Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 16, 1993 TAG: 9311250339
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
DuPont said last month it needed to cut the plant's work force by about 560 and hoped to do some of the downsizing through an early retirement offer.
``We got an excess of volunteers,'' said Rich Pattinson, employee relations manager.
Nearly 600 workers have said they'll take the offer. Hourly workers whose age and length of service total 70 years are eligible. The Martinsville facility had 1,300 workers at the time it made the offer.
``What we want to do is allow everybody to leave who wants to leave, but we have to get approval from corporate offices. It is a pension fund that is involved,'' he said.
The story was different for the 100 management jobs that are to be eliminated by the end of this month.
Managers have been trimmed according to qualifications. Some retired or transferred, but 75 or so lost their jobs, said Pattinson.
Pattinson himself is changing jobs. He is moving to the factory as a shift leader. He is an engineer and was in charge of the maintenance department before joining the human resources staff.
Pattinson said DuPont's downsizing won't be completed until June, and the phaseout of jobs likely will be gradual.
He said several factors persuaded workers to opt for retirement, including a new work system that blurs traditional lines between jobs so employees can be shifted around to be kept busy.
Also, those who retire early will continue to receive health insurance under the current plan, while a new plan will require retirees to pick up 15 percent of the company's contribution to health insurance.
``And there's that cloud. With so many people leaving, some workers wonder about the plant's future,'' he said.
The cutbacks are a result of DuPont's decision to shift its nylon production to the site where it has the lowest cost.
For example, Martinsville will continue to make hosiery, warp knit products for lingerie and swimwear under the Antron name and carpet fiber that is used in Stainmaster carpet. Among the products it no longer will make are inked computer-printer ribbons. The Martinsville plant's equipment for making the ribbons is too old to be efficient, Pattinson said.
DuPont has said it will eliminate up to 4,500 domestic jobs through mid-1994 as part of an ongoing restructuring aimed at cutting $2 billion in yearly costs.
by CNB