computers with the voice recognition software. So in september their letting go everyone of the transcriptionists. So my mom won't have her job anymore.
It sucks, but right now she's thinking of moving down here to where Im at before she gets stuck up in north texas to bad.


Brad

[poncho62]

A years notice?............They gave us 8 weeks notice, and only because it is required by law here...........

Sorry to hear about your job..........Many of us are still out of work, I got lucky and found something right away.

[schnitz]

Just hang in there Zonk.


Twice in one years' time my wife lost her job. Once, her position was termed "no longer needed" and the other when the cell phone firm she worked for relocated. We just opted to stay put and live on my pay till she found something better. She did, and now she really likes what she does (and is darn good at it). Same thing will happen for you, too.



In a while, Chet.

[zonk]

There is a I believe a federal law companys that close down have to give a certain amount notice depending on how many people are employed, where we probably fall into. Off and on the past year I've mention if you are a American factory worker there is a target on your back. Like Home Brew said use this for a advantage, I'm ready to move on use this and make the best out of a negative make a positive no matter what . I guess for some reason wanted to let people know,another American icon (Maytag) that started in Iowa 106 years ago has bitten the dust. You might still see the name but it won't be where it came from. Everyone take care.

[1ownerT]

My Father inlaw was an engineer for Maytag for 30+ years, and 15 years at Motorola before that. He retired about 13 years ago. I also have a brother-inlaw that worked at Maytag for approx. 10 years before he left and started farming. There are several relatives on my wifes side that worked there, most if not all have retired in the last 5 to 10 years.
I feel for you, it is a shame that a company that has been around for as long as they have, is basically going to exist in name only. It is a sign of the times, if someone can save 50 bucks buying an appliance made in Mexico or China they don't hesitate.
Every appliance in my house is either a Maytag or an Amana, sure I could have saved several hundred dollars buying imports but I feel better that I have supported U.S. workers and especially Iowa workers.
Good Luck in your quest in finding future employment.

[trees]

I was reading about the big merger and closing of three plants this morning and thought about you. The corporate spin was about 5.8% reduction in employees, but because some of the work from the closing plants were going to other facilities only about 3.2 % of jobs were going to be lost. That is ok, I guess, if you are part of the 2.6% that will relocate to where the job went to. Relocating is a crap shoot unless the company picks up the tab and provides at least a 5 year warranty that your job will be around!!

Good luck in finding a new endeavor. Sometimes these events work out for the better for some, but that is the exception and not the rule. Hope you are the exception.

Trees

[Magnus_Jager]

I sympathize. Work for a cable company getting bought out, and have been waiting to know what's going on for over a year serious. Still not certain.

Good luck man. Transitions suck...

[PrimeMover]

Newton Iowa might be halfway across the states but what's going on with Maytag there, goes on ever where there's big business. Your story still strikes pretty close to home...
My association with bought-out companies, started a long time ago and still continues today.
Back in the mid 80's, the well established union local cartage trucking company I was working for at the time finally succumbed to deregulation of the industry and was sold for peanuts. The scurvy pirates who picked it up, ran it into the ground. The first move the new owners made was to sell all the rolling stock for a song, to a leasing company they owned, then lease the equipment back to the lease outfit... What a move! In less than a year, the company I had been with for over a decade went banko.. The new owner walked away smiling with a fairly decent fleet of trucks, for nothing more then a little finagling and fancy paper work.
After that experience, I bounced around for a few years till I got hooked up with the job I have now, working for a corporate-owned paper manufacturer. In a little less than 15 years, this outfit has changed hands four times and is about to make it five. I'm real lucky here, working on the waterfront. We have a real unique product handling facility, built in 1969, that's equipped to load and unload barges. The class-A tow boat operation we used to have here was sold off shortly after the James River/ Fort Howard merger, but the rest of it has survived the storm relatively intact, that is, up till the latest takeover by privately-held Koch Industries. The most recent newsletters i've been reading are a little scary for some of the guys and gals working at the mill. Koch doesn't feel communication paper is profitable enough so they're seriously entertaining the idea of selling off, or possibly closing the Camas mill. Proctor and Gamble is rumored to be a prospective buyer. If they close Camas, I'll probably still have a job, but it will devastate the economy in the Camas-Washougal area.
I'll be 55 in a few months, and if push comes to shove, I can take my money and run if I have to. I just wouldn't want to be a younger guy with kids growing up today, figuring to make a career working for a single corporate outfit. With all the changes being made to federal labor laws and immigration policy, opening a small business and trying to make it fly seems to be the only way to financial freedom anymore.

Good Luck, Zonk

[1ownerT]

Originally Posted by trees

I was reading about the big merger and closing of three plants this morning and thought about you. The corporate spin was about 5.8% reduction in employees, but because some of the work from the closing plants were going to other facilities only about 3.2 % of jobs were going to be lost. That is ok, I guess, if you are part of the 2.6% that will relocate to where the job went to. Relocating is a crap shoot unless the company picks up the tab and provides at least a 5 year warranty that your job will be around!!

Good luck in finding a new endeavor. Sometimes these events work out for the better for some, but that is the exception and not the rule. Hope you are the exception.

Trees

The only jobs that are going to be offered a transfer are some of the corporate jobs. None of the production employees will be offered a transfer or even preferential hiring based on seniority.

[malc]

I´ve worked with two German companies here in Spain, but the Spanish law only requires a contract to be "until the work runs out". If you can survive five years in a job you get more security, I got the short end of the stick twice.They give you a months notice but tell you to leave the premises at once, they don´t want a person working there with confidential information who knows his a** is destined for the dole queue.

[38 special]

Hang in there, Zonk. Been there done that. No such thing as job security anymore. It's tuff starting over again cause you have kids half your age with all the seniorty when you start a new job. It was tuff for me my, new job was totally different from my old one. Which was kind of good but very hard getting use to. Now, I've calmed down have myself established again and can enjoy it a little more. Good luck to you , Zonky old pal.