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Comment 05/23/13:
After almost 45 years with Big Blue I was told
last week that I would be gone effective June 30th. Unofficial right now but
my manager wanted to give me a heads-up. Manager has no idea who will pick up
my workload. -GoodbyIBM-
Comment 05/23/13:
T-Minus one week and counting till the next RAs
will be announced. IBM 2nd QTR ends on June 30. Count back about 30 days from
that date and that will mean next week the RA announcements will surely come.
What are IBMers doing about it? -anonymous-
Comment 05/23/13:
It blows my mind that all PBC "3" employees
are not Alliance members! You know you are going to someday get RAed and yet
you DO NOTHING! What R U WAITING FOR? -Why?-
Comment 05/23/13:
15yearsandcounting: My last 30 days
there, I TOLD the manager I was going to be looking for a job 40 plus hours
a week and not to expect to hear from me at all. While I was on Sametime, I
was out interviewing. The manager did not give me any grief about it. If there
are any of you left that are not yet affected by RA's, your only hope is to
organize and Unionize. Otherwise you too will be posting your RA stories soon.
-Gone_in_07-
Comment 05/23/13:
Are we expecting more people RAd than the usual
annual RA? We are already struggling with low staff levels, will we be required
to pick up the work from the ones left behind? -JustWondering-
Comment 05/23/13:
@wondering... you are expected to do
your job as usual, plus transition your duties to someone else, but with most
of people working from home, I suspect everyone will do the bare minimum, we
are all human... -ThisYearSurvivor-
Comment
05/23/13: A
customer list would be considered IBM confidential. That said, customers cannot
fight your battle for you. You must organize yourselves and force IBM to the
bargaining table. The customers cannot do it for you. -Exodus2007-
Comment 05/23/13:
IBM has started a 45-day consultation on letting
up to 270 people go from its UK and Ireland operations. Sources have told The
Register that Big Blue is once more readying the axe for employees in Blighty,
adding to rounds of layoffs that have seen over 6,000 workers sacked globally
since 2009. An IBM spokesperson confirmed that the firm was looking into redundancies.
"IBM has begun a consultation process in part of its UK business.
Given the competitive nature of our business, we do not publicly discuss the
details of staffing plans," they said by email. The sources say that
IBM's eye is on its software division and its Systems Technology Group (STG)
as potential areas from which to lose staff. -Anonymous-
Comment 05/22/13:
@wondering....I know someone RA'd last
year who was on same time do not disturb for the entire 30 days. Looking for
a job obviously. I believe they just left him alone to search for a job. -ExecsNoSoul-
Comment 05/22/13:
There is a comment posted that suggests the use
of IBM Intellectual Property inappropriately and I think you should consider
removing the comment.
The comment goes as follows: Does anyone have a reliable and
complete IBM customer list? If you do, maybe Alliance would like to have it
sent to them via one of their emails or this board. Maybe an informed customer
would be an asset to forcing IBM to stop firing its workers? Just sayin'..
-Anonymous-
Alliance reply: Alliance uses discretion when receiving information from sources
inside IBM. We do not post information, just because a visitor suggests that
we do so, in a comment. We do not encourage nor discourage any IBMer to break
IBM's rules or their BCG. Whether or not they do, is soley their decision. Alliance
does not automatically post comments we receive.
Comment 05/22/13:
To ibmCustomerlist?: posting a customer list
would be a violation of our business conduct guidelines -CJ-Roc-
Comment 05/22/13:
Exodus, you are still so right on! Gosh, can
you right an article on all of your insights into this present day Big Blew?
I was a solid PBC 2+ (never got a 3, 2, or 1) and still got summarilied RAed.
There is no rhyme, no reason, only madness when working for IBM without a contract.
Like the short story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, when you get
the "black dot" your sacrificed in an RA for IBM's bottom line, mad
race for increasing EPS sake. -anonymous-
Comment 05/22/13:
2 quick comments. Bean counters are not the problem.
They just do what Finance says and Finance does what the Execs say. We get axed
just as often. The IBM customer list is confidential so you probably will not
be able to get that legally (plus it is huge) -beancounter-
Comment 05/22/13:
Corporations the size of IBM must give employees
30 days notice before a layoff in Vermont. So, IBM will lay the person off and
pay them for 30 days. This makes it look like a generous "Package".
In actuality, IBM is just following the law and they don't want a disgruntled
employee on the premises for 30 days. My best guess is the layoff will start
next Tuesday May 28th. They have started layoffs on Tuesdays several times in
the past. Tuesday into Wednesday hits all 4 of the 12 hour shifts one right
after another. It may start earlier for those working traditional Monday thru
Friday hours. I left IBM 5 years ago and have never been happier.
-Anonymous-
Comment 05/22/13:
To -ibmCustomerlist?- I don't think even IBM
has a "reliable and complete" IBM customer list! If such a list existed,
it would I am sure be considered IBM Confidential (maybe even Internal Use Only).
-Anonymous-
Comment 05/22/13:
@wondering... the 30 days before departure
varies from person to person. Most IBMers do try to leave as professionally
as possible, wrapping up tasks, transitioning work, etc. But I think every manager
acknowledges that it's not realistic to expect RA'd people to put in their full
40... because, you got it, they need to be finding another job.
--15yearsandcounting-
Comment 05/22/13:
At the exact time and place of its choosing the
IBM corporation will terminate your employment. Period. It does not matter who
you are, what your appraisal is or how important everyone tells you, you are.
If you do not have your employment defined by a contract you are an at will
employee. Your employment can and will be terminated at IBM's will or by your
own will if you choose to quit. Period. No ifs, or maybes or what ifs or buts.
No wiggle room at all. Its that straight forward. Instead of sweating when its
going to happen organize and get that contract so you know. -Exodus2007-
Comment 05/22/13:
To Wondering: The last 30 days you are expected
to do work as normal including any training and turnover (or be fired and lose
severance and unemployment). -anonymous-
Comment 05/22/13:
Does anyone have a reliable and complete IBM
customer list? If you do, maybe Alliance would like to have it sent to them
via one of their emails or this board. Maybe an informed customer would be an
asset to forcing IBM to stop firing its workers? Just sayin'... -ibmCustomerlist?-
Comment 05/22/13:
Stories through the years where IBM "bean
counters" determine those is RA'd and managers let people know. All without
letting IBM account execs and the customer know. So the one who is RA'd tells
the customer who is shocked. Not new. A case I know of, the IBMer RA'd was just
signed onto a renewed contract and received a "1" pbc review and promotion
just before the RA. So it is such nonsense. The accountants do not care how
the accounts are affected nor how a now-gone IBMer is replaced as there was
no plan. Imagine how the customer felt, and the work the poor account exec,
who had been blindsided, had to do to patch things up. -anonymous-
Comment 05/22/13:
Manager meetings occurring in S&D Division
5/22 and 5/23. This likely signals cuts to start happening next week right after
Memorial Day. -horaceT-
Comment 05/22/13:
Sorry @BTVer, Amazon is way ahead of
IBM with a secure cloud. Amazon Web Services Achieved FedRAMP Compliance for
AWS GovCloud (U.S.) and All U.S. Regions. Achievement recognizes suitability
of AWS to run sensitive government applications and meet security and compliance
mandates. U.S. Department of the Navy, U.S. Department of the Treasury, NASA,
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Recovery.gov, and over 300 U.S.
government agencies are using AWS to save money, drive research and development,
and increase innovation globally. That "IBM's processors self-check every
floating point operation." is irrelevant. -Anonymous-
Comment 05/21/13:
Question regarding those who will be RA's in
the upcoming layoff: For the 30 day period prior to the last day of employment,
does management tell you that you have to work those 30 days, or are the 30
days used to "find yourself a job"? -Wondering-
Comment 05/21/13:
I found out an IBM PO (for my IT services) was
terminated by IBM and was informed to me by Manpower. Last day today. Nice...I
was not even a resource: I was just a friggin' purchase order to IBM! -contractor%$#@-
Comment 05/21/13:
IBM upper management should also be participating
in this RA. Some should lose their jobs as well. They should get the same package
as the employees. There has to be some PBC 3 IBM executive and upper management
in IBM based on the last quarterly results. -theTurk-
Alliance reply: Why worry so much about what IBM executives
should share the pain for? Upper management are the ones that take steps to
improve the bottom line at YOUR expense and job loss; same as all other IBM
US workers. Many IBM executives have their own *employment contracts* with IBM
that stipulate specific parameters for their success. They won't fire themselves.
The CEO will not "self-deport" from her
IBM job. Your anger and pain
are not lost on anyone here. We are sorry for your job loss...very sorry.
However, we've been telling IBM workers in all non-management levels for 14
years, ORGANIZE! Fight for your jobs as a group, not as individuals. Big numbers
of organized IBM workers could change this scenario. If you do nothing, IBM
executives will ultimately "right the ship" by simply firing...whoops
I mean RAing thousands of US IBM workers until the numbers look the way the
CEO wants them to look.
Comment 05/21/13:
The mass firing is coming. Will we be meek and
accept it or will we organize, walkout and raise mayhem. Send a message to Ginni.
No way will you sacrifice us! -John-
Comment 05/21/13:
ibmlizard: The Amazon cloud (and services
like it) are not right for everyone. There are banks, Wall Street firms, airlines,
utilities, and other businesses who need the reliability or security of our
products. It's the small to medium size companies where we stand to loose a
lot. Google "netflix amazon cloud outages" The question is just how
much more are those companies willing to pay, and can Amazon (and others) catch
up in reliability and security? Look under the covers. Most of the commodity
Intel hardware doesn't even use parity, while IBM's processors self-check every
floating point operation. I'm not saying it will be pretty, but the P and Z
series aren't dead yet. -BTVer-
Comment 05/21/13:
@MissinMySLA: I was on a 2 year contract
and still had one more year to fulfill the contract when I was RAed. No one
called the customer to let them know, I told them. In my situation the customer
picked me up as a contractor and they cancelled the contract with IBM. I am
still working with them and finished what the work. -Rosangel-
Comment 05/21/13:
@Just-A-Number: Thanks for the reply
but I was not talking about me, personally. I was asking if IBM in general,
needed to tell their customers of an impending RA that might affect them. I
would never tell my customer, even if I found out I am RA'd. It's just not my
place to do so. -MissinMySLA-
Comment 05/21/13:
RE: Collecting retirement and unemployment. Yes
you can but there was a question abpount IBM contributing to your pension plan
(I think it was pension) in the last 18 months. This was an important point
in 2009 when I was let go. IBM actually lied to NYS and I was looking at re-paying
thousands of $'s to NYS. Fortunatly I had a copy of the email IBM had sent out
saying as of some date they were no longer contributing and that saved me. I
would think by this point in time it is moot. -LarryW-
Comment 05/21/13:
The problem is this: the model is all wrong for
IBM. Why should a company pay oodles of $$$ for hardware and software, when
you can just lease them from Amazon cloud services, etc. I luckily (or unluckily,
depends on how you look at) will survive this RA, but this is just the start.
Supposedly, this is last slaughter for 2013, but with model so screwed up, we'll
be doing this chure every year for a while. The model must change.
-ibmlizard-
Comment 05/20/13:
@MissinMySLA, IBM is not obligated to
provide specific resources to customers, the customer cannot tell IBM who should
be supporting their work. Bummer, but life is just not fair is it. As a professional,
it would be common courtesy to let them know you will be replaced by another
resource but don't bad mouth IBM to the customer. It is not in your best interest
to say anything negative to the customer about IBM. Don't burn any bridges.
-Just-A-Number-
Alliance reply: If the IBM employees were to organize
and plan to take some real action and work for a contract, you might be able
to say you are -A-Number-On-A-Union-Card-. With that, IBMers would be more apt
to attract more customers to IBM, because the quality of their service to the
customer would have more value to them. It can happen if you want it.
Comment 05/20/13:
Spot on observation:
"My thought: IBM had a brilliant research crew (innovation, creativity,
future, culture, openness, fantasy...RIGHT BRAIN...and a leader of all right
brainers: Nick Donofrio) together with a tough LEFT brain side (discipline,
making the numbers, fullfilling duties, marching to Asia, extending markets,
managing economies of scale, walking bright strategic directions) and a fighting
INSTINCT (sales, execution). The one and only problem I suffered from: I saw
a twenty year exodus of the right brain of IBM. The near end was reached with
Nick Donofrio retiring in 2009 or so. Now they are managing IBM with numbers
& execution only - these two are blaming each other, but the truth is...."right
brain has gone". -anon-
Comment 05/20/13:
Seems the RA will be taking place soon. I just
received the setup. Was just told that there is a huge funding problem and that
I need to look for opportunities outside my current project. Not looking...going
to look outside this s*#thole of a company. By the way, I am a full dues paying
member. -Sad to be an IBMer-
Comment 05/20/13:
thanks for the replys to my question concerning
collecting unemployment and ibm pension.i get more answers from fellow ibm employees
than ibm management.. -jj in fishkill-
Comment 05/20/13:
I've seen several stmts suggesting that workers
take action by joining the union. That's fine. The Alliance is doing good work,
but for most it doesn't address the problem: the potential loss of income. I
recognized in 2008 that my job was at risk. At that time my wife went back to
work and I have been working at generating income in my spare time. Not enough
to replace my salary, but enough that I am no longer worried at the prospect
of losing my job. This is also motivation for me to leave work on time, even
when the work is unfinished. I have to take care of myself and my family first,
so I have been spending MY time preparing, not working endless overtime for
no pay. The best preparation for an RA is money in the bank, other sources of
income, and job skills that are in current demand. In the last RA, one person
told me they were surprised to be let go. At this point how can anyone be surprised
to be included in an RA?! -OnTheWayOut-
Comment 05/20/13:
to -jj in fishkill- I was laid off in
2009, I had over 30 yrs, my pension started may 1, and I received unemployment
starting in July. So yes you can get unemployment and pension at the same time
-charles jarrow-
Comment 05/20/13:
"I'd like to ask if anyone knows if
you are laid-off and collect unemployment, can you collect your IBM pension
at the same time?.... Thanks. - jj in fishkill-"
Unemployment runs until your first pension check. Tried that. Didn't work.
File for unemployment right away as there is a delay. Read the NYS website for
application and rules.
*********
IBM gets around the WARN act by firing less than the required
reporting number at several locations. That is why IBM started moving parts
of organizations to smaller departments around the US. Spread the workers out
and then selectively boot them out in different locations to stay under the
WARN act requirement. They aren't STUPID. But you are if you don't organize....
-Jsb2b-
Comment 05/20/13:
jj in Fishkill - Pretty sure the answer
is YES - we had a guy that did a year or so ago -..waiting-
Comment 05/20/13:
Yes, you can collect your pension and unemployment
at the same time. -Anonymous-
Comment 05/20/13:
If you are laid off in NYS you can collect unemployment
and your pension. The condition is that working over the last 6 months did not
make your pension rise. Since IBM froze your pension in 1999, you are good to
collect. I got the axe after 34 years in March 2012 and collected for a year.
Unemployment will question you, but since your pension did not increase, you
are entitled -Anonymous-
Comment 05/20/13:
I'd like to ask if anyone knows: Does IBM have
to let the customer know that there is going to be an RA and that IBMers who
work on their account will be released? Just wondering because it directly affects
the customer and I would want to know if I were a customer and my SLA might
be in jeopardy. -MissinMySLA-
Comment 05/20/13:
IBM CEO Ginni Rometty: Failing Fast
In a previous blog post, I took great pains at articulating my 10 Reasons Why
Ginni Rometty would fail as IBM’s new CEO. In the post, I mentioned the
poisonous sales culture (you live by the sword, you die by the sword), which
is at the center (of blame) for this and last quarter’s missed performance
targets. Another concern was the ‘garage sale’ of business units
that would inevitably have to come if IBM were to meet its targets. As we have
recently learned, IBM appears to be in the process of selling its server business
to Lenovo, and it has long been rumored to be preparing its services business
for sale as well. It seems Ginni may be failing faster than even I had predicted.
Due to missed targets, and poor performance results, IBM will now“reposition”
the business, which undoubtedly means IBM will more aggressively lay off its
employees. In the Rometty era, it appears misaligned, clueless executives and
sales people with no technical prowess reside in the safest bastions, while
super smart, US based customer support people, and technology heavy product
innovators and developers are the ones most likely to be let go. IBM is much
like a desperate housewife, clinging to more glorious days gone by and trying
to hold on to the past by getting plastic surgery to improve surface appearance,
avoiding at all costs a seemingly declining future, and losing its soul in the
process. Ginni is now the plastic surgeon that keeps performing the procedures
to strip the company of more of its soul, while trying in vain to improve its
shallow appearance. In the end, soul matters, and health is not just skin deep,
and it seems that the signs now indicate that the market feels the same way.
http://www.netnetweb.com/blog/ginni-rometty-ibm-failing-fast/
-Anon-
Comment 05/20/13:
To want to be RA'D - My profile holder said I
had to accept the lowest possible rating despite being a star performer and
holding the account together if I wanted a package. The contract with the client
has ended, I'm +65 and want out, but who knows what will happen. Sure could
use a package to ease into retirement because I don't have a gold-plated pension
and can't afford to just quit. I wasn't out-sourced, I was sold into slavery!
I have documented some juicy stories about IBM managers violating BCG and federal
regulations here in Canada. IBM won't really care about BCG, but federal agencies
might. Best to let me out to pasture before this sheep starts bleeting.
-red rose-
Comment 05/20/13:
jj in fishkill- drawing ibm retirement
and unemployment is not going to be allowed. Most states do not give unemployment
if the person is drawing retirement that puts them above the poverty level.
Google and check it for your state. Also unless you are bridging, there is no
accumulation of funds by waiting to draw the retirement. Sign up and start drawing
immediately, unless you have a bridge option. -RAed in 2010-
Comment 05/19/13:
-jj in fishkill- It depends on your
states unemployment laws. I did it in NJ. The key was that IBM did not contribute
to your pension during your base year. -anonymous-
Comment 05/19/13:
I think it's safe to say that you're (unfortunately)
safe if you're on the transition to retirement plan. After all, they'd have
to pay you more NOT to come to work for the balance of the year than they would
to leave you alone for the next six months. -Anon-
Comment 05/19/13:
To -jj in fishkill- Yes, you can collect
your pension and unemployment at the same time --- but you can't cash the exit
check for 6-month's salary and collect unemployment.
-Anon-
Comment 05/19/13:
To jj in fishkill, collecting unemployment
benefits while collecting an IBM pension is governed by the laws of your state
of residence. In New York if your earnings in the last 18 months did not make
you eligible for the pension nor increase the amount of the pension, you can
collect unemployment. IBM froze the pension in December 2007 so there is no
increase in pension value in the last 18 months. This is spelled out in USHR113,
an IBM document you can get from the Human Resources page in IBM's intranet
site W3. Your claim for unemployment may still be denied but everyone I know
of who disputed the decision has been able to reverse it upon supplying the
document I referenced. -AlreadyGone-
Comment 05/19/13:
I was among those who were RA'd in Feb 2009.
15 years at IBM with a list of Division and Group level awards as long as your
arm. Received a Division Excellence Award during my first year at IBM - only
two were given in the Division. Know of anyone else who won a Division Excellence
Award in their first year at IBM? And yet, nothing in the end. Forced to retire
when RA'ed. Hired back as a contractor - and now laid off again not because
of performance but because of budget issues. Let's face it - is all about executive
GREED and making the promised EPS. I am through with IBM. This is not the company
that I started with back in the early 1990's. Things that go around come around.
I hope Ginny and company get blind slided by what they are doing to dismantle
the morale and integrity of the IBM Compny (sic) and destroy the lives of fellow
IBMers who worked their butts off for the corporation. -Laid off
again-
Comment 05/19/13:
jj: According to the NY Labor department, your
unemployment benefit will be reduced if your last 18 months with IBM "made
you eligible for or increased the amount of your pension." If your pension
has been frozen for years, this shouldn't apply to you. Oh, and you must be
looking for work. - pb in Pok -
Comment 05/19/13:
Curious if anyone here had been RA'd then returned
as a contractor to make more money than an FTE? -Cuwious-
Comment 05/19/13:
jj in fishkill - check with your state
unemployment office. i believe in NY you can collect both. in NC where I am
you can't BUT if your pension is less than the 'allowance' you will get something.
-nexttogo-
Comment 05/19/13:
You know any IBMer who is not in the Alliance
that gets RA: Well, if you didn't see it coming, then what took you so long?
-anonymous-
Comment 05/19/13:
"My thinking is why stay - at some point,
you have to jump out of sinking ship. Severance package would make things sweet
- 6mo paid vacation w/ med paid."
And you think a job is just going to come to you and fall in your lap to
pay your mortgage, car payment, utility bills? Finding a job is NO VACATION
these days. TRUST ME! I am very sick and very tired of this sentiment! HAVE
YOU JOINED THE ALLIANCE? JOIN THE ALLIANCE!
- IBMUnionNOW-
Comment 05/19/13:
-jj in fishkill-: Depends on your USA
state. Since IBM has not been contributing funds to a frozen pension plan over
five years (frozen pension in late 2007) you might be able to collect pension
and get unemployment. Check the IBM pension forum: Check with your State Labor
Dept.
http://finance.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/ibmpension/?v=1&t=directory&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=dir&slk=2
-anonymous-
Comment 05/19/13:
To JJ in Fishkill, Yes you can, The next few
lines are from FAQ's from the NY State labor site. This is what they go by for
that determination:
Q: Does receiving a pension affect my benefits?
A: If you have retired and are not looking for work, you
are not eligible for unemployment insurance benefits. .
However, if you are retired and are actively seeking work, you may be eligible
for unemployment benefits under the same conditions as other workers. .
Your weekly benefit rate may be reduced, however, if: You receive a pension
from an employer whom you worked for in the 18 months before you filed your
claim . AND . That work made you eligible for or increased the amount of your
pension . AND . Your employer contributes more than 50% toward your pension
. The amount of the weekly benefit rate reduction is as follows: .
IF... THEN...
You did not contribute towards your pension Your benefit
rate will be reduced by the weekly equivalent of your pension
You contributed less than 50% of the total value of your pension
The reduction is one-half the weekly equivalent of your pension
You contributed 50% or more or if you rolled your pension
over to a qualifying IRA account
There is no pension reduction
You must tell the Telephone Claim Center if you become eligible
for a pension while you collect benefits. If you do not, you may have to repay
benefits you received. The Telephone Claim Center will determine any reduction
in your unemployment benefit amount. .
Q: Does receiving separation-related payments (severance
pay, vacation pay, etc.) affect my benefits?
A: Generally, you can collect unemployment insurance benefits
while you receive separation-related payments. . However, you will not be
eligible for benefits IF You continue to receive the full salary AND Exactly
the same benefits that your employer paid while you were working WITH The
understanding that the salary and benefits will stop IF You find work elsewhere.
. Pay for unused vacation accruals normally does not affect your eligibility.
Remember: IBM stopped contributing to your pension on December
31, 2007 !!! -RA'd
in 2009-
Comment 05/19/13:
Ginni...instead of preaching ..understand that
companies are known by what they sell...real stuff...eg Google defined by search
mobile..Amazon..books and now cloud..and what defines IBM today huh? Cost cuts
layoffs outsourcing. .no innovation. .no new products. .only esoteric cr.p like
smarter planet. .Ginni. .pls spend some time trying to differentiate IBM or
be ready to SINK. -Ginnitalk-
Comment 05/19/13:
-jj in Fishkill- Whether you can collect unemployment
while on a pension depends upon what state you live in. In the case of NY I
believe the answer is yes. The reason has to do with the fact that the IBM pension
plan has been frozen with no new contributions. From posts that I've seen here
in the past be prepared to be rejected on the first try and have to appeal.
-Anonymous retiree-
Comment 05/19/13:
I'd like to ask if anyone knows if you are laid-off
and collect unemployment, can you collect your IBM pension at the same time?....
Thanks......The answer is NO. In NY if you are on "the bridge" to
retirement you can collect during the bridge, but as soon as the pension kicks
in, you must stop collecting unemployment. On the other hand, if you were working
a job before you came to IBM, and were collecting a pension from that job, you
could in fact continue to collect unemployment (from your IBM layoff) while
still collecting the previous employers pension. But as soon as you become eligible
for the IBM pension you must give up the unemployment. And dont forget ...unemployment
rules vary state to state. But I know this is how it works in NYS.
-ant-
Comment 05/19/13:
@-Want to be RA'd- The answer varies
with each manager. I say tell yours now. You'd be too late for the RA coming
up but you can aim for the one after that. If your manager responds with "no
raise, no promotions, more work", then you follow up with the approach
of -OnTheWayOut-. I told my manager in 2009 and I got on the 2010 list.
@--jj in fishkill- The answer may vary with state law.
In Massachusetts, I did collect unemployment, my lump-sum pension, and my severance,
all at the same time. @All: In the meantime, join Alliance to get a contract
AND support these discussions. -Gorya-
Comment 05/19/13:
I'd like to ask if anyone knows if you are laid-off
and collect unemployment, can you collect your IBM pension at the same time?....
Thanks. - jj in fishkill-
Comment 05/19/13:
This explains everything "...companies should
not define themselves by products", Ginni provided some advice to the audience:
"The only way to survive is to continuously transform and to always have
an act two"....what she meant was "always have an axe too". Joking
aside, could she tell that to Apple as I am sure they will stop making products
with these simply stellar words of wisdom. Couldn't make it up if you tried.
-Bored-
Comment 05/18/13:
“Pension Predators” .... when I first
saw the title of this article, I figured it was probably about “Socks”
Bouchard and his lackeys. However, what this article describes is even worse
than IBM Management and HR cheating workers out of their rightfully earned pensions.
Those who prey on the elderly, poor, and disabled earn themselves a special
place in Hell.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/16/opinion/pension-predators-in-new-york.html
-Ginni Madoff with my Pension-
Comment 05/18/13:
No raise, no promotions, more work.... this sound
like right now. There is no "fat" to be RA'd. Even if you get to stay,
you would be working longer than ever trying to cover for those who lost their
job w/o any incentives. My thinking is why stay - at some point, you have to
jump out of sinking ship. Severance package would make things sweet - 6mo paid
vacation w/ med paid. -Want to be RA'd-
Comment 05/18/13:
I too was part of the 2009 layoffs. To add to
the WARN act discussion: IBM is only requited to report if the layoff number
is beyond a certain number of folks in an area being laid off. At the TIME I
was laid off in February of 09', the WARN Act was NOT yet in full swing, so
I was not aware. The WARN is a great tool if those being laid off go beyond
a minimum number such as more than 100 (I think). I might be wrong on some facts,
but I do know WARN was not available to me when I was laid off. -*glad
to be gone in 09*-
Comment 05/18/13:
Re. wanting to be RA'd. My approach is simply
to work on my own terms: taking time for a proper lunch, leaving at a reasonable
time, not working nights/weekends, using all vacation, and taking sick time
when sick, etc. I work hard within these limits and don't worry about the work
that doesn't get done because of an unreasonable workload. (only IBMrs can relate
to how radical such a reasonable approach seems) It makes the job more tolerable
and has lowered my PBC from 2+ to 2. -OnTheWayOut-
Comment 05/18/13:
@-Huggie- .. also on the transition
plan here and no, have not been, and don't believe I will be, and don't believe
I can be, and if I am I've won the big lottery in the courts. Basically, "they've"
said they won't, it's in writing even if not signed, and if anyone in the plan
finds they're being treated other than the plan documents stated , I believe
IBM is in big trouble. I don't believe IBM will do it -BRICemSam-
Comment 05/18/13:
"IBM tells you 90 days but they can
always reduce it and make it 60, 45, or 30 days".
I know of a person who was "extended" several times after the
last RA. They told him 30 days but he was actually still working up to July
of 2012. His numerous extensions were in 30 or 60 day intervals.
-MrCrabbs-
Comment 05/18/13:
To Want to be ra'd: i wouldnt say anythng to
your manager no matter how much you trusted him. It will only get you no raises,
no promotions, more work and they wont RA you knowing you want to leave anyway.
Trust me, i thought i could trust my manager, but learned a valuable lesson.
-think twice-
Comment 05/18/13:
to want to be RA'D the answer to your question
is yes...i asked and was told im on the list..i am a 2+ -jj in fishkill-
Comment 05/17/13:
-Want to be RA'd- Don't do it...I thought
I could tell my manager, now I just get more work, lower raises and no hope
for promotion. -Think Twice-
Comment 05/17/13:
To all who read this and think they will or do
survive the RA or now just want to get RAed by their manager to leave IBM and
get severance pay: Instead of HOPING; DO SOMETHING! Join the Alliance. Get a
union. Get a contract. And then you might just get what you want, when you want.
-IBMUnionNOW-
Comment 05/17/13:
I was a 'lucky' one selected for a RA in 2009
from the Hudson Valley. In NY, they have the WARN Act, whereas a company having
more than a certain amount of layoffs, must give NY state a 90-day notice, so
they can prepare for the release of a sizable amount of former employees of
the company. By giving the people '90-days' to find a job, is actually a work
around that IBM has found, that covers themselves, whereas they do not have
to let anyone know a layoff is coming, or the amount of people being laid off.
Not sure what the stipends are in other states but the 3-month rumor is likely,
if not certainly due to that. As for looking for a job within that 3-month timeframe,
forget it, any future internal prospects you might get know you were RA'd and
you will not even be given a chance to stay in the company !!!! -RA'd
in 2009-
Comment 05/17/13:
In response to -Want to
be RA'd- Your 1st line manager has very little say about
your future. If you want to be laid off, get a "3" appraisal. (You
can still be laid off with a better rating, but the odds are lower). Some have
reported that telling their boss they're interested in leaving simply gets them
loaded up with so much work that they end of quitting with nothing. -Knowing-
Comment 05/17/13:
Alliance responding to Exodus: Appoinments Obama
put in place in NLRB were not constitutional, according to Appeals court.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2013/05/second-appeals-court-invalidates-obamas-nlrb-recess-164150.html
-JustFYI-
Alliance reply: We posted the following related article on our front page:
http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/299663-unions-mobilize-as-labor-board-faces-paralysis-in-obamas-second-term
Comment 05/17/13:
I want to leave IBM with severance package. Will
your manager help if you tell him? -Want to be RA'd-
Comment 05/17/13:
I'm probably going to survive this RA, though
it is with mixed emotion as a six month buffer would make for an excellent sabbatical.
What is wrong in all of this in my opinion is the persistent culture of fear
and short term thinking which is damningly endemic in STG in particular and
IBM in general. -staying alive-
Comment 05/17/13:
Sam is probably the luckiest person on the planet.
ran a tech company w/o a tech degree or a business degree. now giving "advice"
for tech! can it get worse?
http://www.zdnet.com/bloomberg-taps-former-ibm-ceo-palmisano-for-privacy-data-advice-7000015553/
-lucked_out-
Comment 05/17/13:
IBM tells you 90 days but they can always reduce
it and make it 60, 45, or 30 days. -anonymous-
Comment 05/17/13:
http://www.platformonomics.com/2013/03/ibm-how-much-longer-do-the-good-times-last/
Good Times at IBM? It really hasn't been good
in a long, long, long time. It just been cut this, cut that, cut some more.
Pad the EPS and let the executives get greedy filthy rich in the process. P.S.
I never realized how young I still look in my photo! -trexibmer-
Comment 05/17/13:
I wonder if any of the managers that have sent
posts would be willing to issue sworn statements that they read the site or
what was posted on the site was discussed in staff meetings? The Alliance could
then publicly prove IBM violated labor laws and push for prosecution. It would
be seen as a victory by the rank and file and there is no such thing as bad
press when your trying to get the word out. -Exodus2007-
Alliance reply: The problem is that the government agency that we would go through,
the National Labor Relations Board, is systematically being gutted and obstructed
by Republicans in the House and Senate. You want a strong agency that fights
for workers? Call your Republican congressperson and tell them to back off destroying
the NLRB.
Comment 05/17/13:
To -huggie- : I was invited to participate
in the Transition to Retirement program last year (I declined, and left IBM
on my own terms recently), and one of the conditions was that if you are in
the program, IBM would not include you in RAs before you retire. That was spelled
out very clearly, in writing. If IBM reneged on that promise now, it would be
a gross violation of IBM's BCGs (i.e. IBM executives lying to IBM employees)
and also could trigger a class action suit. -Anonymous-
Comment 05/17/13:
Latest from Rochester...cuts to happen may 30th.
That means the 30 days for people to find another job ends June 30th, perfect
quarter ending news. -Macklemore-
Comment 05/17/13:
i want to qualify my earlier statement regarding the 30
day vs 3 month separation practices.... again, the scenarios varied wildly from
state to state, division by division, and even site to site within the same
state. for those who aren't RA'd...you have the pleasure of enduring more torture
until, perhaps, the next RA. Join the union. shouldn't it be obvious by now
that it's your only hope? -ant-
Comment 05/17/13:
"surprised to hear three months vs. usual
30 days"... If I remember correctly the reasons for the 30day vs 3month
timeframe from RA notice to actual separation, had to do with state labor laws
that varied from state to state as well as the size of the layoff at a particular
site. for instance, in ny if say fishkill laid off 500+ people, they had to
keep you on the payroll for 3 months before terminating you. during that time
you were free to come in and go on the intranet and try to find another job
within ivm if you wanted. some suckers attempted to do this. my guess is that
99.5% of them found it to be a waste of time. most managers told the selected
ones not to even bother, you won't get another ibm job. the bright light at
the end of the tunnel was that you got paid for 3 months, didn't have to come
to work, then you came in after the 3 month period signed your paperwork, collected
your severance and joyfully peeled out of the parking lot!!! -ant-
Comment 05/17/13:
@anon2013 Tell that to John Akers who
the board booted in 1993. A look at went on behind the scenes can be found at
http://www.truthinmedia.org/Bulletins2002/12-3.html
-longtimer-
Comment 05/17/13:
Well after reading the posts of the last few
days looks like Friday the 31st. One comment really made me angry because it
is SO TRUE! IBM is holding our f'ing 401 matches to pay for the RA. They should
be reported and investigated by the the SEC for accounting fraud and disclosure.
-Sneaky_Not_Smarter_Planet-
Comment 05/16/13:
Question: back in the 2009 Hudson Valley layoffs
they were big enough to trigger NYS WARN notices. Does anyone know if they RA'd
people on the day of the notice and gave them an extra three months or did the
WARN came out 90 days before they told the people they were getting RAed? Is
this where the three months rumor is coming from? If so that would indicate
a layoff of 250 people or greater. -Confused-
Comment 05/16/13:
JJ...surprised to hear three months vs. usual
30 days. To me, that would imply much larger layoffs than anticipated or expected
- with 3 months to train yet to be named or even hired low cost replacements.
Sounds like shoot first - backfill later. -Summertime blues-
Comment 05/16/13:
I think it is a pretty good idea to take care
IBM's customers in spite of the swirl of turd drifting around the IBM at this
time. The reason? ...those customers are most likely our new employers. I can
not wait to leverage the insider information from a customer prespective. Karma
is a real bitch and she is coming..... -Any Moose-
Comment 05/16/13:
-Let there be a god-: Have you joined
the Alliance or are content to accept what IBM can/will do to you? Why be so
negative? YOU can still try to do something. Let there be a IBM Union! -Let
there be a IBM Union-
Comment 05/16/13:
"Why doesn't the Board of Directors
oust Ginny?"
LOL! LOL! R U kidding me??? WHO do you think gets to pick who is on the IBM
Board of Directors? The CEO or course! -anon2013-
Comment 05/16/13:
IBM will get to pay for the next RA with your
401(k)- holdback match since 1/1/2013 if you are RAed soon. Respect for the
Individual? NOT! Respect for the EPS? SURE! Nice and ethical IBM, huh?
-GoneB4Summer-
Comment 05/16/13:
Remember 1993. STG to be whacked Memorial Day
week. -Bored-
Comment 05/16/13:
Are people in the Transition to Retirement program
being let go early, ie. before 12/31/2013, in the 1H2013 RA's. Sounds like all
you left in IBM NA need to have a contract, quickly! -huggie-
Comment 05/16/13:
http://www.platformonomics.com/2013/03/ibm-how-much-longer-do-the-good-times-last/
-Anonymous-
Comment 05/16/13:
To: -Sick of it- Yes, RAs do occur in the week
of a holiday. All that matters to HQ is counting back 30 days from the end of
the quarter. In 2005 employees were told they were RA'd on May 31st, the day
after Memorial Day. I should know. -It Happened To Me-
Comment 05/16/13:
Hope the rumors are true being that IBM BTV will
bein layoffs today. Hopefully when I get here tonight they turn me right back
around and I can say good riddance to a sinking ship. -Let there
be a god -
Comment 05/15/13:
I dont work any weekends. Never have never will.
Weekend time is for my family period. IBM gets what they give. Prefer to keep
it that way and hope you do the same. -to_solidarity_n_respect-
Comment 05/15/13:
I heard 30 people were let go in BTV (Williston
building) Vermont and others also. Can anyone confirm this? -Anonymous-
Comment 05/15/13:
Why doesn't the Board of Directors oust Ginny?
Why are WE the one's to lose our jobs? We did nothing wrong. The greedy will
continue to rape this company and the folks who actually do the "work"
for the customers will be out of a precious job. Will Ginny enjoy her summer?
I can guarantee she will. We will NOT. Either we will make it through this RA
and be dumped on with tons of extra work, or we will NOT make it through...and
spend the summer worried about how we are going to pay the mortgage and feed
our children. -Not_Fair-
Alliance Reply: There is an alternative to the continual firing and abuse of
IBM US workers: Organize. Join together in an organization and gather your co-workers
together and fight back, before the next "Resource Action". Nothing
is "fair" until you bargain collectively for a Fair written agreement
with IBM management. Join Alliance@IBM. Take actions that are legal and your
right to take. Organize now.
Comment 05/15/13:
Let's make a big statement on Memorial Day weekend
to IBM management: All IBMers on call that weekend REFUSE to take or work on
a call! It is USA Memorial Day weekend and out of respect for our fallen war
heroes it is a solemn weekend of rest, relaxation, and most importantly appreciation
and reflection. Many IBMers will lose their jobs after Memorial Day. Will you
do anything to mourn their career and job termination? -solidarity_n_respect-
Comment 05/15/13:
To anonymopus 5/14:
"I am a first line manager in storage development."
First off, if you are an IBM manager you have broken federal labor law
by posting to this union forum. We know your intent is good and we appreciate
your information, but please understand labor and union organizing rules and
laws! By the Alliance putting your post on this Job Cuts Reports forum is forgiveness
and they will not try to go after you!
IBMers in the Alliance obey the labor laws and union activities on the job,
like not talking or distributing union information at IBM offices and desks.
Even those who followed Section 7 of the US labor law to the 'T' who worked
for IBM, lost their jobs due to union affiliation even though IBM management
will vehemently deny it. You have to decide whether you still want to be part
of the problem or part of the solution to this present IBM as a manager. You
are a steward of IBM and it's survival realizes on you! IBM employees are powerless
without a union and collective bargaining agreement. As a manager, you can't
join the Alliance, but you can support them and their efforts. -IBMUnionYES-
Alliance reply: Generally we would not have posted something from a manager.
In this case and others like it we felt that information he posted was valuable.
Comment 05/15/13:
There was a big reorg announcement in server
systems ops today. shuffling the tech teams around like pawns. i do not even
know who my first line is or will be at this point. combined many teams from
what i can glean from the ppt. i can only guess they are positioning for the
impending resource action. -kill-9-
Comment 05/15/13:
jj in fishkill, I'm surprised it would
be 5/31 when 5/27 is a holiday. Many will be be on vacation that week. This
would be a first for an RA during a week that includes a holiday.
-Sick of it-
Comment 05/15/13:
Had a 2 hour F2F "Mandatory" Training
Session with our HR folks this week (Mon 13 May); preceded by a short notice
"Manager Briefing" by our ANZ GBS Managing Partner (Steve Bingham)
on Fri 10 May. Here's the script we had to give / read to our "Rebalanced
Team" members who had been selected. Fri 14 Jun 2013 is their last day.
"[Name], the reason for this meeting is to tell
you about some changes in our team that will affect you. For us to remain competitive,
and continue to meet client needs, we need to continually align our workforce
skills and resources to business requirements. We have recently reviewed what
services we deliver locally and what we deliver through our Global Delivery
model. As a result of this review process, we are moving a number of roles to
international locations. I need to tell you today that your role is impacted
by this and will no longer be performed from Australia. This means you are being
given formal notice of redeployment and have been allocated four weeks to find
another position within IBM. If you are unable to find another role by Fri 14
June 2013 you will be given formal notice of the termination of employment on
the grounds of redundancy.
It is important that you understand that it is your position that has become
redundant. This is not a reflection on the way you have done your job."
What's crazy - while we have a semi high bench (240) on the East Coast
(Melb/Sydney) - we are "screaming" for people on the West Coast (Perth).
We have been told in town halls that we have over 200+ new openings in Perth
- but no one wants to move to Perth (despite the "Go West" program
being re-started (offering cash bonus', promotions to those who move West).
We are even offering 2 year FTH contracts to folks in Europe to come to Australia!
And - in the same breath - letting go over 150+ experienced IBMer's in Wave
1B. There was a Wave 1A last week (but I don't have those numbers). AND -- we've
been warned there WILL be more waves this year (until Q4 2013.) Frustrated -
and working 45-50 hours a week! -Australia GBS Manager-
Comment 05/15/13:
@jj Three months paid from July to Sept,
and then out the door really means that the 401K match is for nine months, but
because the employee will not be on the books by Dec. 15th. you will not get
it. Based on 7k ave. per person, and 7k RA's thats 49 million they keep from
you. It's good to be king.....or queen.... Good luck All -Ich
Bin Muede-
Comment 05/15/13:
SICK OF IT..layoff will not happen this week
or next week..this is coming from 2 managers,one a relative the other a friend...5-31-13...stay
on payroll 3 months then 2 weeks pay every year of service max 26 weeks..apprasil
rating determines who stays who goes...if a 1 or 2 plus should be ok..2 and
your in the layoff pool...flip a coin... - jj in fishkill-
Comment 05/15/13:
I was under contract with IBM for 2 years. I
(along with more than a dozen others in my area) got a call at 5:00pm on Wed
5/8 letting us know that Thur 5/9 would be our last day. I know contractors
do not expect long term employment but we all expected some kind of notice.
24 hours for people supporting families is insulting. IBM is scum, especially
considering they just renewed my contract 4 weeks ago. -Anonymous-
Comment 05/14/13:
I wish folks would stop posting messages about
when the ax is going to fall when obviously they have no clue -- it's just adding
to the atmosphere of concerns and fear. Let's leave the comments to verified
information please. -anoid_and_concerned-
Comment 05/14/13:
1st off I'm generally anti-union and I don't
want to be under a collective bargaining agreement or have other union influence
controlling my job, but I do want to point out that I don't agree with what
IBM is doing. I am a first line manager in storage development. Large layoff
going on called "Project Mercury" it affects 1/2 of my dept (8 out
of 16) and 14 under my 2nd line. I have heard that the bogey for my VP was 100+.
I have heard from other 1st lines that HW development, and support are being
hit too. The standard 1 year retirement bridge is being offered along with the
usual 2 weeks for every year of service up to 26 weeks, etc. Well that's what
I am being told, the formal packets are not out yet. Supposedly managers will
be impacted in this cut. All PBC 3 employees are automatically on the list to
go, no negotiation. I have an open external req for an experienced hire and
I was told that I had to keep that open and could not close it and keep another
person, nor could I transfer a person on the list into my open req position.
I don't yet have any info on when the announcement date is. Early on (4/30 is
when my manager first talked to us about it) we were told July. But it wasn't
clear if that meant notification in July or everyone would be gone by July.
Formal lists were submitted on Friday 5/10 and are currently undergoing legal
and HR review. -anonymous-
Comment 05/14/13:
The Case Against IBM: This recent quote from
a "former" IBM exec who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
"Realizing this, IBM's become a holding company of sorts, buying assets,
integrating them and reselling them as an IBM brand. IBM does not want to fund
its own development because past history shows we're not very good at it."
Wall Street may love IBM (which is an indictment
unto itself…) but mean reversion looks inexorable. IBM has put itself
in thrall to Wall Street and achieved superior earnings growth through non-sustainable
cost cutting and financial measures. What is good for Wall Street in this case
isn't good for customers or the long term success of the company. Historically
low interest rates have also been part of the IBM story (borrowing at a rate
below your dividend rate to buy back stock is cash flow accretive) and that
too will mean revert one of these days.
IBM is a technology company that doesn't really innovate. Cost cutting only
takes you so far; eventually it cuts muscle as opposed to fat. Real technology
companies do actual (non-financial) engineering, but IBM has committed its cash
to growing EPS. IBM doesn't even bother trying to tell a growth story (they
should at least be able to grow with global GDP). Meanwhile, they have lots
of legacy business at risk. In particular, IBM makes the bulk of its revenue
from busloads of consultants and the plurality of its profits from the mainframe.
And a rats' nest of a legacy software rollup doesn't make you a software company,
investor relations slides to the contrary (are there any IBM software acquisitions
that aren't in harvest mode and have seen material investment?). The company
is missing the boat on cloud computing. IBM is largely an observer in the biggest
trend in IT, which directly undermines the core of IBM's business model. And
the legacy software acquisition model of the last decade will not work as well
applied to SaaS applications - software services require on-going innovation,
don't drag consulting to the same degree and the economics are not as accretive
given the capex needs. The big industry trends are against IBM. Not just cloud,
but also outsourcing swinging back to in-sourcing and the consumerization of
IT. IBM is fighting these trends, not setting an alternative agenda. IBM's customers
are in crisis. Historical affinities of even the most complacent customers will
be put to the test in the face of existential, technology-based business threats.
You can only paint laggards as technology leaders for so long and if the IT
center of gravity is shifting from the CIO to the CMO, IBM's lack of consumer
assets or DNA hurts them relative to the competition. -Anon-
Comment 05/14/13:
Complaining about "politicians not working
enough" or about "corporate executives looting millions of dollars"
is a futile and cowardly exercise. No one is stopping you from becoming a Congressman
or a corporate executive. If you have what it takes to join these elite groups,
you too can get to enjoy the money, the power and the control over ordinary
people's lives. On the other hand, if you don't have what it takes to become
one or if you think "what can a little old person like me do when the game
is rigged", then do something different instead of just complaining. That
something different is to take on these powerful men and women through strength
in numbers. Organize together and then you will have equal power to take on
the politicians in a voting booth or the executives at a collective bargaining
table. -VoiceofReason-
Comment 05/14/13:
Regarding flex time. I know of young employees
who did the unofficial comp time for overtime to be the bosses pet. It worked
well, for the boss that is. He had the lowest overtime in the office. Then when
he moved on and the young fella tried to take some of his comp time the new
boss said "What comp time? Your not exempt. You can't have comp time! ".
My reasons for never taking the flex time is as follows.
1. If the boss fails to properly document it you will never get it.
2. It takes away the additional money your family can use.
3. It lowers your 401k contribution by not claiming the overtime.
4. It reduces your Social Security because that's based on your top earnings
. The family flexibility act is supposed to offer you the " Opportunity"
to get more time off with your family. Always opt for the Overtime is my opinion.
-Exodus2007-
Comment 05/13/13:
House GOP Votes To End Overtime Pay With ‘Working
Families Flexibility Act:
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/05/11/house-gop-votes-to-end-overtime-pay-with-working-families-flexibility-act/
######
I guess ALL American workers are now considered "exempt" by the US
House of Representatives. This, from a group that only works 126 days a year!
-NoMoreOTpay-
Comment 05/13/13:
Is it even legal in countries like Canada and
the USA to have utilization targets that can only be met if we work significant
overtime? -curious-
Alliance reply: In the US, yes, if you are exempt. Will check on Canada. You
have less rights than you think. More rights if you have a union contract.
Comment 05/13/13:
http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240183944/Suffolk-university-dumps-failing-IBM-DS-SAN-and-gets-Fujitsu-DX-80s
University dumps failing IBM DS SAN and gets Fujitsu DX-80s
University Campus Suffolk (UCS) dumped a failing IBM DS4700
SAN and replaced it with a pair of Fujitsu DX-80s. The organisation made the£140,000
move after IBM “washed its hands” of the troublesome DS4700 and
it needed reliable storage for its virtualisation project.
A prerequisite for a successful virtualisation project is
reliable shared storage, but UCS had long suffered from performance and availability
problems with an IBM DS4700 SAN that often failed, said John Herd, head of
IT at UCS.
He said: “The previous SAN, an IBM DS4700, fell over
a lot. We spent 18 months trying to get things right until IBM washed its
hands of it. We suffered catastrophic data losses that included a two-week
rebuild from backups of all data and another occasion where all email was
lost.”
In the end IBM “washed its hands” of the issues
with the DS SAN and UCS’ IT department decided it wouldn’t try
to keep it going without supplier support.
IBM offered a successor system, said O’Rourke, also
with an“eye-watering” price tag while Hitachi Data Systems (HDS)
offered “the wrong system at the wrong price”. -Anonymous-
Comment 05/13/13:
jj fishkill, 6/1 is a Saturday. The
RA will be this week or next week. In the meantime, I hope management realizes
what a morale killer this is, waking up every day, waiting for the phone call.
Every damn day, I wonder if I will have a job the next day. I can't even begin
to describe how entirely sick of this I am. It's taking a toll on my health
- both physical and mental. -Sick of it.-
Comment 05/13/13:
-Good riddance- I hear ya. I bet they
will only layoff no more than 499 in the first wave at Essex Jct. VT. Otherwise,
IBM has to report the RA under the WARN Act. IBM has made thousands upon thousands
of RA and "drive by" firings to avoid WARN. At least VT has Bernie
Sanders who will make any layoff IBM does national news. I wish I had a US Senator
like him in my state! -da_facts-
Comment 05/13/13:
-jj fishkill- So returning from Memorial
Day weekend will be the time. So I guess folks can enjoy a cookout and then
go on the 30 day march and a 'memorial' to their IBM employment. Typical Big
Blew/Blow. -fishfooled-
Comment 05/13/13:
UKI Entered in to a ECC not looking good
-SolidPerformar-
Comment 05/13/13:
IBM Management, these coming RAs are entirely
the result of your FAILURE and INCOMPETENCE. It's YOU pathetic cowards who should
be resigning -Anonymous-
Comment 05/12/13:
fedup: Better
yet, Join the Alliance and sign a union intent card!!!
- IBMUnionYES-
Comment 05/12/13:
The Tucson IBM site will probably go away in
another year or so. -goneawhileago-
Comment 05/12/13:
When the job cuts start we should have a week
long slowdown, sickout and walkout. Enough is Enough! -fedup-
Comment 05/11/13:
At this point, do employees really care about
IBM? We all know how the workers are stepped on, managers are pathetic for the
most part, there is no leadership, and morale is so low it cannot go lower.
Everyone knows something has been coming since the earning report. By doing
nothing, productivity is less than 50%. Everyone is just going through the motions
waiting for the axe to fall. Older workers on the old pension plan are just
hoping to be part of a sell off or just a couple more years. Younger workers
already know IBM is a ZERO-growth company. Why look for another position when
you know you go straight to the bottom of the totem pole for the next round
of layoffs in 6-12 months? If you are an IBMer and not updating your resume,
you have to be crazy at this point. I am stuck and have another year or so before
I can leave on my own terms. If that was not holding me hostage, I would be
sending my resume out already. There would be no notice of departure. I would
walk into my managers office, hand my laptop and badge, take my remaining PC
days, and be gone. Good luck finding anyone that can decipher what I really
do. It will take 12 months to figure it all out and the resources needed to
figure it out will be 2-3x what I make. We all know layoffs are coming within
the next 2 weeks. Those affected have to be gone by June 30th so all losses
can be counted against the current quarter. If I get tagged, I will get my severance,
resume ready to go, and be able to sustain for at least 12 months while looking
for a new job. Most people in my dept that have been let go have found jobs
in 3-4 weeks making 20-30% more, far less stress, and companies that appreciate
them. -WhoCares?-
Comment 05/11/13:
east fishkill layoff date is 6-1-13 not 5-16-13..
-jj fishkill-
Comment 05/10/13:
Strong indicators point to Thursday 05/16/13
as "Resource Action" day in Essex for STG. -Woodchuck in Vermont-
I heard Tuesday the end would begin. Not a second to soon this place is
terrible. Heard 500 layoffs -Good riddance-
Comment 05/10/13:
Most or all contractors in STG Germany were let
go this month. As they were friends to many of the regular employees, you can
easily figure that motivation to boost IBM's EPS is at an all-time low. They
are draining IBM of its most valuable asset: The knowledge that leaves with
colleagues that are kicked or that leave on their own. @Anon: I'm surprised
IBM is not in the top 20 of the ISG list, but one thing is true: In Europe IBM
earned itself a reputation of "not to be trusted". You have seen the
reports about the UK Pension cases and there are similar cases in Germany. Here
is a link to a web site of a court in Stuttgart:
This court is usually quite biased in favor of employers and in general german
courts don't publicly criticize companies like IBM. Thus the following quote
was notices and re-played by all relevant media in Germany:
"Besonders bedenklich ist, dass die Firma IBM nicht bereit ist, die
Grundsatzentscheidungen des Bundesarbeitsgerichts zu akzeptieren. Die Firma
IBM untergräbt damit die Autorität der Rechtsprechung. Außerdem
steht das Verhalten der Firma IBM im Widerspruch zu den eigenen Ethik-Richtlinien,
wonach sich jeder Unternehmensangehörige zur Einhaltung der Gesetze und
der allgemein gültigen ethischen Standards verpflichtet." Translated:
"It is particularly disturbing that the company IBM is unwilling to
accept the decisions of the Federal Labour Court. The company IBM thus eroding
the authority of the law. There is also the behavior of by IBM in contrast to
their own ethical guidelines, according to which every corporation undertakes
to comply with the laws and generally accepted ethical standards."
http://www.lag-baden-wuerttemberg.de/servlet/PB/menu/1276763/index.html
Taking this together with reports about "Project
Liquid", more law suits in US and elsewhere makes customers (especially
SMBs) very concerned about entering business with IBM. I think IBM needs to
rethink it's strategy in regard to CSR, if it doesn't want to destroy it's reputation
and brand equity. -Left in 2011 and happy about it-
Comment 05/10/13:
What was the big announcement in Rochester?
-Anonymous-
Comment 05/10/13:
So instead of waiting on these "big meetings
everywhere" why not organize now, sign union cards, and get your union
vote going and call your BIG MEETING in front of IBM management? If you don't
try this Roadkill will proceed at IBM management's whim. -IBMUnionNOW-
Comment 05/10/13:
Here it comes folks. Meetings are being called
all over the place. -hereitcomes-
Comment 05/09/13:
While the big meeting was taking place they were
letting go practically all of the contractors. -Austin-
Comment 05/09/13:
We just had an all hands meeting in Dubuque and
let me tell you that was disturbing. They have nerve to show a list of people
who received promotions this year. I seen about 5 people on the list this year
that were also promoted last year, yet most are getting screwed. Such a toxic
hell-hole to work in, I cannot wait to get out. Such miserable people to work
with, I really feel for their spouses. -trainerjoe-
Comment 05/09/13:
Heard from a reliable source that the axe is
coming down on Tuesday at IBM East Fishkill NY with up to a 20% reduction in
head count. Some managers will be on vacation with a stand in executioner doing
their handy work!IBM Today mainly cares about Share Holders and using their
employees as blood money trying to make up for any lost profit margin! Question
is in the end will there be anyone left to make a product ?? Last one to leave
turn the lights off! -Roadkill 2012 !!-
Comment 05/09/13:
Strong indicators point to Thursday 05/16/13
as "Resource Action" day in Essex for STG. -Woodchuck
in Vermont-
Comment 05/09/13:
Pureflex is a company that makes valves and hoses.
Could this be trademark infringement? -samtheman-
Comment 05/09/13:
Would this article also affect IBM execs?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/05/08/execs-health-care-plans/2145301/
-Anonymous-
Comment 05/09/13:
Big meeting in Austin last week. Leblanc, all
hand exec's, SWG honcho's, several IBM fellows, and more. Mandate from Ginny
that PureFlex must succeed. Everything plus kitchen sink being thrown into it
to make it attractive and folks buy, use it. Stated IBM facing critical juncture
worse than in 1990's. Ginny on witch hunt who, how her admonishing employees
video was leaked to Wall Street Journal. -Anonymous-
Comment 05/08/13:
So is it time for a roll call? I'm a dues paying
member and some of my department have joined the rolls. How many "members"
are there and how many are needed to allow a vote to proceed? Let us know how
many are short and lets all pound the pavement for new members, at least the
climate makes recruiting and associated discussions easier... -StrikeNow-
Alliance reply: Please contact us at ibmunionalliance@gmail.com
to discuss an tell us your location. We are way short. Everyone who comes here
needs to join and members need to recruit.
Comment 05/08/13:
Albany. The exempts are not covering for the
laid off contractors. They are taking the overtime from full time non-exempt
IBMers. These call-backs have always been handled by non-exempt techs. The engineers
know that they are skirting around the labor laws concerning overtime and job
codes. Sorry, but if the exempts do not say no to taking our work and overtime
away they are as much of the problem as the managers. -On the inside-
Alliance Reply: You are correct about the exempts being part of the problem,
IF they are not part of the solution. In this case, Alliance members on the
inside, need to be actively organizing ALL the non-management employees; which
includes the exempts. The only way that the exempts will say NO to taking away
OT from the non-exempt techs, is to organize them into a group that stands up
and refuses to do it. If you can't beat them, it is better to get them to join
you and any other Alliance members and supporters. This is the point that was
poorly made in a previous Alliance reply. This is
what solidarity means.
Comment 05/08/13:
BIG ANOUNCEMENT IN ROCHESTER THURSDAY.
-macklemore-
Comment 05/08/13:
-CJ-Roc-: I was one of them.
-sby_willlie-
Comment 05/08/13:
IBM is weak right now. Time to hit them big.
Go IBM Union! -InSolidarity-
Comment 05/08/13:
-Outside looking in-: So much for NY
State touting it is creating jobs! NY State should pull all PILOT from IBM!
IBM are tax dodgers! And they want the purest water (better than drinking water)
for their chip operations paid by the taxpayers. -anonymous-
Comment 05/08/13:
The only way to try to SAVE IBM NOW from it's
managements actions and inactions is to organize, unionize, and get a contract
to right the IBM ship before it really hits an iceberg and becomes the next
corporate USA Titanic. It has taken me years to realize this statement. But
at least now I see it. Do you? -anonymous-
Comment 05/08/13:
Who are Europe's top IT services firms in Q1
of 2013 and what happened to IBM? I thought I would publish
ISG's list of the companies that took the biggest shares of this spend. What
is a surprise is IBM's absence? Strange, in 2009 according to Gartner IBM was
the number one IT services firm in Western Europe (which accounts for most the
EMEA spend.) Most the usual suspects are all there but there are also a few
I don't know at all, as well as some specialists thrown in. Top 20 IT services
firms in terms of total EMEA contract value won in the first three months of
2013. This is in alphabetic order:
1 - Accenture
2 - AT&T
3 - Capgemini
4 - CGI
5 -Communisis
6 - Evry
7 - Genpact
8 - HCL
9 - HP
10 - Infosys
11 - Lottomatica
12 - Nokia
13 - SQS
14 - Swisscom
15 - TCS
16 - Thales
17 - Tieto
18 - Virtusa
19 - Xchanging
20 - Xerox
-Anon-
Comment 05/07/13:
Albany R&D at nanotech. Contractors and
LTS let go. Management is using exempt engineers to cover late shift work and
call-backs to avoid paying overtime to technicians. Of course the engineers
have no problem stabbing the non-exempts in the back. I wonder when the site
exec will figure out he destroyed a strong R&D team. -Outside
looking in-
Alliance Reply: Thanks for the information. Not ALL exempt engineers are "backstabbers".
Many simply fear losing their job if they refuse to 'cover' for the fired Contractors
and LTS'. Remember, that solidarity and standing up for your right to form a
union takes a great deal of courage; especially when people are so isolated
from their co-workers and each other. A good rule of thumb is: Don't judge the
whole group by the actions (or inaction) of a few. This is why Alliance@IBM
has continually said that IBMers that "think" 'things aren't right
here; need to do something or say something' and MUST seek other IBMers that
feel the same way. That is what is called organizing.
Comment 05/07/13:
They removed the option on APU to pay former
employees. We use to be able to send a check to people that needed to be reimbursed
for travel expenses. Not any more. Just because IBM documents a policy in no
way changes the legal statutes for expense reimbursement; which vary from state
to state. -Anon-
Comment 05/07/13:
Randy McDonald appeared in front of a judge in
Londons High Court in Feb 2013 for the IBM Pensions case. He was cross-examined
for 2.5 days. If IBM loose this case in which McDnald is a player - it could
cost a small fortune - enough for him to be forced to retire maybe. I am sure
IBM know the outcome. Business Conduct Guidelines were a key part of the case.
-RandyM-
Comment 05/07/13:
They are putting color signs on all the water
fountains in BTV,"NOTICE The chiller on this water fountain has been unplugged
for Energy Conservation!" Now that is CHEAP. -UsedtobeBlue-
Comment 05/06/13:
If IBM can't sell server division or employees
to Lenovo then IBM will become DESPERATE. A desperate IBM will sell more than
it soul. It will devour itself from within. Count on more contractors being
terminated and more employee RAs to cost cut if they can't sell business units
to boost EPS. Also expect them to use all available "spare cash on hand"
as another stock buyback to increase EPS even if it puts IBM dangerously close
to looking for credit and loans to survive short term.. -PaleBlew-
Comment 05/06/13:
Randy MacDonald retiring. About time! Another
self-absorbed and self-serving egomaniac Type A that was imported to IBM under
the Gerstner era. Thank God he is FINALLY going out to his old farm. Another
piece of the problem with IBM leaving: Him, Sam, Mike Daniels, etc. More to
follow for sure now. They are all bailing with their golden parachutes and stock
options mega $wealth$ Ginni might not be so lucky... -Dogbert2go-
Comment 05/06/13:
IBM now offering other companies the ability
to make executives rich while screwing those employees who do the real work:
http://venturebeat.com/2013/05/04/ibm-robot/
Excerpt: "In short, the technology enables companies
to have fewer high-skilled engineers out on the road at any given time. They
can save costs by hiring junior engineers with the confidence that those folks
have constant access to backup when it’s needed." -BigBlueBayou-
Comment 05/06/13:
I am hoping that it is no coincidence that it
is because Old Randy McDonald got ripped to shreds in the UK courts over the
attempted pension heist in the UK. Not only did he, the former UK CEO, the former
UK HR director (Ferrar, now safely hidden in Armonk) contradict themselves in
court, but the revelations were startling beyond most people comprehension.
Plus IBM contrived to lose a vital piece of paperwork (no, really!) and the
judge indicated he was less than impressed (which means he is furious). Weeagerly
await the Judge's verdict expected in a couple of months. Interestingly it has
already cost IBM UK more to put the first case they lost right than they "saved"
(which really means transferred to the Corp to bolster the EPS numbers for 2010).
You truly could not make this up if you tried. The sad think is that in neither
of our great nations, ahem, there is no legislation to stop this. -Bored-
Comment 05/05/13:
Hey, will randy get his 401K match for this year.?
(probabaly doesn't need it anyways). "Will remain a trusted advisor"
- does that mean he gets another $1mil office next to Sam to do nothing.? -anonymous-
Comment 05/05/13:
Wow. Seriously.? Is it even possible to have
so much BS in one email." Randy MacDonald has been a treasured asset"
"deeply valued his creativity" " pushed us to anticipate major
shifts" – "IBM is now recognized as the gold standard in leadership
development"– "following our lead in workplace flexibility",
"employee wellness" the "global deployment of talent."."Diane
is a recognized leader in progressive workforce practices". Amazing!
-Most-talented-BS -artists-ibm-
Comment 05/05/13:
IBM: Checking The Corporate Temperature
After reviewing IBM's (IBM) recent quarterly earnings report, I wrote
two articles for Seeking Alpha aimed at understanding what is ailing IBM. IBM
acknowledged poor execution, and I became concerned that something worse was
at hand after reading Arne Alsin's IBM: A Disaster In The Making.
In response to the poor execution, CEO Rometty held a company-wide call and
encouraged employees to "step up". During this call, Ms. Rometty
implemented a 24 hour customer response policy.
On Thursday morning, April 25, I contacted Michael Loughran listed as the
primary media contact for IBM Research and Technology via email and phone
call. I spoke with a woman who answered his phone. She confirmed that Michael
Loughran had received the email, and she said she would have him call me ASAP.
Late in the afternoon on Friday, April 26th (more than 24 hours but still
the next day) I received an email from Colleen Haikes Global Communications
for IBM Cloud Computing asking if she could be of assistance. I explained
in my email response to Ms. Haikes last Friday evening that I was attempting
to rebut Mr. Alsin's article, and I asked her if she could read Mr. Alsin's
article and provide me with a response from the company regarding IBM's Cloud
Strategy.
On Monday, April 29, I received an email from Sharon Solomon-Bouchard Vice
President, Technical Sales which was sent over the weekend. Ms. Solomon-Bouchard
had read one of my IBM articles, and she offered to help me in understanding
IBM's Cloud Strategy. I called Ms. Solomon-Bouchard and explained my intentions
to her over the phone. After checking internal records, Ms. Solomon-Bouchard
acknowledged that Colleen Haikes was the correct person to speak with, and
Ms. Solomon-Bouchard said that she preferred that I speak with Ms. Haikes
to get the company's opinion versus her individual opinion.
As of Friday, May 3. I still have not heard a word from Michael Loughran,
and I have not heard back from Ms. Haikes (other than an email clarifying
my question which was sent shortly after my conversation with Ms. Solomon-Bouchard
on Monday, April 29th, Ms. Solomon-Bouchard called Ms. Haikes and requested
she get in touch with me.) I sent Mr. Haikes a follow-up email on Thursday,
May 2.
What is the point to all of this? I'm trying to determine how efficient and
effective IBM is as an organization.
At one time, IBM was probably one of the most efficient and effective organizations
in the history of mankind. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but it's clear
that the organization is not functioning at that level right now. I'm trying
to determine whether or not IBM is healthy. If IBM is sick, does it just have
a common cold, does it have a case of influenza or has IBM has developed a
critical illness.
I look forward to conducting more research once Ms. Haikes responds to my
inquiries, and I plan to keep you posted. -Anonymous-
Comment 05/04/13:
Laptop return: Just an FYI, an employee in Dubuque
was let go about 3 months ago and did not return his laptop. IBM filed a theft
report and now the guy is on tri-states most wanted list for theft and not appearing
in court. Just return the POS, why would you want any reminders of the sh**hole
anyway. -dontkeepit-
Comment 05/04/13:
IBM 'Superlab' Staff Still Bracing For Transfer
To Lenovo
http://www.crn.com/news/data-center/240154178/ibm-superlab-staff-still-bracing-for-transfer-to-lenovo.htm
Contractors and employees at IBM's "Superlab," a Research Triangle
Park, N.C., facility that handles development of firmware and other utilities
for IBM servers, are still preparing to be transferred to Lenovo next month,
despite reports that IBM's talks to sell parts of its x86 business to the Chinese
vendor have broken down. Sources told CRN that Superlab employees have not received
any indication from IBM that plans have changed since reports that its talks
with Lenovo had stalled surfaced on Wednesday. Many Superlab developers and
engineers were told by IBM management in mid-April they'd be transitioning to
become Lenovo employees on June 1, several sources with knowledge of the matter
told CRN. -Anon-
Comment 05/03/13:
LAYOFF PACKAGE IS AS FOLLOWS..2 WEEKS PAY EVERY
YEAR OF SERVICE UP TO 26 WEEKS PAY..1 YEAR MEDICAL..2500$ TRAINING MONEY..1
YEAR LIFE INSURANCE -jj in Fishkill-
Comment 05/03/13:
A non priv user is a non needed user.
2015 roadkill in progress. Buckle up. -Anonymous-
Comment 05/03/13:
They removed the option on APU to pay former
employees. We use to be able to send a check to people that needed to be reimbursed
for travel expenses. Not any more. -Anon-
Comment 05/03/13:
Anyone RA'd this year....what's the severance
package, 6 months pay, medical, etc etc.? Same as past years or? -homerJ-
Comment 05/03/13:
"QLD Health payroll will never be automated"
- this is exactly the problem with IBM. They don't believe in automation. They
beliwve in manually doing everything. This means labor and when labor becomes
expensive, instead of automating, they look for 'cheaper' sources of labor.
-dinosaurs-at-ibm-
Comment 05/03/13:
Randy MacDonald is retiring!!! -miss_understanding-
Comment 05/03/13:
Senior Executive Changes: MacDonald to retire,
Gherson named SVP
Randy MacDonald, senior vice president, Human Resources, announced today
his intention to retire from IBM, effective June 1. He will remain an advisor
to IBM senior leadership for the rest of this year.
"Randy has been a treasured asset for three IBM CEOs. I personally have
deeply valued his creativity, perspective and judgment," said Ginni Rometty,
chairman, president and chief executive officer. "He has continuously
pushed us to anticipate major shifts – in the process, stepping up to
some of the most important workforce challenges of our time. It is no accident
that IBM is now recognized as the gold standard in leadership development
– nor that many companies are following our lead in workplace flexibility,
employee wellness and the global deployment of talent."
Diane Gherson, vice president, Talent, will succeed Randy
and become senior vice president, Human Resources, reporting to Ginni. "Diane
is a recognized leader in progressive workforce practices. She is deeply experienced
and richly qualified for this important leadership position," Ginni said.
-anonymous-
Comment 05/03/13:
>>IBM ESC has no laptop return policy for exiting
employees. They say just ship it back to your manager. IBM doesn't even offer
the courtesy to pay the return postage. <<
This is not true. You can submit the receipt to your manager and he will
submit a reimbursement request using another tool (different from WWERS). You
then get a paper-check in the mail. I did it. The discussion with my manager
never got ot the point where I would have stated it is here, just stop on by
if you are not going to reimburse this work-related expense. -Anonymous-
Comment 05/03/13:
-laptopped- your FLM should be sending
you a label for UPS or FedEx with the IBM account number to cover the cost of
shipping of your laptop. If you have been RA'd, read the package carefully,
everything you need to do and return is clearly spelled out. Receiving your
final severance check depends on your returning everything your package tells
you to return. -ExIBMer-
Comment 05/03/13:
to "laptopped" Drive the 50mito an
IBM office and have them ship it. That's what I did when I left on my own. You
can also claim the mileage on your taxes as an unreimbursed business expense
I believe. Just get it insured by the shipper and have a tracking number.
-Glad-I-Left-
Comment 05/03/13:
QLD Health payroll will never be automated: IBM
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/342015,qld-health-payroll-will-never-be-automated-ibm.aspx
Queensland Health's move to a new payroll
system was compounded by a poorly defined scope and major differences of opinion
over implementation, the inquiry investigating the bungled project has heard.
The inquiry is currently investigating the contractual arrangements between
the State of Queensland and IBM, and why the cost of the system blew out over
time. The bungled project is expected to ultimately cost taxpayers $1.25 billion.
Senior IBM executive Bill Doak told the inquiry on Friday he stood by IBM's
work on the project, and was proud of what the tech giant had achieved. However,
he testified the project was highly complex and workarounds were likely to be
continually required. "There is no way that Queensland Health payroll will
ever be fully automated," Doak told the inquiry. -Anonymous-
Comment 05/03/13:
IBM Says U.S. Justice Investigating Bribery Allegations
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-02/ibm-says-justice-department-has-started-bribery-probe-correct-.html
International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) is being probed
by the U.S. Justice Department over corruption allegations in Poland, Argentina,
Bangladesh and Ukraine, adding to bribery charges from the Securities and
Exchange Commission. The Justice Department is investigating whether IBM violated
the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the company said in an April 30 filing.
In Poland, the department is focusing on a transaction that the Polish Central
Anti-Corruption Bureau already was studying, the company said. It involves
allegations of a former IBM employee selling to the Polish government. The
Justice Department probe adds scrutiny in new territory as IBM tries to settle
with the SEC over activity in China and South Korea. -Anonymous-
Comment 05/03/13:
Any info on Candigans BTV visit?
-the boom-
Comment 05/03/13:
CTG contractors either all or mostly gone as
of this past week in Essex Junction and Williston. I had ten days notice, others
only one day. Excuse was 'cost cutting'. -dead-eye don-
Comment 05/02/13:
With less contractors and RAs coming who is
going to do the work..whatever is left I mean...the execs?? -Anon-
Comment 05/02/13:
Don't believe the recently planted "news"
that selling off system x won't happen. A lot of Developers have been told they
will be reporting to Lenovo starting June 1st. It appears like IBM just doesn't
want to lose current x sales so is leaking some lies and confusion to buy it
a few extra weeks. It's another sleazy sham, much like the supposed dreadful
quarter they trumped up to justify the big job cuts to come soon.
-Long-Live-Building205-
Comment 05/02/13:
As far as the Lenovo talks breaking down, it's
no surprise. IBM is trying to sell assets at way overpriced numbers. I am an
ex IBM employee, ex GLOBALFOUNDRIES employee and heard from former GF colleagues
that IBM met with GF in Abu Dahbi to negotiate a potential sale of the East
Fishkill site and GF basically walked out of the meeting when the IBM losers
asked for 5 billion. Seems like desperation to me.Besides that, the fact they
want to sell EFK speaks volumes. BTW, GF pulled out of EFK as part of the alliance
because they were tired of all the BS IBM was dishing out. Get this, IBM sold
IP to one of GF's main competitors. IP that GF helped develop. That's why I
had to leave GF, otherwise I would have had to relocate to Malta, NY. The alliance
contract was supposed to go into 2015 but as usual, IBM pissed off their partner.
-waygone-
Comment 05/02/13:
Hear from a manager that 700 contractors were
cut this week in Div 07/IGS (under Diane Diggleman). Remaining contractors are
restricted to 36 hrs/week as previously reported. -CJ-Roc-
Comment 05/02/13:
IBM Cuts Hours of Contract Employees as Company Retrenches:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-02/ibm-cuts-hours-of-u-s-contract-workers-as-company-retrenches.html
-Voting Alliance member-
Comment 05/02/13:
CEO-Worker Pay Ratio, BOE Policy, Solvency II
Costs: Compliance:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-01/ceo-worker-pay-ratio-boe-policy-solvency-ii-costs-compliance.html
"Separately, James Cotton, a retired International Business Machines Corp.
(IBM) lawyer, wrote a 1997 article in the Northern Illinois Law Review arguing
public U.S. firms should disclose the ratio of their chief executives' pay to
their workers." -Voting Alliance member-
Comment 05/02/13:
IBM reins in contract worker hours
Summary: After weak financial results, the tech company promised that it would
reduce expenses. That effort has begun.
Multinational tech giant IBM has begun cutting costs after coming up short
in its first quarter earnings when it reported them two weeks ago, according
to a memo obtained by Bloomberg. Sarah Frier reports that the companyâ??through
U.S. staffing and outsourcing firm CDI Corp.â??has ordered some of its
U.S. contract workers to bill for no more than 36 hours per week in the second
quarter.
Frier quotes executive Eric Gonzalez in the memo:
You should understand that this action is being taken by IBM to retain as
many CDI resources as possible for future work. This action is not a reflection
of any dissatisfaction over the services provided by you or CDI but rather
an IBM business decision. After its poor earnings showing 'highly unusual
for the calculating company, but in line with broader enterprise technology
industry trends' IBM promised that it would spend $1 billion to cut jobs and
reduce expenses.
"Given our first quarter performance, we now expect to
take the bulk of our work force balancing actions for the year in the second
quarter," IBM CFO Mark Loughridge said during the earnings call. IBM
represents one-fifth of CDI's annual revenue.
http://www.zdnet.com/ibm-reins-in-contract-worker-hours-7000014830/
-Anon-
Comment 05/02/13:
20% contractors cut. 10% cut on hours. IBM lost
accounts big time. did not hear anything on IBMers so far. -Anony-
Comment 05/02/13:
Work at home over 50 miles from an IBM office.
Got the RA kick in the pants. IBM ESC has no laptop return policy for exiting
employees. They say just ship it back to your manager. IBM doesn't even offer
the courtesy to pay the return postage. Cheap a$$ company. Apparently they need
to save every last $.001 for the EPS. -laptopped-
Comment 05/02/13:
"IBM still has a lot to prove to investors"
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ibm-still-has-a-lot-to-prove-to-investors-2013-05-02
Commentary: Revenue declines still a
major issue despite shake-up -Anon-
Comment 05/02/13:
Had a conversation with a team lead who was in
the process of 're-balancing' the work for the account. The contractors are
either being cut or reducing their hours and IBMers will be required to work
20% OT mandatory. Isn't any non-paid mandatory OT illegal?! -not_happy-
Alliance reply: Unless you are an exempt employee.
Comment 05/02/13:
I came across some Loughridge remarks in the
1Q13 earnings call during the Q&A segment that give some clues about the
magnitude of the coming RA:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/international-business-machines-management-discusses-224404462.html
.
Loughridge: "Now, remember last year we had about $800 million
in workforce rebalancing charges spread across the year. This year we expect
the workforce rebalancing charges to be closer to $1 billion and concentrated
in the second quarter." So we can glean that the coming RA will be 20%
more than last year's total RAs. Does the Alliance know the number of RAs from
last year? Loughridge also made the following comment that I found very surprising:
"we expect the bulk of that charge to be outside the U.S". Does Alliance
have any visibility into RAs that happen outside the U.S.? Is Loughridge's claim
accurate? Or is IBM just trying to avoid being labeled unpatriotic economy busters?
-flabbergasted-
Alliance reply: last year we verified, through RA packs we received, at least
2000 cut. We do believe however that it is higher but have no hard data. We
are in contact with international IBM workers and their unions. So far France
has announced about 1500 cuts.
Comment 05/02/13:
Was there an RA impacting regular employees,
or were contractors just given notice? -Anonymous-
Comment 05/01/13:
Anyone else hearing 15% workforce reduction in
the US in 2013?? Wouldn't be surprised... just curious if that's accurate
-Dafu*?-
Comment 05/01/13:
After reading on here Cadigne was going to BTV
this week, I heard of there being a manager meeting tonight as soon as the night
shift started. Any word on layoffs in BTV? -UH O-
Comment 05/01/13:
to -glad-i-left-: Contractors are making
up to $65 per hr. That's their salary, not what Artech is getting. I know plenty
of them and see their paychecks, trust me. Not saying all get that rate, but
most are making more than an IBMer with over 15 years of service. -Anonymous-
Comment 05/01/13:
i have a relative who is a manager..he was told
he would be laying off 25% of his department.he is taking a class tomorrow on
how to handle the layoff..he thinks its going to be like 1993,employees come
to work get there paperwork and out the door.. -jj in fishkill-
Comment 05/01/13:
To -concerned-: these weren't specific
sites but in GBS non-directs and admin support. -RA updates-
Comment 05/01/13:
"Lenovo-IBM talks over server business break
down"
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/05/01/lenovo-ibm-talks-over-server-business-break-down/?source=yahoo_quote
No surprise, the issue is price. With no other bidders, Lenovo doesn't want
to pay IBM's price. -Anon-
Comment 05/01/13:
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/05/01/lenovo-ibm-talks-over-server-business-break-down/
Lenovo-IBM talks over server business break down
Valuation concerns have scuttled negotiations, according to a person familiar
with the talks.
Negotiations between Lenovo and IBM over a multi-billion dollar
deal under which Lenovo would acquire parts of IBM's server business have
broken down, according to people familiar with the situation. While the discussions
could resume, they were halted over valuation concerns, according to a person
familiar with the talks. Spokespeople for Lenovo and IBM (IBM) declined to
comment. -ThereGoTheNumbers-
Comment 05/01/13:
@<RA update> At what site were
these managers given the RA planning packages? Any more specifics? -Concerned-
Comment 05/01/13:
Been told today that my last day with this company
is 5/30. I am in ISSW. Looks like some of my other colleagues got the same notification.
Thank you IBM!!! -IBMer-
Alliance reply: Sorry to see that you have been let
go. We need the section of the resource action package that lists the number
of employees selected for the RA in order validate and tally numbers. Send to
ibmunionalliance@gmail.com
Comment 05/01/13:
Ok. The commentators here have basically spelled
out what is happening--which was not hard because Ginni made it clear. So how
many of you will wait until you GET the RA, before you come here and complain
about it?
I've been a voting member of Alliance for 13 years. IBM sold me in 2002, but
I continued to keep my membership active with the Alliance. I've watched this
comment board since it was created. And just like clock-work; the "Big
Blue-dogged" workers come here and comment in droves about what happened
to their co-workers at RA time. Before that, it's quiet and only the few stragglers
will occasionally comment how they "hope the IBM execs can sleep at night
after what they just did a few months before"... That makes no sense to
me. While I spend my money and time trying to organize US IBMers where I am;
even though I'm no longer an active employee, the "Big Blue-dogged"
workers keep dreaming that an RA won't happen to them.... WAKE UP, will you??!
Join the Alliance and get busy fighting for your job...or get busy losing your
job. Simple as that. -Ready_Yet?-
Comment 05/01/13:
@Alliance - I was not clear with my question,
sorry. I wondered if the folks, who were moved from IBM to Lenovo and subsequently
layed off, were given a package by Lenovo. My thinking is that instead of IBM
laying them off, they transfer them to Lenovo who then lays them off with nothing,
leaving IBM in the clear. Not that IBM is obligated to give a package anyway...
just making their PR look better. -On The Edge-
Comment 05/01/13:
I am hearing in meetings today that they are
literally walking the contractors out the door. The RA is going to happen, at
least 15% of the US work force, it is rumored. Just what I am hearing, thought
I would pass it on. It does not affect any other GEOs, just US. -Hearing
it all now-
Comment 05/01/13:
"The employee is being <sold> to another
company." -Anon-
Comment 05/01/13:
Heard from a couple of Managers today that they
received their RA planning packages. Guess June/July exit time frame -RA
update-
Comment 05/01/13:
Just got the word that 8 contractors were cut
yesterday from GTS SO Delivery. This is just within my 2LM organisation, and
I was told that cuts were taking place all over. So far, no permanent employee
cuts. This was described as a "once and done" cut. Any new resources
will have to come from global delivery centres outside the US. -Anonymous-
Comment 05/01/13:
In regards to contractor pay, the individual
is not getting $55/hr (or whatever the figure is). That's what, for example,
Artech is getting. The individual gets a fraction of that. -Glad-I-Left-
Comment 05/01/13:
Ironic I get canned as an IBM contractor during
their 2013 Stockholder Meeting. Do IBM contractors and supplementals get ANY
RECOGNITION anymore? I know we are like mercenaries now but even mercenaries
should get some notice. Guess it's all my fault IBM for your terrible 1QTR2013,
huh? -GoneB4MayDay-
Comment 05/01/13:
-Concerned-: What you don't understand
it is that IBM considers executives human beings and allows them a graceful
exit and a golden or platinum parachute with rip cord and reserve chutes. Your
just a work widget, a resource, an FTE on an expense spreadsheet somewhere.
You just don't count. -AllianceAssociateMember-
Comment 05/01/13:
-Name-: First to be going and gone is
now contractors and long term supplementals. They can be out the door in less
than 24 hours. Then it looks like an RA will definitely happen for the employees.
How many? It's anyone's guess. When? at this point the main RA(s) will be in
the 2ndQTR so I would say by June 1st the latest. -da_facts-
Comment 05/01/13:
So it seems the sale of System X to Lenovo, or
some other company, is coming to fruition. I recall when the PC division was
sold to Lenovo that some folks were layed off shortly afterwards. Does anyone
know if those employees were given a severance package? I'm wondering if this
is another money saving tactic by IBM. -On The Edge-
Alliance reply: Historically when IBM sold off a unit there was no severance
package.
The employee is being moved to another company.
Comment 05/01/13:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-30/ibm-assures-investors-about-profit-goals-after-earnings-slip.html
IBM Assures Shareholders of Profit Goals After Earnings Stumble
International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) Chief Executive
Officer Ginni Rometty, facing more skeptical investors after the company missed
quarterly earnings estimates for the first time in eight years, said she remains
confident about reaching long-term profit goals. Speaking at IBM's annual
meeting in Huntsville, Alabama, yesterday, Rometty said she was "not
satisfied" with the first-quarter results. To shape up, IBM is divesting
businesses and focusing on more profitable and faster-growing areas, such
as data analysis and cloud computing. The company is still on track to meet
its five-year plan for profit growth, put in place under her predecessor Sam
Palmisano in 2010, Rometty said. -Anonymous-
Comment 05/01/13:
Any update on when the big RA is going to happen?
-Name-
Comment 05/01/13:
To those of you who think contractors are getting
more than you -- THINK again. I know a number of people who are present and
former (recent -- not years ago) contractors at the IBM site in Austin and the
pay is well below the salary of even band 6 and band 7 software engineers. On
the jobs cut front, IBM/Austin is being wound down. The original main site was
turned into a giant shopping complex and there are plenty of empty office in
the buildings that were built 20 years ago. On the plus side, there is life
after IBM. -julie78787-
Comment 05/01/13:
Are contractors and supplements being furloughed
or terminated mainly or is it just the reduced hours for them mainly?
-GDF2Day-
Comment 05/01/13:
soylent green: Is it ALL supplementals and contractors
getting the boot or is it just reduced hours and/or a furlough?
-ALiquidResource-
Comment 05/01/13:
If IBM is not telling how many USA employees
it has (which is crass on their part) this information might help determine
the number of folks caught in RAs or who left IBM on their own:
From page 1 of the "Annual Funding Notice for The IBM Personal Pension
Plan":
Total number of participants in the plan: 312,090 (those screwed by the plan,
active or not).
Of this number 69,903 were active participants (active eligible
employees).
160,651 were retired or separated from service and receiving benefits (retiree
and received lump sum or monthly annuity).
81,536 were retired or separated from service and entitled to future benefits
(haven't taken lump sum or annuity yet).
I believe the Alliance's headcount number of no more than 91,000
is about right. -Bluebodycount-
Comment 04/30/13:
It's "pump and dump" now for IBM. Get
the stock and EPS up, stagger to 2015 with an enhanced Roadkill strategy with
the EPS forecast achieved and then fall off the face of the planet.
-nostradamus-
Comment 04/30/13:
To be clear: I *want* to like IBM. I *used* to
love IBM. So I'm not yet another disgruntled, misinformed engineer just itching
to whine. The comments here are, unfortunately, quite accurate. IBM is faced
with tough market conditions - the expectations of IBM on Wall Street are staggering;
maybe insurmountable. So instead of resetting the market's expectations, we're
striving to meet or exceed them - and that will likely put IBM in jeopardy again.
(Mr. Gerstner -- you ready for another round??) For now it has literally become
an unhealthy place to work - the stress and sadness of being ~disabled~ from
being proud of one's work have become overwhelming. I can no longer talk to
a customer and say, as I used to do, "don't worry - we're IBM. We WILL
get it done for you!" Because I no longer believe that. ~ Wish
It Was Different~
Comment 04/30/13:
Yes. The executives are on Goldpages. Doesn't
that make you blue? Why do folks comment and disagree about when the 10,000
fellow employees will have their lives destroyed instead of discussing how to
organize and save their jobs? -Exodus2007-
Comment 04/30/13:
Apparently the System x Server sale to Lenovo
is no longer a rumor. This is according to a senior client executive at Lenovo.
Also a salesrep from a large Lenovo Business Partner in North America confirm
the sale based on his Lenovo contacts... -Anon-
Comment 04/30/13:
Sam walked away with 170 million, while thousands
of employees are languishing without any raises for years! We don't even get
wages that compensate for inflation. Sam cannot live without the 170 million!
I am sure Ginny's salary must have doubled or quadrupled and now to make up
for that, contractors have to take furloughs. There is so much work out there
that it is impossible for the regular FT employees to pick up the slack and
Ginny expects response in 24 hours.. In general, the lower end workers never
sit on stuff. They are prompt and professional. In my more than a decade at
IBM, I have NOT seen any that were slackers. -Concerned_at_IBM-
Comment 04/30/13:
To Plunger: It is NOT Wall Street that is buying
the stock. The increase in price is due to buy back by IBM! -Willie-
Comment 04/30/13:
And the game goes on. Non members. Aren't you
tired of playing yet? -Exodus2007-
Comment 04/30/13:
Talked with a friend still working in IBM Rochester
manufacturing. 3 bus loads from Mexico came for job training. All contract (Manpower)
employees were told not to discuss wages or they would be let go. These Manpower
employees were making much more than any of the people from Mexico. Typical
IBM actions. Moving up the resource actions because of 1 big stock drop looks
like IBM execs are in a panic. Each new CEO keeps getting worse. What will the
next one do? -Retired in '98-
Comment 04/30/13:
If Rod did such a bad job why is Rod still employed.
what doesn't Ginni get about ELIMINATING unneeded and unproductive middle management
-concerned-
Comment 04/30/13:
IBM inks a 5yr extention deal to continue to
outsource network services to AT&T. However IBM reserves the right to dissolve
the contract if business takes a turn for the worse or is sold off. Nothing
is off the table for the road to destruction. -IBeMiserable-
Comment 04/30/13:
An oldie, but a goodie -- this analysis continues
to be spot on:
http://www.netnetweb.com/blog/top-10-reasons-why-ginni-rometty-will-fail-ibm%E2%80%99s-new-ceo
-Ginni Madoff with my Pension-
Comment 04/29/13:
IBM stock is punished after a poor showing for
the quarter, but after saying "don't worry, we're going to fire a whole
bunch of our employees", the stock is on the rise again. -Plunger-
Comment 04/29/13:
What the above article points out and rightfully so is
that Hostess was probably going under anyway so why keep giving up more and
more. IBM is profitable and any demands put on IBM can easily be paid by just
reducing obscene executive bonuses for poor performance.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100678728?__source=xfinity|mod&par=xfinity
-Exodus2007-
Comment 04/29/13:
Why is it called Bluepages? Are IBM executives
in the Goldpages? LOL -Anonymous-
Comment 04/29/13:
http://www.zdnet.com/ibm-warns-it-may-have-to-cut-1200-jobs-in-france-within-two-years-7000014505/
-Name-
Comment 04/29/13:
My first job out of college was working for IBM.
I had deadlines less than a month after started, but I jumped into the fire
and met two deadlines that were all but designed to not be met. Then the only
other guy that did the job I was being trained to do left. That left me all
alone just 6 months out of school. And guess what? My deliverables got better!
Customers were happy, things were working, and deadlines were being met. I had
found many different ways to make things faster and more efficient. And then
the earnings report came out: record profits! I thought I had set myself up
to do really well.
And then reality set in. You see, I was originally hired to do one job, but
then last minute that was changed. That meant that all of the goals and such
that had been set up for me were for a different job, and they didn't get updated.
This meant my review was poor and I got a 1% raise. At first I was really disappointed
in myself, but then I realized I hadn't failed. IBM had failed. The joke was
on them though. I had been pursued by my former colleague and had already interviewed
with another company. Upon learning that I was neither respected nor desired
by IBM I happily gave my notice. They had to stop developing
the product I was working on because it was too big of a burden for anybody
else to do properly, and there was no chance of hiring more people to help.
Sadly, the only ones punished were the ones that had to take on all of the extra
work. This stuff has been happening for far too long, and I recently turned
down another opportunity to join IBM in favor of a small company with a shaky
future. Best decision ever. -FormerIBMer-
Comment 04/29/13:
IBM Supplemental notified last week, contractors
notified today. Ibm east windmill. -soylent green-
Comment 04/29/13:
To the person wondering about the BTV cuts, as
of this past weekend LTS are still working, even some hired just a month ago,
so no action taken yet. Cadigan is coming up to BTV this week for a chat.
-Diagon Ally-
Comment 04/29/13:
@glad i am gone, that's funny, although sadly
the truth. Isn't it ironic that Gini-Mini is realizing the "Short"
comings of customer service even "BEFORE" a huge layoff? This lady
is smart setting the new corporate mission prior to the big dump of employees.
-True-Blue-sinkin-too-
Comment 04/28/13:
Nah, I think 10K will be gone by 7/1, not 6/1.
Anyone know the date for the big RA yet? Am guessing 5/21. -Anonymous-
Comment 04/28/13:
It’s hard to believe that this sort of
thing is still happening more than a century after the Triangle Shirt Waist
factory fire: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/28/17956849-fugitive-owner-arrested-as-bangladesh-building-collapse-death-toll-climbs
We should all be thankful for the protections we receive in the USA, and other
developed countries, through Government Agencies like OSHA. However, we wouldn’t
enjoy ANY of these protections were it not for Organized Labor demanding them.
Globalization should not just be about finding the cheapest labor on the planet.
It should also be about ensuring the safety and dignity of workers everywhere.
Join the Alliance@IBM today and join the fight for Global Worker Safety!
-Voting Alliance Member-
Comment 04/28/13:
@JohnnyRuq - agree with you. When they stopped
paying for my cell phone, I took it out of blue pages. I just returned from
an overseas trip and people over there kept asking for my cell phone. All I
could say was, sorry, IBM doesn't pay for it and I'm too cheap to pay for international
calls. There is constant pressure to work 16 hour days, and no compensation
for travel time (a trip to Asia Pacific is about 30 hours door to door, and
they expect you to do that on weekends so that you don't miss any work). -IndiaBusinessMachines-
Comment 04/28/13:
I am an ex IBMer but I know how things are in
the company. There are hardly any path breaking innovations or great leadership.
It is a sinking ship. With comments and childish admonishments to staff like
we saw last week it is only getting worse obviously. Now clients will expect
IBM to deliver many things within 24 hours thanks to the great announcement
and there are NO processes or motivated employees to do that in IBM. So clients
IMHO are going to be MORE upset than before. And they all talk on social media
now, so there goes top line growth again. A mature CEO would first FIX the EXECS
and Management and internal blocks in processes before making grandiose announcements.
The scapegoating of Rod is also proof that accountability does not exist at
the top. Its just a blame game and I fear for the clients, employees and investors
on the direction IBM is headed. -Anon-
Comment 04/27/13:
IBM Dubuque has jobs posted and tons and tons
of empty seats that are not getting filled. FLM's are overworking current staff
at the moment. Things are going to break soon enough and I can imagine many
customer contracts will not be renewed with IBM and/or cancelled outright. On
average I would say 9 out of 10 people in Dubuque are looking for work outside
of IBM. They have shown NO loyalty to their staff and in return most the staff
could care less about missed SLA's at this point. Contractors cannot work more
than 36 hrs a week so all the FT IBM suckers (who make about a 1/3 of what a
contractor pulls in) are expected to pick up the slack. lol MY God, who are
they kidding. I have stopped worrying about the current deadlines on my team
and will not work any evening or weekends anymore. Fire me if you want, I just
don't care anymore. I am making an entry level help desk salary as a Jazz sys
admin. It's not going to be too hard to find something else in that salary range.
And I just cancelled my cell contract, so good luck trying to reach me OPs.
lol (IBM does not pay for my cell phone) No raise, no phone. 2 can play at this
game. -JohnnyRuq-
Comment 04/27/13:
From the Alliance:
Wear black and blue on April 30th, the day of the IBM stockholder meeting, to
signify the mugging of employees. -Alliance-
Comment 04/27/13:
Pat, Lou, Sam, Ginny: IBM CEOs only interested
in themselves and their families. Could care less about the IBM worker. They
walk away with millons.IBMers get the shaft. We need a union to stop this madness.
Join the union -ANA-
Comment 04/27/13:
-Toronto Employee- The problems in your
update could be resolved with a union contract that clearly defines the work
and compensation rules. The question is why are so many IBM'ers reluctant to
do what is in their best interests? -anonymous retiree-
Comment 04/27/13:
Ms. IBM rookie CEO: if you can't get an answer
back to the client in 24 hours "engage management". Do you know what
they call IBM employees who engage management in a near crisis? An instant PBC
3 performer and likely RA candidate to be a former IBMer. You are better off
engaging management as union personnel on behalf of a corporation's client in
an IBM crisis. That's how union secure well being for their members: a go between
between worker and management. -da_facts-
Comment 04/27/13:
It sure would be nice to get a second source
to confirm "all BTV contractors and LTS have been let go".
-anonymous-
Comment 04/26/13:
looks like all the cost cutting tricks have been
played and ginny has resorted to reprimanding 434K employees to act faster..new
rule..if a customer has a question, ibm must respond in 24 hrs....ha ha ha ha
ha he he he ho ho ho...i feel especially sorry for PM's who are going to be
caught directly in the middle of that..bet all departments will be reqquired
to build tracker spreadhsheets to measure efficiency for the 24 hr response
new rule... -glad i am gone-
Comment 04/26/13:
Why is it called Bluepages? Because the employees
are all holding their breath waiting to determine whether they are going to
be the ones RA'ed. -Anon-
Comment 04/25/13:
This is simple people. You can blame your frustration
on the people responsible for building the sales pipeline. Without a strong
sales pipeline you cannot sell, and thus cannot make revenue. There is a team
in Markham, Canada of 200+ employees and more in Dallas, Atlanta and other parts
of the U.S. whose sole mission is to build sales pipeline for the company. This
team steals 100’s of million in pipeline from other parts of the business
and called it their own. They even have a team that overwrites the originator
of the pipeline revenue with members from their own team. And the most interesting
part - this lead development team was the only team that made all their metrics
for the 12 quarters in a row. And yes, that included Q1 when the rest of the
business did horrible they had an amazing quarter achieving all metrics. It
is sad and embarrassing how deprave this company has become. They are eating
away at themselves. -Toronto Employee-
Comment 04/25/13:
No wonder Daniels left. His train set has derailed.
Now can the GDF ever get back on track? -GDF'ed-
Comment 04/25/13:
Kudos to our Indian colleagues for speaking their
mind from the Times of India article. To blame 434,000 and say IBM is SLUGGISH:
look at all the management layers and bureaucracy that is this IBM? And what
are you going to do about it Ginni? Just blame the troops and give them 24 hours
"to get it all engaged". You should be ashamed to brow beat us! It's
going to be interesting for Rometty come the stockholder's meeting next week.
See how she has master the new elephant dance. Of course she will announce a
increase in dividend and then a stock buyback and then a worldwide RA. That
silicon metal Watson could figure that one out Ginni. Find real ways to not
cut costs and drive revenue. so get to work Ms. CEO! You got until June 30,
2013 to figure it out and execute without executing employees with job cuts.
-Anon2-
Comment 04/25/13:
-M.K.- Thanks for the info! Typical
IBM nickel and diming. Contractors are just shark chum and IBM employees are
piranha food. Most IBMers think that if they get RAed the contractor life is
just as good..or better..now maybe they will THINK 2X. Shouldn't IBM management
lead by example and take pay cuts? They are the decision makers who screwed
up 1Q2013 after all. -Pok'ed-
Comment 04/25/13:
Ginny, you will not read this but your minions
will. Both you and Sam were delivered a goal of providing $20 per share by 2015,
by any means possible. In the early days, hiring US workers gave you a short
term gain. You counted on less prepared and very lesser paid 3rd world countries
to make up difference. The result is you can't tell 9 "third world people"
to make a baby in a month. But that has been the plan. Now you posted your angry
Hitler diatribe. Guess what? For the past 5 years, you forced all your talent,
did not give raises or bonuses and hoped people would believe the lie "we
award our top performers". What was not said but realized is those words
meant you screw over 95% of the company. Is thus fixable? No, you will march
IBM into Betamax, and since you have treated 95% of your workers with work harder,
MANY other industries are more than happy to take them and give raises and bonuses.
Unless you change your ways, IBM wil go the way of Betamax, and honestly you
know that, and like Sam, just looking to get as much as you can before you bail
out. -Anonymous-
Comment 04/25/13:
Contractors in our area, Global Services Pok,
are having their hours cut for the next 10 weeks. I've heard four hours a week
from some and one as much as 7 hours per week. -M.K.-
Comment 04/25/13:
The truth about tech-worker-shortages (or lack
thereof) finally comes out and is picked up by the mainstream media, if only
for a short while until bought off by threats of cutting off advertising expenditures
by those companies wanting even more cheap labor: http://www.cnbc.com/id/100674327
-gone already-
Comment 04/25/13:
No tech shortage article http://www.cnbc.com/id/100674327
-Vicdabrick-
Comment 04/25/13:
Couldn't agree more with the comments from IBM
India colleagues...
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/software-services/IBM-CEO-reprimands-staff-asks-them-to-act-faster/articleshow/19721973.cms
-Anon-
Comment 04/25/13:
This story was quite interesting to read first
thing today. The comments say it all.
"IBM CEO Rometty urges employees to act faster: WSJ" -CJ-Roc-
Comment 04/25/13:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/04/24/ibm_server_strategy/
... The most important thing to consider is that two software
guys are deciding the fate of hardware at IBM, and they report ultimately to
someone with a services background. It would not be at all surprising to see
IBM sell off entry x86 rack and tower servers to Lenovo and then go on and sell
its fabs in Burlington, Vermont and East Fishkill, New York to maybe GlobalFoundries
or Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp and then outsource manufacturing
of Power and mainframe processors to the buyer while retaining final assembly
for Power, mainframe, and FlexSystem machines. IBM cannot keep losing money
on its hardware business, and it may not have enough business of its own to
justify being a wafer baker - especially considering how costly riding down
Moore's Law has become. -Anonymous-
Comment 04/25/13:
"IBM Reassigns Hardware Chief After
Sales Drop. Longtime International Business Machines Corp. executive Rodney
C. Adkins has been reassigned from his position as head of the company's hardware
group"
Well, he lost to Ginni in the CEO sweepstakes. Now is he the fall
guy? This is called getting the "rip cord ready" once the plane is
off the gtoumd. This is Transition to Retirement IBM executive style. Don't
worry Rodney will do just fine. The average IBMer just gets an RA or outright
managed initiated separation (MIS). -the_truth-
Comment 04/24/13:
IBM's Chief to Employees: Think Fast, Move Faster
International Business Machines Corp. IBM +0.05% Chief Executive
Virginia Rometty delivered a rare companywide reprimand in the wake of a poor
earnings report last week, saying the sprawling technology company had become
too sluggish and unresponsive to customers. The comments came in a five-minute
internal video message to the company's 434,000 employees. In the video, Ms.
Rometty salted the praise for employees in her regular post-earnings pep talk
with unusually blunt comments that the company needs to speed its shift to new
computing models to get back on track. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323789704578443091215235984.html
-Anonymous-
Comment 04/24/13:
I just learned today that all of the contractors
and long term supplementals at the Burlington, VT plant are getting let go.
I've worked with some of these people for years and they are IBMers to me just
as much as anyone else is. -ConcernedIBMer-
Comment 04/24/13:
"If a group of workers organize to demand
fair compensation" It's called "solidarity"!
-IBMUnionYES-
Comment 04/24/13:
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/340976,ibm-threatened-to-walk-on-qld-payroll-project.aspx
IBM threatened to "walk" on
QLD payroll project. Lawyers advised walkout unlikely. An IBM executive threatened
the tech giant would walk off the job if Queensland Health “went legal”
over alleged contract breaches, the inquiry investigating the failed project
has heard. -Anon-
Comment 04/24/13:
IBM Reassigns Hardware Chief After Sales Drop.
Longtime International Business Machines Corp. executive Rodney C. Adkins has
been reassigned from his position as head of the company's hardware group, according
to a person familiar with the matter. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323789704578443091215235984.html
-Anon-
Comment 04/24/13:
-You_have_rights_IBMers__use them!-
But it is NOT COMMUNISM. It is protected by the laws of Capitalist
America. Hell, The Government even bailed out the auto workers unions via GM
and Chrysler. That is what drives me crazy with the IBM situation. All I want
is American IBMers to exercise their rights and organize to provide better working
conditions and more job security to themselves. Its not like anyone is asking
them to do something illegal ! What will shock them once they wake up and do
it is it will make IBM a stronger company and a better employer. IBM will have
to make its money by outperforming its competitors again and it will have a
union full of workers to help it. Workers able to concentrate on doing their
jobs instead of watching over their shoulders for the mass firings. -Exodus2007-
Alliance reply: You are correct. It's not communism. I think the point of the
quote is that it's a double standard. American workers have had the right to
form unions since 1938, and the passing of the National Labor Relations Act.
Over the course of those 75 years there were attempts by several groups, to
corrupt and circumvent labor rights for American workers. Meanwhile, Corporations
worked to thwart the labor rights and wrap themselves in the "ideals"
of the old capitalists of the pre-union era. It has been a struggle ever since.
At the end of the day, all American workers have ever wanted is "to
exercise their rights and organize to provide better working conditions and
more job security to themselves." Just like you said.
Comment 04/24/13:
If a group of workers organize to demand
fair compensation, it is called "communism". If a group of executives
organize to buy politicians and manipulate markets, they call it "capitalism".
IBMers: Understand yet? -You_have_rights_IBMers__use
them!-
Comment 04/24/13:
Despite being RA'd in 2012 I still come to this
site periodically to see how much the Alliance has grown. Unfortunately I see
a lot of former colleagues frustrated, angry, and in need of venting. I understand
these feelings, as I have been there and left. The best advice I can give to
everyone is convert anger and frustration to positive power. Join the Alliance.
Spread the word. Update your resume. Use the job training reimbursement program
as much as possible. And Join the Alliance! -NoLongerBlue-
Comment 04/23/13:
Job cuts under way. Contractors and regs will
be hit in the GDF Happening now and next week. Contractors Will be required
to work 36 hours a week going forward. -getting out-
Comment 04/23/13:
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/340821,qld-health-ignored-ibm-contract-breaches.aspx
QLD Health ignored IBM contract breaches. Too deep in payroll
system mire to climb out. IBM was in breach of its contract with Queensland
Health very soon after it was signed, though little was done in response, the
inquiry into the bungled project has heard.
-Anon-
Comment 04/23/13:
http://occupydemocrats.com/costco-pays-well-and-soars-while-wal-mart-and-others-pay-peanuts-and-sink/
This is not just for democrats to consider. It's for ALL workers
to consider, regardless of political party. Joining Alliance@IBM is still a
good idea for IBMers. I've been a member for 14 years. I've been amazed at how
many people come here and complain about IBM's treatment of them and their co-workers.
Consider that IBM will never be like Costco, unless the IBMers organize and
make it happen. Consider it.- a_paying_dues_member-
Comment 04/23/13:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1361011-ibm-a-disaster-in-the-making
-15yearsandcounting-
Comment 04/23/13:
Interesting analysis particularly on cloud strategy.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1361011-ibm-a-disaster-in-the-making
I think the numbers were a lot more worse than how management
is portraying it. At constant currency all the units are down. Bail out of your
stocks when its still high. -crumbling_times-
Comment 04/22/13:
-Exodus2007- you are too funny. You
keep brow beating these guys and yet they don't seem to care. It must be the
stockholm syndrome that keeps them from joining. Either that or they are trying
to hang on for the last second jump to retirement. The newer hires are probably
the mercenary types who don't give a damn about the long run. Keep it up.
-benthere-
Comment 04/22/13:
http://www.cringely.com/2013/04/22/the-decline-fall-of-ibm/#comments
-Anon-
Comment 04/22/13:
Cringely hits the nail on the head yet again:
http://www.cringely.com/2013/04/22/the-decline-fall-of-ibm/
-gone already-
Comment 04/22/13:
Q. "What are all the strategy folks and execs doing everyday?"
A. Exercising stock options, going on cruises, vacations, and hitting golf courses.
Working? Why bother. Blame the grunts and underlings. -anon2013-
Comment 04/22/13:
IBM can't grow revenue or make a profit the RIGHT
way. Sure they will make 2ndQTR 2013 numbers by cutting costs, buying back stock,
and inflating a bloated EPS. IBM can't make money the old fashioned way: EARNING
IT. That means USA jobs going BYE BYE. It might also mean Indian jobs also going.
The current IBM regime has NO CLUE HOW TO DRIVE REVENUE. IBM is a corpse of
an American company. Maybe I am totally wrong. But I think they are down and
going deeper. -going_going_gone-
Alliance Reply: You're not totally wrong; but you shouldn't be fooled into thinking
that the IBM Executives will purposely tank the company because of their idiocy.
They are not as dumb as they are evil. Just like the 1990's, IBM has come to
another "fork" in the road to a bigger EPS. And just like the 1990's,
the workers are the last to be considered as part of the strategy to improve.
Corporations like IBM, don't commit suicide on purpose. They usually find a
way to "reinvent" themselves. The IBM US workers need to do the same.
Organizing and working together collectively to bring a written employment contract
to the table that IBM Execs will be forced to sit at, should be the goal. Don't
buy into the idea that the Global market will never change to favor the workers.
That idea is what keeps companies like IBM confident that workers will never
organize. The simple truth is, it CAN be done. The workers
CAN change their paradigm, just like the Corporate executives do.
Comment 04/22/13:
These quarterly results and the revealing disclosures
of layoffs to come show that IBMers are about to have a very bad year, perhaps
as bad as 2009. Get the word out NOW about the Alliance. If you are coming to
this site, reading the postings and getting information, share it with others.
There are people without the info, the history, the context. Talk to each other
before it is too late. -HURR DURR-
Comment 04/22/13:
To Titanic - Some proof IBM's execs knew exactly
what was coming: all the RAs for the year are to be moved into this quarter.
That means most of the work to identify those to be roadkilled must have already
been done; you can't cut (likely) thousands of people without a lot of preparation.
So my bet is, the plans to accelerate RAs into this quarter were in place for
some time. -GladImOut-
Comment 04/22/13:
Executive pay and trickle down economics, the
theme of politicians. How is that working out for ya? haha.
http://www.aflcio.org/Corporate-Watch/CEO-Pay-and-You?source=AFLCIOemail
-Are-They-Really-worth-it-
Comment 04/21/13:
@StrikeNow-- From my experience, the
go getters in IBM-IT won't come to this site until they are desperate, thus
after they get their lay off notice. Then they will cry and dance the dance
of misery begging you and others for support. However, it will be too late after
getting their 30 day notice. You can't change things when you are not employed,
so stand up now or take the fall. -Sleeping-IT-Workers-
Comment 04/21/13:
In response to “apply some common sense”:
You sound like a Management Stooge. Don’t presume to put words in the
mouths of your fellow employees. Nobody hates IBM; they hate what Management
and HR have done to this once great company. If you can’t understand why
employees are upset about how they have been treated and how IBM has been driven
to the brink of ruin, then perhaps YOU should leave. Furthermore, if IBM has
not been able to hit its financial goals, it’s because of BAD MANAGEMENT,
not because of anything that the rank and file employees have done. I don’t
know where you work, but everyone in my area has been working their asses off
for as long as I can remember. -Voting Alliance Member-
Alliance reply: Thanks for your reply. We removed that comment because of content
issues.
Comment 04/20/13:
UH OH. Ginni missed her numbers. Wall Street
is not happy with her. Guess who is expendable and a throw away commodity to
make the numbers this quarter. Not the poor performing executives. Not the poor
performing managers. You are. You who didn't bother to organize and get an employment
contract. You, as usual, are the trash to be thrown out to make things look
pretty again. Aren't you tired of it yet? Have you noticed that one year you
are the best of the best. Top dog. The cream of the crop. Naturally you are
soooo good IBM could never get along without you so your safe. Right? No need
to spend a whopping 15 bucks a month on Union Membership. You can spend that
15 buying the boss a coffee at Starbucks and showing him or her what a real
ass kissing looks like. This year your department has to make cuts. Suddenly
you're the cream of the CRAP. The boss will not even return your calls or answer
your Emails. You show up with that caramel frappacino with a dash of cinnamon
and someone else is already there with one. Not good. You're yesterday's news
and on your way out the door and there is no time left to do anything about
it. A lot of you are about to feel this way. Not all of you bought the boss
coffee, but rest assured it would not have helped as the example shows. Only
a Union contract would have helped. Remember that those that are left after
this round of firings without cause. Take action. Live Better. Work Union. -Exodus2007-
Comment 04/20/13:
Looks like the titanic has hit the iceberg. I
am really surprised by CFO saying we didnt expect and saw this coming...wrt
China and STG...REALLY?? Wht are all the strategy folks and execs doing everyday?
-Titanic-
Comment 04/19/13:
to ex-GDFer: it has become more of a laughing
stock than anything. The roundtable discussions are my favorite. Trying to watch
a second line manager tell you that you that the contractors are not making
3 times your salary when you know darn well that they are because you are friends
with most of them. Looks like some IBMers are opting to quit for 30 days then
get hired back on as a contractor at fair market value wages. (Another thing
the SLM's are denying in the roundtable meetings) Can only laugh at this point.
-trainkeptrolling-
Comment 04/19/13:
GDF runs too top heavy. I have never seen a place
that needs so many managers and leads per account. 7 non-priv users giving orders,
2-3 priv users doing the actual work. Guess who is getting paid the least? My
opinion is to clean house in the GDF starting at the top, they would save a
bundle. Or continue with the same business model and lose money every year.
And it's also funny to see that the "Blue Coat" security is only installed
on the priv users workstations. In other words, the leads and managers can surf
the web all they want. What else they going to do all day? Look at cirats that
are past due? Close em then you useless tools, quit bothering a sys admin with
BS biotch work. -marymoon-
Comment 04/19/13:
STG System x here, last three "1" ratings
not that it makes a damn to anyone here or for any reason for that matter. Been
a member on and off for years and made some half ass efforts in recruitment.
I'm done halfassing it and have a plan for renewed recruiting efforts. Maybe
it's not too late... I've been wanting to leave for years but don't think I
would make as much somewhere else but really haven't invested much effort looking,
so that's obviously my new project! I am honestly invigorated by this and am
looking forward to seeing how it plays out, getting the boot may be the best
thing that's ever happened to me, who knows I honestly don't care. Good thing
Sam got his new office and daily stipend, who's going to pocket the 6% of everybody's
salary who gets the can between now and 12/15 for the 401k heist? That deal
is freakin criminal. Stand and be counted lets stick it to the man this is the
last stand for me!!! I'll be recruiting new members and getting the word on
the BS out to my representatives, what else needs to be done? Irritable Bowel
Maker -StrikeNow-
Comment 04/19/13:
With system X news it looks like ginni's garage
sale has started as many people predicted. -seller-
Comment 04/19/13:
After a spate of top contributor ratings I got
a 3 this year and looks like I hv to get out by june. Is that normal being edged
out like this in ibm? Dont know whether to believe my manager and hr. There
is no formal pip. Any feedback appreciated. -goingsoon-
Comment 04/19/13:
Per Marketwatch: The Armonk, N.Y., company said
it will reduce its work force in some areas to meet its per-share earnings target
for this year of $16.70. Chief Financial Officer Mark Loughridge said the company
hadn’t yet acted on those plans but expects to report accounting charges
related to those reductions this quarter. -Anon-
Comment 04/19/13:
IBM to ramp up job cuts this quarter to meet
its per-share target.
http://www.nasdaq.com/article/ibm-profit-machine-slows-layoffs-planned-20130418-01335
-SameOldNews-
Comment 04/19/13:
IBM stock in free-fall after (gotta sit down
and then lay down on a couch for this one) MISSED EARNINGS PER SHARE for 1Q2013.
What a shock; now will come the horror. You can bet it will mean at least one
thing: imminent headcount reductions and a sure RA. I bet some contractors are
told today is last day. A lot of the rest of the contractors and then employees
hear by May 1. IBM will do whatever to make EPS of $16.70 which is their YE
target except fire Ginni. IBM Is no JC Penney but damn close to it now. No wonder
Sam bailed with the super platinum parachute, then Daniels (pissed off he was
not a CEO candidate apparently), and that nasty condescending Hoey (who thinks
he is better and bigger than he is and light years better than the average IBMer)
communique. Now is the time IBMers: to join the Alliance. IBM management can't
fudge the financial numbers now. IBM shows a weakness that can be attacked.
-now_is_time-
Comment 04/19/13:
Here are direct quotes from Mark Loughridge,
IBM CFO, in his 1Q 2013 earnings call, "Finally, there are parts of our
business that are in transition or have been underperforming like elements of
our Power x and storage product lines that showed disappointing performance
in the first quarter. Here we’re going to take substantial actions."
He went on to say,"...given our first quarter performance, we now expect
to take the bulk of our workforce rebalancing actions for the year in the second
quarter, as opposed to last year when it was distributed across the quarters."
Stand by. Operation Roadkill 2015 is gaining speed...
Here is the entire earnings call transcript:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1353151-international-business-machines-management-discusses-q1-2013-results-earnings-call-transcript?source=google_news
-GoneIn2012-
Comment 04/18/13:
Going to be some big headcount reductions due
to missing the numbers -samtheman-
Comment 04/18/13:
IBM announces Q1 miss that concern analysts.
Ginni says, "No worries, IBM on tract for $16.70 EPS by year end".
http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveschaefer/2013/04/18/big-blue-battered-ibm-falls-after-missing-earnings-estimates/
-Roadkilled in 2012-
Comment 04/18/13:
The rumors have been flying for a while about
the sale of x-series. They seem to have finally broken the surface.
http://wraltechwire.com/report-ibm-could-sell-a-server-business-unit-to-lenovo-for-up-to-6b/12356185/
-TheOtherShoeDropped-
Comment 04/18/13:
Well it is no longer a rumor:
http://www.crn.com/news/data-center/240153148/ibm-in-talks-to-sell-x86-server-business-to-lenovo.htm?pgno=1
-SAM-
Comment 04/18/13:
Wholesale about 20k IBMers with sale of X86 server
unit to Lenovo... -GoneIn2012-
Comment 04/18/13:
Rumor seems to be getting legs:
http://www.crn.com/news/data-center/240153148/ibm-in-talks-to-sell-x86-server-business-to-lenovo.htm
-anon-
Comment 04/18/13:
There are very strong rumors about the whole
System X brand being sold to Lenovo. Any one heard anything like that? -IBMer-
Comment 04/18/13:
@AllianceAssociateMember, great point,
and you should become a full paying dues member for this cause. -Leading-By-Example-
Comment 04/18/13:
Spying on employees is the lowest any company
can stoop to. Its a double whammy..first it screws employees out of pay and
benefits and then spies on them to identify disgruntled staff..wow. if there
wss a ranking called Great place to scoot..ibm will win rank 1. This company
IBM is mentally and physically sick and needs emergency medical care.
-anon-
Comment 04/17/13:
How is the GDF now post-Daniels? East Fishkill,
Dubuque, Columbia, etc.? -ex-GDFer-
Comment 04/17/13:
LHP: IBM executives can go to
DC but we can't get a few more folks to sign up as Alliance members, even as
associate members like myself, let alone go to DC to expose IBM and their treatment
of using methods of spying (IBM Security Intelligence with Big Data) on their
employees?
http://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2013/01/29/ibm-security-tool-can-flag-disgruntled-employees/
It so sad. When are folks who look at this website and board who have not
joined going to? They can't be just scared, fearful? It's so pathetic.
-AllianceAssociateMember-
Comment 04/16/13:
CEOs Earn 354 Times More Than Average
Worker:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ceos-earn-354-times-more-than-average-worker-203748434.html
-Pig Stain on Your Fat Chin-
Comment 04/16/13:
Will IBM sell off its parts? Sure, why not? They
have already dumped tens of thousands of their own people in the past few years
while reporting record profits. They have more than doubled the price of shares,
they have upended the 401K plan, they have ever so slowly removed the small
but meaningful benefits of employees over years and years. -Clam-
Comment 04/16/13:
Senate's big immigration bill seeks to
crackdown on offshore outsourcing Sens. Grassley and Durbin's long-sought 50/50
rule makes in into comprehensive bill
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9238422/Senate_s_big_immigration_bill_seeks_to_crackdown_on_offshore_outsourcing
-Anon-
Comment 04/16/13:
-Exodus2007- You always hit the nail
on the head! The lasting prevailing sentiment is still "you know working
at IBM sure beats being unemployed". That's why the IBMers don't organize.
It's more ignorance than fear. Little do they realize they will be unemployed.
Maybe not too soon but certainly most will eventually be. -anon-
Comment 04/16/13:
TAA benefits for Southbury ex-IBMers
http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2013/04/16/business/717714.txt
-Alliance-
Comment 04/15/13:
-Rumors- What? IBM sell off a business
unit(s). Never happen said the Copier folks at Kodak, The Typewriter folks at
Lexmark, The PC folks at Lenovo, The Storage folks at Hitachi, The Global Network
folks at A.T+T The Printer folks at Ricoh and any I may have missed. The one
thing consistent about this is none of them got enough people organized to stop
the madness so the madness continues, and will continue till the last U.S. employees
turn out the lights and hand the keys to the realtors selling the buildings.
Then as the weeds grow in the parking lots and the fences rust away people will
lament, you know working at IBM sure beat being unemployed. Maybe we should
have done something to keep our jobs here in the U.S. instead of waiting for
someone to save us. Organize now! What are you waiting for? Live better, work
Union. -Exodus2007-
Comment 04/15/13:
Rumors: So does anyone have specifics on the possibility
of IBM selling of some divisions and which ones? -Curious-
Comment 04/15/13:
I case anyone was wondering where all the East Coast executives
are this Monday, it looks like they all rode the bride train down to DC for
a little old fashion Fascism. They need to get immunity for spying on customers
and employees.
http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/293715-ibm-launching-cispa-advocacy-tour
-LHP-
Comment 04/15/13:
Pension-law proposal would hit some retirees:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/pension-law-proposal-would-hit-some-retirees-2013-04-15/
Write to your Congressman
and Senators today! Oppose the plan to gut ERISA!!!
-Ginni
Madoff with my Pension-
Comment 04/12/13:
Please read. This is actually a funny response
to an IBM job posting.
http://abovethelaw.com/2013/04/red-lined-realism-a-corporate-job-ad-you-need-to-see/#more-236940
-Anonymous-
Comment 04/11/13:
Rumors have gone from whispers to loud talk about
IBM selling of business unit(s). Usually when talk gets much louder than a whisper,
it turns out to be true. Those there that may be affected could benefit from
it. -Rumors-
Comment 04/11/13:
I am posting again because I am not certain that
I posted it correctly before:
Question is:Could you please state what your mission is? Is your mission to
protect jobs and represent ONLY USA Citizens/USA Permanent Residents working
in IBM or you aim to represent all IBM employers regardless if they are USA
Citizens or Permament Residents working in IBM (for example, citizens of other
countries in Asia, Europe or Africa ) ? Knowing it would make a difference to
those who consider joining the union to protect jobs of those who are USA Citizens
or Permanent Citizens residing on USA soil. -whatYourMissionIs-
Alliance reply: "Alliance@IBM/CWA
Local 1701 is an IBM employee organization that is dedicated to preserving and
improving our rights and benefits at IBM. We also strive towards restoring management's
respect for the individual and the value we bring to the company as employees.
Our mission is to make our voice heard with IBM management, shareholders, government
and the media. While our ultimate goal is collective bargaining rights with
IBM, we will build our union now and challenge IBM on the many issues facing
employees from off-shoring and job security to working conditions and company
policy."
That is on our web site. By law our jurisdiction is the US and Canada. That
means that when there is a union vote only IBM US employees or Canada IBM employees
(if that is where the bargaining unit would be) can vote.
But even before there is a union vote all non-management IBM employees can join
the union and support our campaign. The rules are different before the vote.
We are part of an IBM Global Union Alliance made up of worldwide unions in IBM.
Those unions represent the citizens of their countries, even if they are working
here in the US.
We are also an advocate for IBM employees here in the US. If you are a foreign
worker in the US and need help in regards to working at IBM please feel free
to contact us.
Comment 04/09/13:
I am amazed that the current IBMers are DOING
NOTHING to join the Alliance. IBM is TAKE, TAKE, and TAKE from you the worker
and you still sit and do nothing. 2015 is fast approaching. Then Hannibal we
take care of most the USA workers and even start acquiring a taste for Indian
and Chinese IBMers. I am not trying to threaten or scare. I just basing my predictions
on what has happened and continues to happen in IBM. I want ALL GLOBAL IBMers
to be treated fairly and with respect and dignity. I don't want to see any more
Roadkill; I want no Roadkill PERIOD! -silence_of_the_lambs-
Comment 04/08/13:
Not surprised IBM is not on the list of top 25
paying companies to their engineers:
http://wraltechwire.com/who-pays-tech-engineers-best-ranking-the-top-25-/12316233/
-SSR_No_More-
Comment 04/08/13:
Heads up child. Word on the street is, remaining
Sametime work will be moved to Brazil in Q3. Good luck with those outages -Anon-
Comment 04/08/13:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/07/business/shareholders-can-slow-the-executive-pay-express.html
If Shareholders Say "Enough Already,"
the Board May Listen -Anonymous-
Alliance Reply: Just remember: The IBM Executives own hundreds of thousands
of shares of stock. Notwithstanding all shareholders that "like" what
IBM is doing. There will need to be a VERY big backlash of shareholders that
say "Enough Already".
Comment 04/07/13:
@GBSUPDATE - the gbs purge of folks
and either eliminating the work or shifting to brazil, costa rica etc- very
low cost folk started in 2009 and will continue until all (or most) of US non
directs are no longer around. Dont be surprised if GBS is sold off - low margins
(due to high expenses of non client facing folks), loss of opportunities (due
to offshoring of work that doesnt meet the contractual obligations)
-GBS-
Comment 04/07/13:
Wow, A discussion about what software IBM supplies?
Speculation as to why and a workaround will follow. Then when IBM upgrades everyone's
software and no one see's any raises or variable pay for a few more years folks
will post what a waste of money the new software was with no one left to use
it. Or could it be people are concerned they look outdated when they are sending
out their resume's from their IBM laptops? At least then I could believe someone
cares about themselves and their future employment. Maybe this should be discussed
in great detail with business reasons for upgrades via the suggestion program
or in an IBM Jam Session. The Union is not going to buy new software for you.
Maybe if you organize your workplace you will make enough money to buy your
own computer and keep it loaded with the latest bells and whistles. Hey. Maybe
someone can start a blog on W3 called BigBlueWhine and folks could go there
to complain about outdated software and slow laptops and such. I am sure one
of the software folks could set it up and have it email your comments directly
to your Manager to save them the trouble of reading through it. Hey. Someone
write this up as a suggestion. Make a few bucks! -Exodus2007-
Comment 04/07/13:
Anon: Interesting assessment, it is true that
IBM's purchase of ISS was grasping the lowest hanging fruit in that arena. Even
though it meant destroying IBM's own offering. ISS never lived up to expectations
, was a blemish on about 8 execs trying to rein it in and improve deliverables.
With Steve Robinson of Q1 Lab fame (Qradar) his alliegence is there not IBM'S
security deliverable strategy. That is why Kristen Livejoy was put in place
to oversee him. CIO & Blue Money , sheesh they pillage the company to justify
their existance. Externally, customers are seeing what they get for what they
pay which is why there is concern over mounting loss of contracts.
-Event Horizon-
Comment 04/07/13:
The Infinity Pool of Executive Pay:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/07/business/executive-pay-shows-modest-2012-gain-but-oh-those-perks.html
-Pig Stain on Your Fat Chin-
Comment 04/05/13:
Dinosaurs-work-at-IBM, I never heard of a converter
required to read documents created in an OLDER version of Office. So, a client
should not have to download a converter. If anything, it is IBMers who have
to use converters because they still have an older version of Office or that
Symphony junk no one else uses outside of IBM. And, THAT indeed is a pain.
-Roadkilled-
Comment 04/05/13:
@dinosaur Why are you using MS Office any version?
OpenOffice or LibreOffice freeware can be used anywhere even internally. Both
of them are better than Lotus Symphony. -Anonymous-
Comment 04/05/13:
@GBSUPDATE Makes sense with Mike Daniels (SVP
Services) gone. Failures of Services deliverables - Steve Robinsons the most
visible. IBM doesn't even use ISS's own tools. Customers complain about Qrsdar.
Quality of deliverables has declined with more and more work offshored. Why
would a US company want their network, security, consulting be handled by lowest
cost denominator in the Phillipines or god forbid China?
Internally it's horrifying seeing the costs assigned to deliverables. It may
be Blue Money to services but someone has to come up with real revenue. The
CIO org now that its become a development shop is the worst in that space.
-Anon-
Comment 04/05/13:
Check out Business Insider survey on Top 25 Highest
paying companies. Well I am not surprised IBM is conspicuous by its absence..are
you.
http://au.businessinsider.com/the-worlds-highest-paid-software-engineers-work-for-these-25-companies-2013-4#1-juniper-networks-pays-its-software-engineers-an-average-base-salary-of-128378-25
-GoingSoon-
Comment 04/05/13:
Latest business insider list of 25 top paying
sw companies does not even figure IBM...why am I not surprised? -getting
out soon-
Comment 04/04/13:
It's 2013. Can't believe we still use office2003-
technology from a decade ago. So embarrassing when my client had to download
a converter to read documents we send them ... -Dinosaurs-work-at-IBM-
Comment 04/03/13:
Ex-NY stockbroker admits $1M insider trading
scam:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ex-ny-stockbroker-admits-1m-233819826.html
-Pig Stain on Your Fat Chin-
Comment 04/03/13:
Dilbert has nicely characterized the Hoey blog
posting.
Scene 1: Catbert, the evil HR Director, tells the pointy haired boss (PHB) that
"Leadership is the art of trading imaginary things in the future for
real things today."
Last scene. Catbert is standing behind Dilbert's desk and says "If
you work all weekend, you might get promoted someday.
If there's ever an opening... and no one else is more qualified."
-Anonymous-
Comment 04/03/13:
I was told by manager to find a new job since
IBM was going with all contractors pretty much. I work in GTS division 7 and
am an alliance member but it really has not changed anything. I have been with
IBM for 20 years and I am tired of living this way. Just waiting for the ax
to fall so that I can get some severance/retraining. Just no enthusiasm for
the company anymore never knowing you might be randomly gone any day. I cannot
wait to take all my info to the competitor. Its sad but after all this time
with IBM, and all the cool folks I have I met, I really want to see IBM fail
now. -Frustrated-
Comment 04/02/13:
Mystery solved why no RA in GBS so far in 2013.
BIG reorg being announced in July. For the non-directs, they are looking for
ways to consolidate support functions and do job elimination in some areas.
(these would be employees reporting up to George Metz). Look for an RA announcement
in May with and exit date of June (3rd week in June) -GBS Update-
Comment 04/02/13:
'At a Duke University conference last week, a
senior International Business Machines Corp. official said the company fills
many important positions with foreign graduates of U.S. universities. Still,
IBM struggles to secure visas for all the workers it requires, said Nicole Hedrick,
global immigration chief. "We have all these positions we cannot fill,"
she said.'
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324883604578396680112980530.html?mod=WSJ_hps_LEFTTopStories
-NotSurprised-
Comment 04/01/13:
Lawsuit over Verizon pensions goes class action:
http://news.yahoo.com/lawsuit-over-verizon-pensions-goes-205250772.html
-Ginni Madoff with my Pension-
Comment 04/01/13:
-benthere- You can assume anything you
wish. I'd say that it's obvious that 13,970 IBMers, former or current were really
not interested in doing something to fight back at IBM's cynical attempt to
slap them and then EXPECT them to laugh it off and accept it. It appears that
you may have answered your own question, if you think about it, no? I'd guess
that the letter will disappear in the fog that IBMers in the US seem to be in.
I personally am grateful that the Alliance put this petition up in the first
place. I know that Alliance staff must get a barrage of emails that ridicule
and attack them. I'd bet that of the over 5 million hits to the web site; that
the 15,000 needed signatures could have easily been gathered. I'd also bet that
the Alliance will not quit trying. I'm very glad they continue to inform IBMers
and the world about what kind of company IBM was and what it has become. In
1999 Alliance@IBM joined forces with IBMers, other unions, and even US representatives
in the Senate, to demand that IBM reverse their "Cash Balance" retirement
plan's robbery of IBM employees original 'defined' retirement plan and the exclusion
of 35,000 IBMers across the US. What boggles my mind is that today's "IBMers
Shrugged"; apparently with the same disconnect that the fictional Atlas
did. Alliance closed the petition after it was clear that it was stuck at 1030
signers, after more than 3 months. My point is this: When the door finally does
close on the Alliance@IBM organizing efforts and employee advocacy, there will
be one less chance to step across the line and stand up for IBM US IT workers
and their rights in the workplace. And there aren't many other chances left...take
a look around, if you think otherwise. I've "been there", too.
-is_it_any_wonder?-
Alliance reply: Well said. We would also add that you can't expect congressional
reps to write letters or take action if they see employees either won't fight
their own battles or show that they don't care.
Comment 04/01/13:
@any mouse-- the truth is that the IBM PC division sale was
reviewed by congress. Our own government has control on which technologies are
sent to other countries. http://www.endicottalliance.org/lenovosaleconcessions.htm
Your treason comment is unwarranted, unless it is directed
at our own government. -media-drama-
Comment 03/31/13:
FYI: A non-priv user at IBM is also a non-needed user. Gearing
up for the 2015 roadkill. -duhastIBM-
Comment 03/31/13:
'WWERS - it seems that it has been "down" all
over the world'
I hope you just mean the IBM internal expense reporting employee application
end of things. WWERS seems to go through frequent reorgs and they canned their
long time IBM director last year. WWERS client code I heard is Java based. Perhaps
the newer Java is to blame? Maybe the digital certificates for the WWERS app.
need to be renewed? It could be lots of things but probably your right that
it is political to keep it the way it is behaving now to make IBM's 1st QTR
look better. I don't think IBM have many pens filled with red ink and don't
or can't want to expense any so make by this is a reason too! :) IBM is all
about fuzzy math, questionable expense accouting practices (non-GAAP). No wonder
they can pull Profit their blue rabbit out of a paper bag whenever they want
too (maybe today.. Happy Easter!) -Anonymous-
Comment 03/30/13:
Alliance do we assume that the 401K petition is now dead???
Is the letter supported with at least the people who signed it going to the
annual meeting? Why did you take the thread down? -benthere-
Comment 03/30/13:
-Anonymous- You are on a union website. Its whole purpose
is to help employees organize so they can negotiate. Its called collective bargaining
an it has been the law of the land for a long time. Everything you are able
to negotiate in a contract is fair. That you do not organize and get your own
contract providing you with perks and benefits and retirements and severance
is your own fault. Its fair to take everything away from employees who do nothing
to stop it. It means so little to them that they will not even join the union
anonymously to stop it. Its also fair for employees to organize and take a fair
share of bonus money from executives for their own bonuses. If its in a contract
both parties agree to it and its enforceable by courts so its fair. I am so
glad my post angered you and stirred you to respond. I hope it angered thousands
of your co workers also and stirred them to join the effort to organize IBM.
A unionized IBM would allow employees to negotiate a contract. In fact it would
be required. Every point you objected to could and probably would be addressed
in a contract with IBM. Time to take an active role in your future and fight
for your right to negotiate! Live better, Work union! -Exodus2007-
Comment 03/29/13:
Re delays on expense reports... this is consistent with delays
on commission payments. No payments for 1Q13 sales until April 30. Normally
commissions are paid the month following the sale. Ginni should send a thank-you
note to the sales team for their help with IBM's cash flow. Meanwhile, I need
to borrow money to pay my bills, including Uncle Sam come April 15.
-anonymous-
Comment 03/29/13:
WWERS - it seems that it has been "down" all over
the world with plenty of "dodgy" rejections and unaccountable delays.
No coincidence that there is also a push to delay expenses until 2Q.
-Bored-
Comment 03/29/13:
To -SOmaybegonesoon: IBM split off its managed cloud offering
from GTS into a new/separate division. I believe you may be right. It looks
like they are planning on selling off the old GTS/SO soon. They kept the up-and-coming
profit cow, and will jettison the flailing GTS to someone else. Keep on, keeping
on. Watchout for the roadkill, on the way to 2015. -dun-4-
Comment 03/29/13:
I know that no one saw this coming....IBM at the forefront of
passing out technology to bad people....I think they should just call it what
it is....TREASON....
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-28/chinese-hacking-is-made-in-the-u-s-a-.html
-any mouse-
Comment 03/28/13:
-Exodus2007- Since when do the employees get to negotiate
anything! And you say it's fair for them to cut, cut, cut to raise profits to
increase their our salary (greed). Do you also think it's fair to take everything
away that these employees worked so hard for to increase exec perks , bonuses?
Do you think it's also fair to take away employee bonuses so they can get more
themselves? Do you also think it's fair to have to train your replacement before
your fired? Employees don't get to negotiate squat.... -Anonymous-
Comment 03/28/13:
@SOmaybegonesoon - will be interesting to watch what
happens with services division. Mike Daniels last day is Friday (3/29)
-anon-
Comment 03/28/13:
As 2012 IBM forced retiree, it is hard to see this company circle
the drain. We used to dominate the category of super computer. No longer...
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/03/27/long-delayed-blue-waters-supercomputer-illinois/
-Anonymous-
Comment 03/28/13:
IBM putting 800-job tech center in Baton Rouge:
http://news.yahoo.com/ibm-putting-800-job-tech-205312971.html
Thank You Taxpayers, for the $74 Million Donation to the IBM Fund
for underprivileged Billionaire Executive Managers! Without this generous donation,
many IBM Executives would have had to downsize to only a 50 foot yacht, and
give up the lease on their private jets. -Ginni Madoff with my Pension-
Comment 03/27/13:
I always see and hear folks complaining about executive perks
and raises and bonuses. I always hear that its unfair. I beg to differ. Its
perfectly fair. It is exactly what they negotiated in their contracts. What
did you negotiate in yours? -Exodus2007-
Comment 03/26/13:
So the WWERS expense reimbursement system has been down and
now I can't get reimbursed for my expenses that I paid out of pocket. IBM has
to be cooking the books on expenses unbelievable, they will probably open up
the system on 4/1 April Fools day. Isn't it illegal to do this?
-I want to be reimbursed-
Comment 03/26/13:
IBM Spent A Million Dollars Renovating And Staffing Its Former CEO'sOffice:
http://www.businessinsider.com/sam-palmisano-ibm-office-2013-3
-Grand Nagus Palmisano-
Comment 03/25/13:
IBM Seems to be Preparing to Sell is Services Business. Like
IBM jettisoned the PC business years ago, citing a highly commoditized market
and the inability to make enough profit, IBM's services business is under similar
pressure and may be being secretly prepared for sale. Feedback from insiders
suggests that the cuts are so deep in recent months, that there is really no
other viable explanation other than the services business is being prepared
for sale. If this is true for services, it is also true for many other business
units at IBM. Will Ginni's legacy be overseeing a garage sale of IBM businesses?
If Ginni can't stop IBM from selling off its business units that do not drive
enough bottom line profit, she will not only fail as its new CEO, she will go
down in history as IBM's worst CEO of all time. Anyone care to chime on on this?
-SOmaybegonesoon-
Comment 03/24/13:
Visitors seen given sales tours of Roch MN facilities. Trying
to lease unused space, but no takers. Mothballing buildings. If mgmt compressed
occupied space, half the site would be unused. -Frank-
Comment 03/24/13:
Country = USA
Union Affiliate = former cwa
Job Title = IBM Retired 2007
IBM Division = Printer retired
Message = Ant info on IBM retirees representation? -Anonymous-
Comment 03/23/13:
IBM proxy statement - 143 pages. IBM executive compensation
statement - 80 pages. What is wrong with this picture? -Anon-
Comment
03/23/13: Anybody
else notice that WWERS has been out all week? My guess is that it won't be back
online until after the new quarter starts. The best way to control expenses
is to turn off the server. In the old days, they would send an email telling
you to defer expenses, but in the new IBM, they just "fixed that glitch."
Oh yeah, it is also against the law to defer expenses to a different reporting
period...Welcome to the new age of lawlessness. -any-mouse-
Comment 03/23/13:
401K petition is DOA. Well it looks like 1030 is the last stalled
number. Mise well close it down and chalk up another win for big blew.I guess
it demonstrates the no guts attitude by the troops. So next will be the health
care take a way blamed on obamacare. Here it comes so better go hide in the
corner. -benthere-
Comment 03/22/13:
-gone-: IBM just wants more of your retirement money
to play with. Stable Value fund is less volatile than Bond funds. So IBM can
make money or save money by not paying any investment fees that might be with
Stable Value Fund. -anonymous-
Comment 03/22/13:
Isn't the employee handbook deemed IBM Confidential? If you
already left IBM, good luck getting HR to give you a copy. -Glad-I-Left-
Comment 03/21/13:
If you think your "safe" with a PBC 2+ from a planned
RA I want you to THINK TWICE. After working for IBM for almost 25 years and
worked through injury, illness, and pain, one would think IBM would stick behind
me. Well, they didn't when I developed serious health issues in the year I was
RAed. IBM only cares about greed for the upper ranks. The regular John or Jane
Beamer employee is a replaceable widget. Unless we all try to do something to
change this attitude by IBM middle and upper management IBM will continue to
prune us off. This is not only a USA sentiment: Fellow IBMers in India, China,
Brazil, IBM will soon treat you much the same way they treated me. Join the
Alliance. It is never too late. We meed a Global Alliance! NOW -sby_willie-
Comment 03/21/13:
IBM's largest competitor has been hiring. Here is a quote from
Oracle's earnings review -
"Co-president Mark Hurd said Oracle added over 4,000 people to
the Oracle sales force in the last 18 months and significantly expanded customer
coverage, adding, ..." Better watch out IBM, Oracle is ready to compete.
-Anon-
Comment 03/20/13:
hey employee handbook request. why don't you call HR, they should
be able to tell you where to obtain a copy. this is not the proper forum for
that question. -long gone-
Comment 03/20/13:
Contractor Furloughs are in full swing again. I guess 214 bucks
a share is not enough for these thieves. Now I have been blackballed and cannot
get a job in my field. After 20 years I am going to have start over. Closer
to retirement than the robots they hire. Anyone who thinks they are safe is
deadly wrong. No wonder the new contracts come in with SLA fines for not meeting
client goals and requirements. I know of one contract who is micromanaging time
to 5 minute intervals, understaff the whole unit and then blames staff for misses
and furloughs them. If you are being tapped by another company, RUN LIKE HELL.
If you are a contractor, expect to loose at least 200 hours in salary this year.
-3rd time layoff from Blue-
Comment 03/20/13:
I see Mr. John Akers mentioned here. The last CEO to use respect
for the individual and the full employment policy as his standards of management.
We all hoped replacing his replacement (Gerstner) with another CEO from within
IBM (Palmissano) would bring back those principles IBM was founded on. That
certainly did not happen. And it isn't happening under the current CEO. There
will never be a return to these values that made IBMers the envy of workers
around the world. The only thing you will ever get from IBM is what you fight
for. Do not fight alone. You will lose. Join the Alliance and fight together.
Live Better. Work Union. -Exodus2007-
Comment 03/20/13:
Where did your GDP and 401k match go? http://www.cnbc.com/id/100565278
IBM Ex-CEO's Perks: $1 Million for Office, Cars
http://www.footnoted.com/revisiting-ibms-palmisano-equation/
http://www.footnoted.com/ibms-ex-ceo-is-well-decorated/
-Anon-
Comment 03/19/13:
Interesting reading:
http://www.alternet.org/corporate-accountability-and-workplace/16-giant-corporations-have-basically-stopped-paying-taxes
-TF-
Comment 03/19/13:
I am surprised no one noticed this other 401k change - they
are in the process of taking the Interest Income (formerly known as Stable Value
fund) from the 401k, kind of "merging" it into total bond fund. Benefits
just keep being chipped away, the boiling frog syndrome. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_frog
-gone-
Comment 03/18/13:
As you all know the 401k match program this year is being changed
to a deferred program. Next year will it be a reduction from 6% match to say
3% with the following year being removed all together ? 3 yrs is uh oh - 2015
- could be another lever to the EPS target .. Food for thought .. You say it
would never happen - I bet you never thought they would take away the each paycheck
match. -Could it happen-
Comment
03/18/13: My
2 cents on Roadkill 2015...I think IBM plans to divest SO/Div 07.
We make crappy margins and have too much cost pressure with other LCC's. IBM
is pumping up the price, getting ready to sell it off. That would be a boon
to their 2015 EPS targets because I don't think they are close enough yet at
the pace they are going. Warren Buffett might make a killing on that as well
:-). No facts on this, but I think it is highly likely...Outsourcing is a commodity...we
make better margins in SW, HW, Consulting, Maintenance, etc.....
-Ex-IBMer and glad I left!-
Comment
03/18/13: Well
it was a serious question, and the "KY" reference was kind of disgusting
and rude. There are SOME of our there that are trying to be somewhat optimistic
in these terrible times. I am a loyal member of the Alliance. -JamOnIt-
Comment 03/17/13:
@JamOnIT, only if the employees organize before that.
You will always be a target otherwise. -Take-Action-
Comment 03/16/13:
What happens after Roadkill 2015?
2015 follows the 2010 plan. Are you kidding??? There will be no rest. There
is certain to be a 2020 followed by 2025 plan, etc, etc. Don't plan on being
employed for long or ever being comfortable. Keep the KY handy.
-2015Plan-
Alliance Reply: Obviously, if you want to change the circumstance of losing
your job or your rest; the best alternative is to organize and actively pursue
growing a union of you & your co-workers and publicly declaring your unity
and your strength in numbers. For starters, Join the Alliance.
Comment 03/16/13:
To -PaleBlueBenefits-: That IS careful stewardship.
IBM carefully ensures employees get very little that is promised. IBM will hand
out something to the employees only to somehow underhandedly take it away with
the other hand. Dangle that virtual carrot. Keep running employees -- tryi to
catch it. Whoops...You're roadkill! -dun-4-
Comment 03/16/13:
Is it true that 100's of contractors were let go or furloughed
Friday March 15th, 2013? -Nan-
Comment 03/16/13:
Remember John Akers and his 'standing around the water cooler
comment'?
http://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/30/business/the-year-in-business-1991-john-f-akers-a-costly-revamping-at-ibm.html
Will John F. Akers be remembered as the Mikhail Gorbachev of I.B.M.?
After one of the roughest years in I.B.M.'s history, Mr. Akers announced a radical
new direction for the world's largest computer maker in November. The company
will be reorganized into more than a dozen highly independent businesses. Some
of them will even compete directly against each other, leaving the new International
Business Machines Corporation looking somewhat more like a commonwealth than
a union. The shift includes plans to reduce the computer maker's workforce by
at least another 20,000 workers next year and take a $3 billion charge in the
fourth quarter of this year to cover the costs.
For Mr. Akers, the former fighter pilot and I.B.M. marketing ace who took
over the helm of the company in 1985, 1991 has been doubly tough. In April,
he gave some of his managers a private dressing down, saying he was expecting
more from his employees and suggested that too many of them were standing
around I.B.M. water coolers, only to find an electronic copy of an employee's
notes taken at the meeting were leaked to the press.
The challenge for Mr. Akers is to keep the best parts of the company's culture
intact -- high technology and a legendary sales force -- while paring back
on expenses throughout 1992.
The irony is that Mr. Akers has waited until now to do precisely
what the Justice Department spent many years pursuing: breaking up I.B.M.
-Anonymous-
Comment 03/16/13:
Well, even though Mr. Hoey and other IBM Executives provide
almost no real value-add to the business, there’s certainly one skill
at which they are highly proficient .... Collecting an exorbitant and undeserved
paycheck! -Grand Nagus Palmisano-
Comment 03/15/13:
What happens to those that actually make it to 2015. Does all
the worrying end? Does one get to feel "safe"? It's not so far off
now...and I'm hoping to hear other thoughts on how it will be when we arrive
at "Roadkill 2015" -JamOnIT-
Comment 03/15/13:
A must read book "Who stole the American Dream" by
Hedrick Smith. Section on IBM with quotes from Tom Midgley and Lee Conrad of
the Alliance. -member-
Comment 03/15/13:
"We are careful stewards of our employee benefits programs".
So how come employee benefits are always becoming less (e.g. GDP) and retirement
plans that were promised, like medical (FHA) disappear altogether for some.
The $1k stock award for those still left standing in 2015 is a hollow and not
an entirely new benefit (e.g. remember employee stock options and grants in
the internet boom years?) That does not sound like careful stewardship to me.
It shows lack of empathy and responsibility by this IBM. IBM: cut using the
word COMPETITIVE as blanket dribble to explain your every action. It's now very
insulting for employees to keep hearing this over and over when it is not entirely
true! Also, hiding behind"economic uncertainty" as justification for
actions to employee benefits is also insulting. Doing what other companies and
corporations do (with employee benefits) is not showing IBM in the light of
being a leader: it shows it as another follower. Former CEO Akers and Senior
Executive Kuehler mentioned that "..when IBM does well; employees do well
too... you bet!!!" Now where has that promise went? IBM stock is near or
at an alltime high. IBM has not had a losing quarterly report in decades. It's
employees are the most productive IT workerw in the world. The IBM employee
deserves much more respect thatn they get. Instead of losing benefits they should
be preserving benefits! Instead of thousands of employees who are the most productive
in the IT industry being managed ut and RA they should have at least some semblence
of job security. Where is the empathy for the employee and their benefits IBM,
and in particular, HR director Randy Mac who is about as competitive as Dogbert
in the Dilbert comic strip! -PaleBlueBenefits-
Comment 03/15/13:
And IBM's response to the Vermont Senators regarding 401k bi
weekly matches is "mind your own business. What we do is good for all your
constituents". Do you begin to see why I repeatedly say to IBMers that
only WE can change this arrogant corrupt company from within. By organizing.
The Government really cannot mandate the aspects of your personal compensation
as well as a collective bargaining contract can. No one else can end this madness.
Only you can. In solidarity. -Exodus2007-
Comment 03/14/13:
Article, VW after having record profits shares 1.1 billion in
profit sharing to workers,
http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/8426009/VW-shares-1-1b-in-profits-with-workers
IBM on the other hand, artificially raises the bar on PBC ratings,
lowing ratings to reduce payout, all in an effort to scrape every penny out
of workers with talk like " we reward our highest performers" when
in actuality expects more, pays less, does not give raises all for the execs,
there are now two types of workers at IBM, those that are holding out waiting
for the severance, and those that are drinking the kool aid. So glad I was "invited
to leave" -Anonymous-
Comment 03/14/13:
I left IBM in 2011, but forgot to download a copy of the employee handbook
for my reference. Would someone be able to direct me to where I can get this
documment? Thank you. - Need Employee Handbook-
Comment 03/14/13:
Regarding the letter sent by the Senators and Representative.
A token effort at best. Why would they send a letter to an underling named Walt
and not Ginny and the board of directors who can actually make a decision to
change an already made decision? Is Ginny so deeply ingrained in the Obama Administration
that they do not dare address her? I mean, we all appreciate the effort, but
I would expect a local state senator etal to address a letter to Walt. A US
Senator no less then CEO. Looks good in the press but no real substance. Just
my observation. -Exodus2007-
Comment 03/14/13:
Isn't bobs comments on work life balance a violation of business
conduct guidelines? I thought it was a core tenant of hr policy. Even in bric
countries! -Anon-
Comment 03/14/13:
All, do a copy/paste of the Vermont senators letter to Ginni,
and send to your own state senators. Ask them to support the VT senators, by
backing the statements in their letter. Ginni needs to be totally ashamed that
U.S. Senators are calling IBM to the carpet for poor treatment of works, holding
our 401K contributions "hostage" all year long! -Trying
to help-
Comment 03/14/13:
For years IBM pushed 'work/life balance', then at an all hands
yearly meeting, about 4 years ago, it became 'work/life INTEGRATION'. During
the Q&A session management was asked to explain the change and their response
was that employees were expected to be available even when off shift in order
to meet client needs. In other words, 24x7. Now are they back to calling it
'balance' to make it look better? As for the claim that employees in other countries
are happy to work more hours, I agree with Annie N., before I left IBM my off
shore team would even leave conf. calls with clients, the minute they hit their
8 hours. And as a US employee I never worked under 12 hours/day and most weekends
as demanded by my mgmt due to workload. -Ex-IBMer-
Comment 03/14/13:
In regards to the Hoey letter, isn't this Bob Hoey guy just
typical of IBM executives who fly around the world, attend meetings, attend
"jam" sessions, which are nothing more than social media chit-chat,
and then go on about how hard they work? Do they even know what hard work is?
I think they've lost track of it after so many years of wallowing in their self-importance.
I am an American, and I don't aspire to live in either China or India, where
there are very few human rights laws, and people are so desperate, they're willing
to be exploited by any foreign company that shows up at their door. But by all
means, Bob Hoey, please move there and join them. We won't miss you. -Anonymous-
Comment 03/14/13:
The 401K change is very unfair. But the real slap in the face
to IBMers is to see their CEO's pay double in tandem to this 401K benefits reduction.
I'm not feeling the respect for the individual - not at all. -Anonymous-
Comment 03/14/13:
The 401(k) no match till Winter 2013 is only one thing. I heard
a rumor from manager friend that IBM is trying to get rid of as many FHA eligible
employees it can before 2014. Since the Affordable Care Act is going to cost
IBM more money they need to do FHA pruning to remain competitive and drive profits
to fulfill Roadmap 2015. So you can bet on more RAs accelerating on the USA
this year. Those that are not FHA eligible cost IBM less but many will be gone
before 2015 is out so they don't get the $1K stock. If the Dow and stock price
corrects heavily or crashes IBM will get it's USA workforce (sans management)
down even more than they presently project. -seeing_blue-
Comment 03/14/13:
So Bob, "Good morning from Brazil, where I am helping the
local ITS team with their 1Q Close" - Are things there that bad? A Critical
Situation? Yet another outsourcing fiasco? That a General Manager has to come?
Your presence says a lot. -Anon-
Comment 03/14/13:
You can take your ridiculous Client Experience Jam, IBM Management,
and Jam it .... -Where the Sun Don't Shine-
Comment 03/14/13:
Why is it that everyone here is looking for someone lse to solve
their problems? Senators, Congressmen, Presidents, CEO's, etc. dont givea damn
about helping you.They all hang out together socially. Not only did they invent
the problem, they dont care about you. You are willing to send letters to congress
as long as someone creates the form letter for you. Those letters will never
reach the person intended, and if they do, they dont care and will just order
their mail screeners to toss the letters anyways. The only solution is simple.
Get off your butts and sign your name on the dotted line and join the union
or get another job. -Get off your butts-
Comment 03/13/13:
Are there plans to develop a form letter we can send to our
state senators asking that they put pressure on IBM to reverse the recent 401K
changes? Enough is enough. -fedup-
Comment 03/13/13:
I read Hoey's blog and had to check to see if it was April Fool's
day. I applaud the employee who responded. I want to also point out that this
Hoey guy is a plagiarizer! The real article is here:
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/02/embrace_work-life_imbalan.html
I would think that someone in his position, providing his divine
guidance through a weekly blog, would cite his sources. I wonder what else he
plagiarized while hard at work at his career? I guess his definition of hard
work is copying the work of others and taking credit for it. His comments on
how in other countries they work 12-15 hour days is even more BS. I work with
these people. When their "office hours" are over they are out the
door, even in the middle of a crisis. Maybe they hang around the office that
long when he is in town but believe me at quitting time they are on the jitney
heading home. Nice try Bobby -Annie Nominous-
Comment 03/13/13:
Wonder if Bob Hoey is going to work till he dies? Yeah, right.
He is not a grunt like us; he is elite and entitled: He has got the SERP and
other retirement perks to enjoy. Also doesn't have to worry about a PBC 3 or
an RA either. What a two faced bigoted full of himself jerk for an IBM executive.
-anonymous-
Comment 03/13/13:
Received an email from the Alliance on the letter from Klobuchar,
Franken, and Walz to IBM suggesting we call and thank them. Called all three
offices about 2 minutes ago. Found their contact info here:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=MN
http://www.house.gov/representatives/#state_mn
-sickofitall-
Comment 03/13/13:
Bob wrote: You don't hear many people in India, Brazil or
China (to name a few countries) complain about work-life balance, even though
many in these developing countries work 12-15 hour days. These peopl are hungry
to be top performers and obtain the rewards and recognition bestowed on the
top 10% of the population"
He should have stopped after "these people are hungry".
-Anonymous10 -
Comment 03/13/13:
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20130313/BUSINESS/130313011/IBM-gets-renewed-sales-tax-break
IBM Corp. got a five-year renewal of its sales tax break from
the Dutchess County Industrial Development Agency today.
The board voted unanimously without discussion to approve
the deal. Agency attorney Donald Cappillino reported that turnout at two public
hearings held Tuesday consisted just of the East Fishkill town supervisor,
John Hickman, in favor and two citizens who showed up too late to be on the
formal record.
The deal exempts IBM from paying state sales tax on internal
transfers of computers that it makes at its Poughkeepsie plant and then uses
for IBM Global Services at Poughkeepsie and at East Fishkill.
The deal also requires IBM to invest about $2 million to upgrade
the services infrastructure at Poughkeepsie and invest about $30 million in
adding computers. After it completes that upgrade, a PILOT kicks in for payment
in lieu of local sales taxes. Then, IBM would get a half-point cut off what
it would normally owe Dutchess County in sales tax.
A schedule in the agreement also offers further cuts in the
tax rate if IBM were to add several thousand employees and reach a target
of 11,662 workers. IBM's last count was around 8,000 in Dutchess. And, IBM
has given no sign of such a massive increase, nor does the company comment
on such future staffing situations. -Anon-
Comment 03/13/13:
IBM pays CEO $15.4M in her 1st year on the job, because she
works 400 hundred times harder than we do. -Got-An-Ocean-Front-Property-For-Sale-
Comment 03/13/13:
@2 percent. Your GDP is based on revenue. Exec bonuses are based
on profit. IBM's revenue has been declining, while profit has been going up
due to the internal cuts. Make an impact, send the senators letter to your senators
-Anon-
Comment 03/13/13:
I sent the Bob Hoey letter and employee response to my significant
other tp read.........It is really unfortunate to have someone in his position
not aware of the dedication, and personal sacrifices his own employees across
the board at IBM make everyday... I have seen you work well into the evening
to make deadlines, and to organize meetings....evidently, he is in Brazil and
needs to travel to many other countries, and see , and feel the non social atmosphere
that they have endured for hundreds of years.....but, those countries people
will be catch up somewhere in the future, and will be dissatisfied , and feel
the pressures of deadlines, and dissatisfaction of no advancement in the ranks,
because the Chinese, and India's workforce are younger, and have traveled the
world, and see the creature comforts that they will expect as they progress
within the company.... It doesn't seem like Mr. Hoey is setting in a realistic
seat when he has sent out such an insensitive memo to a workforce that has helped
promote him into his position....does Mr. Whorey not take vacations, or enjoy
his family, or enjoy a nice vehicle, or a nice home? I think he is not really
in touch with his own workforce....He should be replaced in his position for
making such harmful statements to IBM workforce, I have never sent out a memo
not supporting, and upholding my workforce....they are your life support! I
believe the company does break a lot of labor laws, and should reimburse their
employees for the jobs, they really do accomplish throughout the day, and after
the workday is over for many...across the world....European countries do not
work the hours American workers work.....it is a serious matter when you do
not get the support from the Execs....believe me they complain like babies,
if their bonus checks are not there, or their vacation times get re arranged.....IBM
needs to demote this jerk! Before, the IBM good workers become mediocre workers,
because no one really gives a damn! -Heard just about enough BS-
Comment 03/13/13:
Yes Bob, I'm a good little beemer, participating in ClientJam...
but nobody seems to want to talk about the elephant in the room... this is supposed
to be about how to give clients the best experience, but the #1 thing is going
to be employee buy-in. Not going to get that with the way employees are being
treated, and you've just exposed your attitude to the world. Maybe now the employees
will WAKE UP and see that NOBODY AT THE EXECUTIVE LEVEL cares two cents about
the company's number one asset... its employees. -anonymous-
Comment 03/12/13:
WHAT?!?!? anonymous2: You received a 2% GDP? I received 1%.
(yes -I'm serious!) -dun-4-
Comment 03/12/13:
-Anonymous- Comment
03/12/13: Sorry
but Bob you should be fired immediately based on your current statements. Kudos
to the IBM employee who responded - you were spot on. I have wondered for years
if the mandatory OT of GBS employees is a violation of labor law since their
salary is based on 40 hr work weeks. However, IBM continues to abuse employees
to levels never thought imaginable. Ginni gets $15.4M on results - how were
those results generated - on the backs of each worker and the massive layoffs
of US workers -Fire Bob Hoey-
Comment 03/12/13:
"Her pay doubles and I get 2% GDP?" Well,
ya broke even since this pays for the Social Security (FICA) tax break expiring.
And if me or you get promoted we get a PBC 3 to start in all likelihood. Ginni
gets a promotion and doubles her salary with tons of stock options and hasn't
even been on the job as IBM CEO and President for a year yet. She'll be at Augusta
for the golf Masters too. All paid for by IBM. No customers or execs. Can't
page her when she is watching either. I'll get woken up at wee hours by customers
or management to put out another IBM fire..for no OT pay or paid time off. You
haven't been RAed yet. Consider that your reward for your labors. Where is the
justice? Don't expect any in this IBM. -anonymous2-
Comment 03/12/13:
I just sent an email to my state senators asking why these Vermont
senators were the only ones asking IBM the tough questions regarding the 401k
changes. I urge others on here to write your state senators and forward the
link to the news article and a copy of the senator's letter. -Anonymous-
Comment 03/12/13:
"Can't wait for my $1K stock option in 2015."
Then might as well for the RAs before 2015. You'll lose the $1K stock,
maybe lose all your FHA, and get reduced, if any, severance. But at least your
401(k)- plan (no match). Unite now IBMers! Organize!
-UniteNow-
Comment 03/12/13:
Ginny, Are you so clueless? Have you spent so much time with
customers you think that's all that matters? Have you taken a look at the "Client
Jam" - Do you see anywhere, where employees that DO NOT have customer facing
functions can voice what is wrong, what to fix, how to fix? Do you even care?
How about shutting up all those young, new hire Blue KoolAid drinking suck ups
that clutter the landscape there with their exhortations and rah rah. Wake up!
P.S. Get rid of that idiotic Monday cartoon on W3. Scott Adams has IBM pegged
more with Dilbert.-Anon-
Comment 03/12/13:
Her pay doubles and I get 2% GDP? Can't wait for my $1K stock
option in 2015.
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/viewart/20130312/BUSINESS01/303120045/IBM-pays-CEO-15-4M-her-1st-year-job
IBM pays CEO $15.4M in her 1st year on the job
ARMONK — IBM Chairman and CEO Virginia Rometty’s
pay doubled in her first year running one of the world’s biggest and
best-known technology companies, but she still took home less than her predecessor.
Rometty, the first woman to run IBM, received a 2012 pay package worth $15.4
million, based on an analysis of regulatory documents filed Monday. That’s
up sharply from the roughly $7.5 million she made the year before as senior
vice president in charge of the company’s global sales and marketing.
As with most CEOs, most of Rometty’s compensation consisted of long-term
stock awards that could wind up being worth more or less than the $9.3 million
listed in the initial disclosures. -Anonymous-
Comment
03/12/13: IBM
pays CEO $15.4M in her 1st year on the job:
http://news.yahoo.com/ibm-pays-ceo-15-4m-215959069.html
Thanks for nothing, Ginni.
-Ginni Madoff with my Pension-
Comment
03/11/13: There
isn't any 'official' RA scheduled for 1Q13 @ IBM. The RA actually began with
2011 ratings, two consecutive ratings of a "3" and you're gone. Regardless
of actual achievement of personal and business goals. Some were given a 12-month
bridge to 'retirement' in 2012. In most instances, the last days for both would
end of February 2013. With the performance rating, they can give you a REDUCED
severance package. There may be an 'official' RA later this year; however, IBM
is trying to stay below the numbers necessary to report any job cuts to the
department of labor. Analysis shows, there will be perpetual 'rolling' layoffs
between now and December 2015, some here, some there, but never all at once
- so no reporting necessary. Leave on your own, if at all possible. The severence
is greatly reduced and may be going by the wayside. The 100th anniversary stock
options are worthless, as only 20% of the US workforce will remain by the exercise
date - December 2015.... -Never Bled Blue-
Comment 03/11/13:
Dow and NASDAQ at or almost record high. IBM stock almost record
high and IBM is so &%$#ing cheap they will not match my promised retirement
earnings in their 401k PLUS (where is the PLUS???? they don't match anything
until 12/14/2013? You lose all stock market highs and gains until 12/14/2013.)
I'm no fool. I've joined the Alliance. And IBM is not going to play me as a
fool. Not anymore. Not nevermore. I'm fed up. If you're not, what's your problem?
-wake_up_beamers-
Comment 03/11/13:
For -Letters to Senator- Tell your Senators to get
a Congressional Inquiry and that they need answers ASAP. Have them get Ginni
or Randy to Capitol Hill to appear and answer. We seen back in 1999 with Socks
Bouchard and showed IBM at it's true color (very, very pale blue). -1999deja_vu-
Comment 03/11/13:
-ginny pooh- Which site(s)? -eor-
Comment 03/10/13:
It's Time To Focus On Creating Value, Not Profit:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/time-focus-creating-value-not-152200478.html
Take heed IBM Management; gouging Customers by charging top dollar
and then delivering service from some third world rathole, treating your Employees
like a disposable commodity, and not giving back to the Communities in which
you do business, all in the name of increasing profits and maximizing shareholder
value as quickly as possible, is NOT a strategy for success. -Anonymous-
Comment 03/08/13:
@IndiaBusinessMachines. Of significance and concern
to all employees that participate is IBM's foray into social media analytics.
Be aware of how much non IBM information you share such as don't fill in your
Linkedin, Facebook, Yahoo, etc.. contact information - as IBM claims so people
can reach out to you. You will be tracked across social media. The IBM Social
Media Analytics offering is.
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/analytics/solutions/customer-analytics/social-media-analytics/
"Social media analytics delivers powerful customer insight. Social
media analytics is a powerful tool for uncovering customer sentiment dispersed
across countless online sources. As businesses feel the pressure to gain new
insights from social media, they require the analytics expertise to transform
this flood of information into actionable strategies. IBM solutions for social
media analytics help organizations take control of this data so they can improve
customer satisfaction, identify patterns and trends, and make smarter decisions
regarding marketing campaigns. Social media analytics solutions from IBM can
help your business: Capture consumer data from social media to understand attitudes,
opinions, trends and manage online reputation Predict customer behavior and
improve customer satisfaction by recommending next best actions Create customized
campaigns and promotions that resonate with social media participants Identify
the primary influencers within specific social network channels" -Anonymous-
Comment 03/08/13:
I have sent emails with a link to the letter already sent to
my senators. I urge everyone reading this to send to their senators. I can tell
you if we do nothing --- then nothing will change. If your upset then let them
know .. -Letters to Senator-
Comment 03/08/13:
Several contractors got the boot today. -ginny pooh-
Comment 03/08/13:
I was part of the March 2009 RA list. You should never feel
safe. You should never sit still. In 2008 and 2009 I was making $X per year.
Now, after being let go from IBM, in 2013 I am making $2X per year. Do not let
down your guard. Executives are planning the next action and you have no say
in the matter without working together. -Clam-
Comment 03/08/13:
All, please see the letter that both Vermont senators sent to
Ginny Rometty directly, asking her to reconsider the 401K match change to a
once yearly IBM contribution. Both senators clearly state how unfair this is
of IBM, noting its 40 straight quarters of profit increases. To the Alliance
team, please change your petition to be directed to Ginny, not Randy MacDonald.
Ginny needs to be called to task for this change, as it went into effect under
her leadership. Also, if North Carolina IBMers forward the VT senators letters
to our senators, asking for them to petition Ginny, we can start a "wave
of shame"! -Trying to help-
Comment 03/08/13:
article about the Rochester move.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/03/08/ibm_power_systems_manufacturing_mexico/
-anon-
Comment 03/07/13:
"Comment 03/02/13: Interesting. No comments yet on
the GBS announcement that all employees must work a 44 hour week... -anonymous-"
Wow, GBS must have cut back on the hours expected. When I worked there,
the expectation was more like 60 or more, not including another 12 hours a week
of traveling to your gig. -FormerIBMer-
Comment 03/07/13:
I agree with RA'ed in 2009, I too was RA'ed in 2009 and wasn't
informed (through a phone call from my 1st line!)until March 26 or 27. I hope
there isn't a "job action" this spring. I was blind-sided when I got
the news, had no idea it was coming. Please join the Alliance today!
-Sagemeister-
Comment 03/07/13:
"they stole the benefits they always did it in such
a way that the world didn't see them as villains"
If folks would see Socks Bouchard's Congressional testimony ANYONE would
see IBM as villains! Stealing deferred compensation. Stealing promised benefits.
Then taking away promised retirement medical coverage. Now if that is not a
villain's act what is? -Mr. Doubtfire-
Comment 03/07/13:
-gadfly- Cannot agree with you more!!! Let's say Dow
goes up to 16,000 in beginning of December and then crashes to 12,000 in a "correction"
first week of December. And you are close to 100% invested in stocks...
Ah, the "time value of money" and compounding interest. It's all lost
now until 12/14/2013. Those unfortunate to be RA'ed lost BIG TIME. Others left
"standing" still LOSE BIG. The match is definitely needed to GROW
a 401(K) so you have a chance to retire. Took over four years to get back what
most lost in the Great Recession and Banking Bad Loans and Mortgages era to
get back to where folks 401(k)'s balances were. The match makes up for the stock
market 401ka$ino downward swings. Otherwise, the so-called 401(k) retirement
fund is nothing more than a savings fund that gives returns similar to municipal
bonds at best, but NOT TAX FREE. We all know who the real losers are..still!
Folks, PLEEZE do something. DO IT NOW! I can't stress enough: Join the Alliance
movement! We can force IBM to restore the 401(k) match at the very least! For
about a little more than the price of a first class stamp a day you can join
as a full member of the Alliance ($.50 a day). Or for much less than a postcard
stamp a day as an associate member. Is that too much too ask, brother or sister?
-401(k)o'ed-
Alliance Reply: Call your congressional leaders too. Point them to the letter
Senator's Sanders and Leahy wrote. It is on the main page of this website.
Comment 03/06/13:
I know nothing is guaranteed without a contract, but Ive heard from
two different sources ( both managers) that there will be no more severance
with a RA. In one case, several band 10s were called to a hotel, and were given
te boot with nothing. Just fired (not for any violation of BCG).
On another note, people are resigning left and right, but a lot of folks are
getting hired too. Constant ebb and flow in and out. This is in crappy GBS.
What a horribly managed division. The execs ought to be ashamed of themselves
(looking at you George Metz) -F IBM-
Comment 03/06/13:
Interesting... was just ordered by my manager to sign up for
the Client Experience Jam and participate. The interesting part is that it has
been made very clear that my opinion is not wanted or welcome by any of my leadership...
so I guess I will throw in a couple of "I love IBM's" somewhere along
the way. -IndiaBusinessMachines-
Comment 03/06/13:
The 2009 RAs were announced end of march and executed end of
April. It's still early. I wouldn't discount 2013 RAs until that date passes.
-RA'ed in 2009-
Comment 03/06/13:
http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2013/03/05/layoffs
Why layoffs are for lazy corporate overseers. Layoffs are
often a sign of failure by top executives to properly manage a business and
forecast needs -- and failure of board members to ensure that the right management
is in place. -Do Tell-
Comment 03/06/13:
Better link about IBM shuttering MFG in Rochester. They estimate
between 2500 and 3000 left...it's probably more like under 2000:
http://www.postbulletin.com/business/ibm-to-move-most-manufacturing-out-of-rochester/article_824d588f-99c9-58d7-b8bb-4936c34e5b2e.html
-ExRochIBMer-
Comment 03/05/13:
-mr. doubtfire- It's all about image. Even if you look
back when they did the 1st firings and when they stole the benefits they always
did it in such a way that the world didn't see them as villains. They know how
to work the press and as you can see they continue to do a good job. Look at
the 401k game they just played. It was on the press for a few days and then
overshadowed by other IBM releases. All you got to do is listen to the stock
sites and they love IBM. Not too many people hear about the woes expressed on
this site. -benthere-
Alliance reply: Which is why we continue to encourage IBMers in the US to become
members of Alliance@IBM and speak out publicly about what IBM is doing. US IBMers
need to stop wringing their hands in fear of losing their jobs. It will continue
to happen until they decide to organize and stand up to the IBM corporation,
en masse.
Comment 03/05/13:
Many more empty buildings to go with the ones they's already
locked up here:
http://www.kttc.com/story/21527579/2013/03/05/ibm-moving-hundreds-of-jobs-to-mexico
-RochIBMer-
Comment 03/05/13:
Guess yall saw the DOW was a record high today. That works pretty
good for 401-k growth for everyone except IBM employees. I would like everyone
on this board to join me in a great big cheer for our executives...."F
U" -gadfly-
Comment 03/05/13:
http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2013/03/05/layoffs/?section=magazines_fortune
--sums-it-up-
Comment 03/05/13:
GDP was yet again a joke. Told to be happy for any scraps at
all. Think executives will go without bonuses? I doubt it. Greed rules the day
at Big Blue. Seeking alternate employment while praying to be RAd. My work will
reflect my unjustified change in rating and poor pay until I go or they boot
me. Why continue to put in the effort if they won't recognize it?
-Anonymous14yr-
Comment 03/05/13:
The RA was probably called off since the DOW stock market is
almost at all time high. IBM doesn't want to rock the boat in any way to disturb
it's rising stock price which might reach a record high soon. IBM is all about
greed now. Their timing and financial engineering with fuzzy non-GAAP accounting
and math is impeccable (but I'm not saying that as a compliment)!
-maybe_maybe-
Comment 03/05/13:
Interesting that an RA was cancelled this quarter as well. I'd
heard directly from someone in HR there was a huge RA scheduled in November,
but that never materialized either. I wonder what's up with that?
-Out & Glad-
Comment 03/05/13:
Big announcement in Rochester today! -macklemore-
Comment 03/05/13:
I hear there is a "take time" program in play for
US employees. I don't see any info on w3. Described as: take personal time,
for whatever reason, for one-third pay. -Anonymous-
Comment 03/05/13:
Watch your W2 and paycheck,mine has been messed up. The Philippines
is out of control and clueless. All of your personal information is at risk.
-BigBlew Worker-
Comment 03/04/13:
anonymous - on GBS 44 hr weeks. That has been in place
for the last 8+ years. -GBS 44 hrs-
Comment 03/04/13:
Mix up the RA schedule to keep us guessing? Thats rich. Does
the shooter really worry about what the fish in the barrel are guessing? At
the time and the place of their choosing, IBM will end your career for you if
its you they choose. Never ask for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for you.
-Exodus2007-
Comment 03/04/13:
@Looking, It's kind of hidden. FHA info is on the Health
and Insurance page, very bottom. Look under More Benefit Resources Future Health
Account Details - The IBM Future Health Account provides you with funds to help
pay the cost for IBM medical, dental and vision benefits, if you meet certain
age and service requirements when you leave IBM. -Anonymous-
Comment 03/04/13:
-Rich- Wow. IBM mess up delivery of your last paycheck?
Shocked! So IBM is not prepared to process "exits" now. I guess they
figure no one will leave unless they get RAed, MISed, or fired now. Nice to
know your SSN and mine (I'm still on IBM payroll for now) is still floating
around in the Philippines. Wonder how secure it is with IBM's smarter planet?!
Rich, Best of Luck to you post-IBM! -anonymous-
Comment 03/04/13:
-Looking-: It's pretty buried in the
Netbenefits website navigation now ..
A: Go to Health and Insurance tab then drop down to Health & Insurance Overview
then from 2013 Benefits tab you'll finally see under More Benefit Resources
the Future Health Account Details and the information.
NB: If you are a former IBMer that was not 55 years old with 15 years of service
don't be shocked to see $0 as your FHA balance. Maybe that is why the navigation
is the way it is to get to an view it. -sby_willie-
Comment 03/04/13:
"I doubt that ibm will do an RA in November knowing
how it would look."
I doubted IBM would legally steal about 1/2 of my pension back in 1999.
IBM didn't care they got called to Congress to try to explain themselves. They
did it anyway to us now so-called non-choicers. IBM has managed out or caught
in an RA employees just short of qualifying for the bridge to retirement when
these folks were solid PBC 1 and PBC 2+ performers. IBM doesn't care how any
of their actions look in the public forum. IBM does what is best for IBM, period.
The almighty $ and greed rule IBM. Cut the worry and doubt when an RA *might*
happen. Join the Alliance and do something to try to prevent an RA!
-Mr.Doubtfire-
Comment 03/03/13:
To Anonymous: Why was the huge RA called off? Did your
reliable source say? Was it simply just postponed and until when?
-Anonymous2-
Comment 03/03/13:
It looks like they will mix up the RA schedule to keep us guessing
this year. They will probably still go with the 30-day prior to quarter end
but maybe 2Q or 3Q. So, maybe end of May or end of August this year? -Anonymous-
Comment 03/03/13:
I heard from a reliable source that a huge RA was called off
for this quarter. If you knew who I really was you would know I don't use the
word "reliable" very often. -Anonymous-
Comment 03/03/13:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57572249/the-swiss-rein-in-their-bosses-pay/
Swiss voters voiced their anger at perceived corporate excesses
Sunday by approving measures to boost shareholders' say on executive pay. Some
68 percent of voters backed the "Rip-Off Initiative," with 32 against,
according to projections by Swiss public television station SRF. The outcome
of the referendum was considered a foregone conclusion after opinion polls in
recent months showed strong public support for the initiative. -Anonymous-
Comment 03/03/13:
Why union? Let management tell you in one sentence.
"Wolves don't lose sleep over the opinion of sheep" -Anon-
Comment 03/03/13:
I doubt that ibm will do an RA in nov. knowing how it would
look. Remember they are concerned with how this will look to the business world
who are waiting to adopt this policy. I would think they would do their last
RA around aug/sept and not risk the "appearance" of screwing the employee's
just before 12/15. Just look at all of the ibm press stuff it is done to "keep"
a stellar image. -benthere-
Comment 03/02/13:
Interesting. No comments yet on the GBS announcement that all
employees must work a 44 hour week... -anonymous-
Comment 03/02/13:
Is moving into Finance a new trend for IBM ? I am losing faith
in the value system to work harder to yield rewards. http://www.worldswaterfund.com/IBM_Research_and_Waterfund_Release.html
-IBM Finance.-
Comment 03/02/13:
I sit here in awe of the folks debating when the next RA will
be and why. Isn't knowing one will certainly come enough to force you to take
action? -Exodus2007-
Comment 03/02/13:
to -office-spaced- I agree with your post. IBM can pack up and
leave a new GDF center as quick as they moved in too. If the city refuses to
give them their huge tax breaks then they have no problem sending them to other
locations with open desks. Whatever helps their bottom line. In Dubuque they
signed a 5 year deal with an option for 5 more. They still have not signed the
option for 5 more is what I have been hearing. The press printed "10 year
deal" but that's not entirely true. Don't unpack as any seasoned IBMer
will tell you.... IBM= I've Been Moved. -johnny2times-
Comment 03/02/13:
"Maybe we're all wrong and there will be no big RA
this year?"
That should not give any IBMer any comfort whatsoever! RAs will continue:
small ones, big one. RAs will continue till little USA employees remain. An
RA comes like a thief. You don't know when though. If it is not an official
RA it is a "Stealth" or "Sniper" layoff/firings that affect
a single person to a few (like a department) happen regularly now. Trying to
find a date trend with RAs would be too predictable; IBM management is not predictable.
IBM can't make their Roadmap 2015 without RAs since IBM management DOES NOT
KNOW AND CANNOT GROW REVENUE. You want to stop an RA? Join the Alliance. Join
now. -Roadkill2013-
Comment 03/02/13:
Looking on Netbenefits, where did the FHA info go? Can't find
anything that points to it, nothing shows in search. Seems to have disappeared?
-Looking-
Comment 03/02/13:
Well, I gave my walking papers about 2 weeks ago. Just left
IBM after 13 years. I did give short notice, about 1 week and then took my PC
holidays to cover the last week of the month. I was talking to my manager about
RA and said I was going to walk if there wasn't a package. She said there was
nothing out there this quarter for our group. I figure, no severance, no 401k
match, no pension and barely a variable pay payout - nothing else to really
gain at this point. My mgr mailed me my last check, read this ST conversation,
and, I quote " Rich, I didn't get your last check yet...believe it or not,
there was a mix-up in the phillipines...they are processing 'exits' now...all
fixed though and I should receive it any day now"...how is that for ironic..they
even mess up my last paycheck! I did just get it on the 28th though...I will
have to say, I had a great 1st line mgr my last few years..she is probably the
only thing I will miss from that place :-) Very happy not to be there now!!
-Rich-
Comment 03/01/13:
To -Been There- when are the next RAs coming ? Easy-
Nov 14th. The 30 days notice would put your last day in at Dec 14th just in
time to be ineligible for any 401K match. -to -Been There-
Comment 03/01/13:
I am very surprised that we did not see an RA at the very end
of February or this morning (March 1) - I was sure that the company would want
to get this done (including the 30 days notice) in the first quarter. Maybe
we're all wrong and there will be no big RA this year? -fifteen
years and counting-
Comment 02/28/13:
Expected the annual layoffs - oops - resource action today.
Heard that money was too tight for layoffs this round - but with the accrued
savings from the 401K changes IBM management can afford to wait another quarter!
-Anonymous-
Comment 02/28/13:
The IBM spin FUD and propaganda machine is at it again. They
want to train and educate USA students for IT skills:
http://news.yahoo.com/ibm-ny-create-technical-education-202300081.html
BUT IBM got rid of and have gotten rid of much of their existing
IT Specialists and architects in continuing RAs. Why? Offshoring. And they don't
want to pay to retain talented IT workers they have and had. Hey IBM: how are
you gonna entice students to enter the IT world when you continually offshore
IT jobs and kill careers of talented IT folks just because you don't want to
pay them competitively for these special skills?
And NY State: you give out corporate welfare to and nice tax breaks to IBM so
have you kept IBM to their word for PILOT status by keeping the proper number
of IBM employees in NY state?
NY state and Gov. Cuomo why can't you ask and get IBM to reveal the number of
IBM employees in NY state? The NY state school system is not to blame for the
IT skill situation; IBM is to blame. You can't have it both ways IBM and NY
state! This will not make a smarter planet even in NY State USA
:) -trexibmer-
Comment 02/28/13:
What a farse! Just listened to a news report of a high level
IBM conference in San Jose. A news reporter interviewed an IBM exec about opening
a research center in Africa. He said it was opportunity and a challenge for
IBM. He did admitt it would help revenue. Just another market for cheaper labor.
Other overseas workers must be asking for higher wages..... -VA172-
Comment 02/27/13:
In regards to forcing remote employees back to an office - I
agree, for most of the remote IBM employees, it won't happen. However, is IBM
still spewing out "if your role is moved to a GDF, you must work on-site
if you live within 50 miles, or lose your job"? -Glad-I-Left-
Comment 02/27/13:
-FreeAtLast- "there is no chance that will happen
on a general basis with IBM." Don't entirely bet on it. IBM has lots of
office space underutilized. It costs IBM to have under vacant office space it
owns and can't sell or lease, rent. IBM does still pay, even paltry property
taxes it would like to not pay at all. Ever see or visit East Fishkill, Poughkeepsie,
Essex Junction VT? Even the "new" GDF in Columbia MO is not totally
at occupancy or "built out"? IBM can tell any employee to report to
an IBM office even if it is hundreds of miles from their home. I'm not talking
about a job transfer either! You are an AT WILL employee. Without a union contract
IBM can deploy, re-deploy, or un-deploy it's workforce however it desires. -office_spaced-
Comment 02/27/13:
Really???? Last week I had dealings with EAMT (Employee Asset)
folks and the person was located in China, specifically
Global Fixed Asset Management (US), Customer Fulfillment Center GDC/AM
Center, IBM Integrated Supply Chain.
Wake up Dutchess County!
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20130227/BUSINESS/130227007/Dutchess-extend-IBM-sales-tax-break
Dutchess to extend IBM sales tax break
Dutchess County took action today to extend for five years a deal that gives
IBM Corp. a partial break on sales tax it owes when it does an internal transfer
of computer equipment that it makes.
The Dutchess County Industrial Development Agency, or DCIDA, approved a preliminary
resolution that would extend an existing agreement first adopted in 1993 and
has renewed every five years since.
"It induces IBM to keep its Global Services business in Dutchess County,"
said Donald Cappillino, attorney for the agency.
"This is about job retention, and staying competitive," he said.
Wayne Spinei, an IBM executive involved in real estate, said IBM wants to
trim the costs of doing business in New York and has other sites with more
competitive utility rates and tax structures.
Two public hearings will be held on March 12 by the agency, one at 2 p.m.
at the East Fishkill Town Hall, Hopewell Junction, and the second at 3:30
p.m. at the office of the Dutchess County Economic Development Agency, 3 Neptune
Road, Town of Poughkeepsie.
The DCIDA will meet on March 13 to take up a final resolution
that would put the deal into formal effect. -Anon-
Comment 02/26/13:
-drawn_n_quartered- The only advantage to making the
Quarter Century (25 year) mark is you get to pick out a gift from yourself (e.g.
a lovely grandfather clock) from a catalog. Other than that, there is no advantage
to making 25 years. I made it (BTW) to 24 years and 9 months when I was laid
off in February of 2009 (just 3 months shy of 25 years) and all I "missed"
was being able to pick a "gift" from the Quarter Century catalog.
Not a big deal by any stretch. The "big deal" was losing my job 5
years short of the 30 years that would have made a difference, because as someone
on the old pension plan I would have gotten a "bump" in my pension
at 30 years (which some call "full retirement").
As to your "Is there any pattern of folks who are close
or in the IBM Quarter Century Club (the "long term survivors club")
getting RAed in higher numbers?" question. . . I expect there is. In my
case, I was told by my manager that she was told by her manager (a Director)
to let the two highest paid people on her team go. With that said, I was marked
to go because with nearly 25 years I was at a band / level of pay that made
me one of the "top 2" earners on the team. Although that type of "cut
the highest paid" directive isn't necessarily "age discrimination"
it certainly is "wage discrimination"--which in the end (in my view)
leads to the same thing. -RAed in '09-
Comment 02/26/13:
-- anony2013A -- If you get a 3 two years in a row
they will fire you. You will not get any severance and you will not be eligible
for transferring to another job in IBM. This is all based on percentages and
targets they have for the number of 3s. The target can change from year to year.
-fedup-
Comment 02/26/13:
What a farce.
http://www.governor.ny.gov/press/02262013-partnership-to-prepare-nys-students-for-high-skills-jobs
"Governor Cuomo and IBM Announce Public-Private Partnership to Prepare
NYS Students for High-Skills Jobs of the Future
Printer-friendly version
Albany, NY (February 26, 2013)
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and IBM today announced a public-private partnership
that will prepare thousands of New York students for high-skills jobs of the
future in technology, manufacturing, healthcare and finance. In addition,
IBM and other companies that participate in the partnership will put the program's
graduates first in line for jobs with these companies. This partnership was
announced as a part of the Governor's 2013-2014 Executive Budget."
-Anon-
Comment 02/25/13:
The latest I'm hearing from the few people left at IBM that
I'm in contact with is that India is starting to complain to their management
lines that they have very few people to 'bail them out' of jams. I guess they
relied on US teams as part of their support process and now that IBM has constantly
fired them and others (like myself) have left on their own, India has fewer
and fewer people left to bail them out of jams. My suggestion to India is shut
the hell up and start pulling your own weight. Welcome to life at the REAL IBM.
-Glad-I-Left-
Comment 02/24/13:
To: -Anonymous-(Is ibm Next?) IBM Software Group US
took the lead. They forced everyone into the office several years ago. The reason
they did this was to piss off employees into quitting. Their plan worked pretty
well. No idea why Yahoo is doing the same. -NoWAH-
Comment 02/24/13:
To -Anonymous- re Yahoo bringing remote workers back
to the office... there is no chance that will happen on a general basis with
IBM. Note that this move by Yahoo affects "several hundred" employees.
Do you have any idea how many mobility employees IBM has? It must be tens of
thousands. IBM would never bring them all back to offices because of the cost.
In many cities, there's little if any IBM office space. Having these employees
be mobile saves IBM a ton of money in real estate and other costs--especially
now that employees are no longer reimbursed for home internet or 2nd phone lines.
Perhaps in a few cities where there's excess office space, e.g. RTP, mobile
employees could be told to use the office. But in general, no. -FreeAtLast-
Comment 02/24/13:
To "Transition to Retirment". I think you
missed the main message. IBM wants you to retire. PERIOD. That is the end game.
They are not transitioning your work to another US resource. It is either offshore
or no one. -WalkingPapers-
Comment 02/24/13:
To -don't-sit-on-your-thumbs-: It's irrational to trust
IBM. -Gorya-
Comment 02/23/13:
Is IBM next?
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/02/22/yahoos-mayer-bringing-remote-workers.html
-Anonymous-
Comment 02/23/13:
I am in Strategic Outsourcing, for a major account. A colleague
and I volunteered for the "Transition to Retirement" program offered
to all older employees, apparently. We were told that we would transition our
duties, and transfer our knowledge and experience to replacements for our positions.
We were just recently told that IBM will not replace us, as they are increasing
their offshore outsourcing of work for the contract. There is no one to turnover
to, which makes no sense to us, and has discouraged more junior employees looking
for advancement or promotion. We are not sure what the end game will be yet.
We will be fully retired at end of year. -Anonymous-
Comment 02/23/13:
I agree with Neal about maxing out the 401K in the first quarter.
If you can afford to do so, do it. -Anonymous-
Comment 02/22/13:
Had a meeting today where we were told that we have have to
turn documents in to fill out Form I9 for Homeland Security. To show proof of
work permit. Anyone hired between 1986 - 2007. But, in only seems to be targeted
for a group of people. Other departments do not seem to be having those meetings.
Deadline to submit documents is before next Wednesday. So, basically 2 working
days notice. I feel, we are being categorized as, Permanent, Native US Citizen,
Naturalized Citizen, etc. Something fishy is coming during the next few weeks.
-eVerifyFormI9-
Comment 02/22/13:
Boss warned me today, to be very careful, that big AXE is coming
very soon. Also, they are enforcing the I9 Form Verify. To find out who is legally
able to work. A meeting is set on that for next week for couple of employees.
-Big Axe Coming-
Comment 02/21/13:
-We are the brains-: No offense intended; but it takes
more than brains to fight back against a global company. You can "rah-rah"
individuals all you want, but until you form a collective group of"brains"
and add some determination and courage, IBM will continue to win. They will
flush thousands of individuals into the river of uncertainty and unemployment.
If you ARE smart and you DO use your brain; then you know what I'm talking about.
I know that people come to this web site just to complain, let off steam, look
for help and advice, and criticize IBM Corporate for being a terrible employer....but
for some reason, there aren't enough people that come here with a plan or any
enthusiasm to form a union and a large group of IBMers that *COULD* make a difference
and *COULD* stand together and make the executives and the public take notice
that US IBMers have had enough, and are not going to back down from a fight
any longer. I'm all for self-esteem building; but at some point you need to
build a union if you're planning on "winning" anything. BTW... Did
YOU sign the petition? -you_need_more_than_brains-
Comment 02/21/13:
Anonymous: Let it come. We will survive, we are some of the
brightest in the country and any company would be blessed to have us. I appreciate
everything that IBM has done for me but, in the modern concept of the company,
even your manager or 2nd line cannot save you if you have been selected by the
number crunchers. Don't fret tho...we are the foundational members (the few
of us left) that companies beg and plead to find to buffer their own workforce
of modern society lazy employees who think they deserve something. If you are
the IBM employee who, we all do it so don't worry, gets a guilty pang when you
have no real work to do or spend too much time on the web instead of working....you
are the golden child of 21st century work force with inbred correct work ethic.
You will survive, don't fret their petty threats nor their RA of you...it has
absolutely nothing to do with your character, and the fact that you're still
here is proof of that. -We
are the brains-
Comment 02/21/13:
It's like waiting for the other shoe to drop. Another rumor
this week... middle managers being targeted/ redeployed. Makes sense, actually...
do we really NEED first lines reporting to second lines reporting to Directors
reporting to VPs in order to get any work done? -15_years_and_counting-
Comment 02/21/13:
Last year's RA was announced on 2/28, with 30 days notice to 3/28. Wonder
if the same thing happens in 2013. -Been There-
Comment 02/20/13:
"NO they (IBM) cannot scan any other personal computer
on your home network, that would be against the law."
IBM do anything against the law? Gee, how shocking! Horror! Of course everything
IBM does is honorable, moral and right based on the BCG and any claims to the
contrary that IBM is never wrong to break any law is strictly "without
merit". IBM does monitor this website. That is against Section 7 of USA
Labor law. But the burden of proof lies not only with the Alliance catching
IBM at it but the USA courts where IBM has most of the judges in their pockets.
-'Blued-
Comment 02/20/13:
Is there any pattern of folks who are close or in the IBM Quarter
Century Club (the "long term survivors club") getting RAed in higher
numbers? And is their any advantage in making the IBM Quarter Century Club to
begin with? -drawn_n_quartered?-
Comment 02/20/13:
@gorya-- you left out "irrational" distrust.
-don't-sit-on-your-thumbs-
Comment 02/20/13:
"NPR is running an interesting story about the unfortunate
status of the aging programmers in the IT industry. Older IT workers are opposing
the H-1B visa overhaul. Large corporations want more visa, they claim, because
of a shortage of IT talent. However, these companies are actively avoiding older,
more experienced workers, and are bringing in large volumes of foreign staff.
The younger, foreign workers are often easier to control, and they demand lower
wages; indentured servitude is replacing higher cost labor."
http://www.npr.org/2013/02/19/172373123/older-tech-workers-oppose-increasing-h-1b-visas
-Anon-
Comment 02/19/13:
So, when is this year's big RA? If it follows the usual pattern,
it should be 2/25 or some time next week. -Anonymous-
Comment 02/18/13:
How much is IBM laying out to have Carrie Underwood and Peyton
Manning appear?
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/tivoli/pulse/agenda/index.html
Maybe that's why my department can't afford equipment, education, travel.
By the way Ginny, you know those 40 hours of education for all employees you
told Sr. Exec's in that video we were all supposed to watch? Somehow the message
never made it to my Senior manager,"Education what education?" was
his response to being asked about it.
-Anon-
Comment 02/18/13:
IBM U.K. Staff Say Change to Cover Pension Deficit Unfair:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-18/ibm-u-k-staff-say-change-to-cover-pension-deficit-unfair.html
-Voting Alliance Member-
Comment 02/16/13:
To concerned: Yes, they are scanning your "work"
computer and that is not a secret, they have told us many times. Other pc's?
NO they cannot scan any other personal computer on your home network, that would
be against the law. IBM < idiots become managers. lol -joshuatree-
Comment 02/16/13:
@scardey_cat, you can block your home network via your
firewall. The default IBM configuration allows you to TRUST your home network,
which allows you to print to a network printer or back up your files to a network
drive on your home network. If you Block this home network most are 192.168.1.1
or a combination of x.x.0.1, etc, then the OS or other software cannot "see"
the network. It will require a little effort. Windows 7 is more user friendly
by allowing you to "UN-Trust" the network by declaring it a "Public"
network. You will have to play with it to fine tune it. -IT-Support-Guy-
Comment 02/16/13:
To -don't-sit-on-your-thumbs-: Paranoia is "an unfounded
or exaggerated distrust of others".
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/paranoia
If you worked for IBM for 13 years and always trusted IBM, and
if those years were after 1993, then you were a fool. But you are right about
one thing: employees who join the Alliance have something to be proud of when
they do lay you off. I was. -Gorya-
Comment 02/16/13:
Well everyone we failed again. It looks like the 401K setback
has won and other then the 1016 signatures we won't even get close to the 14000
goal. Kind of like spittin in the ocean. A petition means nothing if you submit
it more then a year after the change. Looking at the response I doubt we'd hit
a few thousand in a year. Tighten your belt you've been screwed again
-benthere-
Comment 02/15/13:
Enough is Enough!
http://www.ibtimes.com/30-major-us-corporations-paid-more-lobby-congress-income-taxes-2008-2010-380982
-fightcorporategreed-
Comment 02/15/13:
Amazing how paranoid people are of the company they work for.
Of the 13 years I worked for this company, I never had this paranoia. If you
did something for yourself and organize, and Join the Alliance you would have
something to be proud of when they do lay you off. -don't-sit-on-your-thumbs-
Comment 02/15/13:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9236732/The_data_shows_Top_H_1B_users_are_offshore_outsourcers
The largest single users of H-1B visas are offshore outsourcers,
many of which are based in India, or, if U.S. based, have most employees located
overseas, according to government data obtained and analyzed by Computerworld.
IBM is also a major visa user but its numbers also include the company's India-based
operation. -Anon-
Comment 02/14/13:
Has everyone noticed how every rumor going around always has
the employees getting screwed one way or the other. Never a rumor that pensions
will be restored. Never that people will be re-hired at the same salary they
were RA'd at or better. Folks. Its obvious that you ALL recognize that you are
being screwed daily yet you do nothing collectively to help your situation.
Do you all line up for your morning paddlings from the boss and say thank you
sir may I gave another?? Are there no people of action left in IBM? No people
willing to take charge of their own lives? It is depressing to watch.
-Exodus2007-
Comment 02/13/13:
If you do not think IBM is not scanning your work, you are crazy.
They have even said it publicly. If you login from home or anywhere else, they
can scan and track your MAC Addresses and IP Addresses. They are already doing
it. They have stated it publicly, but they have not stated how intrusive this
really is.
http://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2013/01/29/ibm-security-tool-can-flag-disgruntled-employees/?mod=e2tw
-Concerned-
Comment 02/12/13:
Is there any way that the new monitoring tool that runs on IBM
laptops can probe the home network that it is connected to and any other computers
on that home network? That seems very invasive but I was just curious.
-scardey_cat-
Comment 02/11/13:
IBM has been monitoring the union. Years ago I set up a printer for
HP in a "war Room" in White Plains NY. They were checking union sites.
I had someone watch over me and was told if I said anything I would be fired.
-sam the man-
Alliance Reply: It is common knowledge that IBM management and HR "monitor"
Alliance@IBM's web site as well as ANY employee advocate or IBM employees discussion
groups. Of course, it is ILLEGAL for them to spy on us. That's why you were
told you would be fired if you said anything. If we could prove by documentation
that IBM is breaking the law , we would take action publicly. BUT We already
have taken action publicly, by being a consistent IBM employee advocate; through
this web site and through many direct action demonstrations and press releases
for nearly 14 years. Obviously, IBM fears us more than we fear them. IBM employees
need to understand that the power we have as a collective group, is far greater
than IBM's brute abuse and bullying of IBM employees. All that is needed, is
for us to join together as a force to be reckoned with; and then we move forward
and we assert our voice in the IBM workplace. Join Alliance@IBM and let's get
busy fighting for our jobs...because if we don't, we may as well get busy losing
our jobs. It's that simple.
Comment 02/11/13:
"Abandoning the semi-monthly match will save the company
big bucks and, while Big Blue didn't feel the need to be honest with workers
about its motives in gutting the 401(k), company savings no doubt was the reason.
The fact that many workers will never receive the annual 401(k) match and will
be exposed to greater investment risks by the action apparently is causing no
loss of sleep among company executives."
Very good article in Forbes.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/edwardsiedle/2013/02/11/ibm-401k-participants-need-their-own-shadow-fiduciary-to-guard-retirement-benefits/?partner=yahootix
-VA172-
Comment 02/11/13:
There's a rumor going round that one of the possible things
to do to those that are now hourly FTE's is to limit them to 29 hrs / week just
so IBM can eliminate offering health insurance in 2014. Anyone else hearing
this? -no more 40 hrs-
Comment 02/11/13:
Concerned , sorry but you got nothing unless the manager was
dumb enough to acknowledge and sign it. He most likely submitted it with a comment
not supporting your note. He will deny he said to break the rules. As for 1's
and 2+'s there are always a few of them at the project level. Some are saved
for the managers. -benthere-
Comment 02/10/13:
scan social media sites? BCG does not allow IBMers to even visit
social media sites with their laptops. What you do on your own time with your
own computer is your business. If you post your real name ect., then you really
need some help. -.teebl@ck-
Comment 02/10/13:
"People are going to start getting cautious about posting."
BRING IT ON evil IBM! I am not scared of you. Never was and never will be. I
am an Alliance member since 1999! IBM just dismisses the Alliance like a mosquito.
So, if they want to use social media tactics to monitor the Alliance activity,
then they really consider the mosquito, is a potential elephant: a smart one
that never forgets at that! -sby_willie-
Comment 02/10/13:
I want to know what will be the life in IBM after PBC 3. Is
there a chance to survive in IBM?. Do people with PBC 3 get severance if they
were RAed?. Do anyone know of when RA is coming up? -anony2013A-
Alliance Reply: Read through previous posts in this comment section and in the
archives (on the right). Several employees have come here and asked the same
questions you are asking. The overall best way to survive and continue as an
active IBM employee, is to join the union and advocate publicly to bargain collectively
for an employee contract.
Comment 02/10/13:
to -Concerned- Dude, you are so paranoid. Supercomputer
to track social media sites? Now I can the government doing this, but I don't
really see IBM wasting money doing it. Either way, you see what has been posted
so don't worry about it. -jackleg-
Comment 02/10/13:
@concerned. You can report the issues to the SEC at
http://www.sec.gov/whistleblower
You can contact the New York Attorney General at:
http://www.ag.ny.gov/feature/whistleblowers-new-york-false-claims-act
-anon-
Comment 02/10/13:
People are going to start getting cautious about posting. IBM
has announced they are using one of their supercomputers to scan social media,
sites like this, and any other site to collect data on employee activity. They
are going to begin using this information against employees.
In my area, most everyone has been rated a 2. There are literally no 1's or
2+'s. They search for the most useless, single piece of info to "explain"
a lower rating. I was told I was being rated a 2 because managers complained
that I would not break US accounting practices and processes established by
CHQ. I demanded that to be entered in my rating. The manager would not. So,
I wrote down what I was told, asked my manager to verify and confirm what I
wrote down, and entered that in the response section of the PBC. I immediately
sent a note to CHQ detailing what has been taking place and why I am being scapegoated
for it. I expect to be RA'd soon. However, now that it
is documented, I have the necessary documentation for a lawsuit. -Concerned-
Alliance Reply: IF Alliance members and/or visitors to this comment section
request anonymity, our policy is to grant it. No personal or private information
is EVER divulged on this site, without expressed consent from the members and
visitors. IBM cannot discern whether any commenter on this site is, or is not
an IBM employee. Here is our privacy-policy
The Petition to reverse the 401(k) decision by IBM, has been signed by over
1000 people. Their names are available to view, because the signers provided
a name, themselves. There is no way for IBM to prove that the names on the petition
are of current IBM employees. Is there an exposure there? Possibly. But without
speaking up about what and how IBM is abusing their employees and systematically
removing matching funds that IBM committed to provide in 1983, when the 401(k)
plan was initiated; IBM employees will continue to be RA'ed and abused as a
normal practice by IBM Managment.
Fighting back requires an investment and a commitment from all employees in
IBM US, that want to speak up and do something to bring IBM Management to the
table and win a collectively bargained contract for the employees. Consider
joining Alliance@IBM.
Comment 02/09/13:
Here is another person who disagrees respectfully with Neal.
If you are RAed and not retirement eligible you might need the money you want
to contribute to the 401(k) even without the match along with the severance.
Do you have a viable savings account to dip into or do you have it all tied
up? IBM treats the severance as a lump sum payout and it taxed like 40% or so
as tax reserve. Getting a new job quickly is not a guarantee. -anonymous2013-
Comment 02/09/13:
Any change IBM makes affecting the employee will hurt the employee
unless the employee tries to stop IBM from following through on it. IBM will
always try to further and protect it's interests; why not protect your employee
interests by joining this union and getting an enforceable labor contract through
collectively bargaining? -WhyNot?-
Comment 02/09/13:
Instead of mulling over taking the 30 day march out the IBM
door and or the reduced severance why not join the Alliance now? Settle your
conscience a bit knowing you are trying to help fight for your retirement benefits
YOU EARNED that exist after you leave IBM? Like getting a contract that states
IBM must match your 401(k) for all of 2013 that you are employed for?
-IBMUnionYES-
Comment 02/09/13:
To those of you wondering to go on the 30 improvement plan or
take the severance plan, take the money and run. The 30 day Improvement plan
is part of the process to fire someone for lack of performance. If you fail
to meet the goals, you are fired. -Gettin-Hosed-
Comment 02/09/13:
With regard to the 401k contribution question:
The last several years I had been maxing out my 401k early in the year (taking
hardly a paycheck) because I had been in different groups where there were layoffs
(resource actions) at about the end of Q1. So basically I packed my financial
bags "just in case" Sure enough, last year I was the mole in wac-a-mole
and was hit at the end of Q1. Because of severance and unemployment I was so
very glad that at least I had preserved the 401k tax advantaged space. I would
do it again in a heartbeat. I advocate hope for the best but plan for the worst.
As to whether or not to take the package, I say once more, find
a lawyer that specializes in your home state's employment law and have them
review the situation. If you already have the package then just get it to your
lawyer. If you don't have the package yet then remember that word of mouth means
NOTHING and you may not count on either your management nor HR to tell you the
truth and back it up. So if they are just saying on a phone conversation that
you have a choice, ASK FOR IT IN WRITING. -beentherebefore-
Comment 02/09/13:
re: -Exodus2007- I have spoken with several IBMers
from other locations that have been RA'd and some who are still employed. They
have said the RA's are random and nobody has a clue who is going to be cut.
They seen top performers and bottom feeders get the boot. You are right though,
today they wont say anything because they are putting on the BS face at work,
but once let go they will start posting their rants. -lacrosssux-
Comment 02/08/13:
Lots of complaining but no action. Do you not realize the power
we have to stop the madness? IBM will certainly wake up if we all stopped work
for just one day. And that means ALL of us. -shut it down-
Comment 02/08/13:
With RA and severance, it depends on your state laws if you
get unemployment. I have know some who stayed and won against PBC RA OR severance
package. They continue to be employees even today. Read the archive postings
here to learn more. Unemployment for most states is capped at $16K or less a
year. -anonymous-
Comment 02/08/13:
Ref: Comment 02/07/13:
"Neal, have to disagree respectfully" I still think
it's a good idea and I know you won't get the match BUT your taxable income
is decreased, more $s in your account, so why not? This can be very important
later in the year: 6 to 9 months of working salary and all of a sudden a severance
amount. Maxing out your 401K early makes sense especially now with no monthly
match and the prospect of RA's looming. -Neal Watkins-
Comment 02/08/13:
To clarify IBM Union Yes' post: If you take the severance YOU
DO GET YOUR EARNED VACATION PAY you didn't take in your severance check.
-anonymous-
Comment 02/07/13:
Question: which is a better option: take a severance (not much
really), or do the 30 day Performance Improvement Plan (which was told u'd lose
the severance pay if they let u go after 30 days)? Do u qualify for unemployment
benefit if u take the severance pay option? Are your vacation hours still paid
out in addition to severance pay -- may be none as it is the beginning of the
year? -In same boat as -Cog_in_the_corp_machine--
Comment 02/06/13:
My Predictions for 2013.
1. IBM will RA people who will be shocked that they were selected. They
will come to the Alliance website to rail against IBM and try to get others
to join them in suing IBM. They never joined the Union because they felt it
was beneath them, because after all they were so much better and more important
than the people they worked with. IBM would never get rid of them. And they
had a really close relationship with their boss. They will then ask a lot of
questions about severance pay and benefits from the Union people they did nothing
to support before they were wronged by IBM.
2. Almost everyone left will be sympathetic while secretly being oh so glad
it was not them. Those left will, for the most part, not join in the effort
to organize because they really do have a great relationship with their boss
and really are far too important to be let go.
3. This madness will continue until everyone from prediction 2 becomes someone
in prediction 1 or until the prediction 2 people wake up and join the union.
-Exodus2007-
Comment 02/04/13:
So, do you guys think I should take the severance before the
30 days are up, (and maybe not get unemployment benefits, hit a brick wall whenever
I try to find out about this) or should I go through the Performance Improvement
Plan, and let them fire me (hopefully getting UI benefits)unless I somehow make
it through the PIP?, anybody seen or been through this? -Cog_in_the_corp_machine-
Comment 02/04/13:
If you think you're going to be RA'd, up your 401K as much as
you can. It's too late once you get notified. You can always cut it back later.
Also: To those about to be RA'd, see my comments in Jobcut Archive2
dated 5/12/08.
It may be a little dated but it can get you started. -Neal Watkins-
Comment 02/04/13:
-Bonus question- I believe you have to be employed
March 31st to collect the prior years bonus. I voluntarily retired the end of
June 2010. I received my 2010 bonus a week or two later. After talking with
someone else who retired at the same time we came to the conclusion that the
amount was calculated as a '1' performer. Don't know if this is still works
this way. -anonymous retiree-
Comment 02/02/13:
to -closedclient6-: The new RHEL laptops suck bad.
On top of that the help desk nor Lenova will even support them. Lenova support
asked me this on the phone: "why did you install Linux on your Lenovo?
You have now voided the warranty" lol, I had to laugh. Then I replied "because
I am a moron and work for the GDF and don't know any better" The new laptops
are the equivalent of the FLM's at IBM,...useless. -billysilly-
Comment 02/02/13:
To everyone with a lowered PBC, just perform at that level....If
they wanted a #1, they should have hired one.... -anonymous-
Comment 02/02/13:
IBM's new disgruntled employee software was tested in IBM. Everyone
not covered by SERP showed up. IBM knew it was accurate. -Exodus2007-
Comment 02/02/13:
To -Cog_in_the_corp_machine-: That is the plan to get
rid of you. Saw that when I was @ Rational before IBM took it over.
-concerned-
Comment 02/01/13:
Well people it's 2 months down and only 995 signatures. Isn't
very impressive but I guess it won't be a big impact to your 401K. The January
membership drive is a month old so did the non members of the 995 sign up. I
didn't think so. You lost , they won -benthere-
Alliance reply: Only 3 new associate members joined. In January our web site
got 80,000 visits.
Comment 02/01/13:
retired after 35 years, your a very lucky man, most prior and
after you will never attain 35 years. your last 5 years was your bonus.
-long gone-
Comment 02/01/13:
I guess the big boys and gals that sell out the USA in favor
of doing business in foreign countries are exempt from their very own BCGs:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323777204578192040347143214.html
-DirtyRottenScoundrels-
Comment 02/01/13:
To further clarify: The reason why you do not get a pro-rated
GDF when RAed is that IBM considers your severance payment into it. That's what
they say anyway.. If you RETIRE during the year, YES, you used to and probably
still do (at least I hope so) get a pro-rate GDP provided you ARE NOT a PBC
3 since retirement is still a "voluntary" life event you initiate
and not IBM. -Think2X-
Comment 02/01/13:
Answering -Bonus question-:
Yes. It all happened in March 2010, one of the best months of
my life. I was notified of my RA on March 1. I qualified for immediate retirement.
Due to my "2" PCB I did get a bonus for the year of 2009 (I don't
know whether that bonus was mandatory or was at the discretion of my first-
and second-line managers: I never had any quarrel with them; I've always hated
only the top IBM executives). I was delighted to get checks for my bonus, retirement,
severance and unused vacation; and happier still to leave @#$%^&* IBM. My
last day was March 31. -Gorya-
Comment 02/01/13:
To: -Bonus Question - I was let go
in May and did not get anything after I signed and took my severance. Once you
accept their package you're out the door and done! If the rest of you out there
really want to stay in a company that abuses it's employees and will continue
to do so, at least organize yourselves and vote in a Union. It's the only way.
Life is too short to be treated the way IBM treats you. -Gone_in_07-
Comment 02/01/13:
-Bonus Question-: Yes, if you are eligible to retire
when leaving IBM (anytime during the year). You will be eligible for GDP (bonus
money). It's automatically calculated and pro-rated. Your former manager has
no input to the dollar amount. The manager will receive
a notice to approve in the Comp Planner. You'll receive a check at your last
address on file. If you move post-IBM, update your address through the ESC @
1-800-796-9876 -anon-
Comment 02/01/13:
@Think2X-- yes, you are correct, IBM is going to slice and dice
and lay off a huge number of employees. I decided to leave early to avoid this
slaughter. However, 50,000 is too small a number to put a dent in the overall
unemployed total. Sorry, but do the math yourself. -Reality-check-
Comment 01/31/13:
To -armynova -- BINGO -- but you will see more if not all companies
going to obamacare. Phased approach .. they will give you X amount of money
to purchase and as yrs going by that X amount will evaporate until we pay the
entire amount . -Another Screw to IBM'rs-
Comment 01/31/13:
-Bonus question- I retired with 30yrs in Oct 2007 and
I did get a flat amount in Mar 2008. I say flat amount because a friend who
retired May 2007 got the same amount. I think it was 1500.00. Thought it was
strange we got the same amount with different pay rates and different service
time for the year. Didn't bother asking anyone why it was the same. Was pleasantly
surprised to get it at all. -Exodus2007-
Comment 01/31/13:
Hi all, was put on a 30 day timeline to decide if I want to
take a severance (not much really), or do the 30 day Performance Improvement
Plan. I guess if I take the severance it is considered a "mutual separation",
so I'm not sure if I would qualify for unemployment benefits. Has anyone else
been through this? Never worked so hard, and been treated so badly for it, its
like all of the productive things I do don't even matter, just the couple mistakes
I made due to work overload, and little to no support from management , thanks
IBM -Cog_in_the_corp_machine-
Comment 01/31/13:
-Bonus question- No. You have to be
employed through 12/31 of the calendar year to get your GDF. You think IBM would
prorate it based on your last PBC rating. Ha Ha. They don't. Why would IBM want
to give you any more than they think you truly deserve? Think Twice. -Think2X-
Comment 01/31/13:
To 'Bonus Question' Are you kidding?? -Skeetum-
Comment 01/31/13:
Question for anyone who has retired from, quit or Ra'd by IBM.
Did you receive a year end bonus during the calendar year following your year
of termination. For example, if you retired in 2011, did you receive a bonus
in March 2012, even though you weren't employed by IBM in March?
-Bonus question-
Comment 01/31/13:
One other way IBM screws over its loyal employees is in what
is called the "special savings award" This was/is a cash payment of
5% of your salary into your 401k plan at the end of the year. BUT even under
the prior 401k plan, if you retired during the year you do NOT get ANY of this
so called "award" even if you retired because of choice or age (not
fired or resourced) during the year. You had to be a employee on December 31
to get the money in your 401k. Thanks IBM for the kick in the groin after 35
years of loyal service. -retired after 35 years-
Comment 01/31/13:
At -I manage myself- .. Clearly you haven't seen project
liquid where we will all be forced to "bid" internally for roles managed
by remote project managers. Now if you are on the bench registration
and bidding on roles is mandatory. The plan is to bring in outside third parties
to start bidding as well. So a) now we all undercut one another- worldwide and
b) once opened up every one of us customer facing or not will be open to dismissal
and forced onto this model. -Anon-
Comment 01/30/13:
Get ready SSR's (TSS) you are next. Plan is to replace high
salaried workers with TWO low skilled and paid workers in order to make TSS
look attractive to potential bidders. Remember this is what happened with Pennant
and the Toshiba sell off. It's coming folks and to put the icing on the cake
IBM is going to threaten older employees with pension losses in order to encourage
them to leave. That's what the rumor mill has brewing. Watch out for huge hirings
in the 1st and 2nd quarters. Union or bust. -Fog-
Comment 01/30/13:
As long as Mr. Mills stock options are lucrative and it makes
him more filthy rich he couldn't care less about the prospects of long term
IBM. Same could be said of the old IBM guard including Ms. Virginia.
-anonymous-
Comment 01/30/13:
The Federal Reserve is not going to increase interest rates
as long as unemployment remains above 6.5%. They see the rate going down to
this level by 2015 or so. Hmm, have they solicited IBM and ask them how to hide
the 50,000 USA employees that will be joining the unemployment lines by then
under Roadkill 2015? -Think2X-
Comment 01/29/13:
Has anyone watched Steve Mills video on w3 about SWG results
for 2012 and tbe challenges ahead? First cballenge... resources, too many peoples
leaving IBM (evidently the good ones). Not enough people to do the work. Guess
what Steve if you would start valuing people and their skills and pay for it
may be the talents would not leave. Time to open your eyes and IBM to stop being
so cheap. -anonymous-
Comment 01/29/13:
-your_next-: Middle Management/1st line RARELY get
RA'd. Why? Because they are like sheep and follow orders like clockwork. Yes,
there are a few good ones left - but they still follow orders to the "T".
I have NEVER seen anyone in management not do what they were suppose to....
-Rage against the Machine-
Comment 01/29/13:
Has anyone experienced a huge step down in productivity using
these garbage Linux ThinkPads? They have their hooks into them watching everything
you do. Careful not to violate BCG, easy out for IBM to fire more workers with
cause (no severance). Huge level of frustration using them. Not meant for employee
day-to-day use, more suited for enterprise level use. What a STUPID company
IBM has become. -ClosedClient6-
Comment 01/29/13:
Just wondering about the status of the office in Tulsa. Is that
dwindling too? I'm still an employee but have been called up for the US Army
Reserves for the past 2 1/2 years. Most of the people I worked with are gone
so I don't really have much contact there. Just a manager that I've never met
& I certainly won't check with him. -Gone_in_Tulsa-
Comment 01/29/13:
Maesey1 - talk to a lawyer who specialized in HR casess. In
the past, IBM has shown itself to be slightly more open to being persuaded by
lawyers than by the rest of us. Sounds to me like you should have been bridged.
-FourteenYearsand Counting-
Comment 01/29/13:
Looking ahead, would 2014 see IBM transition its health care
benefit to Obamacare and push employees to the exchanges? Seems like a no brainer
to get to 2015... -Armynova-
Comment 01/28/13:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flexible_spending_account
One consideration regarding medical FSAs is that the participating
employee's entire annual contribution is available at the start of the plan
year, commonly January 1, or after the first contribution to the FSA is received
by the FSA vendor, depending on the plan. Therefore, if the employee experiences
a qualifying event during the first period, the entire amount of the annual
contribution can be claimed against the FSA benefits. If the employee is terminated,
quits, or is unable to return to work, he or she does not have to repay the
money to the employer. If a company plans to lay off some employees, and announces
such plans, then if multiple employees use their entire flexible benefit before
they are terminated, that may cause the company to have to reimburse the plan.
Typically, however, employers do not announce layoffs for specific employees
with enough notice for employees to use the available benefits, and employees
may actually lose their contributions in addition to being laid off.
-Anonymous-
Comment 01/28/13:
I agree with "your next"...why would IBM keep the
middle management? Who will be left to manage. Cut a few of these long time
do-nothing sit on conference calls all day types. The people that "do"
some type of work for customers aren't the ones who should be targeted by the
constant threats. I could perform my duties without a first line manager. They
are basically like HR- I_manage_Myself-
Comment 01/28/13:
16 year employee. Always rated 2+. I was read glowing PBC review
and rated a 2 this year. I'm not fighting them this time. Making pay 3 bands
below mine because I took several promotions with the raises 'to come later.'
I'm leaving. Resume is already out there. I tell my wife"its the corporate
equivalent of someone smacking you with your own hands and telling you to stop
hitting yourself." Best of luck to the rest of you. -Anon-
Comment 01/28/13:
In response to Maesey1, we at the Alliance are very sorry to
hear about how you were cheated out of your Future Health Account (FHA) Retiree
Medical Benefits by IBM Management. If it's any consolation, many of us have
been treated the same way. I, personally, was cheated out of half of my rightfully
earned pension by IBM Management. This is why it is more important than ever
to join the Alliance so that a Labor Contract can be negotiated through Collective
Bargaining with IBM Management, and our Benefits and Working Conditions can
be clearly spelled out in the Contract. As with the famous political cartoon
published by Benjamin Franklin in his Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754,"Join,
or Die" also applies to Membership in the Alliance, if you wish to have
a voice in how you are treated by IBM Management. -Voting Alliance
Member-
Comment 01/27/13:
So when does the next RA hit middle management in IBM? IBM is
bloated with middle management. These folks never have improved their skills.
They toe the so stale IBM party line. So they should be prime candidates to
be RAed. IBM should get rid of them. Save big $$ by cutting their 6 figure salaries.
That should improve them EPS and help the Roadmap to 2015. -your_next-
Comment 01/27/13:
To Massey1: at 55 and with 14 years, you should have been eligible
to bridge until the time you would have had 15 years. Eligibility to bridge
is if you are within 1 year of retirement eligibility. 55 and 15 is retirement
eligible which means you would have gotten your FHA. -1 foot out
the door-
Comment 01/27/13:
Given the crunching of PBC ratings, I am sure it will lead to
a lot of unhappy IBMers which in turn means a lack of motivation and productivity
leading to unhappy clients. Now they speak of new ways to engage IBMers to create
great client experiences. So why create unhappy employees in the first place??
Its funny! -Illogical-
Comment 01/26/13:
For those invested in this company with their own loyalty, however,
have to stay for some reason and survive,or even worse, have a crappy manager
to work for...I wonder if you read the book "The Help" ...about a
white female journalist who decides to interview black maids in the 50's, asking
them if they want "change"? The maids needed
a job, so they WILLINGLY went to work for "uppity rich white folk",
and were expected to do all the shopping, cook all the meals, wash/dry/IRON
the laundry, clean the house, dress the children & be their nanny, &
take orders, yet they had no voice in the household. They're essentially the
lowest life form present, yet they clearly run the place. Their white (captors...
err...) employers expect loyalty and feign the same, yet look down on them as
if they're second-class, dirty, substandard, undeserving, lowly, etc. etc. (You're
not qualified, you cannot speak above your rank or address those in authority,
and you HAVE no authority....)
Unionizing is one way to have a voice as maids. Are we to the
point like "the maids" yet? -LoyalEmployee-
Comment 01/26/13:
When is everyone who is resigned to being caught in the next
or future RAs going to try to do something REAL to stop it? When is everyone
who is not happy with a PBC 2 or 3 now going to do something REAL about it,
like join the Alliance as at least an associate member? It is the only way to
do anything with IBM and it's practices. -IBMUnionYES-
Comment 01/26/13:
I notice several people complaining about their PBC scores.
You deserve them, you followed the GDF model and this is exactly what you get.
Maybe you should wake up and stop following the GDF, maybe then you will get
some respect and a better score. Or maybe you will wake up -johnny2times-
Comment 01/26/13:
Quote from January 25th Journal News (Westchester, NY Local
Paper)regarding Social Security - 'Raising the retirement age to 70, and cutting
cost-of-living increases for current Social Security recipients are priorites
of the Business Roundtable, an association of 203 CEOs whose roster includes
IBM's Virginia Rometty. There plan did not include taxing higher earners beyond
the $113,700 cap'. So while our esteemed CEO is laying off people and cutting
benefits she wants us all to work till 70, contribute more, and get less while
this plan will not effect her at all. Good grief. There is absolutely no compassion
or even tranparency of compassion left. -No Compassion at IBM-
Comment 01/26/13:
To -Anon- re your PBC 3: If I were you I'd be working on an
exit strategy if you are not already doing that. IMO a 3 after a string of 2+
reviews is a telltale sign you are targeted for termination--and maybe not an
RA with separation benefits. One of my co-workers in Software S&D was just
terminated without warning. He had received a 3 rating in 2011 but no warnings
about his performance in 2012. He was called in by his manager in early January
for his PBC review and was given the choice of resigning with minimal severance
or being fired with no severance. He's 62 but does not have enough service time
to retire from IBM. A good rep, client focused, who had a lousy territory the
past 2 years. -JustLeftUnderMyOwnPower-
Comment 01/26/13:
-Maesey1- why not seek out a lawyer? -Olympus-
Comment 01/26/13:
-Anon- Regarding contesting your 3 rating, twice in the past
I was rated a 3 despite my excellent performance / customer feedback, I challenged
it both times and had it reverse, my recommendation would be if you choose to
challenge it, prepare for allot of sleepless / stressful nights until itâ??s
all over, ensure you can provide proper documentation / customer / peer feedbacks
on your performance that shows you did not deserve a 3 rating for 2012, also
did your manager had a mid year PBC meeting with you explaining you need to
improve your performance, if not, then he / she is in the hot seat for not doing
their job. You may also consider leaving the department after itâ??s over,
your manager can make you life a living hell if they choose too, again, you
can always report him / her to HR if he or she crosses the line. Good Luck.
-PBC_feedback-
Comment 01/25/13:
More on the looming "transformation":
http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2013/01/23/ibm-layoffs-earnings-cloud-computing/
-PayingMember-
Comment 01/24/13:
I was RA'd in March '12 with 15 years including my time with
a subsidiary. Pension said I had 15 years in March, but Health Care said I would
not have 15 years until August, and they conveniently got out of providing $40,000
in FHA money. I joined the subsidiary in March of 1997 and joined IBM in August
of '97. I appealed and showed a fellow employee who got a bridge and therefore
is able to receive the FHA money. She is younger than me. I was not entitled
to a bridge because I am over 55 with 14 years of service, depending on which
department you talk to. So I am discriminated against because of my age. I have
been through 6 levels of appeals all the way to Randy who passed it off to Barbara
Brickmeyer (sp?). She said she couldn't overturn the decision of the Plan Administrator
even though there is a different administrator now. There are no leaders in
IBM anymore, no decision makers unless they want to layoff. Whomever monitors
this site from Health Care will write that the FHA money is "notional"
which isn't even a word, so please don't bother. Your excuses are lame and insulting.
It was bad enough to lose a job I loved, then to be cheated out of money that
was given to a younger person was just too much. There will be another RA and
you need to be aware of the all pitfalls IBM will put in your way. Join the
union. -Maesey1-
Comment 01/24/13:
To Curious Short Timer - when ot comes to severance packages
there is no "negotiation". You get what they give as long as you sign
on the dotted line within the number of days they give you to accept it.
-ExIBMer-
Comment 01/24/13:
I think the whole pbc system is a farce, designed to just control
costs and payouts, increase profits for shareholders. Question is how long can
a demotivated workforce deliver? -Anon-
Comment 01/24/13:
I am a 3 yr ibmer with straight 2+ buff this year my manager
rated me a 3...I am not convinced but am wondering whether to go for review.
Does it help really? What is life in IBM after a 3? Urgently need feedback.
-Anon-
Comment 01/24/13:
My PBC meeting: Got an amazingly glowing review. Told how great
I am, how I'm so valuable to the team, that I am a role model for all team members.
And then a rating of 2. My manager actually apologized for the rating saying
something about how he (and his peer managers) can only give out a certain #
of 1s and 2+s across the entire organization. So we have managers evaluating
us whom we don't even report to. lovely. Good luck to all! -Lemmiwinks-
Comment 01/23/13:
I got my review today. It seems like 2 is the best rating given
out within my group. The PBC rating system is a joke. I didn't even protest
because it is a waste of time and effort. It means nothing to me at this point.
I know that the cards are stacked against the US worker. A very sad state this
company is in. I bet those numbers reported yesterday are misleading. Note the
disclaimer at the beginning of the call. The numbers were reported non-GAAP
(Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). -CookThoseBooks-
Comment 01/23/13:
to -Curious_Short_Timer- Packages are not negotiated. They are
determined by HR. You take what they give or take nothing. -RA Packages-
Comment 01/23/13:
to -Anonymous- with 21 years. I also went 16 years 1 and 2+
then last year a 2. bottomline is IBM wants to rid (and has to rid for 2015)
1/3 to 1/2 of US workforce. -US workers-
Comment 01/23/13:
My manager just confirmed that there will be a RA this year.
My whole department will be gone. He would not confirm the exact month. If you
are a NON DIRECT (i.e. not a practitioner) in GBS be prepared for a RA sometime
in 2013. As soon as I receive my package, I'll forward to the Alliance.
-Good Bye Yellow Brick Road-
Comment 01/23/13:
Try looking at the current situation in Holland where laws created
to protect workers are now being used by IBM to move employee's to new outsourcing
providers. Whats in it for them ? Simple most of the 60 strong group expecting
to be passed to the new contract provider are long service IBMers so IBM pass
the buck onto the new company and save hundreds of thousands of euro's. A kick
in the butt for IBM though as the new company know whats coming and refused
to take them know what the consequences will be -SoftSkillsRequired-
Comment 01/23/13:
Surprise, surprise. The same day good profits are announced
comes news of "resource rebalancing"
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130123/BIZ/301230326
-It Keeps Coming-
Comment 01/23/13:
I am a Band 9. Just had my 1-1 with my manager who first read
me a glowing review that stopped just short of "walks on water without
splashing" - and then delivered a PBC rating of 2.0. I know that 1's are
rare as hens' teeth - but if THAT performance did not warrant a 2.5, then I
really question what distribution of 1.0_2.5_2.0_3.0 we are going to see this
year. The whole scale has apparently taken a pretty major whack, across the
board... he told me that after all of the decisionmaking was completed, the
# of 1 and 2.5 ratings was set at the Senior VP level and sent back to the organizations
for necessary adjustments. -TheyHurtMyFeelings-
Comment 01/23/13:
How are the severance packages being handled in conjunction
with the RA's these days. Is that something that is negotiated between manager/employees
privately? -Curious_Short_Timer-
Comment 01/23/13:
I was RA'd in 2001. Only two were laid off from our department;
myself who was over 50 at the time, and a very young guy with not many skills
or smarts. They provided a nice statistical presentation to show they were no
"age discriminating" -- the young guy balanced the old guy. In theory.
I later deduced how IBM manages to layoff the older folks who may have higher
medical bills, salaries, etc. Very simple, and very sneaky. And 100% legal.
What they do is hire a lot of "college grads" "first job"
young folks -- that's right MORE THAN THEY NEED" -- having planned it all
to layoff many of the young ones in order to legally balance the layoff of older
ones. Do you all fully grasp the nefarious planning going on here? The take-away
here -- aside from IBM having NO loyalty whatsoever, is that when you see a
lot of ads for "recent college grad" on their hiring board, you can
be 100% sure that they are planning a RIF in short order, probably about 6 months.
Not too hard to see the self-serving evil logic here. -OlderAndWiser-
Comment 01/22/13:
A preview of your future with IBM if you don't join the Alliance
and organize ....
"Chinese workers revolt over 2-minute toilet breaks":
http://news.yahoo.com/chinese-workers-revolt-over-2-minute-toilet-breaks-081615186--finance.html
-Voting Alliance Member-
Comment 01/22/13:
Should be interesting to hear. The screwing of the American
worker will be spun around corporate buzz words. He talks very fast...by the
time you try to translate what he just said into English, he is on to something
else.
Date/time: 22 January 2013, 4:30 PM ET Location: Armonk, NY
Tune in soon to hear Mark Loughridge, Senior Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer, Finance and Enterprise Transformation, discuss IBM's fourth
quarter earnings. -TheDevilSpeaksToday-
Comment 01/22/13:
I got my review today. I was told I was one of the lowest performers.
Then continued to review me on items I did poorly on in 2011 (when I got a 2).
I had to stop her to ask what year and months this review was for. She confirmed
it was only for the calendar year 2012 (Yes I was aware of this). I then asked
why I was being reviewed for things in 2011. Her response, "oh it's just
so hard to keep everything straight". She's rewriting them now. My bet
I still get a 3. In years past all the work I did would have gotten me a 1.
I was constantly a 1 and 2+ performer my entire 10 years at IBM.
-John-
Comment 01/21/13:
Thank you for the information. Is there a way to join alliance
paying annual membership fee, vs monthly and automatic. I do not allow anybody
to charge my credit "automatically" on monthly basis..perhaps there
are others out there similar. thanks -UniteTheOnlyWay-
Alliance reply: Yes you can join by check or money order. See the form on the
main page. Thanks!
Comment 01/21/13:
21 years of 2+ or 1 and now suddenly 2 for two consecutive years.
How many others received a 2 after years of always getting a 2+ or 1? I had
never previously received a 2 in all those prior years. -Anonymous-
Comment 01/20/13:
Just Left - I was with IBM for 16 years. In that time I received
top PBC ratings on the old and current system (1's for 6 years in a row). Suddenly
I went from a 1 to a 3 in a single year. Needless to say the handwritting was
on the wall. I went to HR to get the PBC reviewed but once I was RA'd they told
me that they would no longer continue reviewing it. I protested on the basis
of no prior warning through the year and no valid documented reason for such
a rating drop. This isn't the IBM many of us knew. -ExIBMer-
Comment 01/19/13:
Rule No. 262 : A wealthy man doesn't need a conscience. How
do you think they got wealthy? 976 , come on people! -benthere-
Comment 01/19/13:
Of course Sam uses corporate jets. A prop plane lacks the lift
he needs to carry all the money he took out of your pockets because you didn't
organise. Ginny is trying to buy a C130 cargo plane to carry your money away
in the 2013 401k heist. What are you going to do about it? If track record counts,
you will buy her the fuel and service the plane for her so it doesn't crash.
-Exodus2007-
Comment 01/18/13:
I don't know how widespread this is, but as a contractor to
IBM, I just got my hours cut and had to take a 7 percent rate cut, too. Happy
Freaking New Year! -Dreck-
Comment 01/18/13:
I laughed, IBM not even listed in the Fortune's top 100 companies
to work for. -anonymous-
Comment 01/17/13:
Whats this I hear that folks are receiving a PBC of 3 this year,
which many have always received 2 or 2+ throughout their time with IBM?
-Just Left-
Alliance Reply: This is not news. This has been happening for years. It will
keep happening until IBMers do something about it. Step 1:
Join Alliance@IBM. Step 2: Organize co-workers if you're still there. If you
have been RA'ed; then help to spread the word that IBM will continue to reduce
PBC ratings and RA whomever they wish, because IBMers won't stand up. Tell them
to Stand up, just like the rest of us do, that are Alliance@IBM members and
supporters.
Comment 01/16/13:
Here's an innovative way to deal with IBM's outsourcing. If
you can't fight them, then use them!: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21043693
"A security check on a US company has reportedly revealed one of its
staff was outsourcing his work to China. The software developer, in his 40s,
is thought to have spent his workdays surfing the web, watching cat videos on
YouTube and browsing Reddit and eBay. He reportedly paid just a fifth of his
six-figure salary to a company based in Shenyang to do his job."
-Innovative-
Comment 01/16/13:
Got PBC Rating yesterday- received 2+ just like last year. Mgr
says this is going to be a good year.. Yeah right I bet!!! -No name
needed one of the many-
Comment 01/15/13:
Rule of Acquisition No. 261: "A wealthy man can afford
everything except a conscience." -Sam Palmisano-
Comment 01/15/13:
I know exactly where my 401k match is - on my paycheck. Oh,
that's right, I don't work for IBM anymore. You people have 2 choices to make
it better. Leave IBM or join the Union. -Glad-I-Left-
Comment 01/15/13:
"Company filings state that Palmisano uses the corporate
jet for personal travel for security reasons." I guess he knows he
made a few folks annoyed, angry, or he can't trust flying public anymore. But
then again when you rob folks of their livelihood and retirement benefits to
make yourself filthy rich I guess you can get paranoid and afraid. SaM, if you
treated everyone fairly ("trust and respect in all relationships")
what do you have to fear security-wise? Nothing like his image he tried to portray
when he was CEO as a "lifetime IBMer" and being just one of them.
-anonymous-
Comment 01/15/13:
-Drew-, -RMC-: Back in 1999 IBM withdrew the ESTIMATR
pension calculation tool for those that were forced to the cash pension plan.
They told me ESTIMATR now longer applies to me since I was cash pensioned. Now
you find that the 401(k) match information doesn't apply (yet) to you since
you have been 401(k) MINUSed. The tiger doesn't change it's stripes. But it
does keep it's teeth in great shape. IBM will say you will find it all out on
the 12/15/2013 paystub, if you are eligible or qualify. Doing something about
is only possible with collective action. The Alliance is the only way to get
IBM to divulge this information for you. -1999deja_vu-
Comment 01/14/13:
"IBM's ex-CEO Samuel Palmisano - Got a $170 million
golden parachute! Total perks: $1.61 million"
While Americans on average took a 1.5% pay cut last year, in his final year
on the job in 2011 former IBM(IBM) CEO Samuel Palmisano got a 52% boost in his
perks package to $1.61 million. That ranked Palmisano fourth for total perks
last year. Most of that was for $489,327 worth of personal use of the corporate
jet, and a $1 million contribution to a pension plan. At least Palmisano's pay
did not go up last year. But then, when you are making more than $31.7 million
a year, as IBM reported Palmisano did in each of the past two years, maybe you
don't need a raise. Besides all this pay and the perks, Palmisano got a $170
million golden parachute last year. This raises the question: Since Palmisano
earned more than three times as much as the average CEO in the past two years,
and got such a rich parachute, does he need all the perks too? "You have
to ask how much the board compensation committee is really holding the line,"
says Eleanor Bloxham of the Corporate Governance Alliance, which advises boards
on pay and governance issues. An IBM spokesman has said in media reports that
the golden parachute reflects pay Palmisano has accumulated over the years,
and that IBM stock has outperformed significantly on his watch. Since March
2002, when he took over, the stock has advanced 115% compared with 22.8% for
the S&P 500. Company filings state that Palmisano uses the corporate jet
for personal travel for security reasons.
http://money.msn.com/investing/10-outrageously-lavish-ceo-perks
-Frustrated_IBMer-
Comment 01/14/13:
It's payday! Do you know where your 401K match is? (or what
it is?) -RMC-
Comment 01/14/13:
Just received my pay stub and noticed the calculation of the
IBM match is no longer being provided. Have spent an hour on the phone with
Payroll and Benefits trying to find out how I can see what this accrued value
is so I can track it thru the year. No luck so far. -Drew-
Comment 01/13/13:
-johnny2times- If you had a union contract you could
raise a grievance against IBM and management with your union shop steward who
can take it up with your deadbeat manager. That would give you the best chance
of not get a PBC 2 in the first place. -IBMUnionYES-
Comment 01/12/13:
PBC's- my deadbeat manager better think twice about only giving
me a 2. Not going to sit back and take this abuse any longer. -johnny2times-
Alliance Reply: Join the Alliance and organize your co-workers. Stop the abuse
by gathering the strength of many to form a union and push back IBM's assault
on your right to a voice in your workplace.
Comment 01/12/13:
"Those that can do. Those that can't (usually) manage"
So YOU can join the Alliance and management can't. You have the power.
What R U waiting for? The next RA? The next change to the 401(k)? A pay cut?,
etc. Your manager or second line is not going to help you at all. You have the
power. -proverb-
Comment 01/12/13:
-Anon- on the manager encouragement. Sorry but it ain't
gonna happen. The managers have a code of silence; which if they break it, they
are pulled. They either support the exec's or they are taken out. How does this
happen? If you talk to the wrong person and they turn them in, they are toast.
By the way they usually complain amongst themselves. -benthere-
Comment 01/12/13:
-Not lovin' it-: Even folks who get a PBC 2+ don't
necessarily get a raise. I was a 2+ in 2009 and got a 0% "raise".(Honest.
I'll even take a lie detector test to verify it someone could pay for it!).
2+ers might get like 0.5% more in GDP this year compared to a 2 in my honest
opinion. I was RA'ed in 2009 with a 2+ and know of a PBC 1 that also got RAed
in the 2009 "big purge" with me. No one except the middle top in IBM
is safe. It has been this way for years now. Join the Alliance, even as an associate
member. It's the only way to get anything done in and with IBM. -sby_willie-
Comment 01/11/13:
In reality, every manager from second line down should be encouraging,
in private, their employees to sign the petition. Unless they are part of the
SERP (separate executive retirement plan) they are also impacted by the latest
takeaway and would also benefit with the reinstatement of the pay period matching
for the 401K. -Anon-
Comment 01/11/13:
I have been at IBM for 10+ years. I have found that unless you
are groomed for Exec levels, it is best to stay under the radar. Let the stupid
managers make the stupid decisions (or lack of). If you even think to discuss
with you manager that you want/need additional work, they will think you were
lazy before and it will work against you. Personally, I was on "vacation"
for two weeks at the end of the year. Of course, I had to work during those
2 weeks because there are no backups and it is only you that is impacted if
there is an issue. The effort goes completely unnoticed because they think it
is your responsibility. The second issue is the discussions
about PBCs. I was in a meeting recently and ratings were joked about underhandedly.
In order to improve morale, they are going to give out more "2+" ratings
to simply make people think they are a "top contributor". Since the
statistics are not reported, it means nothing. The amount of compensation is
arbitrary. Since there is no way of knowing what to base the "bonus"
on, the ratings mean nothing. I am stuck for at least another year. They hold
my education as hostage. I am grateful for the degree. There is no way I can
afford to repay it, so I must stay through the moratorium period. Believe me
though, I will have my resume out flying when I am within 6 months of the end.
IBM will only have 2 weeks notice and good luck to them trying to find someone
that can learn my job that quickly. -Under the Radar-
Comment 01/10/13:
Heard from management that up to 80% of IBMers are to be rated
a 2 on PBC's. This means 80% of employees will not get a raise, and will have
lower PBC payouts. Just another way to take back from almost all employees!
-Not lovin' it-
Comment 01/10/13:
Dues paying member here. 1 and 2+ ratings the past xxx years
(they pass the 1's around as far as I can tell). Just was informed that since
I'm on an IGA project, all work currently done by US resources MUST be transferred
to Malaysia DC. I might get a week trip there to train my replacement (yeah,
right. 1 week to train someone to do what it took years to learn and perfect!!!!!)
Come on people. WE HAVE NO FUTURE WITH THIS COMPANY UNLESS WE ORGANIZE. Personally,
if execs complain that they don't get what they need from our app after I'm
transferred off the project, I need a claim code to bill my OT to (assuming
I'm still here, which I seriously doubt). Beyond that, well.... I'm looking
at my next job which is DEFINITELY not here. IBM's loss. I've proven that I
can learn, that I can contribute, and apparently that's of no value. Again.
IBM's loss, sticking around for the 2015 payout would be a loss for me so I'm
just waiting for the 2013 1Q RA and hope I can get a decent severance. Thanks
for nothing, all you deadbeats that were too chicken to help us organize and
FIGHT THIS CRAP. -anon-
Comment 01/09/13:
To "exodus 2007" who said: "Whenever IBMers
jobs are outsourced or other companies outsource to IBM it takes about 2 years
before they lose their jobs completely."
You are correct. I have seen this pattern and experienced it as well. Usually
it takes 1-2 years to completely integrate (transfer of trade) when they buy
(conquer/aquire/assimilate) a company. THEN they make the new people feel good,
squeeze the juice (knowledge/skills etc) out of them, then discard. So the merger
then becomes a kind of harvesting, musical chairs start happening; rumor mills
and nervousness "did you hear who they let go?"
Lots of platitudes and promises about how needed everyone is. It is called Bluewashing
(ironic, comical and sad name).
I got my walking papers, but I never stepped on anyone, gave respect always,
worked my tail off. After about 6 years into the company I realized that the
PBC process was a sham, so I started just cutting and pasting from one year
to the next, just changing a few things. Bizzaro! Managers hardly noticed (note
to self, don't waste time thinking it matters).
I tried to put the customer (read:client/business partner/peer) always first.
I acted with integrity always even when it eventually led to my undoing with
a bullying, rude, abusive manager. I stood up for myself and lasted a long time.
Never give in, never give up. ---so true-
Comment 01/09/13:
-anon_ Whenever IBMers jobs are outsourced or other
companies outsource to IBM it takes about 2 years before they lose their jobs
completely. IBM leeches every bit of knowledge from them while paying them less
then discards them when empty. It has happened to every division sold by IBM
and to every employee whose company outsourced to IBM. This is why IBMers need
to organize. One by one we get stood against the wall and excuted. We watch
others fall and do nothing. The bring you back as a contractor is to make sure
you can really be replaced before its your turn at the wall. Hard work will
of course not save you nor will maximum ass kissing. Once a business unit is
slated to go its gone without a contract to hold the work in America.
-Exodus2007-
Comment 01/09/13:
RE: IBM NPAC, Insult to injury happened when these people were
allowed to come back to the same job as a contractor for less pay and no benefits.
Best thing to happen to them was to lose the job completely. There is life outside
of this dreary company. It takes losing that dreary job to realize it. IBM is
no place to work without a contract. The abuse will never stop unless the remaining
workers stand up and organize. Why are we still talking about this 10 plus years
later? -Gone_in_07-
Comment 01/08/13:
It is just disappointing and we see no light at the end of the
tunnel. 2 things here , you would expect to see more then 943 signatures on
the petition and out of all of these signatures I would expect them all to be
joining members. After a month it doesn't look promising. The drive to unionize
continues to stall. Now with the short term employee it looks like it will be
more and more difficult to get new members. Is the war lost or just the battle?
-benthere-
Comment 01/07/13:
RE: IBM NPAC (National Parts Administration Center) is being
transferred to Gurgaon India. Just a FYI, NPAC was outsourced a few years ago,
the employees in NPAC were IBM employees and were resourced but allowed to come
back as contractors at lower pay and benefits. Now to add insult to injury they
are completely losing their jobs. -anon-
Comment 01/06/13:
It saddens me to read the comments of this board having left
IBM two years ago because I had had enough of all the BS. Busting myself with
the hopes of getting a "2", only to see it really didn't make a big
difference anyway come bonus time. Being told by my 1st and 2nd-lines that I
should be happy I got anything at all as "times are tough", only to
see IBM revenue and senior executive pay increasing each quarter. The last year
of my employment IBM was full of one stress after another, being told to do
things outside the scope of my band and even job description. Even with a family
to support and a stellar career record, I thought even flipping burgers has
got to be less stressful then this and started looking for something outside
the company.
I landed a job at an IBM competitor making $30k more and have
since gotten two raises and two bonuses which bettered all the raises I had
gotten at IBM. And despite the monetary awards, the best thing is that I am
RESPECTED for my contributions by my management vs. told anything and everything
I do is not good enough all the while getting spoon-fed more IBM propoganda
and threats about RA's.
Bottom line: Organize NOW - today - or find something outside
of IBM as the grass is truly greener on the other side. It's was tough at 50
to find another company to work for, but they're out there begging for people.
-ExIBMer-
Comment 01/05/13:
I've joined the Alliance, signed the petition. What else can
we do? Everyone who supports the Alliance and is against the way we, as Americans,
are being treated by IBM should unite. Let's all include"God Bless America"
in our email signatures on our IBM email. When we see that amongst our peers
it is a way to show we are united and see each other out to further discuss
our future. Small victories win big wars. -GodBlessUSA-
Comment 01/05/13:
"more globally centric model" should mean
IBM will equally distribute operations across the globe but I guess does not
mean keeping any operations EXCEPT CORPORATE in the USA! Let's see a real true
"globally centric model" when they move Armonk to McMurdo Station,
Antarctica! -global_eccentric-
Comment 01/04/13:
IBM NPAC (National Parts Administration Center) is being transferred
to Gurgaon India. IBM reasoning is " Our NPAC operation in Mechanicsburg
is being moved to Gurgaon, India, as we continue to transform our business to
a more globally centric model". I wonder if the CE's will be able to order
a copy of Rosetta Stone? -Fog-
Comment 01/04/13:
India's Infosys to fire up to 5,000 workers:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/indias-infosys-fire-5-000-044625280.html
-Voting Alliance Member-
Comment 01/04/13:
Evil HR, Because of where I sit I realize it is over at IBM
and hopeless for the American worker. Somewhere in a mainframe is a date with
all of our execution dates. I accept it is over, but what I won't accept is.
Going quietly. it is all our jobs as citizens to expose the corruption we see
daily and make sure it never happens again. I can't begin to tell you the breakdowns
and tears I have seen over the past several years for colleagues as IBM has
destroyed their families and lives -Real non evil HR-
Comment 01/03/13:
Today's rumor has it there will be an RA to be effective before
March 1 for the IGA. May include other divisions as well. -1stLine-
Comment 01/03/13:
Still can't get 1000 sigs to petition the 401(k) change and
it is 2013 now? Your inaction IBMers and visitors to this site, is what IBM
wants. I can do anything to you resources, ANYTHING and you'll take it. I enjoy
all my benefits (which never get worse or less lucrative) so obviously you do
too! Gee, you IBMers make my job so easy! And I have a contract to boot which
makes my job so great. And you resources don't have a contract? Fine. Makes
my job at HR even easier. -evil_HR_director-
Comment 01/01/13:
The title of this article speaks for itself: "IBM Leader
in Gutting 401(k)s"
http://www.forbes.com/sites/edwardsiedle/2012/12/18/ibm-leader-in-gutting-401ks/
-Voting Alliance Member-
Comment 01/01/13:
I think the problem with getting a union established is that
people are not in IBM for the long haul anymore. Those of us who still work
at IBM have realized that it is probably not going to be our place of employment
forever, unlike the old days. It is a shame, really. In any case though, having
IBM on your resume is a great way to get in the door of other companies. The
bad part is that many of us may have to move, which is tough if you have a family.
I guess the advice is to work at IBM right out of college, learn everything
you can in four years or so, and then move on to a place where you can start
a career and be respected. Depending where you are at, you might be ok until
2015. But, all bets are off for 2020. Every US IBMer should have an exit strategy
for post-2015 regardless of your position (management or technical). Those who
are near retirement are the luckiest. Others, like me, still have another 20+
years to work. We all need to look out for ourselves and family. A union may
help temporarily, but given the management, my guess is that they would expedite
off shoring and close US plants quickly. I'm sure they have a play card for
that scenario. It is sad, but this is what America has become. -Anon-
If the advocacy work that
Alliance @IBM
is doing, is important to you,
02.27.12: To all, please send
us the RA pack so we can track the numbers at 
01/30/13.
