Conference 7.286::digital

The only difference here was that more DL volunteered to leave than IL, when
we had our volunteer downsizing.  Seems they were not as enamored of the
company as the rest of us.

Dick

         Like theives is how they were treated.  When TFSO hit DL here at
    GSO in South Carolina they were told at a meeting and allowed to go to
    their area accompanied by their supervisor, get their stuff and leave. 
         When IL's got transitioned they knew exactly who and when weeks
    ahead of time.  How's that for respect?
         I still hold to my beleifs that lack of respect is this company's
    biggest problem.  That's why I've begged for every package that comes
    along.
    
                                                      Capt. Scott 

Could somebody explain what direct labor and indirect labor are?

    In manufacturing, 'direct labor' is work performed to build
    products, like assembling, testing, etc.  'Indirect labor' is
    work not (shall we say) directly connected to product-building,
    like engineering, designing, planning.  In a manufacturing
    plant, employees are either 'DL' or 'IL', depending on what
    each mostly does.

    Also note, the previous notes seemed to imply that indirect labor 
    is all salaried. There are many, many IL jobs which are not eg.
    janitors, maintenance, etc.
    
    I would assume these IL people were treated as shamelessly as the 
    direct labor force.
    
    - John
    

    the reason the il labor force is treated the way they are is because
    some of them NOT ALL but some have some very confidental information
    about customers and ect. digital as a company can not let any of this
    information destoyed or taken out of the buildings because you have an
    upset employee. i'm il employee and the way they did it in the field is
    that you were told that your on tfso and they take badge right on the
    spot then escorted out of the building then you are called at home to
    come in and take your personnel things. the manager cleans your files
    and desk that has anything to do with a customer.

    RE: .5 & .6,
    
         It was just the opposite at GSO.  _DL_ got escorted out, not IL.
    I can understand DEC being concerned about security.  If both had been
    treated equally, it wouldn't have bothered me.
    
                                                          Capt. Scott
    

    RE: .7
    
    CAPT. SCOTT, PLEASE GIVE MORE DETAIL ON THE SITUATION THERE AT GSO WITH
    THE DIRECT LABOR FORCE. WHERE THERE ACTUAL LAYOFFS AND HAS THE MFG.
    AREA BEEN CLOSED? I DID HEAR OF SEVERAL PLANTS BEING SHUTDOWN JUST THE
    OTHER DAY AND I THOUGHT I HEARD GSO BEING ONE OF THEM.
    
    BM @ CXO

         I must say that I am reluctant to say a lot in this forum, but I
    will say that no, we are not shutdown as of our last meeting and no, AMP
    hasn't bought the building even though discussions are taking place. 
    We're as in the dark as you are.  I don't think we're being lied
    to...at all of meetings we're just told that, "....as of _today_, we
    haven't been sold or shutdown, BUT...."  So things are in a bit of an
    uproar around here and the rumors are getting to be ridiculous.  It's
    amazing what rumors can do to morale...personally, I've always had a
    I'll-believe-it-when-I-see-it attitude, so rumors don't affect me TOO
    much, but they are hard to ignore.  I'm scared to ask what you folks 
    are hearing about us!  I don't think it would be very productive to
    help the rumor mill crank out anymore than it's already producing! 
    C-ya!
    
                                                       Capt. Scott 

re .9

>I'm scared to ask what you folks are hearing about us!  

   Don't be scared.  The rumor mills have had one or both of the Puerto Rico
   plants closed so many times I've lost count.  And that's only in the past
   three years.  Seven years ago there was another scare.  You know how
   rumors are, each person exaggerates the fright coefficient and covers up
   the evidence to the contrary.  
   
   Keep your cool.  If and when it happens, that will be soon enough to
   think about it.  We can imagine far more problems than there really are.
   
Dick

    There's a Smith memo on the net (or rather a synopsis of Smith
    remarks), that calls for closing about twenty plants.  Don't get too
    optimistic.

    Those rumors used to fly around for PNO too.

    >   Keep your cool.  If and when it happens, that will be soon enough to
    >   think about it.  We can imagine far more problems than there really
    >   are.
     
    Unfortunately, we can also imagine far more solutions than there really
    are.
    
    ken

Hey Scott :)

To balance the scales here I thought I'd mention a few tid-bits of 
information.

On Tuesday (1-28) Northern Telecom is getting with our external sales 
people to conduct a technical qualification audit. Northern Telecom (so the 
story goes) had a big board shop down in Florida - until the recession. 
Now - they have no shop. They wondered if we might want their business.

Apple is scheduled for a tour with similar interests in mind. Another company 
wants to give us about 10M of business. While DEC has cut about 30% of 
their previous commitments we are no longer considered a captive site. 
There are people outside of DEC who want what we have to offer. KO said that 
people just can't go out and build shops to make T2 product. It is far more 
costly than it used to be. Bel Cross indicated that PWB technology is 
leveling. It doesn't cost as much to build more advanced designs once you 
have the technology in place - which we do.

We are the first PWB manufacturing facility in Digital and the first in the 
United States to be certified with the International Standards Organization. 
If DEC wants to sell to Europe by June 1992 they're going to need us. It 
doesn't matter much whose name is on the sign as you drive in the facility. 
ISO 9000 is *serious* money. 

GSO is not a production problem. We are far more efficient with 360 people 
on the floor than we were with three times that amount. TFSO was one of the 
best things to happen here. As far as DL getting roughed-up you can talk to 
Zahoor in Lamination on 2nd. Not only did they not escort him to the door 
but he kept his badge and they let him come in and look for work for three 
months - and *paid* him to do it. They hired him back :)

Management has been talking to "the other company" for months. So far a 
partnership has been thrown out as unfeasible. I heard that they typically 
offer a dollar for every ten a facility is worth. Doesn't sound too 
promising to me. Some say a change in management would be good for *both* 
DEC and people like you and me.

I have no fears of being "done dirty" here. Management has been more than 
fair. I plan to going right on ahead and buy a home this year. But I'm not 
a stock holder, I'm a family man. I've got to have a different persepective 
or I'd go bonkers :)

John
                                                                   

    Hi John,         
    
         I don't know Zahoor in Lamination, but if what you say is
    true....it's news to me.  Are you sure he didn't get TFSO I?  If so, I
    didn't think ANY DL's got that pack. I knew a lot of the people personally
    who got the TFSO II Pack. and they were told in our weekly meeting. 
    They were allowed to go back to their area get their stuff and then
    left.  From then on they had limited access to the plant.
         Now, as for the state how manufacturing is doing here, you're
    correct, things are looking quite good and we're doing things that FEW
    people in the world can do.  Like I said earlier, I have a "I'll believe
    it when I see it" attitude.  Otherwise, I do my job to the best of my
    abilities.
        But I must say that I disagree with you about management "doing
    people dirty".  I've more examples that I can "shake a stick at".   
    Plus, I think it counter-productive for me to "gossip" here about such
    things.  So, I guess it's just a matter of opinion.  C-ya :-)
    
                   
                                                 Capt. Scott

    Just another remark about the way things are done.  A lot of the
    reasons for the way people are excorted out were brought on by the
    people themselves.  One very generous thing that DEC was doing in the
    field was to allow the employee to keep their company cars until they
    could buy their own.  What happened was employees began bringing back
    trashed cars.  So now DEC takes the company cars and gets the employee
    a rental and PAYS for it.
    
    This is just one senario.  There are many more.  Its hard to do it the
    "right" way.  Right now people are bing offered 3 months of time to
    find another job within the company.  If they cant find one then they
    are offered the buyout.  I guess its better than being offered a pink
    slip with no severence pay.  
    
    Rick.

    re:16 You can bet most people are NOT given 3 months to find a job if
    affected by the TFSO package. In the field you are given 1 week as
    standard or 3 weeks in special job codes. In management positions they
    advertise a short period but do in fact give them much longer. From one
    who just got the package with 3 weeks to find a job.
    
    Regards
    Al Root
    

    I just heard about somebody who got tapped.....1 week.
    
    Mark