California Teachers to Rally as 26,000 Job Cuts Loom

California teachers are set to hold protests in more than a dozen cities today as about 26,000 may lose their jobs because of spending cuts the Legislature approved last month to keep the state from running out of money.

School districts across the most-populous U.S. state have been warning thousands of teachers that they may be fired as a result of California’s declining tax collections.

Not all teachers receiving notices will lose their jobs. Last year, about half were ultimately let go, according to the teachers union.

Source: Bloomberg

California had most mass layoffs in January

California shed more workers than any other state because of mass layoffs, with 54,150 losing their jobs last month. It was followed by New York at 31,890, Pennsylvania at 29,660 and Ohio at 27,970, according to a report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• A mass layoff is defined as a single action by a single employer that causes at least 50 workers to lose their jobs.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,  San Francisco Business Times

California state workers layoff process begins

With budget negotiations stalled, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will begin the process of laying off thousands of state workers. Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear said Monday the administration will issue 20,000 notices to employees with the least seniority.

The governor had delayed releasing the notices Friday when it appeared lawmakers would pass a compromise plan to fill the state’s $42 billion shortfall. But a marathon weekend session has so far failed to produce the necessary votes.

Source: San Jose Mercury News

California may lay off 10,000 state workers

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s administration warned Tuesday that it is preparing to lay off 10,000 state employees if an agreement to close California’s yawning budget deficit isn’t reached by the end of the week.

Administration spokesman Aaron McLear said officials will send out layoff notices Friday absent a budget deal, with the goal of slashing roughly 10 percent of the 100,000 positions paid for by the state’s general operating fund. That would save an estimated $750 million through mid-2010; California faces a $40 billion budget gap over that period.

Source: San Jose Mercury News

Update (2-18-2009): California state workers layoff process begins

Schwarzenegger warns of layoffs if furloughs fail.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is warning state employees he will start issuing layoff notices if a court doesn’t let him force workers to take two unpaid days off a month — an action the state’s public employee unions argue he doesn’t have the authority to take.

A judge was scheduled to hear arguments Thursday on a lawsuit filed by state employee unions over Schwarzenegger’s furlough plan, which he estimates will save the state $1.4 billion this fiscal year.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

California IT Layoffs Continue in 2009, may be linked to lawsuits

United Employees Law Group’s attorney Walter Haines suspects a correlation between California layoffs and California class action lawsuits regarding California meals and breaks and the failure to pay California overtime. “With an increase in the California unemployment rate in the computer sector, California IT layoffs are inspiring software employees to become more aware of California labor laws. Many are finding they may be entitled to back California overtime pay. If entitled these employees can go back and collect their overtime pay for up to four years, even if they do not have record of the hours they worked.”

United Employees Law Group, PC, continues to file California overtime pay class action lawsuits against some of the nation’s largest computer companies.

Source: PRWeb

WARN: Layoff announcements in January – February 2009 in California Hi-Tech

According to California EDD WARN statistics, the following layoffs are scheduled for January – February 2009 in hi-tech companies with number of employees greater than 50:

ADOBE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED, Location: SAN FRANCISCO, Layoff date: 2/3/09, Employees affected: 75

CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS, INC, Location: SAN JOSE, Layoff date: 1/4/09, Employees affected: 245

NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION, Location: SANTA CLARA, Layoff date: 1/13/09, Employees affected: 151

PALM, INC, Location: SUNNYVALE, Layoff date: 1/19/09, Employees affected: 107

SANDISK CORPORATION, Location: MILPITAS, Layoff date: 1/11/09, Employees affected: 96

SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC, Location: MILPITAS, Layoff date: 1/3/09, Employees affected: 48
SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC, Location: MILPITAS, Layoff date: 4/3/09, Employees affected: 43

SHUTTERFLY, INC, Location: HAYWARD, Layoff date: 1/16/09, Employees affected: 70

SIEMENS, Location: LOS ANGELES, Layoff date: 1/30/09, Employees affected: 6

SIEMENS MEDICAL SOLUTIONS, Location: MOUNTAIN VIEW, Layoff date: 1/5/09, Employees affected: 2

SUN MICROSYSTEMS, INC:
Location: SACRAMENTO, Layoff date: 1/5/09, Employees affected: 3
Location: SACRAMENTO, Layoff date: 1/18/09, Employees affected: 2
Location: EL SEGUNDO, Layoff date: 1/5/09, Employees affected: 1
Location: EL SEGUNDO, Layoff date: 1/18/09, Employees affected: 1
Location: IRVINE, Layoff date: 1/5/09, Employees affected: 4
Location: IRVINE, Layoff date: 1/18/09, Employees affected: 3
Location: MENLO PARK, Layoff date: 1/5/09, Employees affected: 19
Location: MENLO PARK, Layoff date: 1/18/09, Employees affected: 6
Location: PLEASANTON, Layoff date: 1/5/09, Employees affected: 5
Location: PLEASANTON, Layoff date: 1/18/09, Employees affected: 7
Location: SAN DIEGO, Layoff date: 1/5/09, Employees affected: 2
Location: SAN DIEGO, Layoff date: 1/18/09, Employees affected: 2
Location: SAN FRANCISCO, Layoff date: 1/18/09, Employees affected: 4
Location: UNIVERSAL CITY, Layoff date: 1/18/09, Employees affected: 1

SYMANTEC:
Location: CUPERTINO, Layoff date: 1/19/09, Employees affected: 55
Location: MOUNTAIN VIEW, Layoff date: 1/13/09, Employees affected: 38

VISHAY SILICONIX, Location: SANTA CLARA, Layoff date: 2/6/09, Employees affected: 97

VIRGIN MOBILE USA, Location: WALNUT CREEK, Layoff date: 1/1/09, Employees affected: 192

THE BOEING COMPANY:
Location: ANAHEIM, Layoff date: 1/1/09, Employees affected: 5
Location: ANAHEIM, Layoff date: 1/22/09, Employees affected: 2
Location: EL SEGUNDO, Layoff date: 1/1/09, Employees affected: 8
Location: EL SEGUNDO, Layoff date: 1/22/09, Employees affected: 3
Location: HUNTINGTON BEACH, Layoff date: 1/1/09, Employees affected: 19
Location: HUNTINGTON BEACH, Layoff date: 1/22/09, Employees affected: 42
Location: LONG BEACH, Layoff date: 1/1/09, Employees affected: 50

Source: California EDD WARN

See if your company plans a big layoff in California

According to San Jose Mercury News: “California’s WARN law requires certain companies with more than 75 employees to provide 60 days advance notice of a plant closing or mass layoff involving 50 or more employees. Search our database by company to see if your employer has filed a notice and to see how many layoffs are planned in 2008 in each California city where it has a facility.

Searching only by city will show you the total number of planned 2008 layoffs reported by companies in the community.”

The database search tool for California layoffs, provided by California Employment Development Department, is available here: http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11163466

Biolase trims costs with 20 percent job cut

According to Forbes: “Dental-laser company Biolase Technology Inc. said Tuesday it cut quarterly costs by $2 million, or 20 percent, as the company continues cutting jobs domestically.

The Irvine, Calif., company said it is in the process of cutting 20 percent of its U.S. work force and is reviewing cost-saving measures at its international subsidiaries.”

Schwarzenegger declares emergency

According to CNN: “California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday declared a fiscal emergency, calling for fast legislative action to alleviate the state’s $11.2 billion shortfall in revenue.

“Without immediate action our state is headed for a fiscal disaster and that is why with more than two dozen new legislators sworn in today – I am wasting no time in calling a fiscal emergency special session,” Schwarzenegger said in a news release.”

Large-scale layoffs sting Bay Area companies

According to San Francisco Business Times: “With the pace of Bay Area layoffs increasing, particularly in the East Bay, workforce retraining efforts are also gathering steam.

Large-scale job cuts have accelerated with the closure of department store chain Mervyns’ Hayward corporate office and eight East Bay locations, and the acquisition of Longs Drug Stores Corp. by CVS Caremark Corp., with the loss of 800 Longs corporate jobs. This week, electronics retailer Circuit City Inc. said it would close 155 stores nationally, including six in the East Bay.

These are among the region’s biggest layoffs since last year, when job losses were focused on the home lending industry. Roy Bertuccelli, a program financial specialist at the Alameda County Workforce Investment Board in Hayward, said the last three weeks have been “extremely unusual. … All sectors of the economy are slowing down.”

Meanwhile, green industries, health care and biotech continue to hire. Bertuccelli is seeking to retrain workers to match up with continued demand from “sunrise” industries.”

Silicon Valley unemployment rate jumps to 6.9 percent

According to San Jose Mercury News: “The number of people looking for work in Silicon Valley was up sharply in October, sending the unemployment rate to 6.9 percent — still far below California’s jobless rate of 8.2 percent.“