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Archive of Visitors Comments

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Archived Comments We've Received

Comment 2/25/10: If you are interested in moving to one of the BRIC countries, I remebmer reading that the pay would be LOCAL pay to the Location worked. It is equivalent as in the USA where they have several zones and the zones in the USA can differ by as much as 20% in pay scale. I moved from one zone to another and my pay scale was 10% different. No, IBM does not make adjustments but it will discriminate around the time of the salary review. The problem with relocating to a foreign country is that moving back to the USA would not be affordable, consider it a one way ticket. -IBMer#7-

Comment 2/25/10: Through most of my career I heard how the Japanese had a better business model than us. Employee loyalty. Quality . Employees exercising as a group before work. Staying at work until the boss left for no extra pay. When UAW people pleaded with Americans to buy American most ignored them and bought Japanese cars driving Toyota to become the largest Car Manufacturer. Now we see yet again the sad truth. They were really no better. They gave us LEAN and like fools American business tried it. I can't really blame American business leaders. We all do the same things. We go to the neighborhood mechanic to save a buck even though he does not really have all the test equipment he needs. We do not hire the expensive contractor who gets all the permits and has experienced workers because he costs a thousand more. We are all guilty . When our political leaders signed NAFTA and sent Manufacturing jobs offshore we didn't howl and protest. Those jobs would sure be nice to have now wouldn't they? When our current politicians fail year after year to get rid of illegal aliens for God only knows whatever reason the jobs they get would sure be good to have wouldn't they. We have allowed our jobs to be given away. If the U.S. was a store its the equivalent of we handed out all our products for free and now we have nothing to sell and the rent is due. We will forever be in a trade deficit because we no longer make things to export. We import just about everything. Our country is broke yet we fail to charge excise taxes or enough taxes on goods imported that cost Americans their jobs. Those taxes are what levels the playing field in trade. An American company paying American property taxes and American wages and payroll taxes wind up costing more for a product if we fail to tax it properly coming into the country. How can someone build a car overseas and ship it here and sell it cheaper . We failed to extract our fair payments for allowing them into our market place. You do not get a table at a flea market for free so why does China get a pass on excise taxes? That is what " Most favored nation" status is. Stand up and howl. Start by organizing yourselves into a union. Stop your jobs from being handed out for free. The rent is due. End this madness. -Exoduz2007-

Comment 2/25/10: Let's see if IBM will lead by example in regards to this FLM. I wonder how many IBM Sr. Vice Presidents will take the offer of the FLM to work at local terms and conditions. This means to work at the prevailing pay of the BRIC country, correct? I bet it is a round oval number. -anonymous-

Comment 2/25/10: This FLM says you work at local pay wages in the country you relocate to. If you move to Argentina, India, or China you better have saved up enough of money before you go since you will be working for less than the minimum wage equivalent in the USA. What is IBM going to do for you when they lay you off from a GDC? Will you have enough of money saved to even move back to your country of origin? -$virtual$-

Comment 2/25/10: There might very well come the day in the USA and other countries that IBM will be asking their employees to work for either a stipend or even free. IBM could set up company housing and the IBM company store will supply you with company issued clothing and food rations. There will be a health clinic but if you are seriously ill then IBM will depossess you and probably terminate you (you might still be alive though but in any event you are out a job and living).. You will not have any retirement. You will work till you can't work or die: whatever comes first. IBM will determine will control it's workers like robots and work them 7 days a week and as much time per day they wish so they blow the doors off quarterly stock market results every time. IBM will convince and brainwash global society that they need to do this to be competitive. IBM will say this is the fruition of a"smarter planet". IBM middle management and higher will have an even more lavish lifestyle than they have now;: they will have larger salaries, more lucrative stock options, more cars, and magnificent palaces for homes. They will be like global royalty, kings and queens, princes, princesses, lords, and ladys. Am I dreaming? Is it a nightmare? It could be folks. It's not that far fetched. It's slowly getting there. Before unions this was about the life a worker could expect. Workers unionized to stop this scenario from continuing to play out. If workers don't learn from history they may very well repeat it. PLEASE don't let this happen! -wakeup-

Comment 2/24/10: What would cause the dollar to rise recently? -IBMer-
Alliance reply: My first guess would be oil prices. Oil futures are still traded on the global market using American dollars. Although, I haven't been following the stock market since my 401(k) took a dive in 2008. So I guess I don't give a chip, either.

Comment 2/24/10: RE: FLM invite. This is so transparent it's laughable. Yes it's a"select" group of people - they tried that in the RA packages last year! No one took the bait as far as I know. If the BRIC countries and labor are SO GREAT and they are firing Americans to hire them- then WHY do they need Americans to relocate there? I'll tell you why - because Americans are born leaders. They have made a BIG mistake in this offshoring. Now find themselves bottom heavy with their"rebalance the workforce" strategy and no one left to lead. Serves them right. Google is expanding like crazy in the UNITED STATES - go for it. -annonymous-

Comment 2/24/10: Time Lapse Map of USA and unemployment rates. USA is turning into a wall to wall ghetto. -baba-
Alliance reply: Here's a link to support your observation: http://cohort11.americanobserver.net/latoyaegwuekwe/multimediafinal.html
Press "Play" once you get there.
However, I would characterize it as appearing like gangrene, setting in. Very ugly and very disturbing. All the more reason to demand that IBM stop firing people and start rehiring those they fired in the past.

Comment 2/24/10: Check out these links:

http://messages.finance.yahoo.com/ETFs_%28A_to_Z%29/ETFs_S/threadview?m=tm&bn=45991&tid=280481&mid=280838&tof=33&off=1

http://www.optionszone.com/trader-alerts/trade-of-the-day/2009/08/8-07-09-ibm.html

UkFinance Link

As you can see the IBM share price is now moving in a downward channel and will fall further as the the Dollar rises and future performance falters to low morale. -BigZ-

Comment 2/24/10: Wonder if this is a hint? My FLM just sent this out to his team:

Please attend if you have the time

Dear IBMer,

There is no doubt that Growth Market careers provide an exciting and rich cultural immersion, and extend your technical skills and experience. I invite you to join us at the Services Delivery Virtual Job Fair to gain a deeper understanding of some of Services Delivery's key growth markets. This event focuses on career opportunities in your field that are located in Services Delivery's fastest growing Global Delivery Centers (GDCs).

The Virtual Job Fair will showcase GDC job opportunities in Argentina, India, and China. The event will address what is likely to matter most to you and your family when considering a job in a different country. You will find answers to considerations and implications about personal finances, family matters, quality of life, and career growth associated with country relocation. The virtual platform being used leverages the best features of the well-received Growth Markets Unit event held last October. We hope you'll come and check-out all that we've assembled for you

These job openings require you to localize in the new country -- in other words, move to the new country and work on local terms and conditions. Like a physical job fair, this virtual event will allow you to interact in real time with recruiters about the various job postings. Also, country experts will be on-line to answer questions and provide information about many aspects of relocating from your country to another. You can even chat with IBMers who have made the international move to the country you are interested in.

This event is by invitation only with focus on a select group of ITD and ITS employees who possess the requisite technical skills and experience, for the available positions. In order to better accommodate your schedule the job fair will take place on two dates
(Note: The agenda and content is the same for both days, allowing you to come/go as best suits your own schedule).
Thursday, March 4th, at 10:00 a.m until 2:00 p.m Eastern Time
Tuesday, March 9th, at 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time

We highly recommend you involve your family members to share in this event --- have them pull up a chair and share your screen with them.

In order to attend you must register.
Step 1: Please click here: REGISTER for the Services Delivery Virtual Job Fair. Once you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email from "do_not_reply@on24event.com" which is 'On 24', the vendor we are working with to bring you this event.
Step 2: Click on the button below to add this event to your calendar. Be sure to click save and close to ensure invitation is added to your calendar

If you have a special requirement for a disability or any questions about this event, please send a note to smjones@us.ibm.com

We look forward to seeing you at the Services Delivery Virtual Job Fair! -Still Ducking-

Comment 2/24/10: Another RA rolling this coming Monday. -AnonymousJF-

Comment 2/23/10: Alliance: After reading the actions IBM is taking down under it gave me the impression that they will move as much work out of the country and then get rid of the union org. people. This will not make the rest of us comfortable in trying to organize.-Union thoughts-
Alliance reply: IBM is already moving work out of the country and has been doing so for years. The IBM US employee population is down about 30,000 from a few years ago. All the more reason why it is important to join the Alliance, organize and get a contract now! Sitting on the fence does nothing. Waiting does nothing.

Comment 2/23/10: To IBMPurged:
We have been receiving comments or posts to our comments sections with no messages in the message field, other than the words "test", or "na", or "none", or "dd". These comment sections (boards, forums) are not automatically updated. The comments are reviewed by our staff; prior to being posted. Any effort by visitors to get comments posted, such as those described, are a waste of time. These sections of the Alliance@IBM web site are for the use of members and IBM employees who want to discuss their concerns regarding IBM. If you have any questions that you do not want posted as a comment, please write them to our Contact Us section. They will be treated as completely confidential.
-Rick White
Treasurer, Organizer, IT Administration
and Health & Safety Representative
CWA Local 1701
Alliance@IBM
www.allianceibm.org-

Comment 2/23/10: To clarify the meaning of FTE. FTE is Full Time Equivalent. Not Full Time Employee. -Dont Ask-

Comment 2/23/10: The Alliance needs examples of IBM hiring foreign workers or offshoring work on contracts from the Federal or State Governments Send your information to IBMunionalliance@gmail.com -Alliance-

Comment 2/22/10: "IBM continually rebalances it's workforce to meet the changing needs of its clients..."
It cannot be a true statement. So the client (ahem, this is the customer right?) tells IBM it needs to rebalance its workforce? If IBM actually LISTENED to it's customers it would not be rebalancing and doing job swaps where someone gets RAed in a non-BRIC country to be replaced in a BRIC country since customer satisfaction is going down and down. So if the customer complains to IBM about the service it gets from a BRIC what does IBM do? Ok, maybe it can be a true statement: if the client is not the customer but the client in question is the IBM executive. Then sure it is. -BigBlow-

Comment 2/22/10: At which sites are the team leads on visas? As a team lead in the Chicago area for a GR dependent department, other team leads and myself were considered the SME's (subject matter experts). We were onsite at customer environments to instill confidence while the FTE's (full time employees, actually a misnomer considering our managers used fractional FTE's for several customers) were located in Argentina, Brazil, Romania, Canada and the Asia/Pacific region. The team leads were expected to keep the shifts of offshore personnel transparent (meaning, hide all the offshore staff turnover that happened every other month) and do everything else onsite that the customer needed. Ask yourself this, If IBM management thinks offshoring is such a great benefit for their customers, why do they hide the true number of offshore workers and their locations from the customers along with the turnover rate? -anonymous-

Comment 2/22/10: A typical reaction of IBM towards unions
http://www.itwire.com/it-people-news/enterprise/36987-ibm-shifting-jobs-offshore-union-claims -Alliance-

Comment 2/20/10: Agree offshoring of jobs is an issue. But a bigger issue I think, that Obama is not addressing, is the onshoring and importing workers that take our jobs here away. I know several IBM work sites where team leads are all on visas here, working with offshore developers. DIsplacing USA Project Managers here with imported visa workers is next I heard. So Prez Obama, keeping the jobs here is not the full answer. Keeping the jobs here and filled by U.S. workers is what you need to do. -anonymous-

Comment 2/19/10: Re: rec-centers I don't know how I feel about this. I think the number of IBM facilities that have rec centers is in the minority. You guys are complaining about something most of the IBMers in the US never had. Sure, it sucks. And it's just another piece of evidence that IBM is killing morale. But I can't empathize at all with it, I'm sorry. The site I worked at before I became a work-at-home employee had nothing but offices in it. -anonymous-

Comment 2/19/10: This is probably a dumb question, but what is the squiggly line at the top of the middle section on the web site? -anon-
Alliance reply: Not a dumb question. It is the electrical symbol for resistance. We hope you get the meaning.

Comment 2/19/10: For feeling sick! Was this recreation place complete with golf courses or a pool or things like that or was it just a ball diamond like you can find in most public parks?? Just curious as to why it is such a concern? The site I worked at for 30 years didn't even have free parking for the last 15 years. -Exodus2007-

Comment 2/19/10: -LowlySDM- Good find with the article 10 Management practices to Axe. The impact of forced rankings is very negative on morale and performance. A lot of hedgies I know are now shorting IBM, as they realise the profit road map is unsustainable and will end in a car crash. Give it 12 months and the share price will be $60. Check this thread in 12 months, I am confident I am right on this one. -Big Z-

Comment 2/18/10: Another article that IBM senior management should read and heed:
http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/108815/ten-management-practices-to-axe -LowlySDM-

Comment 2/18/10: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9158278/Obama_says_stimulus_helps_keep_IT_jobs_onshore
Good job Alliance! Tell it like it is! -anon-

Comment 2/18/10: -Feeling Sick!- It does leave a sick feeling. What good is a recreation center when you can't even drink the water there? IBM is trying to sell this toxic property for what it can get if it can get it sold. Your right. Are there any recreation sites in IBM on IBM property left anywhere? Maybe in Armonk? Yep, your absolutely right that it makes an IBMer feeling sick about it now but organizing ourselves in a union could keep what we still have in IBM around for us and maybe we could negotiate for recreational facilities to come back if we ever get a contract. -FeelingSick2-

Comment 2/18/10: Bogus. No more Fiskkool extra curricular stuff this summer. What a bummer dude. -soldout-

Comment 2/18/10: About IBM "anonymous" surveys. If it is so "anonymous" why does IBM send you an invite to the survey with your fully qualified internal Notes e-mail id? Get real. For sure they know exactly who they are sending these e-mails to. IBM doesn't use surveys to improve problem areas. Ever see any action plan coming from a survey actually get any life at all? They don't even use it to gauge anything anymore. Gauge morale, pay, work/life balance, management performance, employee empowerment, etc. ? Not a chance. The question is what do they use them for? I bet those folks taking them that have given lower scores find their way to an RA quicker than those that give IBM flying high scores if anything comes of these surveys. -surveythis-

Comment 2/17/10: IBM needs to understand that the majority of the knowledge that they are selling to customers lies within the minds of the employees. I am concerned that they will not understand this until they reach bottom. Then it may be too late to understand what they had in the people that kept them climbing up throughout the late 1990s and 2000s. I support the union for this reason. The top-level management is FAR too stupid to understand what it takes to develop, support, and run the day-to-day operations for this company that actually bring in the money. They really don\'t give a $#!+ as long as they get their bonuses and the quarterly reports look good. They have the minds of animals, only living in the present without any awareness of the past or future. The more they throw out the people with the knowledge, the worse they hurt their prospects. The choice is yours: help to change things (unionize), leave now, or sit around and crash & burn. -MuffinMan-

Comment 2/17/10: -onEdge- ... Want to keep your gig? Tell them what they want to hear on the survey. It's always easier to RA a worker that is unhappy with the company. To those who disagree... it makes no sense to win the battle (tell them they suck), and lose the war (get RA'd and have no income). -Papa-

Comment 2/17/10: Hello All, Does anyone know the rules on which training is acceptable to receive unemployment benefits under. I am interested in GA DOL rules. I have not been able to reach them by phone - just keep you on hold for hours.. thanks much -GA_DOL-

Comment 2/17/10: To all who come to this comment section, please see our membership appeal on front page of this web site. We need help people. -Alliance-

Comment 2/17/10: Re: anonymous surveys: Anything you receive in your IBM inbox, and click on a link is traceable/trackable. Whether or not somebody is tracing/tracking it is another question. -anonymous-
Alliance reply: Of course they are. Why bother taking these 'surveys'? Does IBM force you to?

Comment 2/16/10: Recently heard that our Recreation Center In East Fishkill NY will be closed on March 15th and sold as another piece of real estate. Also, personnel that manned that facility will lose their jobs. This was the last piece of recreational enjoyment that IBM had to offer. Add another one to the list! That see, first health care services, environmental laboratory, emergency control, and now the recreation center. Adding insult to injury that there will be further site head count reduction during the March/April time frame. -Feeling Sick!-
Alliance reply: IBM will continue the path that they have been on, since before 1999. No one should be surprised when IBM sells yet another piece of its legacy. Whatever it is; IBMers feeling sick about it won't change anything. We've been telling every IBMer that wants to listen, since 1999. Organize your co-workers and focus on what YOU can do to make YOUR situation better. There's too much time spent staring at the "man behind the curtain", and not enough action. Taking action and organzing will help you to lose that sick feeling.

Comment 2/16/10: Has anyone had experience with the IBM "anonymous" surveys? I recently received one that includes morale questions like how likely I'd be to leave for another position with similar pay/benefits, but I can't help but think these responses are not truly anonymous. I don't trust upper management at all. Can anyone provide insight into this? -onEdge-

Comment 2/15/10: The number of US jobs. What this also doesn't show is the number of Americans who were replaced by 'imported' workers on L1 and H1B visas. I'm sure this number is big. How many Indians were working at your site 5 years ago? How many today? Each one replaced an American. -anon-

Comment 2/15/10: Folks, stand up and fight IBM. Support the Alliance. Support a Union. Nurses have a union. Their jobs are well protected and they get good salaries. Engineers never unionized because companies were supposed to treat them like professionals. Like a Doctor. Think again. IBM management considers engineers to be the a$$ wipes for Doctors. Engineers get no respect from the management at companies like IBM. IBM treats engineers like dog crap. Engineers need a Union to protect their jobs at IBM. The same goes for Technicians. Sam Palmisano will continue to screw you, lay you off, outsource your job, etc until you stand up and fight. Get you head out of the sand. -IBM Engineer-

Comment 2/14/10: 'll let the moderator decide if this is better suited for the general comments but wanted to share this recent "job offer" I received via email. This looks like internal account work and I wonder why they aren't filling the position with an IBM'er? Are there not enough left with these skills? Are they planning to purge more and would rather just contract this type of work out?

My name is Robert and I'm a recruiter at Axelon Services Corporation, formerly known as Algomod Technologies Corporation. Our records show that you are an experienced professional with experience in Lotus Domino. This experience is relevant to one of my current openings. The opening requires previous architecture exp/DB2, in addition to the above skills. It is located in Hampton, NJ. Lotus Domino Developer Hampton, NJ 4+ Month Contract

W2 ONLY

US Citizen, GreenCard or EAD ONLY
Open seat description:
This position is a Notes architect who will transition from the existing architect and take over responsibility for application architecture and design. As mentioned above the new application will be Domino Web and this job requires attempting to satisfy demands of users of the old Notes tool with functionality available in the new tool. This project has had scope defined in the past but the schedule was not held and we are re-evaluating scope and re-planning the project.

Required skills:
2+ years experience with Domino/Notes applications design Proven skill with web applications development, using Domino as Application server and DB2 as back end Previous experience as IT Architect (at least 1 year) Knowledge of SE&A processes and deliverables Skill on how to produce architectural related documents as technical proposals, design documents, detailed design, etc Fluent English

Nice to have skills:
- Skills on Lotuscript language - Skills on the Java programming language
- DB2 knowledge as developer (SQL, tables, views, stored procedures)

- Knowledge of IBM AHE environment and its components

Secondary Description
• Develop Lotus Domino Solution(2)
.

If you are qualified, available, interested, planning to make a change, or know of a friend who might have the required qualifications and interest, please call email me a copy of your latest resume, even if we have spoken recently about a different position. If you do respond via e-mail please include a daytime phone number so I can reach you. In considering candidates, time is of the essence, so please respond ASAP. Thank you. Sincerely yours,
Robert Taylor
Axelon Services Corp. -Incognito-

Comment 2/14/10: To -BIG Z- I prefer to think of IBM as a big bus. The driver is blindfolded and the brakes don't work. The bus is coasting down a huge hill and picking up speed. At the bottom of the hill is a brick wall. What will happen when the 'bus' meets that wall is anyone's guess, but no matter how you look at it, it won't be a pretty sight. I guess that will be the time, IBM will bring in more consultants, and ask for another 'paradigm' shift. -dun-4-

Comment 2/14/10: I've watched the IBM company go from a company employees were proud of to one they are now ashamed of. I remember how proud I was working for IBM when I joined the companies in the 80's. John Opal was CEO at the time. IBM employees wore their badge with pride. We took our kids to the yearly IBM Family Day. You were well respected by your friends and neighbors when they learned that you were an IBMer. IBM has gone from a 10 to a zero. From the best to the worst. It all started when Three Fingered Lou took the helm. TFL started screwing the employee for his own personal gain. TFL left IBM will less than 10 years of service with over $500 million in his bank account. TFL started the executive greed culture in IBM. TFL trained Sam Palmisano to take the helm as CEO and Sam is just like TFL. Take as much from the IBM employee for yourself. Sam has been filling his bank accoound with millions with his excessive salary, stock options and bonuses over the last 8 years. How disgusting can it get. Sam just doesn't get it. It is a culture that is deep in Sam's core. Folks, thinks will just continue to go down this lopsided path and the employees will continue to get screwed by layoffs, outsourcing, pay cuts, excessive workload, etc. We really need the Alliance and a Union contract to turn this mess in IBM around. This mindset of TFL and Sam Palmisano has infected the entire country and pulling our whole country's economy down. It can be explained simply as CEO GREED. -Pro Union IBMer-

Comment 2/14/10: As posted the number of US jobs are listed from the official IBM reports.
2009: 105,000
2008: 115,000
2007: 121,000
2006: 127,000
2005: 133,789

What is not telling is the fact that during this same time IBM aquired a significant number of companies and their employees.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitions_by_IBM

So the number of long time US employee has been significantly reduced and the new employees now are under the reduced medical and savings plans. -Anonymous-
Alliance reply: We have that statement about aquisitions on our list of the employee population drop on the Alliance front page. Thanks for the link to the article.

Comment 2/12/10: -predictmethis- i think you are quite probably right. The IBM Car is being driven at top speed with no oil, warn out brakes and flat tires. I am sure the driver will be happy as long as he gets past the finishing flag - and clearly he won't care if the car is left undriveable or bursts into flames -BIG Z-

Comment 2/12/10: To>> -Stormcrow>> Do a "cut and paste", as long as it is not classified "Internal Use Only" or higher, and let those on this side of the firewall see the summary info of the note. -no_ky-

Comment 2/12/10: Once IBM has a bad quarterly report or one that fails to impress Wall Street, IBM could very well implode like the banking and financial companies did last year. So for IBMers: pray IBM can always fudge good numbers, pray you don't get purged with an RA, pray you don't lose more pay and benefits and dignity than you've lost already. And pray you see the light and create a labor union to get yours before the IBM executives take it all away with them before the implosion. -predictmethis-

Comment 2/12/10: -Stormcrow- I've seen this and I wanted to rate it 0 stars. The timing of this w3 article is to try to soften the variable pay blow soon to be announced. Return on the employee investment now means less variable pay funding in IBM. -anonymous-

Comment 2/12/10: “2010 - Investing in IBMers” LOL. If IBM is so compelling with this, why not make it public instead of on it's internal website? Because it is at least misleading and probably an HR spun lie. The only investment IBM is making in the employee is a cheap one and if not cheap it is an evil one by investing in the employees demise by a future RA. If IBMers want to make an investment in themselves working in IBM I would suggest they form a union to do it. -anonymous-

Comment 2/12/10: Comment 2/10/10: I feel ashamed to work for IBM. When I get together with my friends I avoid talking about IBM. My friends feel sorry for me working for this company. IBM has got the reputation of screwing the American worker. Plain and simple. My friends feel sorry for me. I'm looking for a better job and when I find it I'm leaving this sorry a$$ company called IBM. -IBM Employee-
Yeah, it's all because of their policy of "Customers are kings". The customers demand price cut, IBM must use lower Global Resource and cut guys like me out. I was supposed to be hired by one of my favorite managers but ended up getting RAed last year since his project could not afford me. I accidentally met one guy on that project and he said that the GR resource was 80-90 percent mix and he was in the process of being phased out too. IBM should have demanded a high price from the customers and hire more of us right? LoL. Is it IBM or the Customers' fault for expensive guys like me getting RAed? -Drgunzet-

Comment 2/11/10: Re Losing mainframe people. IBM MF customers are noticing the crappy support they are now getting. I guess an Indian who took a few classes in z/OS, RACF, IMS etc can't provide the same level of support than people who have been working with this stuff for 20-30 years. Go figure. When IBM loses the corporate 500 MF customers it will be mostly over. -exMainframeGuy-

Comment 2/11/10: IBM left me in '06. My only fault after 15 years service as an SSR was that I was over 45. After being shipped to Qualxserv for two miserable years working on crappy contracts servicing junk printers and 4 hr desktop and laptop calls I was shown the door when IBM moved the contracts to an even cheaper vendor. I found a field service position at a large VAR and now support over 500 servers and related equipment. I am paid well, much more than IBM ever thought of paying, treated with respect and my contributions and opinions are valued by my employer. I ran into one of my former IBM co-workers the other day and we had lunch. He informed me that the service division is as close to a shambles as it possibly can be. The mainframe people have mostly left on their own accord getting out while they could after 25-30yrs. The existing server people are being cross-trained on mainframes but are not receiving any job reclassification (more money) for doing this. "If you don't like it, leave." is the current management attitude. One does not just take a class or two and become a mainframe SSR, it is a position one works into over a few years. Good luck major accounts when no one is qualified to perform your service. By the way major accounts are re-thinking IBM, especially in the point-of-sale (retail) sector and accounts are dropping like flies. Standby and callout pay have been eliminated and the SSR is expected to be available 24/7. I guess if you have an adult beverage with dinner and then get a callout you would be subject to firing. So much for respect for the individual, family life and career advancement. Also, support is now a joke since the knowledgeable personnel have been let go and all that's left are people who read you pages in the manual with no other knowledge. Then, the biggest joke, the most aloof, arrogant SSR in our group who would never lend a hand to another unless he garnered brownie points is attending manager school and is the heir apparent when the manager retires next year. Typical IBM garbage. There needs to be a major revolt, enough is enough. IBM is using the current economic downturn to further bully its employees.Sadly, no one is really interested in organizing. Computer people tend to be the last of the cowboys and rugged individualists. Remember that a contract has worked with similar service organizations like AT&T. With a union contract the average worker would at least stand a chance with the forceful management styles that currently exist in the cesspool IBM has become. I sadly remember when this company was something to be proud of and that management took pride in developing its rank and file employees into the newer generation of company managers. I hope there's a special place in hell for Palmisano and his cronies. I'm so glad im gone. -Outahere-

Comment 2/10/10: I feel ashamed to work for IBM. When I get together with my friends I avoid talking about IBM. My friends feel sorry for me working for this company. IBM has got the reputation of screwing the American worker. Plain and simple. My friends feel sorry for me. I'm looking for a better job and when I find it I'm leaving this sorry a$$ company called IBM. -IBM Employee-

Comment 2/10/10: Interesting, the W3 website has an article entiled “2010 - Investing in IBMers” (Warning: Internal IBM link:
http://w3.ibm.com/news/w3news/top_stories/2010/01/cl_invest_ibmer.html).
Like many of these IBM propaganda articles, there is an option to rate the article from 1 to 5 stars. Seems like over 4,500 people so far have given it an average rating of only1 star. Guess there are a lot of unsatisfied people that don’t believe IBM is really investing in them. Would be nice if those 4,500 people would do something about it and sign up with the Alliance. -Stormcrow-

Comment 2/10/10: Re: lean failure (Toyota). I don't think anybody in IBM at the technical support level needs to be told LEAN is a huge failure. It looks good on paper to the investors/board/senior management, but when executed at our level, it's a complete failure. -anonymous-

Comment 2/10/10: I took part in the IBM Accused of Not Paying OT to Workers lawsuit. The lawyers settled on .25 for overtime, Overime should be 1.5 or time and a half. We had no say in the settlement, but it was nice to at least get something. However, If I did have a say I would have pointed out they were falling short by 1/6 of what it should have been. -What-The-Heck-
Alliance reply: If IBMers had a union contract the time and half would have been paid automatically in their paycheck and no need to go to court and settle for less.

Comment 2/10/10: The alliance might want to consider an approach like Getup in Oz (http://www.getup.org.au/). Everyone throws in a couple of bucks for a billboard/advert on TV... -Zombie-
Alliance reply: We would rather everyone threw in a few bucks to the Alliance to keep us going. Without us there is no voice for employees.

Comment 2/09/10: Great article on the true cost that globalization has on a country's wealth (ie, whether there actually is any creation of something of value). http://www.infowars.com/globalization-is-killing-the-globe-return-to-local-economies/ -Info Warrior-

Comment 2/09/10: Toyota recall shows that lean is fallible, can backfire...WSJ 1/30/10 How Lean Manufacturing Can Backfire: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704343104575032910217257240.html -RE-think-LEAN-

Comment 2/09/10: Read the opinion "IBM Shows Where Regulation Needed":
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20100209/OPINION02/2090311/1004/OPINION/Letters-to-the-editor---2/9
I don't think it is humanly possible for it to be written and said any better!!! -sby_willie-

Comment 2/09/10: This is a good article and I think we have all seen some of this happen
http://www.cringely.com/2010/01/ibm-2010-customers-in-revolt/ -Cringely-

Comment 2/08/10: To -Bill- If there was a audiotape of the meeting IBM will of course "protect" it (i.e. not let it come to outside attention) by whatever means they see fit. Remember: IBM never says or does anything wrong :) They are just incapable I guess(!) Anything even remotely suspected of being construed as wrongdoing is always claimed by IBM as having "no merit'. The Cooper vs. IBM and Rosenburg vs. IBM cases as well as other lawsuits supposedly had "no merit" but look how IBM settled those cases. If these cases really had no merit then why did IBM agree to settle with them at all on principle? About the town hall remark: this is typical MacDonald. He likes to say these things in this way and he gets away with it mainly since not enough IBMers talk to hime and challenge him or IBM HR on anything. The Alliance and some of it's members have challenged him about certain issues. It would be nice if more IBMers would as well. -sby_willie-

Comment 2/08/10: -gadfly- Remember. IBM, the company that can give us a smarter planet as long as we give them tax breaks and big government dollars cannot get their own MPI ( Machine Product Inventory) and Dispatch databases to talk to each other. Never have and I suspect never will. This allows team leads and management pets to pad their workload while assigning the calls and callouts to someone else. I suspect a Shop Steward could end this practice once and for all. You can really screw up a mismatcher, er, dispatcher by asking them to TENT the call and tell you who its assigned to. Then make them callout the person who carries the workload. Thats right, they no longer tell you who exactly has the workload on a TENT, Just the managers group. Thats why. Thats also why only the pets have access to the MPI database . Can't have you actually getting real credit for the work you do. Gotta let the Team lead show twice the work on paper you have and see how positive his / her attitude is ! So why are you compaining ? Thats one of the ways they get you to show a bad attitude so you can have your appraisal lowered. Gotta love a level playing field dontcha! -Exodus2007-

Comment 2/08/10: union victory: This may be a good example to see how in today's environment if the jobs will stay. Let's keep an eye on this as it develops to see if the plant closes at the end of the year or if anyone looses their job. Time will tell. -beenthere-

Comment 2/07/10: On Jan. 25, -from a poughkeesie friend- wrote "just heard the most devasting news feb 4th. so it's really gonna happen"
Feb. 4 has come and gone. Please tell us what you heard would happen. -Gorya-

Comment 2/07/10: To -25andCounting-, good for you for not pursuing a promotion. And, for realizing that working the 12 hour days isn't worth it. I DID work the ridiculous hours for over 20 years, I DID get the promotion, and I DID get RA'ed 16 months later. I also got reasonable raises ONLY during the first ten years, and the last two years of my employ at IBM. -noone@nowhere.com-

Comment 2/07/10:
Machinists union hails Pratt ruling
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Associated Press

HARTFORD — A federal judge handed the Machinists union a major victory Friday, ordering jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney to halt its plans to move 1,000 jobs out of Connecticut. U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in Bridgeport issued a permanent injunction, stopping the company’s plans to shift the jobs to Columbus, Ga., Japan and Singapore. The judge strongly criticized the subsidiary of United Technologies Corp., saying it evaded the spirit of its union contract requiring it to make every effort to keep the jobs in the state. The union, which represents about 3,700 workers, hailed the decision. In its lawsuit, the union accused Pratt & Whitney of failing to comply with the contract that required it to do everything possible to preserve the jobs. “This is a full win for the union,” said James Parent, chief negotiator for the Machinists local. Pratt & Whitney, reeling from a downturn in the aerospace industry, announced in September plans to shut its engine overhaul and repair plant in Cheshire by early 2011 and shift repair operations from its East Hartford facility beginning in the second quarter of this year. Greg Brostowicz, a spokesman for Pratt & Whitney, said in an e-mailed statement that the company will consider all its options, including a possible appeal. “We believe we upheld our contractual obligations to act in good faith and made every reasonable effort to keep this work in Connecticut,” he said. “The fact remains that we face a declining aerospace market, a shifting customer base and a significant and permanent volume drop at these two facilities.” Hall said in her decision that Pratt’s actions were not taken out of a “mistaken view” of what the contract required. Hall said Pratt failed to make a good faith effort to keep the two operations open. The company said the union had to come up with nearly $54 million in cost savings without saying that the amount included a portion of savings that belonged to partners in a joint venture and did not benefit Pratt, she said. “Savings for the duration of the collective bargaining agreement were never going to satisfy Pratt’s desire for long-term savings,” Hall wrote. The union said its victory was only temporary because its contract with Pratt & Whitney expires in December. “The Machinists union and its members will be gearing up for whatever fight is necessary to preserve these jobs and expand opportunities in the next contract,” it said in a statement. State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who supported the union, praised the ruling. Because the decision applies only through the end of the year, it “hopefully will have an impact on Pratt’s future workforce decisions,” he said in an e-mailed statement. Executives testified in federal court they had no alternative but to shut the two engine repair plants. They insisted they followed the contract by meeting in good faith with the union to find ways to save the jobs. Underlying the union’s lawsuit were workers’ fears about growing Asian markets, lower labor and other production costs in the South and overseas and the decline in Connecticut’s manufacturing industries. Throughout the court hearings in December and January, Pratt & Whitney executives testified that the company lost work due to the recession and the downturn in the aviation industry. President David Hess said that when he took the helm in January 2009, Pratt & Whitney was facing its “biggest financial challenge since World War II.” Pratt & Whitney has scaled back operations in Connecticut since the 1960s when more than 20,000 workers were employed. The company now employs 11,000 in Connecticut, fewer than one-third of its global work force.
http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2010/02/07/news/metro/a3-prattfolo.txt -UnionVictory-

Comment 2/06/10: A little incentive & reminder since it's time to get started on taxes -- union dues are tax deductible. -annoymous-

Comment 2/06/10: Regarding the Age Discrimation suit. On May 3rd, 2007, during a Chicago town hall meeting in the Hyatt Center, rooms 6607-6609, I heard Randy MacDonald utter the phrase "Sometimes it is necessary to lay off the older workers. Oops, the lawyers don't like it when I say that. I mean the more experienced workers." I had to dig through my notes to find the exact date. Was there anybody else here that was present at that meeting? Is there any chace that there is a recording of that meeting made by IBM since it was a town hall with an executive? -Bill-

Comment 2/06/10: Re: and IBM looks like they are definitely targeting the older folks
Well, indirectly targeting them. They are targeting people with higher years of service, which usually coincides with age. I believe they have a secondary target of poor PBC scorers, which probably accounts for a lot of the younger targets. Either way you look at it, it's messed up. -anonymous-

Comment 2/06/10: re: age distribution IBM can target older age group by simply declaring that they have excess of senior positions. The other option is to demote people. This is one reason I've told my mgr I don't want a promotion, the other reason is I don't want to work 12+ hour days. I've got better things to do than work all day :-) -25andCounting-

Comment 2/06/10: about the stock option activity: http://finance.yahoo.com/q/it?s=IBM
If I read this correctly that on 2/1 some options did not come to vest that's why the actions were disposition. But right after the disposition there is an acquistion at 0$ so that probably means the execs. got more options in place of the disposed lot. So the stock option merry-go-round continues. -anonymous-

Comment 2/06/10: One has to wonder how much IBM is *really* investing in the value of their employee's work productivity, skills, and talents as far as determining IBM's net intellectual capital. If IBM is intent on just cutting costs and going to the cheapest markets for people eventually its shareholder value will reflect the cheapness since a corporate enterprise can't continually cut costs to prop up profits with declining revenue streams. Since IBM doesn't value it's employees (referred to as resources) anymore the only hope for IBM to survive long term and to keep viable intellectual capital alive is for the employees to do something collectively and unionize if they want to still be a part of IBM that is not cheapening its way into oblivion. -on-the-cheap-

Comment 2/06/10: As I tried to obtain the call information from my dispatcher the other morning at 4:00am, it occurred to me that there is a delicious irony in building a smarter planet using illiterate workers.... -gadfly-

Comment 2/05/10: "Age Distribution of IBM's STG 2009 resource action:"
Wow, this looks like a law suit against IBM is in the works. The distribution is really unbalanced and IBM looks like they are definitely targeting the older folks. Getting old really sucks especially when you have to put up with this crap. -OverFifty-

Comment 2/05/10: Air Force working with IBM. I'm disappointed that the Air Force couldn't find a company that's not wrecking the IT industry for US workers to partner with. -Anonymous-

Comment 2/04/10: Re: Top management asks for a HOLD BACK from the lower mgmt. ranks so they can use that money for executives!!!
That's been going on for years. -anonymous-

Comment 2/04/10: You need to stop worrying about the options activity. Stock options have an expiration. There's a VERY good chance all that activity is just from people cashing in before their options expire. Options are in 'batches', so it wouldn't surprise me that a lot of executives are cashing in at the same time. And who knows, the date reported by Yahoo may not be the date of exercise, but just a date of reporting (just speculating here). -anonymous-
Alliance reply: Well said. IBM executives will inevitably excerise their 'options' whenever is prudent for them. This will not change. However, standing up to the IBM executives with a strong union contract for workers, can change how IBM workers are treated in the long term. The focus on organizing should be made, instead of on the wealthy IBM executives and their obscene stock options and bounses. When are IBMers going say "Enough!", and organize IBM US and ultimately, IBM Global?

Comment 2/04/10: Age Distribution of IBM's STG 2009 resource action: http://www.thrnewmedia.com/assets/ibmage.pdf -Senior Citizen-

Comment 2/04/10: To -IASSOS- Re: Portable Medical Benefits: Having traveled to a number of places on vacation, such as the Philippines, Indonesia, etc, what you wouldn't be paying for Medicare and supplemental insurance would very probably cover what the costs for medical services in those areas. For example, a trip to the emergency room with treatment, x-rays, and medicine for $35. -Traveler-

Comment 2/04/10: Wow. Look at all the option activity now: http://finance.yahoo.com/q/it?s=IBM Anything to make of it? -anonymous-

Comment 2/04/10: Is IBM hiring in Argentina? A transfer their might be a great idea career-wise. At least I'll get union representation and a contract there! I"M TIRED OF USA IBMERs lying low in the foxholes. When are they going to do something? I have lost all patience. -anonymous-

Comment 2/04/10: -IBMer- Sadly the President saying he wants to do something and it actually getting done are not a done deal. Congress has to pass legislation for the President to sign. Worse is Congress has to pass legislation that will actualy work and the President has to sign it and the Supreme court has to certify it is a just and legal law if its challenged in court. Checks and Balances. Do not leave the country yet. Employee checks and balances begin with a union. No one is laughing at the plight of the American worker. At least no one who is an American Worker. -Exodus2007-

Comment 2/04/10: Growth Driven Profit (GDP) Bonuses are being calculated this week and next. Payout in 3/15 paycheck. Just so the average worker is aware: Top management asks for a HOLD BACK from the lower mgmt. ranks so they can use that money for executives!!! Nice, huh? The exec. are constantly ripping us off. We don't even get all the money that is allocated to each department. ***join the Union*** -anon-

Comment 2/04/10: "Does anyone know about how they calculate severance pay?"
Really depends on the severance package. Could be no severance, a set monetary payout amount, 2 weeks pay, 1 weeks pay per year worked, 2 weeks pay per year work up to maximum of weeks, etc. Generally it is "last salary of reference". So if you are working part time, say 30 hours a week, the severance pay is based on that since that is the rate of pay when you are separated/terminated. So 75% of $ for 40 hour based salary is probably going to be the reference rate. Be sure IBM will not be fair with you and take in to account the best earning year you had and even add that in the calculation mix. Everyone without a golden parachute gets screwed with severance pay: even with the payout you lost your job even when you were working full time and oodles of OT! -severed-

Comment 2/04/10: Well, they have killed the "Thanks!" program...so much for the nice little gifts. What's next? Dental insurance is my guess. -Anon-

Comment 2/03/10: Surprising that IBM has kept the media from knowing about "Do not drink the water " signs that were posted on the entire site back on January 8th . Let the truth be known :
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20102030318
Now I know why the coffee never tasted good. Blame it on the Hudson River water or a cross conection fitting in East Fishkill ? Now the site has a major contract with Poland Springs. Now everyone can be heard hanging out by the water cooler's discussing the adventures of Sammy! -Feeling heavy with lead!-

Comment 2/03/10: "'Right now Obama is focused on the "fat cat" bankers on Wall Street. Obama will work on the greedy CEO's like Sam Palmisano next." LOL. I'm sorry, but I think you're being naive here. Recently Senator Durbin said of Congress, 'the banks own the place'. I'm sure the bankers counting their multi-million dollar bonuses (courtesy of the US taxpayer) are not worried of what Obama might do. Sam has even less to worry about. The only thing the president and our 'representatives' are focused on is making their rich owners richer."
You might think I am naieve and this is funny, but if I can't trust what the President of the United States says, then who can I trust? I do not trust Sam Palmisano. That is for sure. I trust that Obama will do something to fix this mess corporate America has created by offshoring our jobs. IBM is one of the worst of the bunch. If Obama won't go after IBM for offshoring our jobs then I might as well leave the country. This is no laughing matter. Unemployment is on the rise in America and only getting worse. -IBMer-

Comment 2/03/10: Regarding portable medical benefits: After some years a new realization just struck me. Call me slow but I only arrived there now. Back around 1999 (maybe) IBM told us that the medical plan for over-65 retirees was Medicare, so that’s the deal for me. I retired at age 67. The new issue I see with this is that Medicare only pays within the United States. If one was adventurous and creative and sought to stretch the retirement dollar by moving to another country, there would be a medical cost downside. Thus, by losing the IBM medical plans, we are constrained from making a cost-effective move. In case you don’t follow such things, there are several attractive countries with lower cost of living than here. I have an acquaintance who lives comfortably in the Philippines on $20,000 US a year. Indeed, she is considered rich. -IASSOS-

Comment 2/03/10: I very much doubt that the whole reason for creating the 401K was to boost retirement. The 401K is entirely based on the Stock Market / Economy / Corporate Survival. Why do you think that most corporations did away with the Pension Plan? Do the math, it is economics 101. -Lead-The-Blind-Not-Everything-Is-What-It-Seems-

Comment 2/03/10: Does anyone know about how they caculate severance pay? do they base on the salary at termination or prorate? I have been a part time (75%) employee for about 1.5 years, prior to that had about 11.5 yrs working full time. -anonymous-

Comment 2/02/10: I was RA'd by IBM this time last year. I was fortunate enough to quickly find a job with one of IBM's largest competitors. I still tell people that post IBM I have felt the effects of being treated like an abused dog. It has take some time, but I am getting to the point where I can trust an employer again. I truly feel for those of you left as IBM, along with many other American companies, has become a disgusting place to work. Before I left, a clueless sales executive sent out an email around the RA time about tapping into the broader community of ex IBM people in the industry. How wrong can you be. I have already beaten IBM in some small deals and I can't wait until I get to compete one on one against IBM in a big deal. That will be fun. -Happier Place-

Comment 2/02/10: IBM just cancelled it's "Thanks" award program, they say they are going to go local so to "innnovate" translation. "Thanks but no thanks" -Anonymous-

Comment 2/02/10: 'Right now Obama is focused on the "fat cat" bankers on Wall Street. Obama will work on the greedy CEO's like Sam Palmisano next. LOL. I'm sorry, but I think you're being naive here. Recently Senator Durbin said of Congress, 'the banks own the place'. I'm sure the bankers counting their multi-million dollar bonuses (courtesy of the US taxpayer) are not worried of what Obama might do. Sam has even less to worry about. The only thing the president and our 'representatives' are focused on is making their rich owners richer. -anon-

Comment 2/02/10: You cannot get to the site using www.allianceibm.org. You have to use www.endicottalliance.org. I am in Florida. I can ping the IP address. -anonymous-
Alliance reply: You're incorrect. Http://www.allianceibm.org is an alias for Http://www. endicottalliance.org.
They both will take you to the same place.
There must be something going on within your ISP, in Florida; or your web browser, or firewall is blocking it.

Comment 2/02/10: When the " Baby Boomer" Generation hit the workforce, Corporate America quickly realized there were so many of us competing for the same jobs that they could use that to their advantage. "If you won't work for that amount plenty of other people will" became the employers mantra to keep our salaries down. As we started approaching retirement age the Government was first to realize our retirement would put such a severe strain on Social Security that it would Bankrupt the plan. Retirement ages were adjusted to try to lessen the blow. When the Government realized Social Security could never keep pace with inflation when we all retired they allowed IRA's and then 401K's as a way to keep from having this mass of people destitute in their old age. Corporate America soon thereafter realized they too could not afford to pay the pensions we were promised so they started reniging on them, circa Cash Balance plans. I may be wrong in that Corporate America may have realized first and got the Government to relax the rules so they could renig on the traditional pension plans. Either way the baby boomers lost. The government did nothing to stop the Cash Balance conversions as we are well aware . I for one can only believe the Government is a willing partner in the fleecing of American Workers . The offshoring of jobs is just Corporate Americas way of maintaining the imbalance of too many workers for too few jobs. This allows them to make virtual slaves out of yet another generation of Americans. And once again the Government is doing NOTHING to prevent it. Doubt me? Then do nothing and watch your job go away. Believe me? Do what Corporate America has always feared. The Baby Boomers joined together using their numbers for their own benefit. Organize as if your life depends on it. Because it probably does. -Exodus2007-

Comment 2/02/10: Since Oracle got the EU problem settled. They are cranking up full bore with SUN and Oracle. Looking for people with all kinds of skills in development & test... skills across the board. I am glad to see some IT hiring. Hope this helps some people in Austin. Anyone thinking they a 1 or 2+ and sit on the top of world ... just might be sitting on the toilet and clueless, because unless we join together, we are all eventually going down the drain. If they project only 30K HC for US, do you really think that includes you? -Young Lady-

Comment 2/02/10: I remember a couple of years ago when you received a Thanks Award, it was a nice small gift. The last couple of years the value of the awards have been less than the value of a meal for 2 at Burger King or McDonalds. It has been an insult to even spend the time viewing the cheap crap they would offer for free. The money would have been better spent and more honorable to give it to charity. -Dwindled-and-Gone-

Comment 2/02/10: http://d.yimg.com/a/p/uc/20100201/largeimagecrmom100201.gif -Gone_in_07-

Comment 2/02/10: Well the Thanks! was never a benefit program but losing it shows just how freakin cheap IBM has become despite it's record quarterly profits. Wonder what the real reason is for ending it? I guess IBM doesn't give jack $hit about teaming anymore. It's now No Thanks all the way. I guess I can forget about the spoon when my next born enters this world in a few months too. I hate IBM. -anonymous-

Comment 2/02/10: The "Offshore/Outsouce" section of the site contains 3-4 year old articles and many broken links. Any chance of refreshing that to current info? -FutureUnemployedIBMer-
Alliance reply: You're correct. Many of the links have expired, as most eventially do. Quite frankly, I have not kept that page up-to-date because the number of offshoring articles, over the past 3 years, has increased so much that we just carry them on our front page articles section, and after some time we relegate them to the archives page. I will probably be merging those two pages be cause the format of the Offshore/Outsource is also outdated. Thanks for reviewing the site and reminding me what needs updating. Appreciate it.

Comment 2/01/10: I read a lot of posts about what Obama is and isn't doing for/to IBM. The US govt will NEVER punish IBM. IBM has too much an influence on the DJI and the US and global economy to "punish" them in any significant manner. So stop hoping IBM will get it's medicine. -anonymous-

Comment 2/01/10: Hi, for those with questions about billing for COBRA payments with the extended subsidy, there is some useful info on Netbenefits.
I located the info by doing this (now, sorry that I didn't write down the exact tab names / links):

1. Sign in to Netbenefits with your SSN and password - just as you would do to check your 401K balance, benefits coverage, etc.
2. Click the Health and insurance (?) TAB (Located towards top of page, after you have signed in)
3. Read a brief notice about ARRA - American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, then go back to the TAB page
4. SCROLL down the Health and insurance TAB page, and locate & open the document with this title:
COBRA Subsidy - Questions and Answers (updated 1/21/2010) (Type:PDF, Size:17K)
View this Q&A to learn more about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA),
as amended on December 19, 2009 by the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010.

STILL, this is just a tip; you should also VERIFY the status of your COBRA coverage, AMOUNTS DUE ON YOUR ACCOUNT, DUE DATES, etc., in order to STAY CURRENT on your COBRA payments. That is, this isn't legal advice. :)
Alliance team, is it possible to post a direct link to the above referenced document? Thanks! -COBRA tip-
Alliance reply: If you have the links you refer to, then send them to us in a comment. We will post them asap.

Comment 2/01/10: Suggestion for Action: As IBMers, we are all naturally dedicated to our customers. We go the extra mile. That's just what we do. For one week across the US and Europe, and maybe beyond, I suggest that we don't go that extra mile. I suggest for one week, we all just work our contracted hours then switch off and go home. If you're not happy with the impact that will have on your customer, then work the hours, but don't record the extra hours for IBM in your time recording system. If we work to rule for a week, it will maybe make this company realize that it's gone too far, and its employees have had enough of slave labor, lay-offs, unfair ranking systems, forced relocations, closed pension schemes, and general misery. -piggynose-

Comment 2/01/10: IBM has discontinued the Thanks Award program effective today. Thanks IBM! I guess nobody is worth the $22 valued gifts anymore. -anonymous-
Alliance reply: Give yourself and your co-workers the gift that keeps on giving: a union contract. Join Alliance@IBM and get your co-workers to join. Grow your own committee of organizers, educate them on the value of a union contract, and then organize more of your co-workers, then become an Alliance@IBM chapter in your state, region, area, etc. You're never going to get anything from IBM that is better than a union contract with IBM. We are here to help you. Contact Us

Comment 2/01/10: The cost-cutting continues in the US... The "Thanks-Award" program has been discontinued starting today, Feb 1, 2010. There's no mention of any replacement. If you work hard for IBM all you get is an e-Card. -still_in_ny-

Comment 2/01/10: Sam Palmisano will continue to take away everything he can from the IBM employee while he can get away with it. Obama hasn't quite figured it out yet; but what has really destroyed America are the greedy CEO's like Sam Palmisano. Right now Obama is focused on the "fat cat" bankers on Wall Street. Obama will work on the greedy CEO's like Sam Palmisano next. Just wait and see. -IBMer-

Comment 2/01/10: I am so glad to be out of the hellhole called IBM. IBM = Inhumane Business Mess I feel sorry for those of you left who will probably get less severance once the ax does fall. The only regret I had was I didn't at least join the Alliance when I was in IBM. Thousands of you are in for a rude awaking soon. If you don't believe it then you soon will. -anonymous-

Comment 1/31/10: This is not about IBM but sorta close to home for me so I want to share it. My daughter has a friend whose father worked for Northwest Airlines. Then Northwest was absorbed by Delta, who told him that his job was now moved from Minneapolis to Atlanta. Property values are down, and the real estate market is very soft so the hobby farm is not attracting any buyers at the price he needs. And now, Delta says that his salary is cut by 15%. -Ain't there now-

Comment 1/31/10: Just heard that IBM Canada sold off it's parts department resulting in closing down it's 14th Ave location, if anyone visited 14th Ave before, it's a huge building, similar in size to Building #3 in RTP, not sure if anyone loose their jobs with this move but from the share size of the building I would believe somefolks either was part of the sell-off or was package out. This is the forth major IBM Canada location closed over the past few years in the Greater Toronto Area, (Moatfied, Wynford Dr, Baber Green and 14the Ave), only Buildings left in the GTA, is 79 Wellington, 3500 / 3600 Steeles Ave. -Zion-

Comment 1/31/10: Obama says it will deny tax breaks but it says nothing of stimulus money denial. If IBM gets more stimulus money and that covers the loss of the tax breaks IBM still would come out on top. The more likely action if Obama denies tax breaks to IBM is then IBM will make sure the USA economy suffers more. IBM will then start knocking down underutilized buildings like they have done in the past to lower any property taxes they have to pay. When are you all going to realize that IBM is not a USA company at all and it only exists for the greedy good of the elite IBM middle management on up and the rich stockholders (which most of the middle management on up are also). IBM will do all it can with its vast political lobby influence to get exactly what it wants: continued tax breaks with stimulus money. -anonymous-

Comment 1/31/10: I continue to feel sorry for those folks who have less than 30 years service in IBM and are less than 55 years old. Most have no clue what they will or have lost in future retirement benefits. But one day when they are retired they will lament that they were naive and didn't do anything like organizing to try to reverse the trend or try to change it. At least in my retirement I can say as an Alliance member I at least tried to do something about trying to change it even though I was RAed before 30 years service and before I was 55 years old without even a pension and retirement medical for my IBM labors. -sadntrue-

Comment 1/31/10: Third political party is needed folks! The Demopubs have ruined this country and are continuing to ruin it. We need a labor party. -dempubs-

Comment 1/30/10: Had pbc review over the phone. Was told basically you're competing with the best of the best (those that are left). You came in just below that razor thin line that divides 2s from 2+s. Try harder (if you're around next year) and you might cross that line. Either way, there isn't any kind of monetary recompense as I did not walk on water on the surface of the moon at high noon while singing Sammy's praises. Meanwhile, some landed resources protested and threatened to tender their resignations if their ratings were not improved from 2 to 2+ as they were truly not US resources but rather GRS who were told they *had* to come to the US. They were less than pleased that they were considered on par with US resources. Meanwhile, they complain about the hours that they have to work because the client wants face to face contact while offshore refuses to work their third shift. Fiction I was told had to be believable. This cannot be made up. -Georgie_Poorwell-

Comment 1/30/10: Let's all respond to the State of the Union address. Here is my post at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Subject: I have a policy comment on Job Creation

Dear President Obama,

I voted for you and supported your campaign in 2008.
I agree wholeheartedly with this statement from 2010 State of the Union address:
"It is time to finally slash the tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas, and give those tax breaks to companies that create jobs right here in the United States of America."
PLEASE APPLY THIS POLICY TO IBM !

IBM has been reducing its US staff for years:
2005: 133,789
2006: 127,000
2007: 121,000
2008: 115,000
2009: 105,000
In 2009 alone, IBM terminated more than 10,000 US employees.

Yet IBM continues to hire offshore. IBM’s 2009 hires were:
Asia/Pacific: 13,376
CEEMEA: 3,988
Europe: 2,923
India: 18,873
Japan: 868
Latin America: 7,112
USA: 3,514
Canada: 820
while IBM’s CEO Sam Palmisano was receiving personal compensation of over $20 million per year and asking for billions of stimulus dollars!
I would appreciate a reply. -Gorya-

Comment 1/30/10: Folks. Do not get your hopes up that the government will do anything promised in a speech. Continue to organize . It is the only way to be sure something will really happen.
Two politicians were discussing an issue one day . One said, " Your lying !" The other said " Of course I am but hear me out! "
The word "Politics" comes from 2 Latin words. Poli meaning many and Tics meaning blood sucking creatures. Both parties are now playing the election year game of what can we tell you that you want to hear that we really do not have to deliver so that you don't kick our do nothing asses out of office. Its their version of unionizing for job security. We have no card check even though the Democratic party, make believe friend of the unions, had an unstoppable majority . Do not swallow the Bullshit that Republicans could obstruct anything. The Democrats could introduce a bill and if every Democrat voted for it it would pass both the house and the senate without a Republican even casting a vote. The only thing the Republicans can do is make note of who votes for what ( which we ALL should be doing anyway) and bring up the voting records in the next election. Something we should ALL think about before we cast a vote for Anyone. Did they represent me and what I wanted. If not, Vote them out. The President hit the nail on the head when he said Congress needs to stop worrying about their own job security and start worrying about the U.S. citizens. Do not let them distract you with make believe issues . Even more important is do not let them divide you with make believe issues. The voters in Massachusetts got the attention of BOTH parties. Lets keep their attention by telling them what issues matter to us instead of them telling us what issues we should care about. Want tax breaks to go away for offshoring jobs? Flood your representatives with letters. Let them know you will not accept rubberstamping the party line with votes. Their job is to represent US not sell us on their parties talking points. This is the only way we will maintain any voice in our representation. One of the problems with organizing IBM is folks do not know how. Maybe if you are very interested in organizing you should volunteer to help with a political campaign. I'll bet you will learn all kinds of ways to organize a base . Expanding your horizons beyond a cubicle may help if you find yourself job hunting suddenly also. A question for the hosts. Does the CWA have offices in every state and would it be possible to have CWA people hold evening or Weekend seminars on organizing. Maybe an hour or so every week on different days so ANY companies people who are interested in organizing can get tips and ideas in person from experts without it being a special scheduled thing companies could spy on. Maybe Alliance could provide said seminars with a package pertainent to IBM . They have all kinds of continuing education classes at the Community Colleges so why not a how to organize a union class taught by experts. Management has seminars for how to bust a union. Why not have the unions hold seminars to teach how to organize. Maybe ALL unions could sponser said events.-Exodus2007-
Alliance reply: The AFL-CIO has held classes in various cities on organizing. It is only open to union activists recommended by their particular union, such as CWA and us. We have sent some of our key activists to these classes over the years. Those chosen have already shown some courage and interest in being public in their union activites. The Alliance is always willing to talk to employees that show an interest in organizing and are willing to do the work. This web site is also a virtual classroom with lots of info. We are looking at ways to expand that.

Comment 1/29/10: -NY member- You really think organizing will help? Well let me clarify the current situation for you and see if you should still feel the same way.. IBM employees are our greatest asset, but unfortunately, a bigger expense. But we need to continue to invest strongly in our executives. If we don't pay them obscene money they will leave and go to the competition. We don;t want that: the IBM stock price will go down. Hope you understand why employees don't get big bonuses or any real raises. WE HAVE TO DO THIS TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE IN A CHALLENGING ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT despite record earnings.. We have to do all we can to make sure IBM makes at least $11 earnings per share. If this means getting rid of employees, and in reducing or eliminating employee raises, bonuses, and benefits, we just have to do it. Just keep doing as much as you can for IBM! Hope you understand and Have a nice day,. From your IBM HR employee advocate -UNoWho-

Comment 1/29/10: re: outsourcing Understand that IBM like most companies are international, this restriction is only for companies that contract out services to foreign companies overseas, it makes for a good soundbite, but in reality, does nothing. Company A can hire IBM to do its IT work, which goes to China, which are IBM employees. This could result in more foreign companies being bought by IBM. -25andCounting-

Comment 1/29/10: You think that 'a layoff would be the best Incentive they could possibly offer me, because It would offer me Un-Employment insurance and the needed time to seek out another job.'
Really? My state's unemployment is at most $390 per week. Enjoy your job search. -to: Hopeful for a Union-

Comment 1/29/10: Be careful what you wish for. You WANT to be 'RAed'? Do you also WANT to try to live on $390 per week, max in my state?
If so, go for it. If not, either organize or try to keep your job. I went from $100K to $20K per year, and will get $0 per year in 10 weeks. Good luck. -be careful-

Comment 1/29/10: IBM will still get the tax breaks even with the continued outsourcing of jobs overseas. IBM will not tell the government the truth that USA jobs are being outsourced overseas and convince and sell the government it is just expanding it's overseas operations and this is not American IBM jobs are being shifted overseas. So they will still get the tax breaks and stimulus money. That's why the Pres. has Sammy as an unofficial adviser. -anonymous-

Comment 1/29/10: "Obama Pledges No Tax Incentives for Companies That Outsource-does That Include IBM? - "
http://purpleslinky.com/trivia/history/obama-pledges-no-tax-incentives-for-companies-that-outsource-does-that-include-ibm/
Finally Obama is doing something positive. I'm starting to like him. Hopefully Obama will kick Sammy in his fat A$$ for outsourcing over 10,000 of our jobs overseas last year. Instead of Obama blaming Bush for everything he start blaming the real jerks like Sammy Palmashito who have been oursourcing our jobs just to line his pockets. Hope and change is finally here! -IBMer-

Comment 1/28/10: Great must read article: Obama Pledges No Tax Incentives for Companies That Outsource-does That Include IBM?

http://purpleslinky.com/trivia/history/obama-pledges-no-tax-incentives-for-companies-that-outsource-does-that-include-ibm/ -Anonymous-

Comment 1/28/10: We need to demand pay raises for ALL IBM employees. Enough of all the wealth going to executives. Enough of buying back stock at billions of dollars. Enough of the PBC being used to drive down wages. Let's get organized! -NY member-

Comment 1/28/10: to -Glad2BeGone-, I applaud your testmony on the reality we as IBMer's face day to day and year to year. It is people like you that make a difference. I was one who worked 50 to 70 hours a week for several years and my last year of busting my ass was rewarded wtih a 2 on my PBC. I felt totatlly demoralized with no retribution of any kind, no thank you from my manager for all of my hard work, NO INCENTIVE TO CONTINUE TO BUST MY A$$ ANY LONGER. I no longer care about my performance, As in the movie Office Space, My only Incentive is to not get fired, I do just enough work to not get noticed and I don't give a crap if they fired me or RA'd me or whatever you want to label it. I have had it with this company and I would happily take the layoff. A layoff would be the best Incentive they could possibly offer me, because It would offer me Un-Employment insurance and the needed time to seek out another job. Of course I am scared of being unemployed, but at this point, I think it would be a huge relief to not have to work for this bastard company any longer. Here's to you Sam, kiss my a$$.-Hopeful-for-a-Union-

Comment 1/28/10: Great Article:
http://purpleslinky.com/trivia/history/obama-pledges-no-tax-incentives-for-companies-that-outsource-does-that-include-ibm/

Obama Pedges no tax incentives for companis that outdsource. Right on -Anonymous-

Comment 1/28/10: I was an IBM SWG executive in the US that ,they let go. I was unhappy at first by now thinking about it -I did not deserve to keep my job-while others lost their job:
http://purpleslinky.com/trivia/history/obama-pledges-no-tax-incentives-for-companies-that-outsource-does-that-include-ibm/
Obama Pledges to eliminate tax incentives for companies that outsource. Oh by the way I am completly unemployable and continplating a job as a bag boy on the coast of Maine- Where my summer home is. Drop by and say hello. Well talk about the job and the old days before I lost my soul. -Anonymous-

Comment 1/28/10: Wow, what a scathing review of IBM I just read at http://www.jobvent.com/ibm-job-reviews-C21
I hope you don't mind, but I couldn't help but post a copy here. Boy, oh boy, has IBM become a real bottom dragger of a company.

"From London — 01/05/2010
Where do I begin?

I suppose at the beginning. I joined IBM in an acquisition in 2001. Prior to IBM, I'd worked in IT for 15 years, both as a permanent employee and on short term contracts. When I joined IBM, I, along with my colleagues, was excited. I was about to become an IBMer. To me it stood for something. I was about to work for a great company with a great reputation.

How wrong I was.

Over the years IBM has showed its true colours as an employer time and time again. IBM is a greedy, immoral, dishonest, disrepectful, miserly, untrustworthy, lying, two-faced, bloated weasel of a company. It treats its employees with utter contempt. It has no loyalty.
As a manager, I have been forced annually to deliver poor appraisals to team members who have bust a gut for IBM. I have brought good people to tears by telling them that they are "relatively low performers". These low performers get no bonuses. These low performers get no pay rises. Year after year after year. Yet these same "low performers" work long hours FOR FREE, to keep this sick puppy of a company afloat. These low performers continually pick up the pieces when services off-shored in haste to India fall in an undignified heap under the supervision of inadequately skilled off-shore employees.
I've had enough of IBM. I've tried for years now to help IBM improve from the inside, to persuade my managers that we are damaging ourselves and our company in our approach to business. I've failed. I've now decided that I'll get out of this vile, decrepit bucket of an organization as soon as possible in 2010. For my colleagues' sakes, I really hope that IBM improves. Sadly, I fear that it won't.

As a footnote, I Ieave you with this. A good friend of mine, an ex-IBMer, lost her fight against cancer in 2009. I know she wouldn't mind me mentioning this. She had left IBM a couple of years prior to her passing. Her sons read her eulogy, which she had written herself before the end came.
In that eulogy she found time to mention how much she had grown to loathe working for IBM. This was a rational. capable, intelligent, funny, normal, brilliant woman. In her last testament to this Earth, she took the time to pen a couple of sentences on what a horrible company IBM had become. To me, that says more that an infinite number of monkeys blogging for an eternity on IBM could do (I include my self in the number of monkeys). Think about it, if you had one speech left to make in this world, how deeply would you have to dislike your employer (or ex-employer) to rubbish them in that speech?" -Glad2BeGone-

Comment 1/27/10: Do not worry about being a first one. Many of the FIRST ones attended a meeting in a Po-town hotel 11 years ago. Some of us went public back then and are still working at Big Blue! -anon- (moved from jobcustreports)

Comment 1/27/10: What really needs to happen first and I do mean first is an organized strike. Two weeks in the USA and IBM would drop to it's knees. The executives would freak out. It would show the power in numbers and people would join the union. Joining a union with a strike first = job fired. Look it up, how did the unions get started at Ford, first everyone walked out. Conditions were so bad like they are now at IBM, everyone went on strike then the unions happened. -anon- (moved from jobcustreports)

Comment 1/27/10: I think that tonight we need a state of the union… -PurplePeopleEater-

Comment 1/27/10: Did IBM take any stimulus money to crerate jobs in America? If so Sammy better give it all back. Sammy is cutting jobs in America, not creating them. Sammy is a two faced stinking liar. -OMan-

Comment 1/26/10: Re: just heard the most devasting news feb 4th. so it's really gonna happen
What's gonna happen? Sale of IGS? Layoffs? IBM abandons the US 100%? Gee, maybe you'd like to share the details with the rest of us? Departments? Divisions effected? Numbers? You're just sparking panic at a time when nobody needs it with statements like that. -anonymous-

Comment 1/26/10: I was part of the Class action won against IBM. I left IBM after 23+ yrs back in 2007, since I will not be 55 until 2011, is that when the settlement will be paid to me once the defined prior pension (what's left of it) begins monthly payments ? Good Luck to all IBMers', I still have many friends at IBM and they are miserable! -anonymous-

Comment 1/27/10: On Banding Together: I was thinking on similar lines. Fear is genuine; the question is how we can band in spite of it.
Let us say Alliance (or a brave leader) rents a room or a house of a friend (to be safer) and announces a meeting. Can we not ask for id of each visitor and get a written certification that they are not working for management? Will that avoid to infiltrators? I think most of us recognize the need for a union but unable to overcome the fear. If we can debate and come up with a mechanism to work in spite of fear I think we are there. -IBM-Markham-
Alliance reply: Why not make it simple? Why not start with people you know are not managers, and are in agreement with you about organizing? Avoid all the issues with "a written certification that they are not working for management". Overcoming fear doesn't happen by constructing elaborate schemes to be secret. Start with 2 or 3 people you know. Build it from there. Once you have 10 people, you are sure of; then have them come to your house and create an organizing plan, based on what you've learned by then. You then become a committee. You could also work toward creating an Alliance@IBM chapter in Canada. Contact Us if you want to discuss more details. We've done this before, we can help you. Sooner or later, with even a small group of members, you can be public about your intentions.

Comment 1/26/10: Agree that we need to band together. Problem is, those with jobs don't want to be the first one to sign up and get picked off like in a turkey shoot. What's needed is for a large number of IBMers from the same site to join all at once. Would the alliance consider coming to the city where a major IBM facility is located and organize an off-site info/sign up session...like in a hotel ballroom? I know the Alliance says that our privacy is protected, etc, etc and mgmt has no way to find out who's joined....but there are so many ways to hack into stuff nowadays that nobody is going to bet their mortgage on this assurance. -anonymous- (moved from jobcustreports)
Alliance reply: First, how are you going to guarantee a huge turn-out? If 5 people show up, it's not worth the cost of renting the room.
What's to stop an IBM manager from going into that hotel ballroom and identifying the people who come to sign up? There's absolutely nothing and no one to stop them. Everybody's privacy would be lost. Of course, we'd argue, that going public is the smart thing to do anyway.

Comment 1/26/10: I too watched the NFL football games and saw the IBM Smarter Planet commercials. My 16 year old daughter was watching them with me. I said nothing after they went off, and to my surprise my daughter asked me what was the the commercial's message as she could not figure out who/what the audience was that they were aimed at. I said they were IBM's propaganda. I told her IBM is well aware of the fact they have an image problem (as an employer) and that the commercials are just IBM's way of making the uninitiated masses think IBM is one of "The Good Guys". My daughter said "It didnt work, they didnt fool me!" I said, "Yeah but you are growing up in a house that has seen what IBM does to it's employee's. Most people dont have that advantage". It's too bad The Alliance doesnt have an advertising budget like IBM's. I can see the campaign now. "YOU'RE an IBM'er?? You're going to create a smarter planet but you're too STUPID to know enough to organize?? Yeah right". -Anonymous-
Alliance reply: Calling people "stupid", in a hypothetical advertisement to get more members, would defeat the purpose.
That's not how organizing works. Alternatively posed, "You're going to create a smarter planet? How about organizing IBM toward a contract and a unified workers voice in the IBM workplace, as a first step?"

Comment 1/26/10: Rumors have it, layoffs 1Q in GBS , across the board: operations, practitioners, etc. I didn't post in job cuts b/c I don't have specifics. -anon-
Alliance reply: Please let us know when you do have specifics.

Comment 1/25/10: just heard the most devasting news feb 4th. so it's really gonna happen. -from a poughkeesie friend-

Comment 1/25/10: First, I'm a paying-dues-member of Alliance. Second, can you please help me understand the privacy statement in regards to posting, telling of non-disclosed (e.g. RA) info, etc. to Alliance? Is there anyway IBM can legally find out who said what? Thank you! -anonymous-
Alliance reply: IBM cannot obtain any information about our members, without our permission or our members permission.
All members information is confidential, and will not be shared with anyone without expressed consent of said members. We will not deliberately post IBM-Confidential information on any of these comment sections. IBM RA packages are not confidential. In fact we regularly receive these when their are job cuts. It is the only way we can prove job cuts. We never give out our sources. We do not divulge confidential documents sent to our national coordinator that have been sent from employees who found a way to mask their identity. We do not post those documents but it gives us insight into IBM plans and actions. If you are concerned about some information you may have posted; Please contact us and we can discuss this with you, if you are a member in good standing. link--> Contact Us

Comment 1/25/10: Watched NFL football games on TV and seen the condescending IBM commercials. "smarter planet" just like "OnDemand" (guess that one is passe now) ,gee, buzz words, all smoke,all mirrors. It gives the impression that IBM can solve ALL the world's problems so we become a "smarter planet". A computer or information system even with people supporting it doesn't fix everything. It simply can't. It can't feed you, cloth you, or wipe your a$$. Next will IBM say it can help prevent natural disasters???! I feel these IBM commercials are referring to us ALL as being lacking and stupid. I also wonder how many of the employees saying "I am an IBMer" in these commercials are now a former IBMer who were forced out in an RA or left on their own. A "smarter planet" for IBM would be one in which the employees get a voice for themselves since IBM gives them none even on a TV commercial. -UNIONProud-

Comment 1/25/10: Can IBM weed out and punish an employee for joining the Alliance? What happened to the Alliance members handing out leaflets in the cafeteria? I don't see them anymore. With all this talk about remaining anonymous posting on the board here I'm wondering if IBM management is going on the offense now to identify Alliance members and fire them. Sounds like McCarthyism to me during the Red Scare. -I'mNotACommie!-
Alliance reply: IBM has been consistently busy trying to fire everybody; regardless of being an Alliance member or not. The reason that the flyers have stopped being handed out is that those IBMers could have been moved to another area, state, or even country...or their jobs could have been offshored along with many other non-alliance members. We've lost members, just due to the general job cuts; not because they were members. The point is, organizing takes stubborness and perseverance. It also is successful when those organizers can get new members to help them hand out flyers in the cafeteria. There's nothing wrong with being a secret member of Alliance@IBM; it just isn't as effective as being a public member. There's also something to be said about IBM's reluctance to fire someone who is openly pro-union and a member of Alliance@IBM. Actually, that is illegal to do. Going public and following the rules , so that IBM canm't trump up a charge against you, offers more protection than being a silent member.... I'm just sayin'..

Comment 1/24/10: Ain't using work computer to post here. There are many other ways to post here use a computer in your local library your iPhone, iPod at wi-fi hotspots. Use your voice to make a difference. -Anon-

Comment 1/22/10: Just heard that on the US East Coast, they plan to let go 250 CSR because they have too many, since work has been taken over by 3rd party. Funny, there is not a mention of it here. That is a lot of people. Those are the repair people, carry tool bags and our first interface with the customer. I think they are under Global Services. Can some one please respond to confirm? -Young Lady-

Comment 1/22/10: I ain't worrying posting comments as long as my comments are strictly my viewpoint and facts. This is America our freedom of speech is protected by the first Amendment in the Bill of Rights. AllianceIBM may get my ip address. So?! You can always change your ip address by unplugging the power of high speed modem for more than five minutes. For more information go to www.whatisyouripaddress.com
Come to think of it how would they know the comments were mine, when I do not write my usual style and there are more than 10 people using the computer and four of us work for IBM. Use your powerful voice to share with us or to tell us the truth! -Go Saints!-
Alliance reply: We advise against using your work computer to visit the Alliance@IBM web site; regardless of how many people use the computer. Using IBM company assets for other than IBM business is a no-no. Check your "Business Conduct Guidelines" booklet. IBM can break their own rules; but you can't. IBM can very easily trace the time that our URL was accessed and deduce who was using the computer at that time. Be wise and don't use it to visit us. Even a union can't protect you, if you deliberately break the company rules, in most cases.
On the other hand; If you are disciplined or fired for organizing a union, and you have followed the rules for that; then you ARE protected by the NLRA (National Labor Relations Act-Section 8). This is why being public about your pro-union position has more protection than being secretive and breaking the company rules. If you want more organizing details, Contact Us

Comment 1/22/10: EVERY RA is an indication IBM can't make their profit targets due to declining revenues, sluggish sales, and rescoping of existing contracts. Even though IBM pulls seemingly record profits don't be fooled by this: IBM is storing up as much good news as it can muster with these so called record profits but still IBM is in a decline: an entity can't exist forever on declining revenues. Eventually capital runs all but about out and then any expense cutting will no longer work to turn anything around. -da_facts-

Comment 1/21/10: -Mistressofthei5-, in regards to the 100 best companies. IBM has not been on this list for many years. This is not my accident, it's by design. They don't want to be good because they don't want US employees. Their intention is to aggrivate employees with hope they will leave/quit. Therefore no severance. Same for no raises, bonus pay, reduced benefits, etc. IBM wil never be a good place to work again, period. -worstCOtoWorkFor=IBM-

Comment 1/21/10: Re: the Indians/change records and Argentinians steady state/after hours.
This is obviously account specific. I deal with both geographies mentioned, and for India, it's quite the opposite. We are refusing to do their work for them. Their role on my account is to cut tickets, so we are refusing to do it for them. For Argentina - I work with them as well, and they take the after-hours calls and do plenty of steady-state work. However, I agree with the fact that the US is constantly bailing them out of jams. And will go one step further, that the US bailout of offshore teams isn't captured in any reports by management. -anonymous-

Comment 1/21/10: Fortune's list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For:

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2010/full_list/

Funny....I don't see IBM listed *anywhere*!! How'd that happen? Golly gee whiz...why didn't they make the list? <snickers> -Mistressofthei5-

Comment 1/21/10: Yes, somehow in it's traitorist, tortured logic the Supreme Court equates bribing politicians with free speech, which goes to show that the Supreme Court may be a bigger, stinkier cesspool than even Congress. This decision won't really change anything, just make it easier for corporations to buy politicians, which they already do without much trouble. It will just allow our 'representatives' to stuff even more money in their pockets while they sell out the American people. -anon-

Comment 1/21/10: Doesn't IBM have to maintain at least a specific number to fullfill the agreement for the tax breaks under PILOT for NY State? I thought that number has to be over 10,000 employees for E.Fishkill. Correct? If IBM cannot supply an exact number of employees on site then NY State needs to go after them. As taxpayers in NY State the taxpayers should demand it if the NY state government (a bunch of do nothings who have no clue of a budget, let a lone a balanced one, is) doesn't have the balls to. I guess it doesn't matter if IBM gets big breaks with taxpayer money from Iowa or New York or any other US state. IBM just is not forthcoming on the employee population information. They need to be NOW. -anonymous-

Comment 1/21/10: Ok, boys and girls..it's official. Corporations can donate as much money as they want to, to Government candidates and representatives; no matter what party. You can bet that BOTH parties will be going to THAT waterhole quite often. Democracy and the rights of $20k a year working people are officially lost (although I believe they've been lost since the Johnson Adminstration). Welcome to the United Corporations of America. You can forget about unions having any power to stand up to these a$$holes, anytime soon. We're screwed, now..officially! Disagree? Let's hear your argument. Here's the link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/21/AR2010012101724.html -synonymous-
Alliance reply: I won't disagree with you; but just add that unions also are included in this ruling as having the right to spend as much money as they wish, as well. Of course, we all know or should know that Corporations; especially IBM, have more money to throw at our representatives than unions have. It's a matter of numbers. So your point is well taken.

Comment 1/21/10: And IBM wants Fed Stimulus money (our taxes) after THESE performances???
http://www.progressivestates.org/node/24445 -annonymous-

Comment 1/21/10: Last year at this time IBM reported its record earnings, then started dropping people the same week. For those who have forgotten so quickly, it may be interesting for you to read the comment archives here. As IBM has released its results for 2009, and the speculation of what may lie ahead percolates, it seems all too familiar. -Pickles-
Alliance reply: Excellent point. Here are some archives: archived visitorcomments ; archived jobcutscomments ; archived pbscomments

Comment 1/21/10: The Indians are refusing to submit change requests for work the US team members will do, but expect to be rescued when their own work runs into trouble. The Argentines are refusing to work on steady state or after hours. -anonymous-

Comment 1/21/10: what the benefit of a union would be: Alliance , thanks for the response and info -Union thoughts-

Comment 1/21/10: With regard to IBM not telling Iowa what they got for their multimillion dollar investment, leaders and decision-makers in our states and cities need to see copies of articles like this Chris Young one:
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080727/BIZ21/80725017
plus the one on Iowa and the 2008 New York "no Fishkill layoff" deal, before they again consider offering IBM incentives to locate in their jurisdictions. --

Comment 1/20/10: Regarding IBM's latest earnings announcement... Is Mr Loughridge serious?
"Through layoffs, attrition, retirements and firings, IBM eliminated more than 1,000 positions in Dutchess and Orange counties in 2009. That brought the company's mid-Hudson payroll below 10,000 workers for the first time in a decade. With the bulk of its growth coming from overseas, IBM has shifted jobs to those markets."
Wow, this really makes me feel good working for IBM. I bet Mark Loughridge got a big fat raise and big fat bonus too. IBM is doing such wonderful things to give back to America to create jobs and help rebuild our economy. Yeah, right.. IBM is selling the American employees out big time. And Mark Loughridge is getting big and fat and rich by laying us off. What an A$$hole. Sammy with Sammy Palmisano who is behind all this sellout of the American IBMer. -IBMer-

Comment 1/20/10: What is going on with labor board appointments http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100201/hill_iglitzin -NY member-

Comment 1/20/10: To further the discussion on the value of a union contract: VIABLE ALTERNATIVES TO MERIT PAY EXIST Thousands of union-represented UC employees enjoy the step-merit pay system that combines cost-of living increases with a fixed merit increase (or "step"). These UPTE-CWA-represented employees are guaranteed specific percentage increases keyed to levels of performance. -member-

Comment 1/20/10: -Union thoughts- If you get fired (eh, RAed) then what good are your chances for a better salary and promotion? You have me confused to what you are trying to say. We need to unionize in the Alliance to keep and protect as many jobs we presently by collective bargaining with IBM management and then secure better pay and career, job opportunities which IBM is not presently offering to us also by collective bargaining. Employees interested in getting raises and promotions might actually be better with a union but if you don't strive for a union you will never know. -UnionYES-

Comment 1/20/10: In regards your front page statement on Iowa. Good job on holding IBM's feet to the fire on not telling people how many workers have been hired with $52 million in taxpayer handouts. -member-
Alliance reply: Thank you. It has been sent out via fax and email as a press release to political leaders, unions, community groups and the media in Iowa. It has also been sent to IBM.

Comment 1/19/10: >what the benefit of a union would be.
I'm not too concerned about being fired as much as I am interested in seeing how it could increase my salary and help me to get promoted. Does the union promote by years of service coupled with good performance reviews? Also is there usually a COLA negotiated in the contract agreement. Thanks for the other site info but a lot of the info was not too specific. As for ignatz713, I am sorry for your situation. I wish you luck. -Union thoughts-
Alliance reply: The union is not necessarily, directly involved in promotions or performance reviews, in most cases, when under a contract. A COLA can be negotiated in a contract agreement; but it is up to the union members to decide whether a COLA will be included as one item of a number of items negotiated. FYI ... we are some distance away from having to make those decisions and negotiations. What's required now is action and organizing; while seeking to understand more about the advantages of having a signed and agreed upon, employment contract for IBM employees.

Comment 1/19/10: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away - I was still working for IBM. I was interested in retirement questions and answers. I compiled them all in a Notes DB and someone (sorry I forgot who) took it and made it available on the web. The info is dated but at least can get you thinking... http://wb9zph.homeip.net:1180/ibmretirement.nsf -Neal Watkins-

Comment 1/19/10: More on IBM's lack of information on Dubuque employee number.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/global-cio/security/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=222301244&tcss=global-cio -member-

Comment 1/19/10: Google is taking a hard line on China's internet censorship. I wonder what IBM's stance is on Chinese censorship? If IBM Is not addressing it themselves then it is not sending a good message and is like an endorsement that it tolerates the censorships practices on IBM's info. networks. We need labor unions to make sure corporations like IBM can be more ethical than they are. -anonymous-
Alliance reply: IBM censors also. Email from the Alliance and the web site are routinely blocked by IBM.

Comment 1/19/10: >what the benefit of a union would be.
-Union thoughts-, Isn't having a hand in how and when you are FIRED enough of a benefit for you? It would have been for me if I had the chance to vote, but I was too fearful to do more to bring in a union and a written contract. As, Obviously, were the 10,424 loyal longtime employees FIRED with me in 2009. Let's hope the remaining U.S. employees have a bigger set. -ignatz713-

Comment 1/18/10: Must be nice to work for a technology company that actually gives bonuses to its employees when they make money!

http://blog.oregonlive.com/siliconforest/2010/01/a_little_more_on_intels_new_bo.html

A little more on Intel's new bonuses

By Mike Rogoway, The Oregonian
January 18, 2010, 4:34PM

While I was out Friday, my colleague Jeff Manning wrote about the employee bonuses Intel announced
after its strong fourth-quarter numbers last week:
Employees will now receive additional sums equal to 12.4 days of normal pay under the company's Employee Cash Bonus Program. The company will pay those bonuses on Jan. 27. A week later, Intel will cut another round of bonus checks. The amounts will vary depending on each employee's financial targets set by the company.
In an example provided by the company, an employee whose bonus target was $7,000 would receive $27,440 under the program.

I asked Intel for more detail today. While the company wouldn't tell me how much Oregon employees will get total, it said these two bonuses are the highest it's paid out since early 2001 (following strong results in 2000)

The first bonus is worth about 12.4 days of pay, 4.8 percent of annual pay, according to Intel. The second starts at about 4 percent of annual pay, the company said, and rises depending on each employee's "bonus target."

That works out to the equivalent of 23 extra days of pay, if I do my math right. Intel pays the bonuses at the end of this month and the beginning of February.

They are on top of the $1,000 "Thank You Bonus" that Intel paid at the end of last year. The company has over 15,000 Oregon employees, more than any other business.

Early last year, at the recession's height, Intel withheld its usual performance raises and reduced its regular bonuses. -Forced Retiree-

Comment 1/18/10: Is there a place on this site that describes what the benefit of a union would be. I mean some details of what would be negotiated in a contract. I only see complaints and vocal pressure and intimidation. Also how would the union affect the cost of goods for the company. Would this make it less competitive in this global market. Do you think a union would push more jobs out of the country. Thanks for answering.-Union thoughts-
Alliance reply: You can view contracts here: http://www.endicottalliance.org/professworkerunions.htm
As far as keeping work in the US; some unions such as CWA (our parent organization) have successfully negotiated contracts that have returned work to the US or limited work being outsourced/offshored.

Comment 1/18/10: http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=270156
Dubuque after 1 year. Anyone know the number of employees in Dubuque? -member-

Comment 1/17/10: Ibm India Recruits 5,000 New Positions in 2010 After Targeting 5,000 Management Initiated Layoffs Elsewhere :

http://bizcovering.com/major-companies/ibm-india-recruits-5000-new-positions-in-2010-after-targeting-5000-management-initiated-layoffs-elsewhere/ -Jim Jones-

Comment 1/16/10:
Country = USA
Union Affiliate = Alliance Local 1701
Job Title = was I/T Specialist (RA victim)
IBM Division = 1K
Message = Bravo to the Cepetel union in Argentina standing up to IBM! Let's all hope IBM does not take any retribution and IBM respects their right to oirganize with their representation! If IBM does take any action against them then all IBM unions need to stand in solidarity with them. -unionYes- (copied from international comments)

Comment 1/15/10: Thanks for the update on the IBM Argentina union election. Go Union! -NY member-

Comment 1/15/10: Join the union IBM alliance now to get a special union only tax break on Cadillac health insurance.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748704281204575003040695279432.html -Anonymous-
Alliance reply: Only applies if you have a union negotiated collective bargaining agreement. IBMers do not have one. All the more reason to organize and get a contract!

Comment 1/15/10: Looks like another good reason to be a union shop. Union health benefits will not be taxed now. Yours and mine will be. Scream and holler. Gnash your teeth in anger. Scream it is not fair. Point out it violates the equal protection under the law clause in the constitution but the bottom line is, Even the government treats you better when you are a member of a union with a collective voice. -Exodus2007-

Comment 1/15/10: What ever happened to the Employee Free Choice Act? Is organized labor reform just dead now? Where is some good news in this country for labor? -anonymous-

Comment 1/14/10: IBM 2010: Customers in Revolt: http://bit.ly/8YDDkB -Anonymous-

Comment 1/14/10: It was just announced to SWG Sales Staff that no commission will be paid until rep’s hit a minimum of 55% of their quota. So that means the months you are working to hit that #, you take home nothing but base.. -Good Times-

Comment 1/13/10: This Wall Street Journal report completely misses the IT sector.
http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/108558/even-in-a-recovery-some-jobs-wont-return
It ignores the high skill/good pay jobs IT lost through global sourcing. These loses, under the cover of recession driven layoffs, are not likely to return as the recession ends. It seems to me that there has been very little discussion of this in the media. -Anonymous-
Alliance reply: We agree. We encourage everyone to help the journalist fill in the blanks. His email is attached to the article.

Comment 1/13/10: I am very upset with the piss poor leadership in IBM. I though IBM trained their managers to be the best and treat their employees with respect. Unfortunately I found the opposite. IBM managers are self centered bigots interested in only themselves. Support the Alliance and let's get a Union going to put some sanity back in the IBM company and represent the employee. -concerned IBMer-

Comment 1/13/10: To TY - Re. job openings. The Dept. of Labor seems to have had an OOPS in the nov. numbers. The numbers have been revised twice now, with the end result showing a net job loss. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm -anon-

Comment 1/13/10: http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/systems_management/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=222300627
This reorg makes little sense. The only sense it makes to me is it's newly tcreated LOB's for LeBlanc and Rhodin's promotions. IBM says they need to be lean and mean. Then why do they ADD more Sr. VP's and expand management ranks? IBM is not in itself a smarter planet, especially with this reorg announcement. -anonymous-

Comment 1/13/10: Things you can do when the physical and mental abuse at IBM become too much for you.

1. Find another job and leave IBM. The problem is unless it is a union job the cycle of abuse will repeat to some degree and do you really want to always be the new guy?

2. Get a union job. Very hard to do because Union shops call back laid off workers before they hire new people. Its usually one of the first protections in a labor contract.

3. Save yourself the trouble of job hunting and trying to find a union job by organizing IBM and making YOUR job a union job. This way you keep seniority and keep working with the people you have worked with for years. Its certainly a Win Win situation for you and your co workers. Talk to them about how much you enjoy working with them and how you would like to keep it that way by organizing into a union. Its good to be conservative when it comes to conserving your job and your friends and all the things that are good about them. Eliminate the fear of the unknown. Get it in writing. Get it in a contract. Once its gone its too late. -Exodus2007-

Comment 1/13/10: Interesting comment (quote) in the following article about the Google attack by China
(http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9144221/Google_attack_part_of_widespread_spying_effort?taxonomyId=13&pageNumber=3).
The article says at one point "... China built its economy processing products for export, but it is not known for cutting-edge research and development. The country has been taking steps to spur innovation within its borders, pressuring multinational companies to build research labs in China and developing the talent to eventually replace these businesses with indigenous competitors."
So great job IBM for opening all these Labs in China and other malicious countries that can't be trusted not to mention for exporting software development over there!!! -Anonymous-

Comment 1/13/10: -GettingReady- It depends on each USA state's unemployment laws. Consult and read them first. Usually, if you decide to leave on your own, it is considered quitting and you generally are not allowed to apply for unemployment benefits. If you can prove you were going to be forced to quit due to improper actions or treatment then you may be able to qualify for unemployment insurance benefits. If you are RA'ed by IBM and offered the severance package to sign then IBM initiated the termination so you should be able to apply and receive unemployment benefits. If you were terminated by IBM due to performance (a PBC 3, consecutive PB3's), but you did not do anything unlawful or malicious, then you also should qualify for unemployment benefits.This might apply to those with the GDC's: If IBM says your job is moving to another area and you decline it is a real gray area for unemployment benefits I feel. It could be said you are leaving on your own since IBM is still offering you employment that you refused, since you did not take up the move or relocation. In this case I would consult your state's or the state you work for IBM in State Labor Office to have them clarify it for you if they can. -unemped-

Comment 1/12/10: Hi Alliance, Like many, I follow the news wrt unemployment and its positive side: HIRING.
Now over the past 2-3 months, I have seen quotes like this, and I would like your help to clarify the statement about hiring of 4 Million. If truly 4 Million are hired each month, well, gee, we can get to 0.1% unemployment in four months. IS this article correct?
http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/12/news/economy/jolts_november/index.htm
'Hiring: Employers are still cautious about adding workers, as the pace of hiring remains near its low since the Labor Department began tracking hiring nearly 10 years ago. The survey showed that employers across the board hired just over 4 million workers during the month, up just slightly from the month earlier.' -TY-
Alliance reply: It doesn't say hiring 4 million each month. It says for the previous month. Don't make the assumption that each month thereafter will show a hiring of 4 million. It could be 2,000 or less..or it could be 10 million... but I doubt it. Statistics can be run to show anything you want shown in a particular way...good or bad. Don't get your hopes up, that IBM will begin to rehire in large numbers, anyone they RA'ed in the US. It's unrealistic, in my opinion. Anyone else want to comment on this?

Comment 1/12/10: Follow-up question to my earlier one: If you "agree" to leave IBM are you allowed to collect unemployment? In what scenario are you not eligible for unemployment? -GettingReady-

Comment 1/11/10: Interesting article:IBM Management Initiated Separation Rule for The Day in 2010:
http://bizcovering.com/e-commerce/ibm-management-initiated-separation-rule-for-the-day-in-2010/ -Anonymous-

Comment 1/11/10: Re: the Bench Process - while I'm not 100% sure - I believe it's 8 weeks on the bench then you are given some sort of package to leave/exit IBM. How long have u been on the bench? If you take acation/personal choice holidays that will NOT count towards bench time. So you may want to do that buy time. Although a word of caution if you do get the axe and you've taken ALL your vacation in January/February - you will OWE IBM money. Vacation is accured on a monthly basis. So, depending on when you were hired, etc. you may owe back quite a bit of money. Although, I doubt they put much energy into recouping funds from ex-employees. But, who knows. You really should be working CLOSELY with your RDM to find a project and to advise you on the process. I wouldn't waste any more time waiting for someone to contact me The current IBM doesn't help anyone - it's dog eat dog. Good Luck. -zlisted employe-

Comment 1/11/10: Has anyone figured out the new bench policy? Everyone I ask seem to be aware of it but very fuzzy about the details, including management. I'm on the bench right now, and it appears that so are a lot of others. Do we get a tap on the sholder after 4 weeks on the bench? Do we get offered to leave with a severance package? I think at that point you have a say if you want to leave or stay, but after 4 more weeks you do not have a choice: you are leaving IBM. My question is, do you still get the severance package? -GettingReady-

Comment 1/11/10: Great web site!!!! -Linda Guyer-
Alliance reply: Thank you Linda. But you need to take some credit for it; since you are the one that started it as our President, back in the year 2000(?). I just jumped on the already running train. Thank you again, for all you have done for Alliance@IBM.

Comment 1/11/10: "at IBM, "appearances are everything." It's not just IBM that has this philosophy, this is true of American society in general. Along with "steal everything you can, especially if you are already wealthy." -anon-

Comment 1/11/10: I was RA from IBM last year. I have not yet received my invoice for 2010 medical insurance payment. I hope the IBM ESC can shed some light on this. I also hope IBM has not changed their mind on the separation agreement I signed and is still going to offer the IBM TMP COBRA health insurance. Any other RA folks also have not received the invoice? -anonymous-

Comment 1/11/10: Half of all data centers are understaffed.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/111110-data-centers-understaffed.html -Anonymous-

Comment 1/11/10: To The Alliance: Saw your front-page article on workers organizing in Argentina. BIG difference between here in the U.S. and the Latin American countries: they don't just talk about what they are going to do, they actually do it. Remember, at IBM, "appearances are everything" (a direct quote from my last IBM psycho-manager). -Gone in 96-

Comment 1/11/10: "Clearly some have to be laid off if other staff is being reduced"
Sometimes these managers keep their management title as "staff managers" now. Even if they wipe out this manager's entire staff. They then become managers with no direct reports. There are many that fit this job classification now. That's how most IBM management get to keep their jobs. No such job for regular employees. They just get selected for RA. -anonymous-

Comment 1/10/10: This article, The Permanent Temporary Workforce, is among the better articles in today's environment of constant rants. Note the references to IBM, the bellwethers (sp) of killing off the workforce of the developed world, AND (I expect) the workforce of each 'growth market' country, in turn. Bless you IBM Board, for leading the charge to the bottom! I hope I die soon.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_03/b4163032935448.htm -RAed already-

Comment 1/10/10: Exodus2007, In regards Argentina, the percent of workers in that country who are union members is about 29%.
Here in the US it is 12% total. Only 7% in private sector. -member-

Comment 1/10/10: Re manager layoffs: Clearly some have to be laid off if other staff is being reduced, otherwise the company tends in the direction of 100% management. -IASSOS-

Comment 1/10/10: Labor laws in Argentina have to be much fairer and better than what we have in the land of the free and home of the brave (is this so when it comes to USA labor?). Give the Argentinian IBMers credit for having more spunk than the typical do nothing labor working American! Without strong and unified labor force I conclude the USA is in a freefall decline as an empire. It is going the way of all the other great empires of history: Egyptian, Roman, Ottoman, etc. to extinction. Pretty sad for the USA. -anonymous-

Comment 1/09/10: Congrats to IBMers in Argentina. Maybe they can send some tips on how they did it so quick! -Exodus2007-
Alliance reply: You have to remember that the labor laws are different and there are far fewer employees and locations/divisions.

Comment 1/09/10: http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20101080323
So does the $4,000,000 IBM gets from the government mean they now will have the capital to hire back some of the engineers they let go at TJ Watson Research in Yorktown Hgts. and Hawthorne,NY and maybe hire some other laid off IBMers who can help drive this project?
Now that would be true economic stimulus. But I think IBM will use the funds to further offshore engineering and research jobs out of the USA. -anonymous-
Alliance reply: $4,000,000 is not a lot of money, for IBM. But for American taxpayers and fired IBMers it's a lifetime fortune. How about Sam Palmisano asking for $30,000,000,000 in stimulus funds, last year, to create 900,000 IT jobs? I wonder if the $4 million is part of that? It would be real transparency on the part of this administration to let us all know that now, wouldn't it?

Comment 1/09/10: Enuff of Moffatt! Pleeze. Geez. If all the attention paid to Moffatt here and in other forurms was to organizing, getting a contract, and making IBM better for us non-executives we would be more of a force that IBM management and executives needs to reckon with! -4getMoeFatt-

Comment 1/08/10: Im a former IBMer 30 yrs guy - was resourced back in Jan2009 along with another dept member - ironically this yr 2010 - my former mgrs best bud (a former mgr) was looking for a job & wow he is now in his department - what a freakin scam. I feel bad for the other person that got resourced with me as she was a really low band. they actually should have gotten rid of some others - but its the good ole kiss ass club.. Im glad to be IBM free - no more BS. -Anonymous-

Comment 1/08/10: USPTO Awards LOL Patent To IBM: http://idle.slashdot.org/story/09/12/30/166220/USPTO-Awards-LOL-Patent-To-IBM
How AOL Will Justify Sending Jobs to India: http://gawker.com/5443232/ -Anonymous-

Comment 1/08/10: "Kerry A. Lawrence, a lawyer for Mr. Moffat, said last month that his client was not cooperating, although he was “engaged in discussions with the government.”
Moffat needs to reach a plea deal soon. When it comes to plea bargaining, the early bird gets the worm. (The most favorable deal) If the other defendants make their deal before he does, The Prosecutor wont need Moffat that badly. Most likely he wont be all that inclined to go along with a good deal for Moffat. -Anonymous-

Comment 1/08/10: Re: IBM ruined me for all other jobs. All I work with now are incompetents and idiots.
Not sure what part of IBM you worked in, but I'm in IGS US-based. I work with incompetents and idiots from the US on a daily basis. IBM is losing its skill and it's showing more and more each quarter. -anonymous-

Comment 1/08/10: Say what you will about IBM but it was the best job I ever had, the best co-workers, the best technology. My managers stunk and I was resourced but I will say this, IBM ruined me for all other jobs. All I work with now are incompetents and idiots. -SadButTrue-
(moved from jobcutsreports)

Comment 1/08/10: Here are some interesting articles. Who represents labor in these decisions.

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9143338/U.S._senators_urge_utility_to_keep_IT_jobs_onshore

http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/26124.wss -AlRa2009-

Comment 1/08/10: Your turn is next Mr. Moffat. Engaged ? Let's Make a Deal. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/08/business/08insider.html?hpw

Ex-Consultant Pleads Guilty in Galleon Insider Case
Excerpt:

It is unclear whether the remaining three defendants — Robert W. Moffat Jr., a former senior I.B.M. executive; Rajiv Goel, an executive at Intel; and Mark Kurland, a senior executive at New Castle Funds — are in talks with prosecutors about plea agreements. Kerry A. Lawrence, a lawyer for Mr. Moffat, said last month that his client was not cooperating, although he was “engaged in discussions with the government.”-Anonymoos-

Comment 1/07/10: Uuuhhh, Your friend? Hate to burst your bubble, but when I was RAed last year, several teams I know got totally hacked, INCLUDING the manager. I know personally 2 STSMs and on Director level who got whacked in the same RA in Jan last year, along with a few other managers. Of course fewer managers than non-managers will get hit, because there are just fewer of them. -RAed in Jan-

Comment 1/07/10: Joining the Alliance is a step to break those shackles from your wrists and feet. I reckon you realize it now. Wish others would realize they need to do something to try to break the slave mentality that is so rampant in IBM.. -anonymous-

Comment 1/07/10: -overtheedge- Yes it does resemble screeching. Its more like wake up before its too late. All the ex employees and retirees in the world cannot form the union. We can only support the effort financially and through our words and deeds. Only active employees can actually vote. Our frustration shows sometimes when we can clearly see the train wreck coming and so few heed the warnings. Watching people you know get slowly ground up in the IBM meat grinder can be horrifying. Even if we do not know them personally we know them situationally as we have all been there and done that. Thanks for joining us in the good fight. -Exodus2007-

Comment 1/06/10: Unfortuantely we are in a time now that to keep our job we need to kiss ass to IBM management. It makes me sick but I have no choice. I need a paycheck to support my family and put food on the table. My sicko IBM manager knows that he has the upper hand too. He continues to abuse me and make me feel like a slave. What a life I live. This really sucks. I feel like I have to say "Yes master.. anything you say master" . F**K the master! lests get a union going!!!! -slave-

Comment 1/06/10: Stop Discrimination Against Older Workers
Earlier this year, the Roberts Supreme Court made it easier for employers to disciminate against older workers. The timing of the Supreme Court's decision in Gross v. FBL Financial Services couldn't be worse. Since the recession began, unemployment for 55-and-over workers has jumped 143 percent. Layoffs tend to target older workers, but everyone who wants to work should be able to and no one deserves to be judged by their age or any other factor that doesn't have to do with their ability to get the job done.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/152657753?z00m=19817918 -Stop Discrimination Against Older Workers-

Comment 1/06/10: This is in response to Alliance's reply: Actually managers and team leaders have been RA'd/fired at IBM.
Excuse me, Alliance. You're wrong because it is very uncommon for managers to have been RA'd/fired at IBM. From what I've seen, the ratio of managers to employees is 1 to 1,000 or even more! Sure I would rather be an IBM manager. -Your friend-
Alliance reply: We agree that the number of managers fired is low compared to employees.
We didn't agree with the generalization that managers and team leaders were not fired.

Comment 1/06/10: Rumor has it that soon all STG SMB accounts will be manage by IBM Business Partners, meaning no more face to face sales / presales reps on SMB accounts, not sure how many jobs will be affected if this is true… -Zion-

Comment 1/06/10: I agree with -overtheedge- 's remarks. We are facing really bad times in and around IBM these days. We need to help each other whether we are an IBMer or a former IBMer and not snipe at each other to confront these bad times. IBM loves to see the sniping since it doesn't unify us. It then makes them better at "dividing and conquering". IBM has already segregated us so much (e.g. those IBMers who have a pension; those that have no pension, those that had a pension choice; those that were forced to the cash balance, those that have the FHA; those that don't get the FHA, those that are still employed; those that are RA'ed, etc.) It is true that there will be RAs but we need to stand united to deal with them. A good way to try to deal with them is to make it known to everyone who will listen that IBM is firing their USA workforce (as well as Canadian and UK workforces) so it might be possible to make IBM backpedal on their resource action plans since it will prove to be unpopular and unwelcomed news related to them. -sby_willie-

Comment 1/06/10: TO -overtheedge- Yes, General Custer, pick your battles, if you can..... As one who left on my own and is very happy, I say-- control your work habits and don't get burned out, to please IBM. Put Family life first and IBM at the bottom of the priority list -- and hone your RESUME, if you plan to continue to work...Remember, there are other fields to work in outside of IT. -no-ky-
Alliance reply: There is also something to be said for standing up and fighting back; which is what -overtheedge- is doing.

Comment 1/06/10: -overtheedge- No one wants you to quit IBM (that would not lead to anything good for you without another job lined up) and I for one know the job market is tighter than a drum in this still recession economy (I'm trying to land ANY job) but if IBMers don't try to do something constructively almost all IBMers in the USA will be RA'ed eventually in this IBM. The fact is the trend of IBM USA employees is steadily going down. It would even be heartening to hear that IBM isn't ADDING any USA jobs as long as they are not getting rid of USA jobs but this hasn't happened. Ok, you say IBM is abusing you but what are you doing about it? Are you for us and joined the Alliance or are you content to sit by and wait for your RA to happen? Also ex-IBMers, like those RA'ed or retired, still have to try to do something themselves to make sure IBM doesn't erode or even get rid of whatever remaining vested benefits (pension, FHA, retirement medical plans, etc.) they have now. I hope they join us in the Alliance too. -never4get-
Alliance reply: -overtheedge- has become a member of Alliance@IBM. We welcome and appreciate their support.

Comment 1/06/10: >What would you like us to do, quit?
Nope, not at all. What to do? Get a written contract. Support the Alliance. Realize that your days are numbered. Or, you too will be FIRED by IBM. You DO know that IBM WILL fire you one day soon, don't you? Unless you are management or a team leader. Your choice. -ignatz713-
Alliance reply: Actually managers and team leaders have been RA'd/fired at IBM.

Comment 1/05/10: re boulder, one article cites that the 500 mcjobs may be in place by 2014. I don't have time to research this, as I am unemployed. (Thanks again, Karen B****!) -RE boulder-

Comment 1/05/10: Unfortunately, the tone of many of the comments posted here continues to lean toward screeching at the other IBMers who haven't gotten their walking papers yet. The tone implies that when WE also get dumped, we deserve it. WE are not your enemy. What would you like us to do, quit? In an economy which does not support much hiring to begin with, there are those of us who are at additional major disadvantages because of rampant age discrimination, among other things. I'd like to get out from under the abuse I'm putting up with now, but the job market holds no opportunities for me, AND IBM won't care. It would just make it cheaper and easier for them to replace me with an Indian. Pick your battles. Stop sniping at each other. -overtheedge-

Comment 1/04/10: Hey -B'mo_Boy- Dehoff was only quoting his good friend, aka the Torch! As he put it at the last retiree lunch, "like the Torch used to say....." -Exodus2007-

Comment 1/04/10: -final check- asked, 'If we're let go this month, is the 2009 bonus lumped into final separation payment?' First, there is no guarantee of any bonus; you might ask your manager or the HR person who collects your badge on your last day of work. They won't answer, or will give you an evasive or unreliable answer - still, it is fun to ask. My personal experience: At least in 2009, and only in my experience, I received my 2008 bonus in March when the current employee bonuses were paid. Layoff in Feb, bonus check in March. Kinda funny when you think about it! The check was at least as good as prior years' checks... which supports the notion that the "RA" had nothing to do with performance. -To respond to -final check--

Comment 1/04/10: -final check- No. You'll have to wait (and maybe see). The GDP payouts have not been determined yet. Hopefully you will get the GDP (providing your manager does not PBC 3 you) when still active IBM employees get it. The GDP check should be sent separately to those separated employees when the GDP allocations are determined based on YE 2009 results. Please note: since you have no contract, IBM can just change the GDP provisions at any time whenever they want and can say that anyone not on the payroll when the GDP is determined that you are no longer eligible to get the GDP. IBM told folks that got RA'ed in 2009 (even those in Nov. or Dec.) that their RA severance package compensates for not being eligible for the GDP since to be eligible an IBMer needed to be on the payroll thru 12/31/2009. Good Luck. -GPD'ed-

Comment 1/04/10: I prefer to believe that the majority have so far chosen to not fight. This is far different then losing. When a union vote is called for and somehow a union is not voted into place, then we have lost. Until then, we are still organizing the resistance. It is not easy to ask someone to not compete to the point of destruction in our society that so avidly enjoys, nah, thrives on competition from childhood on and ask people to truly join together as a team and start thinking about what is good for all instead of what is good for me. It has never been a part of the IBM corporate culture even though buzzwords like synergy and teaming were used. IBM has always rewarded the people perceived by management to be the top dogs. Never the blockers, Never the sacrifice bunters. Never the leaders in assists. Now they do not even bother to reward the top employees. Only the executives get rewards. As more people realize that being top dog only means your cream of the crap to Management and you get screwed through benefit reduction and pension reductions just like everyone else does will the fierce competitors realize they are in a race to the bottom and change their outlook. As a C.E. I used to work with said, " Now that I have scratched and clawed and dug my way to the bottom, no one will get me out. " Now to amaze you. He said that 25+ years ago. Guess he was a soothsayer on the side. May the brave men and woman of the Alliance continue to stand for what is right, between their families and unemployments devastation. -Exodus2007-
Alliance reply: There will not even be a vote if we can not show the government there is sufficient interest. That means PROVING interest by the employees joining the Alliance in any of our 3 catagories of membership. There will not be a vote if we do not have strong public organizing committees throughout IBM signing up their co-workers.

Comment 1/04/10: If we're let go this month, is the 2009 bonus lumped into final separation payment? Thanks in advance -final check- (moved from jobcutsreports)

Comment 1/04/10: >>the employess (who) were slaughtered LOST long ago. War....LMFAO -Patton_not-

Yes, we did -Patton_not- . But it was due to our own cowardice and refusal to stand up and demand a written contract. IF the remaining 25% U.S. employees who WILL be fired in 2010+ also do not stand up and demand a written contract, they will lose too.

This is no laughing matter. Exodus2007 is correct, it IS war. So far, IBM is winning, both here and overseas. IBM decides when and whom to fire, and they FIRE, at will. The employees go quietly and the retirees and firees sink quietly into the background.

Only when this changes, with a written contract, will the balance of power shift to the employees.

NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEES, organize and get a written contract or be screwed and FIRED in 2010+. -ignatz713-

Comment 1/03/10: Exodus2007, We are at WAR?? Really? After following this for over 10 years, that's the funniest thing I've ever read. If this is a war, the employess were slaughtered LOST long ago. War....LMFAO -Patton_not-

Comment 1/02/10: Isn't it odd that the news keeps reporting about small business and how they create jobs... How many employees does a small business hire? 4 to 50. At what salary? I expect lower than the avg IT salary. Benefits? So my point here is how many small business employees = 10K IT worker's salaries? It is odd the news hops right over finding a way to keep people in the corporate jobs. Who is in what pocket? We are being picked off a few at the time and need to join together to fight. No one is going to help us but ourselves. (together) -Young Lady-

Comment 1/02/10: http://platosallegory.com/

Advice from Outside the Cave:

1) Join the union

AND

2) Solidify a Plan B, to ensure your survival after it's your turn to be tossed outside the cave. -anon4mail-

Comment 1/02/10: Good words, -never4get- . From the article: "But where those cuts will occur is anyone's guess." Wherever they occur, the balance of the employees will wipe their foreheads and go quietly back to work, until it is their turn to be FIRED. But hey. The remaining 25% U.S. employees had a YEAR to observe that 10,425 of their fellow employees were FIRED in 2009 for no reason except the greed of management and the executives, a YEAR to prepare and rise up, a YEAR to get a written contract, and did nothing. After doing nothing for TEN years. So, if all of the remaining 25% U.S. employees are fired in the next five years, it will be understandable. After all, IBM has to be profitable and give a return to the shareholders, right? Right. And let's see, I DID predict in May of last year that in May of this year it would be SO/SO, didn't I? Yes, I did. -ignatz713-

Comment 1/02/10: What are the real reasons that IBM RAs and eliminates USA workers and transfer their jobs to the BRIC's? The USA politicians and executives are saying the reasons are because the USA corporate tax levies are too high for companies and corporations to continue to do business in the USA with the global economy. This is not the real reason. Yet most of you buy into it. The real reason is corporate greed. The USA has been giving out liberal tax provisions and tax breaks (corporate tax reductions, PILOTs, tax rebatement, property reassessments, economic development zoning, etc.) to companies and corporations, yet corporations like IBM continue to export USA jobs to reap even more record profits and feed their greed machine. About IBM saying they need to RA workers to continually rebalance their workforce since IBM is a global company competing in the global economy. Well this IBM is trying to sell everyone on this statement. IBM has always been a global company and always was in the global economy, but until Gerstner and now with Palmisano, they pit IBM countries against each other instead of having them work autonomously as the Watsons had done. IBM under the Watsons did business all over the free world where it could. It didn't just do business in the countries it could make the most or biggest profits in. Now IBM favors the cheapest economic markets without regard to anything else. Why does IBM prefer to ramp up business in the cheapest economic environments? For GREED's sake to make the current IBM executives way reach beyond their dreams at the expense of the poor, exploited, overworked, and abused employees. -da_facts-

Comment 1/01/10: How long will the 2010 RA's folks be forgotten?
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091231/BIZ/912310320/-1/BIZ2102
Sit tight all you current IBMers. Happy New Year 2010? Pray you survive the next purge. Sounds like about 9,000+ will be gone soon. That's at least another 8% reduction in headcount for the USA. One in twelve of ya to be RA'ed. If you can't sit tight about this then please folks DO SOMETHING for your New Year's resolution. JOIN UP and ORGANIZE and get yourselves a contract. -never4get-

Comment 12/31/09: To anyone out there who has worked 15 or more years in IBM get a promotion?
Try working for a company that after 25 years you have been constantly side stepped and being never considered for a promotion when it took about 12 years to get a Bachelor degree in engineering when originally told that if you went back to school for that degree you would get promoted. Only to watch younger people coming over the threshold with little or no experience getting recognized and being promoted accordingly. Then asking your second line manager for a promotion and getting told that if he promoted you; that you could be considered for resource action! Respect for the individual went out the door at the end of the Watson era. -Promotion What-

Comment 12/31/09: From an older " Attitude" case to all you new ones. May yourselves and your families have health and happiness throughout the new year. Keep fighting the good fight. Management used to say " If assholes could fly this place would be an airbase and he would be Wing Commander". We need more Wing Commanders. We need to fill the sky everywhere Management looks with employees demanding a contract. Keep it professional. Keep it legal. But keep up the pressure in the new year. Nothing would be greater then dropping a weapon of mass protection on the Ivory Towers of IBM. An organized workforce. Do not delude yourselves. We are at WAR. Be just as proud of joining the Alliance as you would be joining MENSA. They are both the intelligent decision. -Exodus2007-

Comment 12/30/09: Happy Holidays to all from Africa!.. I fired IBM when I hit 55 this year (under the old plan) and Joined Peace Corps. Like many of you, I lived in fear of the next RA - worked through most of each year's "vacation" - and prioritized IBM over important relationships with loved ones. While looking back I regret some of my choices, I also have fond memories of many good people I have worked with at IBM. I wish you all the best for the upcoming year - and while it seems clear our once great IBM has lost its way, I'm hoping that you don't lose yours. Good luck. -I-Fired-IBM-

Comment 12/30/09: Good post, -never4get-, and your screen name says it all. Sadly, the 10,425 employees FIRED by IBM in 2009 are already forgotten. Due to large part to the current employees who think it can't happen to them and don't empathize and the management and team leader apologists and plants and trolls who want to silence those of us out of the 10,425 who (given a forum) will NEVER let the rest forget what a shameful, insulting, demeaning travesty was inflicted on the loyal, longtime employee in 2009 due simply to avarice and cowardice. You are correct, in addition to the bonii that have on it the blood of the 10,425, the remaining employees can enjoy their salaries and raises and attaboys. Thing is, they too won't see it coming when their team leaders and managers stab them in the back and put them on the 30 day walk out the door. Sad. The other 10,425 FIREES are welcome to join me here in supporting the Alliance with their voices and their pocketbooks, as are the retirees who will feel the pinch as IBM charges them more for their medical than they are getting in their sacrosanct pension check. The ONLY REMEDY for the employees is a WRITTEN AND SIGNED CONTRACT in 2010. Without it, they are, with all of IBM's best wishes to them as they are plotted about and executed: AT WILL EMPLOYEES. Organize or you too WILL BE screwed. -ignatz713-

Comment 12/30/09: Congrats to all IBMers who survived all of 2009 as an employee. Enjoy your growth driven pay come March payment. Hopefully it is something. Please remember those 10,425 folks RA'ed (most were not PBC 3's) that will get zip growth driven payment for their contributions in 2009 and took the fall so the IBM greed machine run by pig executives can turn a profit with declining revenues. IBM doesn't pro-rate growth driven pay but says that the RA package"compensates" for not being eligible for the growth driven pay. (GDP) program. Cruel and cold spin by IBM. -never4get-

Comment 12/29/09: -anonymous- , before I was fired, I knew someone who had 25 years who wanted desperately to get a promotion. She was told that SHE had to make a formal case to upper management, in writing (I forget the acrononym for this forms boondoggle that management invented), and after assembling her dog and pony show and proving WHY she deserved a promotion, it was still at the whim of upper management to turn her down. Neither management nor the team leaders, no surprise, would lift a finger to help her. She decided to forego the very labor intensive project (3-6 months of work and review), since she was up to her eyeballs in work, thanks to everyone in her dept. being fired, and try again next year. Hopefully in 2010 she will be successful. Then again, she could be fired in 2010, one never knows, do one? No, unless they have a written and signed contract, they do not. Prove that the above is a case of discrimination? No, of course not. Managmenet holds all the cards, they can twist the facts any way they wish. NB:AT WILL EMPLOYEES. -ignatz713-

Comment 12/29/09: a lesson for the IBM executives

http://www.theage.com.au/technology/enterprise/increases-at-apple-but-jobs-gets-1-20091228-lgob.html

excerpt:

"Mr Jobs did not receive a bonus or equity awards in 2009, the computer maker said in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. He has collected only $US1 a year in salary since returning in 1997. The Harvard Business Review this week named Mr Jobs the best-performing chief executive in the US, praising him for delivering a "whopping" 3188 per cent return to investors during his tenure." -iMac Fan-

Comment 12/28/09: In regards to "job stratification", who would want to get promoted working for a pig outfit? -oinkkkkk-

Comment 12/28/09: Anyone out there who has worked 15 or more years in IBM get a promotion in a non-management position lately? Job stratification seems to be the norm now in Big Blew. Unless you are in management of course where you have some more opportunities. I am sure the longer you work for IBM the less of a chance you have of moving up. It is a form of discrimination for sure but how to prove it? -anonymous-

Comment 12/22/09: To ho-ho-ho: I hear ya! Yes, a union contract would sure be my wish too! Otherwise 2010 will be the year IBM is the annointed Grinch. -anonymous-

Comment 12/22/09: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14040348 Some good comments on IBM's so-called hiring and tax breaks -anon-

Comment 12/22/09: Dear Santa, I would like to get a signed collective bargaining agreement in my stocking for this Christmas! -ho-ho-ho-

Comment 12/21/09: If all of our economy would collapse so that 30 dollars a month was a living wage that would pay for housing, food, cars, and now government mandated healthcare then I guess 30 a month would be ok. As we all know that will never happen because then the robber barons wealth would be worthless after a collapse of that magnitude then lets get back to reality. After some year end humorous quotes that almost are true.

"Are there no workhouses? Are there no debtors prisons? These are the institutions I support." Ebenezer Scrooge

"Are there no other countries willing to work even cheaper still?" Sam Palmisano.

"Well at least if they need a feeding tube they have the healthcare to pay for it, As long as a Federal Judge does not order it removed."
Harry Reid on passing a healthcare bill out of the Senate.

"Well they may have the tube but there will be no one to install it, We Doctors are not going to work for 30 dollars a month like this bill wants to pay us." A Spokesman for the American Medical Association.

"Even if they get the damn tube installed what will they put in it? We farmers are losing our farms so fast there will be no food available"
A Midwest Farmer

"We will pass a bill eliminating greenhouses so we will no longer be bothered with greenhouse gasses. This is so simple I can't believe no one else thought of this. People will just have to grow their own flowers so we can tax them on them." Nancy Pelosi

"I can see Russia from my front porch. Maybe Putin needs a running mate for the next election? At least they still have jobs in Russia. Todd, Load the boat, We are moving," Sarah Palin

"What Representation in Washington?" The American People

Organize NOW or you will be organized by the Government later.
"Everyone here for unemployment line up Alphabeticly ." -Exodus2007-

Comment 12/18/09: "Alliance reply: Actually, it is relevant to IBM. IBM Endicott announced to it's site employees; that they were building a plant in China that would be making thin-film technology circuit cards (SOTA). The employees would be housed in work camps and work at the new IBM facility 12-16 hour days. They would be paid $30.00 per month.....PER MONTH. Their pay would be sent to their families. That project was begun around the year 2000; in Shanghi, China. Believe it."
I believe it! My question is how come this same thing happens to our country over and over? We invented the transistor (Bell Labs) and developed the first pocket radio (Regency, Texan Instruments). The Japanese sent there engineers over to learn how to make transistors and radios and cleaned our clock with cheap transistor radios in the early 60's. Then Hong Kong did it to the Japanese in the late 60's. We need to get our wages in line with the rest of the world or we won't have any manufacturing jobs left in this country. Would you rather have a job making $30 a month or sitting on your ass on the unemployment line making $0 a month. It's a no brainer. Stop whining and get back to work. -Sammy's Cronie-
Alliance reply: You have it backwards. We need to raise the standard of living for working people, not lower it. Your view is simply that of the late 19th century American robber barons; that decided they were 'benevolent' , 'charitable' and would "allow" the poor people to use the owner's means of production to make a very few, wealthy. Labor unions formed quickly and recognized the social misogyny and they organized. Over one hundred years later, the Corporate robber barons are at it again. This time they've convinced people like you, that your labor is not worth the price they pay you. They've also convinced other countries, that are languishing in poverty (unbeknown to you, apparently); that they will 'allow' their workers to use their newly built means of production, to once again, make a very few wealthy. American industry convinced the countries they nearly bombed into oblivion, that "our way is better". We've even convinced a Communist country to operate as our bank, in exchange for our means of production tools to aid their poverty stricken country. The Chinese still hate us; but they own $2 Trillion worth of treasury bills , mostly American.
Our idea is "to raise all the boats in the harbor". That can't happen if you are scuttling some boats, and just watching as the tide comes in to raise the ones NOT being scuttled. IBM even scuttles boats they just finished building (if you allow the continued analogy). They're moving jobs from places like India, to Vietnam and Belarus... All while Sam Palmisano uses his "Fuller brush salesman" pitch on the president and tells him that $30B would bring 900,000 IT jobs to the US ( as he fires 5,000 US IBMers the same day). You really need to stop believing everything Corporate Amereica keeps telling you, or "you'll go blind". No offense intended to the sight impaired.

Comment 12/18/09: Nice to see fine upstanding American corporations such as IBM bringing back that wonderful institution from the 16th century, indentured servitude. I soon expect the US government to legalize outright slavery. Why not, they already legalized torture -anon-

Comment 12/18/09: I recommend this site: http://www.ibmthewidowmaker.com -Gorya-

Comment 12/18/09: I realize, this isn't relevant to IBM, per se. However, on this evening's NPR (public radio) broadcast, there was a story about furniture manufacturing moving from NC to China, over the past several years. The NC employee made either $15 or $30 per hour - I think it was $15, which is perhaps $30K per year (plus any benefits). The China employee makes 70 cents per hour. She states she is very happy (was the factory or party steward standing by?) because she no longer has to work in the sun on her subsistence farm. And, she and her husband live in a small (apartment, or room - I didn't catch that detail). They sleep on a box spring; apparently no mattress. And they are happy. And there was discussion as to whether this is slave labor? I would say, well, yes. Except the business owners - in the US - Do Not Care. -Hmmm-
Alliance reply: Actually, it is relevant to IBM. IBM Endicott announced to it's site employees; that they were building a plant in China that would be making thin-film technology circuit cards (SOTA). The employees would be housed in work camps and work at the new IBM facility 12-16 hour days. They would be paid $30.00 per month.....PER MONTH. Their pay would be sent to their families. That project was begun around the year 2000; in Shanghi, China. Believe it.

Comment 12/18/09: Ok. Let's review. Govt. will not save your job. They will not protect you from anything. Doesn't matter whether it's local state or federal. Reason? Because Global Corporations and wealthy business people own this country and this Govt. The American consumer is like an addict that is continually enabled by 'things they should buy and use' . The Corporate CEO's don't shop at Kmart or Wal-Mart or Target or even Sachs. Those places are for the little people. Do you work for a big Corporation? If you do, you have to follow their rules... But they don't have to follow their own rules. Americans have been cultivated, through consumerism, to be the endless and mindless suppliers of Corporate wealth and power. How can you expect anyone that works for these conglomorates to fight back? We have been taught, since the 1980's; that we must support this 'economy' by working for less wages and spending more on non-essentials--ranging from McDonald's to Mattel Toys--only to be disappointed that it doesn't help make us happier. We're in too deep and we will drown soon in debt and the political maneuverings of the Corporate whores that continue to keep us under. Learn to swim the hard way. Fight back & join a union. Then try to help others do the same. -anon-en-ron-

Comment 12/18/09: Hard to believe that people would not opt in to a class action lawsuit because the 'don't want to hurt their employer.' The same employer that abuses them daily. That's why this union will never fly. Way too many mindless sheep at IBM now. I don't even feel sorry for people like this, just disgusted. At this point they deserve everything they get. -anon-

Comment 12/18/09: "The odds are growing against the company as they source work overseas." You think Sam and his pals care about the future of IBM? They're only interested in looting all they can then leaving before the hollowed out remains of IBM crash and burn. You would think the stock holders would care but I guess they have the same short term, 'get mine now and screw everyone else' mindset. We are now living in an age where criminals have taken over most of our institutions (government, business, religious, etc). Future generations will hate us for allowing it to happen. -anon-

Comment 12/18/09: -Gone in 96- I did some more digging and that is exactly what Glassdoor has done. If you go under My Account then select Reviews, you can see if your review was rejected. They don't tell you why but they do let you edit and resubmit it. I think mine was rejected as I did have a line in about IBM repeating the problems of the early 90's and being overloaded with management (all DPE, BAM, and RDM positions could be removed with little or no impact to company). I've removed that line and re-submitted it, so let's see if this one makes it. :) -Incognito-

Comment 12/18/09: TO: -Anonymous- (moved from Job Cuts Reports) In my new job I am in charge of IT and purchasing. We "had" all IBM servers at this place. As it came time to refresh hardware the IBM servers were replaced with HP. My choice! IBM called me from Brazil to renew maintanance contracts. Sales people called me to sell me new IBM servers. I laughed at all of them. What you say is true. I will not buy or recommend IBM to anyone. Now I have the power!
To -Retired- : I also opted into that lawsuit. The other sheep on my team did not for fear of retaliation. My manager targed me and one other opted in person for the first round of ra's. I know the manager knew I opted in. The company gave them that list to help them target people. After I left the company and got another job the checks came. It was bitter sweet to me. The sheep that stayed went through hell with 15% pay cuts and were eventually all ra'd anyway and got no money. Good for them. -Gone_in_07-

Comment 12/18/09 With regard to the class action suit, it will take a while from the time you're first asked if you want to opt in until you see money. I was notified in April of 2007, and had to return the card by a specific date in May. (If I hadn't, it was assumed I was not interested and I would be opted out.) In July of 2007, the case was reviewed by a judge as to the fairness of the settlement for all parties concerned. The judge ruled it was a fair settlement, so we were told there was a three month recision period where IBM had the opportunity to change it's mind. If they did not (which they didnt) in November the checks would be cut and mailed. A week prior to Thanksgiving two checks arrived in the U.S Mail. As noted earlier, IBM will know if you opt in. Trying to determine how much you might receive from the pamphlet notifing you of the case is impossible. I had no idea what amount I would get. Imagine my surprise when two checks arrived for a total of $12K. Please do not assume this suit will yield an amount like that. It could more, it could be less. I was not notified of this new suit, so I have no idea what the second suit is about. I'm only relating what happened to me with the IBM vs Rosenburg Overtime lawsuit. My advice is to go ahead and opt in. The reason IBM cut many people's pay was because if they did not make those effected non-exempt the problem the lawsuit was based upon still existed. Of course, IBM then said since you're all non-exempt now, we're cutting your pay by 15%. That, they did NOT have to do, but you know IBM..... -Anonymous-

Comment 12/18/09 I opted into Rosenburg, got a nice couple of checks. All the managers I have had from that time have been RA'ed... HA! A little advice; don't stay in one place, move around, take different positions, don't set yourself up to be a target. -hangin_in-

Comment 12/17/09 "Also, my manager eventually told me that he had received a list of names in his department that had received money from the lawsuit."
Why should your manager have been told or care that anyone in his/her department received money from this lawsuit? It's should have been irrevelant to the managers. If your IBM manager knew exactly how much the money was it makes it more disturbing. After all you don't get to know what money your manager makes or any bonus he/her makes. So much for IBM's "need to know" practices. Has IBM broken class settlement law by doing this? -anonymous-

Comment 12/17/09 I ran into a co-worker who had been RA'd shortly after the Rosenberg payouts. I asked if he'd filed and he looked at me and said 'Why would I do anything that hurt my employer?' Needless to say, with 27 years under his belt his employer let him go, backfilling him with offshore labor (though several others on his team that were let go were brought back converted to contracters). The bottom line is we all tend to put human motives on the corporate decisions. IBM isn't doing RAs because they don't like Us workers, they're doing what corporations always do: Maximize profit margins. The problem is the strategy is short sighted and doesn't account for the degradation of service as more skilled workers are replaced by cheap warm bodies. I work in ITD, and right now the group think at the upper management level is that the art of IT support can be boiled down to a set of canned procedures and by mandating compliance and awareness outages can be reduced to zero. This general dumbing down of their business offerings will pay dividends when customers start to realize the IBM brand is a costly but empty shell.
Like they say, 'You can get better service, but you can't pay more!' -IBM Tool-

Comment 12/17/09 Re new class action lawsuit. I didn't even know about the first lawsuit and obviously wasn't a part of it. BUT, my pay got cut 15% AND I got no raise that year despite being a 2+ because "my wages were too high for an hourly employee" (*sigh*). Which means I'd NEVER get another raise. Didn't matter too much as my dept got RAed the following February. But I recently received a package for a new lawsuit for those of us who were reclassified? Am I opting-in this time? You bet. Nothing to lose here, and the company certainly hasn't done anything to inspire MY loyalty after working for IBM over 20 years. It's a sad postscript to my career. -RAed 02/2009-

Comment 12/17/09 To Incognito - I just wanted to take back what I said earlier about GlassDoor not deleting posts. I recently made a couple of posts that never appeared, and now believe they must have put in place a moderator who simply doesn't publish them if s/he deems them unacceptable. Doesn't stop the management hacks and wannabes who flame the critical posters though... -Gone in 96-

Comment 12/16/09 As a service driven company IBM should realize the cardinal rule...do someone right, they tell 3 people, do someone wrong, they tell 7. The odds are growing against the company as they source work overseas. They will die a slow death as everyone that's been RA'ed says they will never work or ever reccommend IBM again. -Anonymous- (moved from Job Cuts Reports)

Comment 12/16/09 I participated in the Rosenburg OT lawsuit. I received two checks totaling about $13,000. At first I was afraid to opt in, as I was afraid of retaliation by IBM. I discussed my fears with another IBM'er that put the following perspective on it: "The Exec's dont have time to worry about who opted in. The money that has been set aside for payment is already off IBM's books. IBM is settling the suit and the money has been written off, they dont care who gets any of it." That made sense to me so I decided to opt in. Later, after having received my checks, when the 15% paycut was announced, I fully expected to be hit, as others I knew that had opted in the lawsuit were hit. (They were also made non-exempt) For reasons that I'll never know, I was NOT hit with the 15% paycut, nor was I made non-exempt. There were a few others in my department that had opted in, received approximately as much money as I did, and did not have their pay cut either. I also knew a guy who did not opt in the Rosenburg lawsuit, therefore he did not receive any money, and he suffered the paycut. When the checks arrived, they had been cut by IBM as they had IBM's address of 1701 North Street, Endicott NY on them. So IBM definitely knew I had opted in the lawsuit. Also, my manager eventually told me that he had received a list of names in his department that had received money from the lawsuit. It was an IT Specilaist in Global Services. -Retired-

Comment 12/16/09 Anybody read the annual report sent out, the benefits plan for retired employees went from 436 million at end of 2007, to 54 million at end of 2008. I be interested in knowing what it is now -Confused-

Comment 12/16/09 In Rosenburg vs. IBM class action settlement, our managers were informed who was participating. I was surprised when my manager told me he saw my name was on the list, and told me senior management all knew. -anonymous-

Comment 12/16/09 IBM’s Sam Palmisano The Christmas Grinch for Thousands,
http://socyberty.com/issues/ibms-sam-palmisano-the-christmas-grinch-for-thousands/#comment-209477 -Anonymous-

Comment 12/16/09 I also received the class action notice. Sent back already! IBM is paying the settlement whether or not you join the suit. Might as well get my share of the settlement. -anonymousibm-

Comment 12/16/09 To Alliance: How do they sleep at night? On mattresses made of money! They don't even *pretend* it's not all about the money any more... -Gone in 96-
Alliance reply: I know. I was being sarcastic. Apologies to anyone I inadvertently mocked.

Comment 12/16/09 It would be nice to see some proof behind bold statements such as "Lawsuits" or "RA"'s etc. Without proof your post is nothing more than hype. Proof can be as simple as details known, sources, or actual documents. -Rumors-

Comment 12/16/09 "...does the company have any way of finding out who jumped on the bandwagon? -Pondering-"
If you got a class action notice then how do you think the lawyers and/or the courts got your name int he first place? IBM most likely had to supply your name since you fit the criteria for the class. I don't think IBM is concerning themselves who opts in for the class action. It is a collective action. I would think they consider everyone covered by the class action as joining the bandwagon. This is probably the reason that the 8K IT Specialist types got the -15% pay "adjustment" even though thousands of IT Specialists did not sign up for the Rosenburg vs. IBM class action settlement. -anonymous-

Comment 12/16/09 Instead of worrying about the RA rumor mill for 2010 why not make a New Year's resolution for yourself and join the Alliance@IBM? RA's can at the very least be tempered with a contract and collective bargaining contract. By joining the Alliance more folks could be spared a RA. Indeed, more RA's will come in 2010 if you continue to do nothing to stop them from happening. -sby_willie-

Comment 12/16/09 To Incognito - If GlassDoor removes a post, they put a notice that the post was removed. If you don't see the notice where your post should have been, I would have to guess your post did not upload. *Always* copy your post to the clipboard before hitting the Submit button (*not* that I ever remember to do this myself ). Also, please vote on the posts, especially the kool-aid drinkers who post 5-star reviews about how it is the best place they ever worked. -Gone in 96-

Comment 12/15/09 I would be curious to know what different Union Workers and Pensioners pay for healthcare? Do the Union Pensioners still get a group rate as they are still a group or are they getting taken for suckers like IBM does to us? The one part of this healthcare reform everyone seems to miss is that to qualify for any public option or the medicare or whatever else they come up with you must have no other insurance option. Because IBM offers you insurance you would not qualify no matter how high IBM jacks the price. You would probably be taxed because it would be considered a "Cadillac" plan in addition to your higher then average premiums. Only the poor folks Fired may qualify as Firees are only offered Cobra for a short while unless they are pension eligable. The reason I am curious about the unions prices is that will probably be the only chance for real relief any of us will ever see from this reform. The reform is not going to help people who have coverage, but it may help those who do not. If the unions prices seem real good I would hold them up as another good reason to go Union. -Exodus2007-

Comment 12/15/09 I've tried twice to post reviews on glassdoor. Each time they mysteriously disappear. I gave IBM very poor marks but the comments listed in the pros/cons were honest. It wasn't some hate diatribe against IBM, just an honest picture of what life is now like there. I hope it eventually shows up as I put an hour of my time into writing it. -Incognito-

Comment 12/15/09 Yes, $7,600 is not a good Medicare buy-in premium if a single person. That is about what FHA costs a retiree and I'd be hoping the medicare buy-in would be lower. For a couple, however, that is not bad considering, as I am hearing families paying $15,000, and heard $18,000 for private insurance. -anonymous-

Comment 12/15/09 And the beat goes on... http://assets.bizjournals.com/cms_media/austin/pdf/lawsuit.pdf -Anonymous-

Comment 12/15/09 $7500.00 for health insurance ages 62-64 would be a good deal. I priced out individual coverage for a 50 year old and it was $1000.00 a month or $12K a year... and that's without the health questionnaire that would have revealed a past history of cancer, and likely a higher premium. I'd gladly take those Medicare premiums. As bad as they may be. The researched prices stemmed from a near-RA experience in 2008 and your state might feature cheaper premiums than 1K a month. -Anonymous-

Comment 12/14/09 REGS BEWARE..MORE RA's to come in early 2010 -More To Come-
Alliance reply: What? I'm shocked, just SHOCKED, I say; that IBM would fire even MORE people in 2010. How DO they sleep at night? </sarcasm>

Comment 12/14/09 I received a notice for another class action lawsuit similar to the one from a couple years ago (that trigged a 15% pay cut for 8K of us). I didn't sign up for that one and apparently missed out on a 5 figure settlement check. I think I'll join the bandwagon on this one as I meet the criteria. Anybody else received this? Not exactly sure how it differs from the first one - at a relatively quick glance, it seemed to cover some similar aspects. Also, I noticed that IBM is not admitting fault, but rather than pay for all the legal proceedings, they're "settling".... -anonymous-

Comment 12/14/09 This is the 2nd, different, class action suit against IBM that I've received notice of. I was first afraid to participate the 1st time around but this has me wondering - what are the risks of taking part - does the company have any way of finding out who jumped on the bandwagon? Am I worrying for no reason? -Pondering-

Comment 12/14/09 As many of you know, IBMers and former IBMers are rating IBM on http://glassdoor.com (if you're not a member all you need to do is post your own rating to join for free). By default, when anyone checks out a company's reviews the list is sorted by Date + Helpful, with the most recent comments that members found the most "helpful" popped to the top. I'm writing to encourage you to take a moment (if you're a member) to view these four recent ratings and click on "Yes" by the "Helpful Review?" prompt at the bottom of each review so they get promoted to the top of the list new visitors see. It's essential that any perspective employees (especially Americans) know that IBM is no longer the kind of place anyone in their right mind should attempt to make a career.
http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-IBM-RVW340791.htm

http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-IBM-RVW334568.htm

http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-IBM-RVW325723.htm

http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-IBM-RVW317223.htm

Oh, and while you're at it (if you've read my glassdoor.com comment), skip over to jobvent.com and check out the IBM reviews there, then post one of your own. I did, and I also posted on on glassdoor.com when IBM laid me off in February. Here's a few choice reviews from jobvent that you might wish to comment on so the authors know someone's listening.

http://www.jobvent.com/review-of-job-at-ibm-R70351

http://www.jobvent.com/review-of-job-at-ibm-R69691

http://www.jobvent.com/review-of-job-at-ibm-R69385 -Glad2BeGone-

Comment 12/13/09 I was RA'ed from IBM in Southbury. I am still and will be an Alliance member. -Hanging in....- and -Help Alliance@IBM- I am with you always in solidarity. I wish others would join us either as a member, associate member, or even just a contributor or donor. Remember we are all been a part of IBM whether we are active employees, former employees, RA'ed, retired. A unified voice by being in the Alliance is our only hope for a better IBM for 2010 and beyond. I wish everyone, even the non-members, and even the union doubters who read this a safe and happy holiday season! -sby_willie-

Comment 12/13/09 What makes it even more curious of the date she gave that IBM hired it's first black employee is did anyone on the House Education and Labor Subcommittee challenge the fact? I guess the subcommittee doesn't know history or wants to revise it as well! I guess our union needs to educate these folks better so they don't get more of the taste of the IBM kool-aid. -anonymous-

Comment 12/12/09 To FutureHellAccount - With healthcare reform, it sure looks like Medicare will be available to those age 55 and up. Not free, but a good deal. Many have felt they would retire early, but found they had to wait until eligible for Medicare due to the high cost of private health insurance. Well, it is here (almost). -anonymous-

Comment 12/12/09 According to Maria Ferris, Director of Diversity, Compliance and Employee Experience at the IBM Corporation, testifying before a House Education and Labor Subcommittee: http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2656993/

"We hired our first black employee in 1899"
I wasn't there, having been born 40 years later, but I think IBM didn't exist at that time. -IASSOS- (moved from Job Cuts Reports)

Alliance reply: You are right. IBM was incorportated in June of 1911; twelve years after they supposedly "hired their first black employee...". The name of the company in 1905 was Bundy.
Here's a pic: http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/endicott/endicott_PH01.html
Here's a Chronology: http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/endicott/endicott_chronology.html
It just goes to show you how "history revisionists", like Maria Ferris, are seriously ignorant of history; because they never did well in that subject or course in school. The year IBM hired their first black employee is probably more like 1957 or thereabouts.
Shout out to Maria Ferris: You need to run for public office. ;-)

Comment 12/12/09 I know this has been discussed but I think some non-Alliance members need a reminder of this:
"Future Health Account
If you were hired before Jan. 1, 2004, when you reach age 40 with one year of IBM service, IBM sets up a tax-free account in your name to help you pay for the cost of post-career IBM health coverage. Each year-for up to 10 years-your account will be credited with $2,500 (pro rated for part-time employees), plus interest. You can begin using your account to pay for IBM health care coverage when you leave IBM at, or after, age 55 with at least 15 years of service (or, if you were at least 40 years old with one year of service as of June 30, 1999, if you leave with at least 30 years of service, of regardless of your age). "

So IBM can maximize it's EPS by getting rid of as many USA employees it can before they reach age 55 and/or 30 years of employment. And as you can see it is truly happening. The FHA is a carrot that IBM dangles in front of you for retirement health insurance help but it moves progressively further and further away from your senses by the nanosecond. -FutureHellAccount-

Comment 12/12/09 Sorry Alliance@IBM I can't become a member. I am sending a $20 bill today as I did in the past; postmarked from Poughkeepsie. I urge others; if you appreciate getting updates from Alliance@IBM please donate, five dollars, ten dollars or whatever you can to Alliance@IBM/CWA Local 1701, 435 Main Street Johnson City, NY 13790 for their staff, great work and website. Happy holidays -Help Alliance@IBM-

Comment 12/11/09 Well as someone that was RA'd in July '08 (after a 27yr career), and who has been unable to find another job (unless you count working as a driver's helper with UPS for 3 weeks over the holidays)- I find life after Big Blue to be just as stressful as when I worked there. Except now the stress is related to not having an income, the worry that I will never be able to find a job etc. But be that as it may, I have continued to maintain my Associate Alliance membership. Keep up the good work Alliance! I appreciate you being here!! -Hanging in....-

Comment 12/11/09 Are you saying they sold the Call Center, so the Client Reps have to interview at the new company. Or came up with a plan to make IBM employees interview for their same job? If they make them interview, then they can do that across IBM. How can people sit and not join the union? We have absolutly nothing to protect us. People, tell me please, when is enough going to be enough? -Young Lady-

Comment 12/11/09 RE: Just been told by friend in Atlanta Call/Sales Center in Smyrna GA that all client reps have to apply for the positions they hold now.... Something about the center must be changing, like ownership, for them to have to apply for a job they now hold. I recall instances in the past where workload was transferred to another company and the people had to apply for positions in the new company to do the work they were doing, usually at reduced salary and benefits. I can't see being made to apply for the job you have, if nothing else changes (?). -Curious-

Comment 12/11/09 >due to finances have had to drop their membership.

OMG, imagine having to do that and keeping silent? How sad. How amazing the mind control that IBM has over employees, past and present.

>if present employee is not selected to keep his job

Duh, the employee IN the job will NOT be selected FOR the job, the posting is a farcical formality. My idiot suckup team leader SENT me the job posting (due to his inability to edit) FOR my job that my overseas replacement applied for and was 'given'. 'Given' as in she wasn't qualified, but they were running out of time and applicants and they 'GAVE' her the job, for which I had to train her for 30 days under threat of no severance. So wherever life is going to next take these poor employees who don't have a contract, getting their current job while they are competing with an overseas replacement who is making a third of what they are making is a no brainer. They will NOT get the job.

>If people want to end the guessing games they need a union contract that managment must follow.

Amen. On the question of severance, heed the Alliance. IBM can threaten you with anything they wish to make up during your last days and give you all of the severance in hrXXXX, some of the severance in hrXXXX (NB the words 'date of hire or rehire'), or none of the severance in hrXXXX. They have the gold, they make the rules. Once you have a contract, you will have a voice. NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE, UNIONIZE, GET A CONTRACT OR BE SCREWED. -Ignatz713-

Comment 12/11/09 Just been told by friend in Atlanta Call/Sales Center in Smyrna GA that all client reps have to apply for the positions they hold now. The number of people effected in GA is 50-75, hard to know exact numbers. I do not know if the people in other call centers in TX and Canada will be doing this too. Managers of these teams have been applying for other jobs for last couple months. These jobs are supposed to be posted on jobs website starting next week so present employees will be competeing with employees from everywhere for their own jobs. The question came up-- if present employee is not selected to keep his job, will they be eligible for a separation pkg or are they out of luck? -Anonymous-
Alliance reply: Severance pay as part of the seperation package is not guaranteed. They are also "at will employees".
RA packages have included severance; but remember, IBM can change these packages at any time.
If people want to end the guessing games they need a union contract that managment must follow.

Comment 12/11/09 Happy Holidays to all that remain! It has been 2.5 years since I left big blow. Lots of stress, no sleep due to being on call, under paid, overworked. Constant threats of layoffs and managers who don't recognize good workers. I have to tell you all over and over again there is life on the other side. Now I am praised for my work, get good raises, real Christmas parties, not the joke of a morning gathering in Southbury where they had mini bagels and mini coffee cups, and oh yeah, a real Christmas bonus. My advice to those that are left, move on and get on with your life. Life is too short to work at IBM. Happy Holidays and good luck. -Gone_in_07-

Comment 12/10/09 I agree with anon (11/13/09) that discussions about Moffat are relevant because they help make the case for our union.
So here's the latest update: Moffat's lawyers filed yesterday for dismissal of the civil case.
http://www.businessinsider.com/ibms-robert-moffat-i-didnt-tip-galleon-2009-12
http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/former-ibm-executive-denies-galleon-charges
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aKD_vojOGoW8
I don't think the dismissal motion will succeed. The case is scheduled for trial Aug. 2, 2010. -Gorya-
Alliance reply: As soon as discussions on this board, about Moffatt, deteriorate to infantile and juvenile name calling and simple frustrated non-sense; THAT is when the discussion ceases to be "relevant" and ceases to "make the case for our union."
Your comments are obviously constructive and informative. We don't mind posting your links to articles that update us all on the progress of the case against Mofatt;
However, it still takes away from Alliance@IBM making it's own 'progress' toward bulding the membership to actually call for a vote to elect the union as your representative.
If you haven't already, step forward and join Alliance@IBM first, and then begin to organize your co-workers based on job cuts, salary cuts, pension loss, IBM tax breaks, etc. etc, INCLUDING your dissatisfaction and outrage with IBM Executives that commit crimes. Remember: Alliance Members dues pay for this web site and this campaign. Let's not waste the opportunity to build the union; while we constantly complain about what the IBM Executives are doing.
We've already got enough reasons to have a union in IBM. Let's all get busy and "Get'er done".

Comment 12/10/09 I have seen the posts by many here telling my co-workers to join the Alliance. Is it working? -member-
Alliance reply: Unfortunately it is not. There were Alliance members that were part of the over 10,000 jobs cut this year. Many are still unemployed and due to finances have had to drop their membership. For those still working the economy has put a severe strain on the family budget. The bottom line is that we are losing members and only gaining a few every month.
So we appeal to those that can: please join the Alliance as a full member or associate member.
The Alliance has been sending out mailings (not cheap) to hundreds of employees the past 2 months with information on the Alliance and encouraging them to join. For those not members on this board please join. For those that are members, sign up others.

Comment 12/10/09 Here's a link to a 1994 NYT story mentioning the demise of 2 of Lou Gerstner's fingertips by a lawn mower, an accident that took place around 1974....
http://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/26/business/on-the-road-with-chairman-lou.html?pagewanted=all -Think-
Alliance reply: This has been commented on enough. Please, no more TFL comments.

Comment 12/10/09 "TFL is an acronym for "Three Fingered Lou"... Lou stuck his hand in a running lawn mower a while back and... well you can guess the rest! -Anonymous- " LOL! An idiot that sticks his hand in a running lawn mower should not be running a company like IBM! -IBMer-

Comment 12/09/09 A lesson for TFL and Sammy: http://www.resumark.com/blog/sergey/why-is-it-better-to-avoid-layoffs/
Why Is It Better to Avoid Layoffs?

There is an old story about an expert that came to make one of the big companies more efficient. He saw a guy sitting at his desk doing nothing and recommended to fire him. The executive’s answer was that the guy came up with an idea that saved the company a few million dollars and was worth keeping on board just in case he comes up with another one. Layoffs are typically done by executives to please financial analysts focused on quarterly results. If the results are good, the executives get their bonuses.

If you are told that you could reduce your energy bill in half by cutting off half of your house, you’d probably not consider it a smart idea. But it often sounds smart to lay off half of the employees to save on payroll. The difference is that you can immediately see the impact of cutting your house while it may take years to calculate the impact of the layoff.

Unless a company has a lot of people getting paid to do nothing, each person performs a function required to maintain the company’s profitability. It could be a direct role as in manufacturing or indirect as in administration or marketing, but it generally brings some value to the company.

People are usually selected for a layoff by ranking against their peers: the top performers stay, the bottom performers leave. These rankings don’t take into account the health of the team, the value of the knowledge the employee has, or relationships between different groups. So the real value to the company is not calculated and actually, nobody knows how to calculate it.

What makes layoffs popular is that they are relatively easy to do. It’s much easier to tell people to go home than understand the real problem and perform complex restructuring or even eliminate executive perks. Layoffs give key resources to competitors, break relationships with customers, make the firm weaker and always negatively impact revenues (with maybe only temporary improvement). The layoffs are speed over quality and are generally done without enough research. Perhaps the most important argument against layoffs is that they betray the trust between employees and management, which is very hard to build.

PBC Rating make a diff ?

. . . .experience is that office politics plays a bigger role than performance.

Lessons Learned, Not! -Anonymous-

Comment 12/09/09 Heck, I've been plugging in That F*er Lou when ever I saw TFL... -Whoops-

Comment 12/09/09 TFL is an acronym for "Three Fingered Lou"... Lou stuck his hand in a running lawn mower a while back and... well you can guess the rest! -Anonymous-

Comment 12/09/09 >I like your posts too. But why do you call Lou "TFL"? Thank you, -Gorya-.
On TFL*, I didn't start this appellation. It began years ago (on another board where they also tell the truth) when he was talked about in derision during his heyday in the 1990s of screwing and raping the real IBMers. He told us to 'get over it' when we were raped and 'get a dog' if we wanted loyalty, as you perhaps recall. He was NOT a friend to the real IBMer in the 1990s, and yet has a lifetime no formula reduced platinum SERP pension, lifetime FREE medical, and a lifetime helicopter (plus more bennies, I'm sure), thanks to HIS CONTRACT. It seems the man who cared nothing for those who used his product at RJR and who came to IBM only to rape and pillage and plunder did not know that one should NOT put his fingers into a running lawn mower. I kid you not. Google it if you doubt me. The rest, as they say, is history. *By the way, TFL stand for 'three fingered Lou'.

>then certainly IBM could have dealt with a slight economic downturn...

Amen, -RacerX-, especially in a year of banner profits. Of course they could. They did. The slight economic downturn had NO bearing on the fact that they FIRED 10,425 loyal, long time employees in 2009. NONE.

Picture it, though. It began in 2008, and the ugly minds at IBM said to one another, let's WAIT until it gets even worse and let's drive our stock down, so we can THEN fire 10,425 employees with the excuse (I still have it on paper) that DUE TO THE ECONOMY we are laying you off (FIRING you) and sending your job overseas. Ain't it a hoot? And here we are, all these months later, and the employees are STILL too benighted to put their heads up and say, huh, wah, were we not paying attention and DEMAND a CONTRACT!!!!!!!!!!!

Sad, sad, sad, sad, sad.

Props to you, -RacerX-, for recognizing the truth. I too will never give up on the dinosaurs (not the troll dinos though) until the remaining 25% U.S.ers are either fired or there IS a contract in IBM. Either/or. When either happens, I will give up. My hope is for a signed contract in IBM and a union made up of free breathing, recrimination free IBMers who have FINALLY realized that they had the power in their hands and minds all along. Kind of like the ending of the Wizard Of Oz. -ignatz713-

Comment 12/08/09 To -ignatz713-: I like your posts too. But why do you call Lou "TFL"? -Gorya-

Comment 12/08/09 It is a sad commentary that people can be such simpletons (or management trolls) as to think that there was anything good about Lou Gerstner's tenure at the helm of IBM. None of the firings and other cost cutting measures taken by Gerstner were necessary. If IBM could weather the Great Depression without laying anyone off, then certainly IBM could have dealt with a slight economic downturn... which was created by the very executives who are now at the helm. Perhaps it is because it was the great Pension Grab of the late 90's rather than the death of full-employment that motivated some to unionize. As time goes by and those of us who remember those days are fewer and fewer, younger employees will need to get involved and point to how IBM's future plans will affect them negatively. I haven't given up on my fellow dinosaurs but it sure is getting more difficult. -RacerX-

Comment 12/08/09 Thank you, -Exodus2007- . Mighty praise indeed, from one so eloquent.
P.S. female - outed, banned, threatened (by board posters both at work and on some boards), and still bellicosely vocal, after all these years, to paraphrase Paul Simon. -ignatz713-

Comment 12/08/09 This time I do not rise to defend -ignatz713-. Instead I bow to his /her eloquence. My raw hatred of Lou's greedy destruction of friends and families lives just to pump up his stock options locked in at 34 bucks a share by his contract make it near impossible for me to write about him without degressing to wanting to mash in his face. Well written. As usual I might add. These boards should be considered the follow up story to Lou's book. Our stories should be called " Cleaning up behind Lou's Dancing Elephant". The inside story of employees fighting to save IBM from its own greed and poor management. -Exodus2007-

Comment 12/07/09 NYT News Services quoted Raju Narisetti, the editor of the second largest business paper in India, “Some very simple practices that you often take for granted, such as being ethical in day-to-day situations, or believing in the rule of law in everyday behavior, are surprisingly absent in many situations.” So what are our customers (and shareholders) getting as a result of IBM’s offshoring? News reports constantly remind us that less ethical conduct can seriously affect the quality and reliability of product/services. And, less concern for rule of law can lead to law suits over dangerous products, lack of concern of intellectual property rights and so on. -anon-

Comment 12/07/09 Still amused that there are Lou Gerstner defenders who believe he saved the company. The money he "saved" by laying off more people (and half my family) than any other company in history as of 2007 data, was then squandered on huge salaries and egregious stock options for him and his VPs. He also made some questionable purchases of companies costing billions of dollars just as the internet rendered made many of these company's products irrelevant. The problem now is that the upper management continues to promote those who think like they do. I support the Alliance and I too have a long memory about what happened in the 1990s. I never spent the salary increases I got. Saving money will be my way out of here, and a union is our only collective answer to protect ourselves from a sociopathic management. 25yrs_and_counting -Anonymous-

Comment 12/07/09 January court date has been set for the MULTI-BILLION dollar Apartheid trial in which IBM is one of the defendants.

http://www.legalbrief.co.za/article.php?story=20091207162353283

http://www.timeslive.co.za/business/article223454.ece -annonymous-

Comment 12/07/09 -Joe Punchclock- We received your comment. We'd like to discuss the content with you, offline. Please Contact Us and provide an email, so we can discuss this in more detail. We do appreciate your input. -Alliance-

Comment 12/07/09 >>I find the comments about Lou being the root of the evil somewhat amusing.

But TFL IS the root of all evil. Satan withdraws in horrow when TFL comes into a room.

I find these posts disheartening. I post sarcastically at the boards where I am still allowed to post because they would ban me otherwise, but at this board the truth is valued and posters are protected from IBM management and their apologists, and so I speak my mind, truthfully. Firing people as TFL did was NOT necessary. Keep in mind how he rewarded those who DID fire the poor souls in the 1990s and how his hand-picked successor Sammy Boy fired the poor souls in the 2000s while fattening his own wallet and how Sammy rewarded the managers and team leaders who stabbed the 10,425 in the back. And MOST OF ALL, KEEP IN MIND THAT BOTH TFL AND SAMMY BOY HAD/HAVE A CONTRACT. The employees who were FIRED by both TFL and Sammy Boy DID NOT.

Does anyone here have a contract, other than the managers and their lackeys who are spying here? No, didn't think so.

TFL saved s***. TFL was out for himself and killed people with his product at RJR. TFL thought only of himself before he came to IBM and thought only of himself after he came to IBM. He ruined the lives of thousands and thousands and thousands of IBMers. Sammy Boy ruined the lives of 10,425 IBMers in 2009. He will ruin the lives of thousands more in 2010, mark my words.

You had to live through TFL to realize what an SOB he is. Oh, and don't forget, good IBMers, past, present, and to come, that TFL has a platinum pension (no 3 formula reductions for him), lifetime FREE retiree medical (anybody here have that? no, didn't think so), and has the use of the IBM helicopter for the rest of his natural life. What's that you say, you have to pay for gas and drive yourself? Exactly.

So, disregard this post from this TFL suckup and all the other pro-TFL and pro-IBM and anti-IBM activist and anti-Alliance posts on all the other boards and especially on this one, good people.

Remember, the apologists THINK you are stupid. Prove them otherwise. GET A CONTRACT. NOW. REMEMBER!!!!!!!

AT WILL EMPLOYEES, unionize now or be screwed. -ignatz713-

Comment 12/06/09 The difference between Lou and Sam is only one of time....if there had been an opportunity to sell out American jobs in favor of cheap global labor during Lou's reign, he would have done it in a heartbeat. -Anonymous- (moved from Job Cuts Reports)

Comment 12/05/09 Business conduct Guidelines.. That’s a shame! They thought the same thing Years ago at the IBM Poughkeepsie site that Facilities was untouchable from vendoring.. As it turned out, a company called Grub & Ellis got the contract and all of IBM facilities including Emergency Control lost their jobs. The site was never again the same! Without a contract -It can and will happen to you!-

Comment 12/05/09 I find the comments about Lou being the root of the evil somewhat amusing. Sure, he fired a lot of people, but he also recovered the company from the break of failure. That can rarely be done without shaking up things, cutting fat from the organization and re-prioritizing things. There had never been ANY "cutting the fat" activities at IBM until then, ever. But, all of that is a HUGE difference between what is going on now, with IBM actively offshoring lots of employees to the lowest wage nation. I'm happy to buy Lenovo computers, but there really is very little IBM products or services I would be willing to pay money for these days. -nolongerblue- (moved from Job Cuts Reports)

Comment 12/05/09 I am one of those RA'd in 2009. But I also believe if Lou had not done what he did in reducing the work force numbers in the 1990's, there might not be an IBM today. Perhaps severance could be kinder, I'll agree it has cheapened over the years. -anonymous- (moved from Job Cuts Reports)

Comment 12/05/09 That little stirring you feel in your heart when you see your coworkers, friends and country get systematically abused, mistreated, fired and replaced for cheaper labor, and those left in your group under funded, understaffed, and grossly overworked to pick up the pieces; when the company cheats workers of benefits through co-employment schemes, then robs the rest of their pensions; not because the company is doing poorly, but in times where the stock price continues to rise on record profits; and you see these things done not for the long-term good of the company, but only for short-term greed and executive rape - that little stirring is God's way of reminding you of your sense of decency, morality and human dignity.
No more US layoffs! "Evil triumphs when good men do nothing". Let us not assassinate this country further, Mr. Palmisano. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency? -Joe Punchclock-

Comment 12/05/09 Guess IBM is pushing their CLOUD COMPUTING, Just got this email invite.

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Comment 12/04/09 Business Conduct guidelines?- Get on the band wagon. Say what! I spoke to the members of Emergency Control many times about the Alliance. They were all negative about it. The response was always "Joining will make us targets for a layoff and management has said they will never out-source EC" As long as they were secure in thinking Fishkill would not out-source them they had no use for the Alliance and sat back while other departments got sacked. Same old story, same old employee logic. I wish them luck in the law suit. Their new employer, Wackenhut, has a very interesting background on union busting . They have a way of making troublesome employees disappear. -*******-

Comment 12/04/09 -Arrogance&Idiocy- Very good article. Thanks for sharing it. I recently heard a Congresswoman, Jackson-Lee I think, Talking about how at her town hall meetings her constituents needed to shut up and listen to her so she could tell them all their problems were because the healthcare bill has not passed. Whatever she wanted to say became immediately irrelevant to me when she got the roles reversed. If she is representing them she needs to listen to what THEY want, not tell them what She wants. Its that mentality that is causing people on both sides of the issues to take to the streets because those who are supposed to listen to them have tuned them out. It is when the masses no longer feel they have a voice that revolutions occur throughout history. A congress with a 21 percent approval rating that is tuning out voters is a very dangerous situation no matter what party you like best. The American people have taken a beating financially and people vote their wallets. Rightys and Leftys are sick of bailing out businesses and getting taxed into poverty to pay for it. No one really believes we are not going to pay through the nose for this healthcare reform , we always get stuck with the bill no matter how noble or ugly the cause is. I hope someone in Washington wakes up and starts listening to the people in the trenches here in America. The party that really starts to listen and dialog will get my support and many others also I will bet. That is why this Union effort within IBM has Democrats and Republicans involved. Because no one is listening to us anymore anywhere. Throughout American history it always comes down to the comman man making a stand. I stand with the Alliance. I hope you stand with me. -Exodus2007-

Comment 12/04/09 To exIBMer on getting medical help. If you can 't sleep at night you are probably suffering from anxiety and potentially depression. My story actually gets WORSE, but was more of a threat to losing my job and prominent position on the account with the PE that was harassing me. I called HR about some other things going on at the account (did NOT give the details I mentioned in my post on the sexual harasser, although I made subtle hints that there was more to the story than I was revealing) and the HR lady basically told me to leave work, go see a doctor about time off. At that time I had already DONE that and told the HR lady that my Dr. had already suggested he write me a note for time off but I was afraid to do that because I thought things would get worse (I 'd be fired or given a 3). Anyway.. I think this HR person knew what I was going through or figured out that I shouldn 't be crying so much and probably didn 't want me going postal or suicidal at a client location. I really was a mental mess by that time (privately. I wouldn 't dare cry in front of others I worked with). I left work and went back to my primary care doctor for the note. He wrote the note but said (after consulting with others in his large practice) that I should see a real psychiatrist because if this went to court they would expect me to have seen an expert in medicine for mental health. That is was Psychiatrists do... I didn 't know that and I reluctantly went to one. I was out for about 10-12 weeks and I came back to what I 'll call a job I could do remotely in a field that required minimal learning curve. From there, my story gets worse. It 's almost unbelievable - especially to those who 've worked at IBM for many years. I am really considering writing a book. Eventually, my story at IBM got better and I stayed at my "safe " job - easy intellectually but plenty of OT and weekends but I got really good pay raises, awards, and bonuses. Then I was RA 'd. I always wonder if I had some target on my back - just waiting for the next massive Resource Action so they could get rid of me with minimal legal recourse. Anyway - my point is this. Seeing a Psychiatrist is what you need to do... I had to try 3 different medications before I finally felt better. It took about a year before I 'd say I really recovered. I "m not the same as I was before all this, I feel like I forget a lot of things and sometimes I 'm not as sharp and concerned as I probably should be. I am still on that medication although I am decreasing the dosage - the lay off put that on hold and the stress of a new job will delay that too I 'm sure. Don 't think that a Psych is for crazy people - kids with ADHD have to go to them for their medication. You can see what your primary physician will prescribe but having done that vs. the Pysch wrote you should just see the psychiatrist. The co-pay is $15 (through EAP) and you don't need to be pre-approved or anything if you are seeing a Medical Dr. under the EAP program. You can also call EAP on the 800 line - they were VERY helpful. And remember this....you WILL get through this. This will make you stronger. The medicine will help you gain control back over your emotions and your life. Don 't delay. There are many others out there who have gone through this and gotten better. I can attest to that. You may need get well first before the stress of the next job comes around. -Retaliate to the Retaliators!-

Comment 12/04/09 >>It is comforting to know that I am not alone in the IBM abuse.
Alone? Hell no you're not alone. Problem is, the other 10,425 are STILL afraid to speak out, lest IBM come out after their pension or pathetic medical, or some other reason. Hey, you're preaching to the choir here, -exIBMer- . Trust me, speaking out about the abuse and humiliation and degradation IBM put you through for the past however many years they insulted you is therapeutic. I know. I endured my manager and team leader for two years. Does it do any good? Only in terms of getting it off your chest, not in terms of yet making a difference. As you have seen from the those who have acknowledged me for my speaking out, it DOES reach some. And for that reason I will speak the truth for the next ten years, if it takes that. Will it wake up the remaining 25% U.S.'ers to get a contract before that? Time will tell. I surely hope so. BUT, you are quite right, -exIBMer- . YOU need to take care of YOU. If you need a doctor and a lawyer to get you well, you get them. IBM didn't give two craps about you, so you need to heal. But by all means, do NOT be reluctant about speaking up here. Unless I am mistaken, and the moderators WILL be the first to enlighten me, make no mistake, THIS is THE only place left to speak out about the horrific Nazi behavior that has befallen the 10,425 FIREES whose lives were ruined in 2009. Don't believe the words written by those who tell you it was 'just business'. It wasn't. It was horrific and life-altering and will not be forgotten, -exIBMer- , you can bet on that. I only hope the remaining 25% U.S.'ers take these words to heart, and demand a contract. -ignatz713-

Comment 12/04/09 Sam Palmisano - Obama Election ,Begs for Money, Yet Continues to Outsource Jobs,
http://socyberty.com/issues/sam-palmisano-obama-election-begs-for-money-yet-continues-to-outsource-jobs/ -Anonymous-

Comment 12/03/09 To Retaliate to the Retaliators!, Thank you for your post. It is comforting to know that I am not alone in the IBM abuse. The sexual abuse you endured should not be tolerated. It sounds like you have a good case for a sexual abuse lawsuit. I am having trouble sleeping at night from all the abuse I endured at IBM. I wake up just about every night with nightmares about my IBM experience. I am a little reluctant discussing it here since I want to talk to a doctor and lawyer first. Best of luck with your recovery from IBM and new life. -exIBMer-

Comment 12/03/09 Since Moffat outsourced many jobs in the Hudson Valley and being of reruptable fraudulent character many Emergency Control vendor’s who were former IBM’ers who lost their jobs and accepted forced pay cuts at East Fishkill NY have now file law suit based on business practices that were not justified because of his poor immoral lawful decision making background .. Maybe its time to get on the band wagon! - Business Conduct guidelines?-

Comment 12/03/09 >>It's working at that goddamn place that ruins lives.

That's why the employees need a union. Fast.

>>I was one of the 10,425 and getting fired from IBM was probably the best thing that happened to me in the last several years.

As it was to me, but perhaps not to the other 10,423 FIREES who perhaps weren't ready to give up their standard of living and their salaries, but IBM MADE that decision FOR them.

Remember, there ARE other people out there besides you and me.

I again assert that IBM RUINED THE LIVES of 10,425 employees in 2009 and that the remaining 25% U.S.'ers need a contract. Fast. -Ignatz713-

Comment 12/03/09 I'm a self-confessed lefty, and make no excuses; However, I came across this article on Truthout.org. "Ivy League Liberal Elitism Will Make Sarah Palin President - How Only Union Organizing Can Prevent It" It's worth the read... http://www.truthout.org/1111099 -Arrogance&Idiocy-

Comment 12/03/09 Check out this link to the "Top ten companies to avoid this Christmas"
http://airamerica.com/lifestyle/12-02-2009/top-10-companies-avoid-christmas/ Guess who's on this..? ;-) -what's_in_a_name?-

Comment 12/03/09 -Ignatz713-, This is a thank you for the help you've given many with your insight and thoughtful comments. They have gone a long way in bringing the truth to the forefront, and are truly appreciated.
-Retaliate to the Retaliators!-, Thank you for sharing what you have been through. This is a horror story and my deepest sympathies go to you for the abuse you've endured. I hope you are able to see some type of justice and reparation in the future. As you and many others have mentioned, the union/Alliance is the only way to go to guarantee any type of fair treatment. This company is no longer recognizable where the equity and respectability are gone, except what's guaranteed to the higher-ups. The safeguards have been pulled down, and the Alliance is the only way to restore them. -Former True Blue-

Comment 12/03/09 Attorney - If I'm interpreting your post correctly, you're saying that IBM made a deliberate attempt to protect/help Moffat by letting him retire. Had IBM fired Moffat, why couldnt or wouldnt The US Attorney simply perceive IBM actions as IBM being intolerant of him discussing IBM's confidential information with someone who was not employed by IBM? Sorry, but I just dont see how IBM's actions could be used against Moffat in a court of law. How would something like that be let in? I think IBM's actions would be ruled hearsay and would be inadmissable. -Anonymous-

Comment 12/03/09 QTR_CENTURY said "I don't understand why IBM wouldn't offer BuyOuts unless upper mgmt just likes screwing the little people." My belief is that they think that a voluntary BuyOut could cost them their "best people", but an RA is useful to cull the herd:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rank_and_yank Also, someone who would take a BuyOut might leave soon even without it, thus reducing headout further while saving the cost of a package. -Gorya-

Comment 12/03/09 -What-Matters-To-People-, I'm surprised. Since it now seems you are one of the new crowd whom IBM brought in at an overpaid salary with an MBA, I would have imagined you could have figured out that the estimable Exodus2007 was addressing another poster. It looks like IBM is not getting their exorbitant money's worth from you.

>>I couldn't care less what happens to you or your cronies. Why am I not surprised?

Those of us who were Raped in 1999 and Raped in 2009 DO care about our remaining cronies, even if they encompass people like you. Many of us who DO care about our cronies (such as -sby_willie-, another estimable poster), even the nasty ones, have been exhorting them since 1999 to get a contract. Sadly, they haven't listened and now the lives of 10,425 employees are ruined. In one year. And people like you don't care. How sad. For those who remain who are not like you, I wish them a contract and a speedy one at that. NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE, unionize or be screwed. -ignatz713-

Comment 12/03/09 Help me with the words, or will these do? "We the People of IBM, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Alliance@IBM." -- "Don't tread on me" http://www.foundingfathers.info/stories/gadsden.html -Joe Punchclock-

Comment 12/02/09 -What-Matters-To-People- How the hell did the GOP get involved?? I will not get into a political discussion untill the website puts a political mudslinging section under comments. I feel discussion of politics is irrelevant to organizing IBM. You pretty well sum up why it is impossible to organize IBM. I quote you " I fight for what is right to ME not for YOU. I couldn't care less what happens to you or your cronies." You see, I fight for what is right for ALL. because I do care what happens to you and your cronies. I hate to see good people used and abused. I guess you want a union of one. Yourself. I on the other hand want a union of many. Simply because it will take many to force IBM to the bargaining table. ReRead my post you were so offended by without the chip on your shoulder. Realize that no company will ever raise BRIC employees salaries to equal ours. They will try to force ours down to the BRIC countries levels. Making us poorer will not make them richer. As far as defined pensions I am not aware of a union that does not have a defined pension. Autoworkers, Steelworkers, Teachers, Government workers, Communications Workers all have pensions to my knowledge. That a union would be able to reinstate some sort of defined pension at IBM is a pretty good bet. You yourself even say it would be nice. I certainly agree. That improvements to benefits, defined cost of living raises and other things currently missing from the benefits at IBM can be negotiated also are a good probability. You are correct that some of these things may not be what everyone wants. but some of them will be. As far as a World Wide Union with equal pay and benefits for all. That sounds like the old " Workers of the world unite". Unless IBM U.S. can organize itself it will never happen. The rest of the world will probably organize long before American workers do. As you so correctly pointed out, the rest of the worlds situation is far worse then ours. I feel ours is far worse then the American worker realizes. I fear that by the time the American worker realizes that it will be too late. Once our IBM jobs go overseas they will not come back untill we cost less then the overseas labor. Period. The single point and common ground that everyone must agree on is the only way to achieve ANY of the things anyone wants is to be an organized union represented workforce. What the union then chooses to negotiate in a contract is where the particulars are discussed AFTER the organization has occured. In the comfort of your local union hall. Over your choice of beverage . Face to face. With no fear of reprisals. Now that sounds like a plan to me. -Exodus2007-

Comment 12/02/09 Update on Moffat : the reason he was allowed to “retire” was because if he was fired it would have been tantamount to an “admission of guilt” for the crimes he is accused of, thus he was allowed to “walk away.” -An-attorney-who-knows-

Comment 12/02/09 To Curious in VA re: voluntary separations. In general, no, if you have a good relationship with your mgr, you might be able to work out for you to be picked. A good mgr should prefer picking a volunteer, too bad good mgrs are a minority. The latest rumor uses acronym BOLD=BuyOuts, Layoffs, Dismissals, so there is hope for you. Since it would result in the savings IBM is looking for I don't understand why IBM wouldn't offer BuyOuts unless upper mgmt just likes screwing the little people. -QTR_CENTURY-

Comment 12/02/09 to Exodus2007, Too bad you have to relate someones comments as an attack. I was simply giving my opinion and you insult me by calling me a "Boulderite"? My whole point is that people don't care about your pension because it did not happen to them. Why get angry with me because my point is valid. Why not do a survey on the front page of this site and ask people if the pension taken away 10 years ago is really what matters to them? I fight for what is right to ME not for YOU. I couldn't care less what happens to you or your cronies. And the only way this Union will reach people is to find a common ground. I guess the reason the GOP is not the majority is because they DO NOT HAVE A CLUE WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT. -What-Matters-To-People-
Alliance reply: We rise to defend Exodus2007 on the use of "Boulderite". Someone else used that as their id when they posted (re-read the last twelve (12) posts). He was just answering them, not insulting you. On your point on what concerns employees the most, we agree there are many issues other than pensions that are of concern to IBMers.

Comment 12/02/09 Does IBM offer voluntary separations? -Curious in VA-

Comment 12/02/09 Excellent post, -Retaliate to the Retaliators!- , thank you for sharing the truth. Too bad there are so few other boards where you can tell your story.

>>My last rating, before I was RA'd was a 2.

So was mine. Before that it was a 2+ and lowered for no good reason whatsoever by my brandy new manager who didn't have a clue what I did, and I was told I could escalate if I didn't like it. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. IF I had a contract, I would have stood a chance with the managers she sucked up to.

>>For many of the 10,000+ there was no rhyme or reason

I would guess 'most' or 'all'. The execs just wanted to get rid of those who made too much (relatively speaking of course in relation to the overpaid execs and first line managers and suckups), were too old, and were too close to actually USING the employee health benefits that they were going to need because they gave their heart and soul and lives to for three decades. My, my, didn't we need a contract? Damn straight we did.

>>But mine was a result of speaking out about discrimination

My, my, now isn't that interesting. You mean they don't ENCOURAGE the truth? They only reward lies and kissing up? What DO you know? Good for you for not being part of the problem.

>>Any other ladies out there with similar stories?

Wow, no, sorry. How horrific. I only had to deal with stupidity and mendacity and backstabbing and humiliation and demeaning and ignorance. I'm sorry your experience was even worse. IF you and I had a contract, think how much better off we would have been. Now's the time (for a contract), 25% who don't kiss a**. If not now (for a contract), then keep reading here and be prepared to tell your horror stories, if you have the stones that is.

>>If you are not looking to leave IBM right now you should join the union.

Amen, sister.

>>What I 'm saying is true, this is who you work for now.

Amen, sister. After three decades, I couldn't believe what my manager and her henchman team leader did to me. But did it they did, and happily because they kept their jobs.

>>Believe it. It took me 5 years before I did, and now look at me.

Once again, amen sister. As the poster on another board said, NOW IS THE TIME TO UNIONIZE. -ignatz713-

Comment 12/01/09 To exIBMer regarding "I was RA'ed with a PBC of two 2's in a row." and the mental abuse: My last rating, before I was RA'd
was a 2. My last Variable Pay bonus was $5K and I got a 3% raise. Then they RA'd me. Prior to that I was a 2+, and prior to that a"strong " 2 for 6 years straight. For many of the 10,000+ there was no rhyme or reason other than they got all the PBC 3 's, many 2 's and I heard from a manager they even had to hit some 2+ 's just to make the organization 's number (GIVEN to them by the Line of Business GMs). As for the mental abuse...same here. But mine was a result of speaking out about discrimination (not being invited to meetings so they could sneak in additional scope for my team) and subtle harrassment (blonde jokes, pictures of half naked biker girls and rock stars in bras blatently displayed on the walls of TEAM LEADs.) After my complaint , I went from being a top performer, great team lead, $5K Infomral Award winner to SUDDENLY "everyone on the team had something negative to say " about me. Details? Names? No, they couldn't tell me that. I Open Doored and won. I got some little note from Ginny. The OD investigation took SO LONG (2 months) I had actually found myself another job in a new division. In my Open Door exit interview with my 2nd line, she said I 'd probably get a "3 " in my new job because "I was new ". Interesting how they can determine THAT before I even STARTED.

After my first 6 months there, that 's what I got. My first "3 " since I was hired into IBM 6 years earlier and the last "3 " I had ever gotten in the next 6 years.

So when the PE I "matrixed reported into " on my next account started hitting on me I said nothing. I am sure he was aware of my previous complaints, and the results, and was just ready to have some real fun. He would stand in the middle of the hallway, smile, and block my passage. In crowded client meetings, he would nudge and wink at me. On 2 occasions he threatened to talk to my manager (his peer) about "what to do with me " if I continued to (do my job) and be contentious with him on work-related issues.

Finally, this PE asked me to come over to his place so he could"drive me hard because I wasn 't getting enough at home ".... I said nothing because I knew the IBM routine. It would be turned around to being my fault. I think I did have 1 other IBM manager as a witness to what he said but that manager reported into this PE. Maybe that manager would admit to it now.

Any other ladies out there with similar stories? The IBM management script is verbatim, I 've heard it in 3 different organizations, all within Global Services. "We 've talked to the team and "EVERYONE" had something negative to say about you. " This can happen right after you 've been given a promotion, award, more responsibility/team to manage. No warning, discussion, nothing. I have never, to this day, EVER heard back from HR, management, or anyone else at IBM that my allegations were investigated and were not worthy of my complaint. I never heard anything about whether my allegations were real, warranted an investigation, nothing. I was just removed from my position, very publicly, and then left to fight for my reputation. So much for affirmative action or promoting women in technology. That 's just for the women who shut up and put up with it.

Anyway... if you think we can break through the RA release that, frankly, we signed under DURESS (what, not sign and get $0 in this economy?) I 'm with you on a lawsuit. If your story is as ridiculous as mine, lets write a book together. I 've got a stack of notes and documentation 2 inches thick. HR has seen it all so they can 't sue me for slander. Love to see 'em try.

All the rest of you.....joining the union is not just about wrongful and illegal (age bias) Job Cuts and PBC ratings. This is about IBM breaking the law, year after year and getting away with it. If you are not looking to leave IBM right now you should join the union. What I 'm saying is true, this is who you work for now. Believe it. It took me 5 years before I did, and now look at me. -Retaliate to the Retaliators!-

Comment 12/01/09 What-Matters-To-People "I agree that the benefits have been chopped away at excessively and the one that affects me the most is the Salary"

Don't you realize that a Pension is deferred compensation (salary) that you get for retirement? -sby_willie-

Comment 12/01/09 I rise to defend -ignatz713. ALL IBMers including those hired today were affected by the Pension heist of 1999. Because of it YOU have no defined benefit pension. You were screwed before you even got your ID Badge. The lack of defined benefits like a pension make you a disposable asset like a pen or a staple. Use you and then throw you away. No long term commitment to you, your health, your wealth or your families. The pension in and of itself is really a physical representation of the respect for employees that was lost along with it. Something measurable and tangible. As far as what matters to people, I for one couldn't care less what a worker in a BRIC nation makes. It will not pay my bills, Feed my kids or pay my taxes. If you really believe the world is flat then by all means go work in a BRIC country. I am sure the BRIC workers care just as little about what we make. As long as they have jobs and are bettering themselves why should they. Just as IBM has always said they will never be the low cost service provider we will never be the cheapest source of labor. A race to the bottom of the salary ladder will destroy our economy and all the lives to depend on it. . When America signed NAFTA and moved most manufacturing jobs out of the continental U.S. we were sold on the idea that the high tech jobs would more then make up for it. Now those are also leaving under the guise of the world is flat and a world economy. What will replace them? Swindling people on Wall Street only works when people have income to invest. Selling Real Estate only works when people have jobs. Where do Americans work when ALL the software and manufacturing and services jobs are overseas? Do we become a nation of drones dependent on the government to feed us? We cannot all become farmers . Hunting and Gathering does not work well in the cities. Its called robbery and looting. If we do not organize to protect jobs in America what else do we do? Hanging onto what you have while waiting for the headsman's axe to fall on you is not a good game plan. Pretending it is not going to is just as bad. Resigning yourself to what you believe is the inevitable by saying the world is flat so why bother fighting for what's right is not a long term solution either. -Boulderite- You assume the President is not well aware of Sammy's doings. Trust me he is. Or at least his advisors are. They simply do not care. Sammy and his ilk contribute big money to Politicians. We do not. Money talks loudest in D.C. Expect no help from there. -Exodus2007-

Comment 12/01/09 -So Many Questions So Little Time- , no knowledge on the 'new' bench issue. However, the 'old' bench issue had the employee reporting in every week on the jobs searched and applied for, with a 'never mind' as the end neared. You can apply your little heart out, but unless you have a string and can pull it, you won't be hired. You have a target on your back once you are 'selected'.
As to being fired while on a LOA, I believe there are those who shared that they had, indeedy, been so rewarded for all their years of loyal service.
The 401K can be rolled over, out of the reach of IBM, into an IRA account of your own choosing.

As the Alliance already noted, IBM can FIRE you for ANY reason in the world. And smile about it, to boot. Note especially their last two sentences -- you are NOT laid off (a lovely euphemism, don't you think?), you are FIRED. IF you want control over your career in IBM, get a CONTRACT like the big boys (Mo Fat, Sammy Boy) have.

>>I think that it is hard to get people's attention on matters that do not affect them.

While that is sad, -What-Matters-To-People-, it is the truth. But you have seen the oft-used poem 'First They Came', have you not? Your day will come and you too will be fired, make no mistake. As will those to whom the Rape of 1999 is but a distant memory or only a historical fact to be whispered about in the halls. As to your last sentence, you are absolutely, postively 100% correct. And then it will be too late for them, and they too will exhort their brethren to get a contract, if there are any left. -ignatz713-

Comment 12/01/09 to -ignatz713-, I support your call for Unionizing. However, I think a lot of current IBM'ers are not affected by the pension change that happened 10 years ago such as myself. Yes, I agree that the benefits have been chopped away at excessively and the one that affects me the most is the Salary. I think that it is hard to get people's attention on matters that do not affect them. No matter how much people complain about the pension, it does not affect people that were hired from 1999 and beyond. It would be nice to see a pension, but it is not going to happen in this economy and with the trade imbalances we have today. The world is Flat and we need equal pay for our colleagues that work in India, China, Russia, etc. And yes, we would have to see their currency values rise before that happens through attrition. I think it would matter more if the Unioins focused on a World Wide Union for fair pay for equal work performed. Our counterparts are grossly underpaid. On another note, if you read the recent articles on how Indians take action in India when provoked, you would see that they have more passion about their jobs then the people here. Why? I believe because they have such a desperate life style where their US colleagues are not desperate enough to take action to form a Union. Maybe what matters is desperation, but the sad part is that no one will be desperate until their last weekly check of Unemployment is spent. -What-Matters-To-People-

Comment 12/01/09 Has anyone experienced the wrath of the new bench policy? Just to make sure I have the details: after 4 weeks on the bench you get approached by management to take the severance package (at this point it is up to you to take it or continue looking for a new project), after 8 weeks you get the severance package and you are done. Is this correct? Do they try hard to push you to any project out there, to get you off the bench, or does it seem that they actually want you stick around on the bench to give them the cause to get rid of you a little later? With a lot of people hitting the bench at the end of the year it would be interesting to see how thorough IBM will be in following this policy.

Leave of absence: Can IBM lay you off while you are on LOA? By going on LOA do you make yourself more vulnerable and IBM is more likely to pick you for the next RA after you come back? Are you allowed to work for a different company while on LOA (and if not, is there any way around it?)

401K & Low Interest account that IBM used to contribute money to (not sure if it is considered pension): Is there anything to keep in mind/watch out for when leaving IBM? Will the lump sum amount be taxed as income? Are there any other restrictions of how you can use that money? Are there any "gotchas" when it comes to your 401K?
As you can see I've got a lot going on and thus have tons of questions. I would really appreciate it if people can share their experiences and insights. Thanks
-So Many Questions So Little Time-
Alliance Reply: In answer to your question about LOA: IBM can fire you for ANYTHING, including while you are on LOA. This is because you are an "at will employee". There are NO LABOR LAWS that will protect you from being fired while you are on LOA. IBM's rules most likely, do not allow you to work for another comany while you are on LOA from IBM... probably no 'way around it'. You don't have an employment contract with IBM unless you are in upper management or are possibly a Band 16 or higher Specialist, Engineer, SW Architect, or whatever. You are still an "at will employee". IBM can break it's own rules and there's nothing you can do about it. Join the union, organize your co-workers and grow the numbers of union co-workers until you can legally petition the NLRB to call for an election. Also, 401k accounts are not considered pensions and are not protected by ERISA. 401k monies are taxed when you withdraw them from the 401k account OR after you have transfered the 401k into an IRA or an annuity and then withdraw money from the IRA or annuity. Also, it's not a "layoff". Layoff is a term used by union members that get laid-off from their jobs; but get called back at a later time when the company does better. IBM, by and large, does not call you back...you're fired. You don't have a union contract with a stipulation in it that allows for your return to work after you've been laid-off. I hope I have answered some of your questions.

Comment 12/01/09 >>IBM has it all figured out. Yes, they do. Of course they do. And the object is to screw me (they did) and to screw you (well, you're safe from being screwed for obvious reasons) and to screw all the other loyal, longtime employees and firees and retirees. Yup, you'd THINK they were done with us once they screwed us in 1989 and in 1999 and in 2009, but they're not. Not by a long shot. IBM wants to keep on screwing the firees with the FHA and keep on screwing the retirees with their lifetime retiree medical (whoda thunk that the golden goose could get its neck cut by IBM but it has) and the employees who haven't yet realized that a contract and a union is their ONLY chance. Thanks for the counterpoint, bro. -ignatz713-

Comment 12/01/09 -anonymous- , here is the url. Please review many of the takeaway topics from the last ten years, the pension board is one of the very few that can be trusted. http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/ibmpension/ -ignatz713-

Comment 12/01/09 Does any one know if Sammy is invited to Obama's job summit? If so, we should deluge the White House about his record on US jobs. Heck, inviting CEOs to discuss US job creation is like asking the fox to improve security at the hen house. The ironic thing about why companies are hurting is because they've undercut the US consumer (ie US Workers) by sending jobs overseas. The are reaping what they hath soweth. -Boulderite Thats Been Wronged-

Comment 11/30/09 I was RA'ed with a PBC of two 2's in a row. The PBC means nothing. When they want to kick you out they will. I've been gone for several years now and have recurring nightmares from the experience. I've been considering going to a doctor and getting a lawyer and suing IBM for mental abuse. IBM caused some serious damage to my mental facilities. For that I will hate IBM as long as I live. -exIBMer-

Comment 11/30/09 To -get_a_life_dude-: -ignatz713- deserves no criticism. At least he/she is communicating in the hope that IBMers might listen or at least THINK TWICE about what is really going on in this IBM. Why so negative about the HOPE of IBMers actually sticking up for each in solidarity as a unified group to better their workplace? Are you going to be part of the solution or continue to be no more than a pessimist, or dare I say it, a troll? -sby_willie-

Comment 11/30/09 -ignatz713-, do you have a life besides these boards? A union ain't going to happen. I'm on the inside, I understand the psychology. IBM has it all figured out. So, go about your life. Maybe help some unfortunate kids or the homeless. -get_a_life_dude-

Comment 11/30/09 To -ignatz713- Please give a link or url so we know where to see these posts: "See the excellent posts on the pension board by Mike (#68120) and Kenneth (#68121)" -anonymous-

Comment 11/30/09 Hey. Still think you don't need a union? See the excellent posts on the pension board by Mike (#68120) and Kenneth (#68121). And then run, don't walk, to the Alliance and get a contract. Still don't think so? Your choice. Unionize or be screwed. -ignatz713-

Comment 11/29/09 Here is an interesting site: http://bartman905.wordpress.com/
Where is the “business value” in this ? How does this contribute to the IBM bottom line ? Wonder if some expats live this kind of lifestyle where a 2 bedroom apartment in Roppongi Hills goes from 1,630,000 to 1,630,000yen or roughly $16,000 USD per month and not including utilities and other perks.
Wouldn’t mind if these assignees pull in multi-million dollar deals to offset this kind of COST for their “overseas package” but wonder, if they are also doing the following on Company time, with Company resources (Thinkpad), over the Company network (paid for internet access) for posting photos, video and blogging in Facebook, the internal IBM Blog and this personal blog, sometimes on a daily basis, because it sure takes a lot of time. Surely there are better qualified bilingual people, who can at least speak the language, who would cost a lot less? It is a shame that people are losing their jobs while others are having an “adventure” and even get an extended one at the cost of other’s jobs: http://bartman905.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/2-years-working-in-japan/
Do the math. -Canadian Whistleblower RAed-

Comment 11/29/09 >>Comment 11/22/09 "The comment below about getting a PBC rating of 3 and only getting 1 week of severance per year worked is not accurate".
Really? I was RA'ed and was a PBC 3 for just past year and I was told on the last day by my manager that since I did not quite fully adequately train my replacement I did not fulfill all the requirements of the RA notice so I was given only one weeks pay per year worked after I signed the RA papers. My manager said I could have received nothing and manager said that "fought for me" to get the one weeks pay per year RA separation pay.. -RAed-<<(copied from job cut comments)
Hah! So the threat from my manager WAS carried out by some even more unethical manager than she! So the advice to 'undertrain your replacement' ISN'T good advice. I didn't think it was. Warning to everyone who THINKS IBM won't stoop to ANYthing to keep you from getting your severance (if it's still around, that is) even if you play by all the rules or THINK you're playing by all the rules -- RAed, how did your manager PROVE you didn't adequately train your replacement? IF there was a union, you could have appealed the decision -- I still have just three words to say to you: AT WILL EMPLOYEE. IBM can and will screw you, since you don't have a contract like the big boys have. But hey, it's your choice, in the end. -ignatz713-

Comment 11/29/09 "IBM treates its employees like crap - contributing to Economic down turn"

http://bizcovering.com/business/ibm-treates-it-employees-like-crap-contributing-to-us-economic-decline/ -Anonymous-

Comment 11/26/09 A real Happy Thankgiving for us all would be one where us resources are not treated as turkeys and RA'ed "at will" so the executives don't feast on us. I sincerely hope the 10,000+ USA IBMers who were RA'ed this year and those still looking for work can enjoy this Thanksgiving. I know it is hard and could be hard for them. I also hope the remaining employed USA IBMers enjoy their Thanksgiving as well and they avoid the coming RA's. I would be thankful if the remaining IBMers stood up in solidarity and collectively help themselves by becoming a unified voice to stop RA's and employee abuses by IBM. -thankful2 & thankful4-

Comment 11/25/09 So IBM has RA'd about 30,000 Americans in 4 years. And this has not been picked up by the general media. This is not just a matter of rebalancing to put employees near the customers around the world. As too many of us know, IBM is also importing foreigners under visas to take our jobs here in the USA. All in the name of cheap labor. -anonymous-

Comment 11/25/09 I know its been a hard year for all-lets just put this site to rest for awhile and enjoy THANKSGIVING with our families. WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING. -FL GIRL-

Comment 11/25/09 In my opinion the local DOL reps have been pretty much useless in the TAA process. For example, during the rapid response meeting in Endicott in April, they pushed us to submit claims using the 3 person approach. This approach pretty much limits the claim to a specific group. Many people asked the local rep if we should submit a claim and we were told no as one was already submitted (70580). After waiting 3 months and finally getting details on the claim I found out it applied to only a small group. I had to explain to them that Endicott contained much more than this one small group. So after digging around at the link Alliance has provided, I found we could have the one stop center rep submit the claim for us (something they should have offered to do based on claim after claim coming from small groups). So I filled out the paperwork and sent it to her electronically for review, asking if she'd recommend we add in additional supporting documentation. No response and she just sent it on to Albany. It's been 2 months since then and we still don't even have a claim number and have no idea when/if we will. So, if you go with a claim, don't count on anything being decided quickly. A typical government quagmire. -Incognito-

Comment 11/24/09 Can the Alliance provide any guidance on how some groups got TAA petition approval? Can you be specific about what criteria was actually used to win this (as others have been turned down). Is there someone to contact so we can learn from them and be as specific as they were? -anonymous-
Alliance reply: There were changes in May 2009 that expanded TAA. Yes, some IBMers were denied prior to this change because they did not meet the criteria. Read here: http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/ All IBMers who lost their job to offshoring should contact their State TAA representative. Be aware that you might have to also contact the State TAA rep that the IBM site you report to is located. State Reps here: http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/contacts.cfm

Comment 11/24/09 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/23/epfl_bluebrain_markram_modha/ Mass deception from IBM? No Really? -anon-

Comment 11/23/09 "In case you missed it, IBM is THE BEST company when it comes to developing 'leaders'. See Sam's smiling face here, and drink the cool-aid."
Yes, that is true. IBM is the BEST for developing slimball shady lying "leaders" for screwing the American worker and shipping their job overseas. Bend over and enjoy it along with the cool-aid. -I've Been Mugged-

Comment 11/23/09 Could you expand on the significance re: the TAA petition approvals which were just posted? -anon29-
Alliance reply: Go here: http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/benefits.cfm#2

Comment 11/23/09 TAA petition approved for workers in Integrated Technology Services, cost and Expense team reporting to Armonk. Work moved to India. -Alliance Office-

Comment 11/23/09 TAA petition approved for GBS ABB account workers who reported to Endicott, NY. work moved to Czech Republic -Alliance Office-

Comment 11/23/09 Petition 70403 (IBM - GBS) El Segundo Workers has been certified/approved. Toyota and Nissan accounts. Toyota went to Infosys and Cognizant and Nissan went to Satyam. -Alliance Office-

Comment 11/23/09 In case you missed it, IBM is THE BEST company when it comes to developing 'leaders'. See Sam's smiling face here, and drink the cool-aid. http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/fortune/0911/gallery.leadership_top_ten.fortune/index.html -IBM = THE BEST-

Comment 11/23/09 -No-Free-Lunch-, I believe the health care plans vary by site/region, but in Rochester, there is still one plan that is "free" (though if you opt out completely, you get $30 extra a month). Even that plan appeared to cover visits a PCP. However, as others have said, this doesn't include lab tests, procedures, etc. Further, it's only "free" if you're not paying to cover your spouse and/or dependents, those of course, are still an arm and a leg (moreso than last year). -new2rchland-

Comment 11/23/09 To No Free Lunch - Yes, the IBM PPO health plan has no premium (for single anyway). I had that and when RA'd last spring I had zero premium until the TMP ran out 6 months later. Also, the retiree health plan under FHA for high deductible is premium free. -anonymous-

Comment 11/23/09 to RA'ed July2009, that news article is not correct. We do still have a monthly premium and it has been raised since last year. -No-Free-Lunch-

Comment 11/22/09 IBM have anything to do with this lady losing her benefits??
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091122/ap_on_re_ca/cn_canada_facebook_insurance -Anon-

Comment 11/21/09 Sam Palmisano Scratching Obama’s Back for Political Capital ,
http://newsflavor.com/opinions/sam-palmisano-scratching-obamas-back-for-political-capital/ -Joe-

Comment 11/21/09 >>What other company has shed more jobs that are being replaced elsewhere? -da_facts-

Good question. Are all companies where the employees don't have a contract allowed to be this underhanded?

>>Thank you again for your input and encouraging words. -Former True Blue-

You're welcome, -Former True Blue-. -ignatz713-

Comment 11/20/09 In regard to training your replacements. If you have been fired you have not learned the only skill in IBM that keeps you employed. Kissing ass. You would be remiss in the extreme if this was not the first thing you taught your replacements. Untill they learn to kiss YOUR ass properly you should share nothing else with them. After all. You need to teach them the skills needed to insure long term employment by IBM, Right? As this was the very last thing you learned in your IBM career, That you failed to do it well enough, then you should pass it on first and formost as it is the very latest skill you aquired. You can spend the last hour or so telling them how to format customer data bases and other important things once they have mastered this essential job skill. Remember that by teaching them how to out ass kiss a team lead you may rest assured your buddy that stabbed you in the back will get his or hers one day from those YOU train. Revenge is a dish best served cold. Live better, work union -exodus2007-

Comment 11/20/09 In case you missed it. Also the record has stopped all comments so the real truth doesn't get printed

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BIZ2102
and
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091113/BIZ/911139957/-1/BIZ2102
-Anonymous-

Comment 11/20/09 To Former True Blue, First, I empathize with your situation. I was also laid off in 2009, before I would get the (imaginary?) 30-year 'enhanced benefit' associated with the cash balance plan. I'll say it again - imaginary, right? - and challenge anyone who reads this site, to state that they received the 'enhanced benefit'. My guess is, that this is similar to the number of individuals who got real benefits from FHA. FUTURE health account. Still, I do wonder whether my manager thought that I would be entitled to an 'enhanced' benefit if I stayed for 30 years. I don't think she knew my retirement plan - I only met her twice, thankfully. Still, some of my 30+ year coworkers were kept on. Certainly they have a sunk cost in keeping employees who will already draw a future defined-benefit pension. Not the ones recently returned from disability, of course. That was clear - my coworkers who had health problems were all laid off. To avoid libel, I will state that I am sure these employees weren't targeted based on illness. ADA. Sorry for all the mixed verb tenses in this post. -Anonymous-

Comment 11/20/09 About the "free healthcare". Re-read that article. Before there was no cost to see your doctor for preventative care. This new feature extends that for any time you visit your doctor in the office, such as for a cold. The deduction and any co-pays, if your plan has that, now only kicks in if you go to the hospital or emergency room. COBRA has these same plans. The retiree plans are totally separate (and at least twice as expensive). The rebates are for active employees for health activity or to stop smoking and were there before, and for me covered the cost of my premium as a single employee contribution. That was nice. The link to the article is here:
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091113/BIZ/911139957/-1/BIZ2102 -Anonymous-

Comment 11/20/09 This is in regard to the comment about 'free' health benefits for IBMers. Yes, for those who are looking to ensure only themselves, IBM has offered for years, a premium free options.. That does not mean, however, that the services are free. This year, for those in the PPO and PPO+, the employee and dependents will have no co-pay when seeing their primary in-network doctor. This does not mean that labs, etc., are free. Also.. premiums did go up; in my case about 15% for two of us, so it was no big bargain. -Anonymous-

Comment 11/20/09 Yes, the Google motto "Don't be evil" mystified me when I first heard it until I thought about it in the context of IBM, then it's meaning and reason became perfectly clear. -exSVLer-

Comment 11/20/09 -RA'ed July2009- I haven't seen said article, but IBM has made a big deal this year about primary care being 100% covered. However, I believe this has been true in most of the plans offered by IBM for several years. There's nothing "new" about this, it doesn't get rid of premiums for additional coverage or care that goes beyond basic checkups and physicals. -new2rchland-

Comment 11/20/09 About the link on the main page for "House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Workforce Protections Hearing". Is there an email or snailmail address I can send a letter to the commitee? There are several points the IBM manager made that I can rebut and quantify with some actual numbers based on my personal experiences with IBM. -FormerIBMer-
Alliance reply: Go here for the list: http://edlabor.house.gov/about/members/

Comment 11/20/09 -Ignatz713-, Thank you for your comments and input; I sincerely appreciate it. You're right on all counts. I've had a number of people tell me exactly what you mentioned when they'd heard how the timing on this affected my missing full retirement and pension-benefits, about it being intentional. Seeing now how upper management blocked any chance of an extension-by only months-to allow me to achieve this, I agree. The system is totally rigged that way. If I hadn't personally experienced these slimy, slipshod tactics, I wouldn't have believed it if someone had told me I could work for them-IBM of all companies-almost 30 years, only to be gypped out of a full retirement by just months. It is totally and completely surreal. We're talking about a company that was once the epitome of ethical behavior. It is gone. The only hope for them now is the Alliance. The true spirit of this company is here, no longer in the hollow, ghost-ridden halls of Armonk. Thank you again for your input and encouraging words. -Former True Blue-

Comment 11/20/09 Is it just me or did anyone else see the newspaper article that IBM'ers do not have to pay for Health Insurance premiums now? What is that about? Another perk for IBM for laying off their loyal workers for cheaper labor abroad? This makes me nauseated. This story ran in the Middletown Times Herald Record two days ago and also had a photo of happy workers on treadmills in Armonk with the caption underneath that IBM takes the health of their employees seriously and provides a multitude of avenues for them to stay fit. Does this include the health of laid off workers? Does this include the health of widows of employees that took their lives because of the stress on the job and pressures to either relocate or face being fired? I am just sayin'.... -RA'ed July2009-
Alliance reply: Do you have a link to the article, or was it just in newsprint?

Comment 11/20/09 This wasn't written about IBM, but it could have been:
'But the other reason programmers are fussy, I think, is that evil begets stupidity. An organization that wins by exercising power starts to lose the ability to win by doing better work. And it's not fun for a smart person to work in a place where the best ideas aren't the ones that win. I think the reason Google embraced "Don't be evil" so eagerly was not so much to impress the outside world as to inoculate themselves against arrogance.'
---from http://paulgraham.com/apple.html by Paul Graham -Anonymous-

Comment 11/20/09 Let's make a loud voice and tell Obama NO stimulus MONEY for IBM! IBM has cut 10% of it's USA workforce this year (over 10,000) and only hired maybe 3,500 or so this year. IBM continues to allow the decrease in USA jobs. This year is not over: IBM will most likely shed more USA jobs this year. If the economic stimulus funds are to improve the economy and create more USA jobs then Obama better make Palmisano accountable. Better yet why don't you folks that call yourselves IBMers (still) stand up, organize as ONE VOICE, work towards a contract and protect your jobs before more USA jobs are shed??? IBM was always a GLOBAL company. IBM never pitted USA employee jobs against those employees in other countries until Gerstner. Gerstner started the practice and Palmisano escalated the practice of pitting USA employees jobs and positions against the folks they could hire in the BRICs. So much for their RESPECT FOR THE INDIVIDUAL in the USA. It's unbelievable that our President can't comprehend this. What other company has shed more jobs that are being replaced elsewhere? -da_facts-

Comment 11/19/09 Alliance, I couldn't find a way to search archives but I know the info is in there somewhere. Given the 11/6/09 testimony on your home page that there are now 105,000 U.S. employees representing 25% of total workforce....what was the U.S. number of employees as of Jan 1 in each of the last five years - 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006,2005 (or whenever this offshoring began)? You should put a table on the home page. Nothing speaks better than facts. -annonymous-
Alliance reply: IBM US employee numbers from IBM's annual report:
2008: 115,000
2007: 121,000
2006: 127,000

Comment 11/19/09 Though you might be interested in Ken Davis' - former IBM CFO- column on HuffPost today....believe it or not, he's preaching to not offshore jobs.. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kenneth-davis/our-jobless-recovery-is-t_b_359697.html?show_comment_id=34790434#comment_34790434 -Ra'd 1st Quarter-

Comment 11/19/09 Amen, -Former True Blue- . Thank you for sharing. Your words are obviously truthful ones, and not lying yarns spun about the good that IBM does. It is a shame that there are those who continue to lie about IBM and that there are very few from the 10,425 FIRED this year who will share their horror stories. Even though I continue to be harrassed at my personal email, I will continue to let one and all know that IBM ruined the lives of 10,425 employees in 2009 by FIRING them and will ruin more in 2010 by FIRING them. I don't believe IBM has gone as low as it can. As posited somewhere, IBM can reduce the number of severance weeks or take severance away altogether. Then, since all the employees are AT WILL, IBM can simply threaten them to train their underpaid offshore replacements with no carrot of severance. It is horrific, -Former True Blue- , far more horrific than most of the remaining U.S. employees know. If they have their wits about them, they will demand a contract before they too are forced to endure what you and I did. It's a shame that you were screwed before you could be fully eligible for pension and benefits, but it was intentional, I'm sure you know that. IBM profited from your head while they give millions and millions to Sam and Robert. Good luck to you, -Former True Blue-. NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEES, unionize or be screwed in 2010. -Ignatz713-

Comment 11/19/09 >>We are sure there are ways to run out the clock and to "train" but not to train.

Alliance, I'm all for civil disobedience, but this is sinking to the level of IBM. For the most part, the offshore replacement is making a third of what the FIRED employee is, and needs to keep their job. They are living away from home, working in cubicles, and have family and extended family dependent on the pittance that IBM is paying them (no, not Dubuque - India). It isn't their fault that IBM has been allowed to FIRE loyal, longtime workers (it is ours) and replace them with cheap third world labor.

Remember, whether the replacement does a good job or not, the FIRED employee who did not have a contract is gone. History. Yesterday's trash. It is also our customers who are being impacted when an offshore replacement is undertrained.

Again, I was told by my Goebbels team leader that I was being 'measured' on how well I trained my replacement. IF for any reason I did not train to the best of my ability (of course, the man knew nothing about my job which was even less than my manager knew), then I would NOT get the severance. Rule by threat, isn't it wonderful?

I would love to agree with you in this case, but I can't. SINCE I didn't have a contract, and FIRED is FIRED, I decided to uphold the work ethic that I had lived by for three decades in a company that now treats its employees like garbage.
NB: AT WILL EMPLOYEE, UNIONIZE OR BE THREATENED AND HUMILIATED AND DEMEANED AND TREATED LIKE GARBAGE AND SCREWED. -Ignatz713-

Comment 11/18/09 To: -RA'ed July 09- Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings on this. I was also RA'ed this year, and what you've described is exactly how I feel, only I've had a hard time putting it all down to this point. The sense of injustice that's gone along with so many of our situations takes some time to work through, and you do it the best you can, one step at a time, trying to achieve some balance in your life. The suggestions that have been given here are excellent. The hardest thing for me was the jolt that after an entire career with this company, I missed full retirement eligibility with my complete pension and benefits by only a few months, after giving nearly 3 decades of a solid work history (even with the majority as above average ratings). It's unbelievable, but an incredibly rude wake-up call that something there is seriously wrong when they push you out with virtually no recourse, none that will make a difference in your situation. You feel a sense of betrayal, and coming from a company that has the heritage IBM does where it used to scrutinize its policies and actions for their ethical implications, about as low as it can go as far as I'm concerned. This is the IBM of today though, and if they continue like this, the company will not withstand the treatment they now delve out. The Alliance is the one shining light that is trying to restore what is being taken away from employees at an alarming rate, compared to what the upper management and executives rake in with their security and benefits. I've joined as an Alliance member, will continue my support , and encourage others to do the same. Please know there are many with you and better things are sure to come. There will be other opportunities ahead, and although it may take some time, something will come through. -Former True Blue-

Comment 11/18/09 I'm sorry about what you endured, -exIBMer- , it is an all too familiar scenario. How long did you have this abusive manager? I only had mine for the last two years, but she was horrid. Her Goebbels team leader was even worse, since he lulled me into thinking he was a 'bud' to all of us in the dept. and then stabbed three of us in the back. Which made him worse than Madame Hitler, since she was a management suck up from day one. Yes, ISN'T life good, no GREAT, out of IBM? I bet you, like me, didn't realize what a horror the new IBM is. I feel sooooooooooo sorry for the current crop of abused citizens. Heck, some of them are pitiful enough to even get rehired, can you BELIEVE that????? While those who still work for IBM and endure the mistreatment do indeed have themselves to blame (as you and I did), -exIBMer- , you have to understand it's the Stockholm Syndrome, like Patty Hearst endured, remember her? The current crop of detainees think IBM is THE only resource they have, and are willing to undergo mental cruelty and physical torture all in the name of working for the formerly 'good' IBM. They too will have not a clue until they are FIRED, and FIRED they will be. This is what the Alliance is fighting to get a signed contract, in addition to the obstacles put there by IBM. The poor employees are SO very fearful and SO very cowed and SO very mentally impaired, that they know not where they are or how badly they have it. Until they are FIRED, and they will be FIRED, and then the veil will be lifted from their eyes. This bears repeating but I'm afraid it falls on blind eyes and deaf ears:
"You really need to stand up and take on this evil monster called IBM. Pay your Alliance dues and join. Fight for a union contract. I gaurantee that IBM will abuse you just like it abused me if you don't do something now. Stand up and fight!"
Then again, who knows, maybe the employees of 2010 are braver and smarter and more proactive than were the 10,425 poor employees slaughtered in 2009. Here's hoping. -Ignatz713-

Comment 11/18/09 >>Don't train your offshore replacement. Then they won't get their severance. At will employee, remember? -Ignatz713-
Alliance reply: We know. We are sure there are ways to run out the clock and to "train" but not to train.

Comment 11/17/09 IBM treated me like dog crap for years. No matter what I did I continued to get abused by my manager. Finially I was RAed. While it was a painful experience I landed on my feet and got a new job. Now life is really good. I am respected in my job. I am no longer treated like dog crap. People, you have no one to blame for your mistreatment by IBM but yourselves. You really need to stand up and take on this evil monster called IBM. Pay your Alliance dues and join. Fight for a union contract. I gaurantee that IBM will abuse you just like it abused me if you don't do something now. Stand up and fight! -exIBMer-

Comment 11/17/09 A union contract does not happen very fast. The old America West pilots and US Air have been trying to get a contract ratified for almost 5 years now. IBM will play hard ball and drag it out forever. Nobody will have the balls to walkout or strike, and IBM knows that. So people will be RA'd before any union contract came to pass. Do you think you'll last at IBM for five more years? In Global Services it would be almost impossible. There are a zillion job catagories. Each one would need a different pay range and duties. We are already the most expensive services org out there. Clients won't pay our rate now. Start raising the rate and forget it. Just won't work. The only area the union "may" work would be in manufacturing. That is a very small part of IBM. Sadly. -Papa-

Comment 11/17/09 >>If you formed your own union (or moved to a position with a union), then you could have the clout to negotiate your own fair practices too. -Now IS the Time to Unionize-
Thanks for posting here, -Now IS the Time to Unionize-. Your posts on the stock board (and the rape of 10,425 employees in 2009) are a cautionary tale for all who will read and THINK and get a contract. If they don't THINK and get a contract, they WILL be FIRED. And that, as they say, will be that. As you sign off: Now IS the time to unionize. -Ignatz713-

Comment 11/17/09 -MuffinMan- I hear ya about Artech! About Artect: I got an email from them like a day or two after I was RA'ed. Coincidence? I wonder how confidential IBM keeps the RA'ed names? Does IBM sell the RA names list to Artech and Manpower ya think? -DruryLane-

Comment 11/16/09 In response to a post that bashed unions (modified to fix typos and consolidate) ...
http://messages.finance.yahoo.com/Stocks_(A_to_Z)/Stocks_I/threadview?m=tm&bn=9010&tid=479305&mid=479899&tof=8&frt=2
http://messages.finance.yahoo.com/Stocks_(A_to_Z)/Stocks_I/threadview?m=tm&bn=9010&tid=479305&mid=479900&tof=7&frt=2
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Rant alert …

People who are unfamiliar with a topic shouldn't speak/post as though they are experts. As someone who has intimate knowledge on the topic of unions, I recognize not only your ignorance, but also your poor judgment in being reckless with your reputation.

I was an engineer from 1985-2006, at IBM from 2001 to 2006. After a half-career in the manufacturing industry, I reached my tipping point. I was disgusted by the "globalization" maneuvers that corporations in the manufacturing industry had been allowed to get away with. I felt the future for manufacturing in the US was bleak. I was also disgusted with IBM. Requests to various levels of management, on how to align my skills with the future needs of the company were met with blank stares. My manager lacked integrity. She blew smoke up my a$$ ("You're going to have a long career here at IBM."), all while setting me up for an RA, and she treated me like I was too stupid to see it. So, two years before my eventual RA date, I secretly enrolled in evening classes to become a Registered Nurse.

Fast forward ... I am now a state employee, working as a nurse, and a member of a union for the first time. I took a 50% cut in pay compared to my former IBM salary, but I can make up a lot of the difference with overtime (at time-and-a-half ... 2X hourly rate for mandated shifts, which hasn't happened yet). I'm paid less than RNs in the private sector. Times are tough all over. Thankfully being in a union, allowed us to avoid layoffs. The state gave us a cost savings goal to meet, and the union developed a plan to meet the target. There were a few untouchables: lifetime health care, pension, no job losses, 2X pay for mandated shifts. The senior employees were encouraged to retire with a measly increase (4-6% bump in pension – 6% if they’re in the old Tier I plan or 4% if they’re in the newer (since 1997) Tier IIa plan). They would have had to work 3 more years to earn that bump, so many who qualified and were near retirement did. Those people haven't been replaced and we work short-handed every day. (Yah, I know, everyone's working short-handed, but working short-handed with physically-violent, mentally-compromised patients takes it to a whole other level.) 18 months worth of raises were waived (approx. $2.48/hr total for a nurse). Those of us with less than 5 years working with the state have to contribute 3% of our pre-tax pay for TEN YEARS into a general health care fund. (That’s 30% of my salary … base pay + overtime!!) The fund will help to keep the lifetime health care plan viable in the future for all employees. I was furious at being singled out, compared to other Tier IIa employees with more than 5 years. However, during a union meeting, it was explained that all these changes were being made to save those of us with the least seniority from being laid off, so I voted for the proposal to be made to the state.

Hazardous Duty Retirement, AKA “twenty and done” (retire with 50% of highest average salary after 20 years of service), is reserved for those with hazardous jobs (e.g. police, firefighters and corrections officers, who work in prisons, etc.). Let’s face it. You need to offer someone a juicy carrot to work in a position where you risk your life. The base pay on those jobs is low. A corrections officer starts out at about $30-40K/year, but overtime pay counts towards annual salary for calculating retirement pay. (How else are you going to encourage employees to work EXTRA hours at the hazardous job?) If the states didn’t run staffing so leanly, there wouldn’t be so much overtime available.

Just like at IBM, the earlier Tier I retirement is much better than that of the later Tier groups. Tier I gets a retirement benefit similar to current hazardous duty, but they have to wait until at least age 55 to retire. Each year is worth 2% of highest avg. salary. (I so wish I started my career as a state employee!!) Now we only get 1.33%. We contribute 2% of our salary (base + overtime) to our pensions. Hazardous duty Tier IIa employees contribute 5%. All that is in addition to the new 3% for the general health care fund. The earlier Tiers pay less, if anything. *sigh*

There will no doubt be a new, worse Tier for new employees in the near future. Those instances of teachers with $95K pensions are no doubt due to people being in the earlier retirement (Tier) plans, and being from areas with higher costs of living. Those plum retirement benefits disappeared long ago, so there’s no point in whining about them now.

I’m currently transitioning into a prison RN position. The only reason I’m making the change is to get the hazardous duty pension. I will no doubt find myself in fearful situations, as I sometimes do now, but I am thankful to be able to earn a decent pension so late in the game. All of my earlier career, I was one of the new people who could only qualify for a 401K, not a pension. I responsibly contributed maximum amounts to the 401K, but it’s very obvious that a 401K and a pension are NOT equivalent. Insurance companies won’t even quote the costs of future annuities, because the actuarial tables are likely to change.

I think nearly everyone should be in a union. It’s not right for companies to force “exempt” employees to work obscene extra hours without pay. It’s not right that corporations have been able to vaporize promised pensions and lifetime health care benefits. It’s not right that corporate executives who don’t fully own the company have obscene compensation packages. It’s not right that corporations have been allowed to systematically offshore and “inshore” (via visas) cheap foreign labor to replace current employees. And it’s not right that corporations have been allowed to force to-be-RA’ed employees to train their replacements.

I’m so sick of ignorant people whining about state employees’ “unfair benefits”. Don’t blame state union jobs for your problems. We accept low pay during our careers, in exchange for a dependable (not wealthy) retirement. We’ve formed a union to ensure that promised future benefits can’t be taken from us. Blame your own lazy a$$. If you formed your own union (or moved to a position with a union), then you could have the clout to negotiate your own fair practices too. -Now IS the Time to Unionize-

Comment 11/16/09 I thought I would share this with those not yet joining the union cause. I was laid off this past January as a Technician at the EFK plant. They are now hiring 'complimentary' technicians to take my job and those that were laid off and even brought in a person with a work visa (and they are having problems with their visa). Protect your job and join, now! -EFK'ED-

Comment 11/16/09 >>You have rights and a voice as a CWA member.
Also remember, -Anonymous-, the IBMers would BE the union. Imagine having a say in what happens to you? As a grunt IBMer right now, the IBMer is nothing against management. Zero. I'm sorry the 10K+ employees who were FIRED in 2009 didn't realize this. 10K+ employees would have made a loud voice. Alternatively, if marshalled together, the remaining U.S. IBMers can also make a very loud noise. -Ignatz713-

Comment 11/16/09 I agree with ignatz713. Dubuque will only last as long as Iowa keeps lining IBM's pocket with cash and other subsidies. But it won't be the last of race to grab the market share. You'll see sneakier things done by IBM to bring low cost labor to customers who don't want it. They have a new Initiiative in place. Contracts that stipulate US labor only are being 'manipulated'. IBM is skirting around the contracts by having the off-shore workers do the work behind the scenes. They have technical I/T folks based in the US handling the specific accounts but that person is responsible for assigning the work to off-shore workers. The off-shore workers get the task done, then report back to the US contact. The US contact then goes and reports to the customer and closed out the problem and change tickets. All the while, the customer thinks they are begin a good corporate citizen and keeping work in the US and IBM lines their pockets with more cash from the cheap labor!!!!). It's disgusting. There is no such thing as t ruth anymore. It's all how they can manipulate things and make it appear they are keeping to the contacts. -dun-4-

Comment 11/16/09 To RA'ed July 09, I'm so glad you posted here. I can certainly empathize, as can SO many others - both ex-IBMers like us, and others who have lost their jobs in this global recession. I have been out of work since before July (not that this matters) and will just say that it has been very tough, as you describe. However, your idea to focus on the positives will help. AND, a few specific suggestions which have helped me, are to:
1. Join a group (or groups) - whether a career search support group, a group at your faith community if you have one, a professional association - and possibly volunteer for them. I have recently done this and it has really helped me in several ways. It is strange to have free time when so much of my life revolved around work.
2. Continue to learn - you are already doing this.
3. I hesitate to mention this because I don't know you. However, if you feel that the discouragement is getting overwhelming, seek out a supportive group or individual, and just talk about it. I understand about the well-meaning comments from friends and family - maybe you can ask them to just listen and be supportive. You're fortunate to have friends and family to support you. I promise, I am not a management 'plant' on this discussion. I was RA'ed this year, too. Best wishes for the future! -RA'ed too-

Comment 11/16/09 To -RA'ed July 09- If retraining, be sure and retrain in area of expertise where workers are needed, where you want to be located. If techy jobs are overallocated, try learing automotive mechanics instead. TRY SOMETHING NEW !! Retraining in areas of no need equals no JOB. -no-ky-

Comment 11/16/09 For -RA'ed July 09- and others in his or her situation. I retired by my own choice yet I also felt the sadness and loneliness you describe. Like most IBMers you put so much time and effort into your job your co workers became more like a second family to you then you ever realized. I can only suggest things that have helped me get through it. Check out your local school systems. If you have a 4 year degree you may find a teaching position. It does not pay as well maybe but it has benefits and plenty of down time for family and relaxing, Something most of us could not do with IBM. You will find it satisfying sharing your experience and knowledge with students and its probably so far from what you did it will be refreshing. This may not appeal to you but think outside the box and you may have some luck. I did not have a Four year degree but even a high school diploma will get you into most school systems as a substitute. The advantage there is you can say no when they call you if you have other plans. Like a job interview. It wont pay real well and has no benefits so do not jeopardize your unemployment benefits , just keep it in mind as a possible fallback. It also allows you to say you were employed by the xxx school system which tells other employers you pass background checks etc. Stay busy at something. Chores, hobby, exercise program. Sitting around too much can turn you bitter and angry and you need to be positive for potential interviews. Get past taking it personal. It most assuredly was not personal. It was a business decision and it may be a bad one or a good one. It does not really matter to you which, so do not dwell on it. Easier said then done I know. Getting past defining yourself by your job is hard. You are part of many things. Your family. Your church . Your circle of friends. Put work into perspective. Its something you do to acquire money. It is not you. I heard a young man at Mcdonalds say I work to make money, Work does not make me. I did not understand that statement until I no longer had a job and felt I had lost my identity. Remember that you came to IBM looking for a job and you left the same way. In between you got paid and you gained a ton of life experience. Make the most of the experience and you will be fine. Maybe even better off when you look back in a few years. I really have come to believe I would have been dead from the stress had I continued to work yet until I was stress free I didn't realize how horribly it was affecting me. Good luck now and in your future endeavors whatever they may be. Hope this helps. -Exodus2007-

Comment 11/16/09 To "RA'ed July 09": you are not alone. There are several Yahoo groups for ex-IBMers. One that was formed expressly for the folks RAed in 2009 is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RAed2009/ -Anonymous-

Comment 11/16/09 Thanks, -Quiet Bean Counter- , so there was a name to it. Bold 1, how interesting. A gutless, cowardly, backstabbing, demeaning firing, and the execs had the nerve to call it Bold 1.

>>you have got to relax and calm down.

You have a point, but just as cowardice and backstabbing and demeaning was the forte of my manager and her team leader, anger is what comforts me. While it gets me banned from boards which can't handle the truth, it keeps me going. And hey, there's got to be at least one like me who won't shut up, right? Right. Still and all, I thank you for your post and I wish the Alliance all the best. I am still not convinced the remaining employees will demand a contract. Here's hoping they do, and soon.

>>The cracks at the top are beginning to show, and the animals up there are getting scared and losing trust among themselves.

This is good news to me. The word 'animals', however, is a compliment to those who have such disregard for the lives of 10K+ human beings. I like to call them 'monsters', because animals hurt nothing deliberately, only out of need. There is no such need amongst the monsters in Armonk, only greed and self-serving callousness.

-RA'ed July 09- , yes, don't you love the 'have you found anything yet' questions? Those in the real world who have not been raped by IBM have no idea what it was like. IMO, you are always welcome here to vent (it helps a great deal), since the other boards censor you. They say time will help, but I doubt it. What IBM did to 10K+ human beings is unforgivable. -Ignatz713-

Comment 11/16/09 Palmisano would sell off the mainframe business if he, MacDonald, and the rest of the Armonk robber barons could get the right price in billions. I think that would signal the end of IBM but there is nothing to stop them if there was a buyer (probably in China) willing. The investor and these insiders would make out in the short term but then it would soon be over. Yes, maybe Dave Johnson knows something and sees that handwriting on the (great) wall. -Anonymous-

Comment 11/15/09 I consider the concept of a union a good one, but if it does come to a vote do we have to unionize under the CWA? Reading about the CWA and hearing stories from people who have worked in other big union shops makes me realize I would just go from working for one corporation that treats me like a financial line item to two corporations that treat me that way, IBM & the CWA. I don't want to pay union dues so union leaders can take home huge salaries and lobby congress for things I don't agree with. I would gladly vote for an IBM only union and pay only enough dues to cover a negotiator every few years when contracts are up (yes I would agree to forfeit pay during a strike). -Anonymous-
Alliance reply: First of all the Alliance IS an official local of the CWA and has been for years. Also the CWA has contributed money and resources to the Alliance. The members appreciate that, and even non-members have benefited. We are not going to throw CWA overboard.
The CWA is one of the most democratic unions out there and frankly the only one that would have told us they would support us for the long haul. CWA prides itself on being"the members union".
In order to go up against a company the size and scope of IBM you really need a union like CWA in our corner.
Dues cover much more than negotiations.
Dues are not used for political activities. That is a seperate voluntary fund. CWA salaries are not huge. Remember, it is an organization of 650,000 members. CWA is not a "corporation" like you allude to. You have rights and a voice as a CWA member. You do not have rights or a legally protected voice as an IBM employee without a contract and a union.

Comment 11/15/09 I have been resourced since July 09. This has been a roller coaster ride for me. Mostly I am sad to think that after all the years I put in that I have been discarded without any apparent conscience and replaced by some new hires offshore in India. These guys are doing what I was doing after 25 years of dedication and hard work, Those folks are new hires. I am sad and I miss my friends. I did not choose this. I wanted to work. I liked what I did. Now I am not sure I will ever find a job with the predictions of further offshoring and increased unemployment. The current estimation is 6 people for every job and that is a number that looms larger for higher paying jobs. I am training through free classes offered by the NYS DOL, but feel it is merely marking time and that it will not increase my chances of finding work, I am not a part of anything any more. Yes I have friends and family. But most do not get it about this unemployment thing and keep asking if I have found anything yet. Mostly you are on your own and it is a lonely place to be even with the most positive thoughts. I do try to remain positive and find joy where I can in the simple things of life. But I would rather be working and I am often spinning in a whirlwind of disbelief while at the same time maintaining a brave front for others whose worry although based on caring is only adding more stress to an already stretched mindset. I know I will survive this. I simply needed to "talk" to an empathetic arena of perhaps like minded others. Thanks. -RA'ed July 09-

Comment 11/15/09 For most of this year, Artech has been one of the go to contractor recruiters for IBM in their staffing/replacement of (much too costly) employees. They are very actively searching for people to staff the GDFs as well as people to take contractor positions to fill slots that were vacated during RAs in 2009 later found to be necessary to keep certain contracts operating. Watch out for their blanketing, global emails and feel free to tell them what you think… -MuffinMan-

Comment 11/15/09 Coincidence or not? Black Thursday (March 26, 2009) came to Southbury CT as well as other IBM sites. Shortly after the outer half of SBY "C" building was closed off (BTW the SBY "A" building has been closed up for years now). Not sure what to make of this if any. Is the data center the only thing keeping SBY around? Anyone wish to elaborate? -CSOvictim-

Comment 11/15/09 Well said, -Exodus2007-. Here's hoping. -Anonymous-, Dubuque won't last long. It was no doubt done for the 'cheap' of it, and once IBM makes a deal with some as-yet-undiscovered third world country, Dubuque (and its loyal IBM workers) will be history. Watch this space. -ignatz713-

Comment 11/14/09 Ignatz, you have got to relax and calm down. If you want to get back at IBM and management in some manner in the future, you need to keep your cool and your wits about you. Revenge is best served legally and cold and from the shadows, not from a mind; blinded and handicapped with anger. I know it's tough, but keep your wits about you. As a laid off IT person, the best way to get back at IBM is to get back into the industry if you can and become an anti-IBM customer or competitor. Give them no quarter and you find hundreds, from Fortune 500 CEOs (yes, some have been treated bad by IBM) to other lowly IT peons that will become your ally. The only way folks like the Alliance will get in control is to make it so painful to IBM that the BoD will seek the Alliance to save the company and reduce its market pain. If your out of IBM, the best way to help the Alliance is to take business away from IBM and tell IBM the only way to get it back is by working with the Alliance through decent negotiation. Same for politics and politicians. This is economic class warfare and anyone who tells you it's about anything else (e.g. professionalism and all that B.S.) is just misguided.
The answer for you is Bold I. That is the overarching program for 2008-2009 from HQ. Your particular resource action may or may not have had a name, but it was done under the corporate "banner" or sponsorship (so to speak) of Bold I. I was let go as well, and I fell under Bold 1 as well.
When I said that divestiture was a minor component, I meant it in that the majority of the resource cuts (15-25%) would come from unit divestitures (like CATIA, the commercial printing unit, minor education industry teams, etc.). The majority in Bold I is raw"traditional" (some call it this callously) layoffs, and the minority from unit divestitures.
Every single laid off person is a tragedy and a failure of management, but with so many thousands being cut, in order to stay sane one always has to look at it from an impersonal basis. unfortunately IBM seeks, finds and further refines individuals who are impervious to the pain and blinded by ambition and greed, like our friend Moffat proved to be.
The cracks at the top are beginning to show, and the animals up there are getting scared and losing trust among themselves. The brave, cold and calculating actions of Dave Johnson created serious waves of distrust among those in Armonk. For more details here's a link: http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217801222
David was smart. He was cold, cunning and calculating and he struck Sam and the company right where it hurts. Let's pray others legally and properly strike again at the heart of Armonk like David did. -Quiet Bean Counter-
Alliance Reply: First, The goal of Alliance@IBM is not to "get back at IBM and management in some manner" or to get "Revenge".
We're not interested in revenge; or to get even with IBM. The idea is, to unionize IBM for the employees' advantage. That means organizing the employees. Second, Alliance@IBM CWA is also partners with other IT unions such as Washtech and TechsUnite.org; also CWA members. They are doing the same thing we are. Going out into the post-IBM, IT world and cultivating anti-IBM customers or allies, is not on their agenda either. The BoD will NEVER seek the Alliance to save the IBM company... that is fantasy.
There are a number of members that post here, with much anger and bitterness, understandably. We're trying to help them direct that energy to a positive for the remaining IBM US employees, and get the organizing process escalated; so that we can move toward a vote and ultimately a contract for IBM US employees. Your advice and approval of "David Johnson" is more of a potential "individual strategy" and not part of our agenda, nor our members. Besides,... being a "Quiet" anything, about any of the abuse that IBM has handed out has not gotten anyone, anywhere. "The best way to help the Alliance is to..." Speak up, Stand up and ORGANIZE!

Comment 11/14/09 I hear they are hiring at the GDF in Dubuque, IA ,people right off the streets they are getting people with masters degrees starting out at $20 to 30K jobs and are excited to have a job even at that pay. IBM is taking pieces of my job and moving to Dubuque. It's obvious what IBM is doing, Unfortunately the poor economy is working in IBM's favor. This company disgusts me and yes I'm a union member. -Anonymous-

Comment 11/14/09 Bold I is primarily about resource actions (employee layoffs) but it also contained a minor unit divestiture component.
So, -Quiet Bean Counter- , under which secret decoder name was the slaughter on Black Thursday, March 26th? Was it a nebulous non-corporate named slaughter? So I was FIRED under a no-name code name? Darn, I feel even more slighted. So Sammy Boy didn't think enough of me to give a name to the slaughter under which he fired me and 4,999 others? I'm right, aren't I? FIVE THOUSAND employees were fired on Black Thursday? Mea Culpa if it was ONLY 4,001. To all you who THINK 10,425 is a SMALL number of FIRED employees. Just THINK what the press would DO if 10,425 EXECUTIVES and MANAGERS and TEAM LEADERS were fired!!! Just think. But, oh, wait, 10,425 executives CAN'T be fired. They had the brains to DEMAND a contract. I STILL want to know the secret decoder name (and all slaughters get a name) under which I was fired. -ignatz713-

Comment 11/14/09 A consultant hired to diagnose the ills that have plagued Texas’ $863 million data center consolidation project with IBM Corp. says in a report released Friday, that the current deal is dysfunctional and unsustainable. Morale is low. Turnover is high. <article LINK> -Former IBM'er-

Comment 11/13/09 Guess it wasn't just me. Type this: "16,000 ibm employees fired in 2009" into Google and see what you get and who said it.
Anyway, it's only numbers, right?*
Those 10,425/16,000 haven't been heard from, for the most part, again.**
How sad.***
*That was said during the Vietnam war too, wasn't it?**
Hey, those men and women were never heard from again either!
***How very sad indeed. -ignatz713-

Comment 11/13/09 I can't believe any IBMer (not in management) would suggest dropping the Moffat thing. He should be our poster child for unethical behavior, reasons for joining the union (to counter his massive layoffs), for shareholder activism (insider trading). We should be reminding employees DAILY that this person who has made a career out of firing US workers is a reason to join the union NOW! It's a reason for stockholders to support the checks and balances our union would offer to counter unethical management. It is not coincidence that an exec who has shown disdain for his employees would do likewise for our company and its shareholders. Why would you help hush this up? It's exactly what IBM management wants to do! Perhaps we should create a "Uncle Sammy Wants Your Job" featuring Moffat. Maybe a hotline to the Unnion for people who have tips on exec criminal behaviors. Help on setting up aonymous meetings with the SEC for employees who have "insider" info on our management's malpractice. I'd expect these kinds of things in order to turn this Moffat thing into a benefit for IBM workers and shareholders! But "drop it", NEVER! -anon-

Comment 11/13/09 -ignatz713- I sure hope so. I have racked my brain trying to figure out why they have not done so yet and I can only come up with the reasons in my post. Afraid to commit to a union for fear it might make things worse or fear of being associated with the stereotypical "lazy" union worker who won't help the team cuz its not in the contract. Either way as I stated I feel that is incorrect and ALL technical jobs in America, Not just IBM but everyone needs to be looking at forming a strong union in their own company to protect the few decent jobs America has left. I for one won't fit into a hunter gatherer society when there are no jobs left. Cave dwelling or tent living is just too harsh for my old bones. If nothing else the bigger the union the better the benefits. -Exodus2007-

Comment 11/13/09 Thanks, Alliance. Even at 10,425, the number of ruined lives is HUGE! As has been pointed out, all of these lives mean nothing to the 3500 (that number is correct, is it not?) executives whose riches must be protected at all costs.
-da_facts- , that is interesting info on de-unionizing, although I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to do so in IBM, since a union is the IBM employee's only hope. So, given this, the remaining U.S. employees have nothing to lose and everything to gain. How sad if they continue to wait. -ignatz713-

Comment 11/13/09 >>Comment 11/12/09 To ignatz713: your posts keep referring to 16,000 employees who have been let go in 2009. The tally from the Alliance shows 10,425 to-date, plus a number of contractors. Do you have reliable info that about 5,500 contractors got cut? I am asking, not questioning. Thanks. -An onymous-
No, I don't. But I know I either read it here or on employeeissues. And I trust the Alliance, not IBM. Alliance, correct me if I wrong. Was it ONLY 10,425 employees whose lives were RUINED in 2009 when they were FIRED in 2009, and not 16,000? Oh, and 10,425 or 16,000, that's still too many lives RUINED in 2009 by Sam and Bob and all the other self-serving db's in IBM. Think the remaining 28% (I read that here too) U.S. employees will wake up and form a union before they are FIRED too? -Exodus2007- , how about you? Do you think the current employees will unionize/sign a contract before they are FIRED? -ignatz713-
Alliance reply: Ignatz, the number of employees that we have verified as being cut through receiving RA packs is 10,425. Do we believe it is higher? Yes. We do not think we have all the RA packs. The 16,000 number is based on information we have received, that by year end, the total will be 16,000.

Comment 11/13/09 Exodus2007 is absolutely right in that rank and file employees in a union can de-unionize. You don't hear about de-unionizing often: a companies' management will not tell the employees about the option to de-unionize before employees unionize and also unions usually don't need to be disbanded and decertified since unions are designed to help make a fairer playing field between management and the employee by getting a collective bargaining agreement. De-unionizing after NLRB certification is also an employee vote. If employees were told a union is a "point of no return" then one can see why the typical IBMer would be skeptical of any union for themself. So a union can be a "try and fly" opportunity either way: to get and keep a union or go back to being a non-union shop.So why not give a union a chance now? What do you have to lose (other than your current IBM employment in due time if you continue to do nothing to prevent it)? -da_facts-

Comment 11/12/09 Sadly rumors of new rounds of massive firings abound and yet the ranks of the Alliance do not swell in proportion to the numbers of people scared for their jobs and families. I do not understand why not. People, you can vote to unionize and if you are not happy with what the union does for you you can always vote to un unionize. Why not try it? Doing nothing sure does not seem to be a good strategy . Surely you can all agree on that point. I understand a lot of you are Republicans and do not feel unions, a traditional bastion of Democrats are right for you. Times have changed folks. Your union is just that, your union. It is what you make it into. I am a staunch supporter of the Alliance and I am a Republican. Yes the two can easily co exist if you dismiss the stereotypes you have been fed your whole life. I do believe in less Government. I do believe in less taxes. I also believe that workers should be treated fairly and justly and deserve fair representation and labor contracts. Safe pensions and medical coverage. I believe a company has a right and an obligation to try and maximize profits. Thats what they are in business for. I do believe they have the right to do that by out selling and out performing their competition, not by taking it away from me . I believe the only way to force companies to stop using employees as slaves or disposable widgets is for the employees to join together as a union and negotiate collectively their working conditions and benefits and retirements. I believe that once a corporation gets over the anger of being forced to be fair they will realize there is a lot of benefits to having a union workforce. It can truly be a win win for all involved if you open your minds to the idea. Its really a matter of respect. No one has repect for a door mat. Get your respect. Sign up with the Alliance and make a difference in your own future. You will be glad you did. -Exodus2007-
Alliance reply: Thank you for your continued support, Exodus2007 and your profound comments. Adding to your point; Alliance@IBM has members that are widely diverse in their political, social, and religious beliefs. The one commonality is that we believe in a written employment contract; bargained for all non-management employees, between IBM and Alliance@IBM, Communications Workers of America, Local 1701.

Comment 11/11/09 IBM insiders - quite a bit of activity this month by Sammy Nice chunk of change . . . http://finance.yahoo.com/q/it?s=IBM

5-Nov-09 PALMISANO SAMUEL J Officer 80,000 Direct Option Exercise at $103.25 per share. $8,260,000
5-Nov-09 PALMISANO SAMUEL J Officer 615 Indirect Acquisition (Non Open Market) at $0 per share. N/A
5-Nov-09 PALMISANO SAMUEL J Officer 1,700 Direct Sale at $122.47 - $122.48 per share. $208,0002
5-Nov-09 PALMISANO SAMUEL J Officer 49,737 Direct Sale at $122.24 - $122.46 per share. $6,085,0002
5-Nov-09 PALMISANO SAMUEL J Officer 27,595 Direct Sale at $122 - $122.23 per share. $3,370,0002
5-Nov-09 PALMISANO SAMUEL J Officer 1,670 Direct Disposition (Non Open Market) at $0 per share. N/A -Anonymous-

Comment 11/11/09 This is an idea for the possibility of some additional promotion for the Alliance. With the upcoming December release of 'UP IN THE AIR,' which will star George Clooney as an executive who travels across the country to terminate corporate employees, a thought to contact the producers or promoters of the movie to highlight the heroic efforts of the Alliance@IBM to restore employee rights, dignity, and security at this once great company. With IBM, once the pacesetting example and icon of American business, falling to ever new lows with their blatant disregard on so many fronts for their US population base (and beyond), as contrasted with the scope and contractual benefits IBM executives enjoy, the Alliance's work to restore the values that once made this company great really should be highlighted. The Alliance is at the forefront of this effort, as the company, in many people's eyes, has virtually shut down the channels through which once flowed the lifeblood of mutual give and take between their former 'greatest resource,' sadly no more. Instead, people are now unceremoniously booted out the door in record numbers with no recourse, often on what seems to be little more than a whim, especially if they're closing in on retirement eligibility and benefits. On the other hand, the upper management and executive ranks, which seem to have grown exponentially, are guaranteed what employees are not. What an absolute disgrace. The disparity of this cannot be overstated. It would be great if a spotlight could be shone on the work that you do, especially in the spirit of the season in which this movie will be released (according to the current Wikipedia entry for the film, initial limited release beginning December 4, with wide/nationwide release set for December 25, Christmas day). I'm not sure if the producers or promoters do things like send complimentary tickets to a premiere or special showing, but that would be a great gesture to recognize the Alliance Officers with. Perhaps letters/emails on this behalf would help. Thoughts welcome on this idea. Please sign me: -FORMER TRUE BLUE-

Comment 11/11/09 Regarding: "Hyundai performance at Ferrari prices" Someone commented in another section a few months ago.
"IGS, You can always buy better. But, you will never pay more". So sad, so true. -Anon-

Comment 11/10/09 That Hyundai performance at Ferrari prices comment sure hits home. I remember a salesman who used to say " Sure you can buy better quality but you can't pay more for it! " . Its sad that its no longer a joke. -Exodus2007-

Comment 11/10/09 WARNing failure: Most laid-off workers not covered by notice law
http://www.finance-commerce.com/article.cfm/2009/11/11/WARNing-failure-Most-laidoff-workers-not-covered-by-notice-law -Think-

Comment 11/10/09 IBM Taking Stimulus Money From American People to Outsource Jobs to India
http://bizcovering.com/major-companies/ibm-taking-stimulus-money-from-american-people-to-outsource-jobs-to-india/ -Tod Big-

Comment 11/10/09 "Hyundai performance at Ferrari prices"
This opinion piece discusses problems experienced with IBM products by government agencies in the Philippines, UK and US (Indiana). http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideOpinion.htm?f=2009/november/10/jojorobles.isx&d=/2009/november/10 -Think-

Comment 11/09/09 -Glad2BeGone-I find it hillarious that the jobs IBM has available are in Human Resource for a Separation Specialist. This part gets me too:"IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status." How about without regard to former employment with IBM? Good luck with your application and let us know if you get an interview. I'll gladly give you a letter of recommendation! -IBMer-

Comment 11/09/09 -Glad2BeGone- OUTSTANDING Post!! My sides hurt. It's so true it should not be funny, yet it is. -Exodus2007-

Comment 11/09/09 IBM Taking Stimulus Money From American People to Outsource Jobs to India: Article -Jeff-

Comment 11/09/09 If I am a farmer and I can extract hundreds of millions of dollars by bleeding my cow to death, what do you think I am going to do? After the cow is gone, I'll see you in Monte-Carlo.... -gadfly-

Comment 11/09/09 OK, as someone involuntarily separated from IBM after nearly 25 years of loyal service I find this IBM external job posting utterly grotesque: https://jobs3.netmedia1.com/cp/job_summary.jsp?job_id=CHQ-0268555&st=6791
Below are a few highlights from this “HR Professional” (aka henchman) posting:
The successful candidate will:
o Have extensive technical and functional experience with the full life-cycle of *Separations* (prefer 3+ years of experience)
o Provide subject matter expertise to the *Separations Rewrite Initiative*, including process and tools.
o Possess a full working understanding of, and be technically experienced with, related software (i.e. About You, *SepLOA*, etc.)
o Have experience liaising with other SMEs related to *Separations* (i.e., *Resource Actions*, Travel, About You, etc.) in order to obtain supplementary information when needed
o Provide SME Sign-Off of Training Materials on *Separations* o Determine and pursue courses of action essential in obtaining the desired outcome of the *Separations project*.
o Act independently to determine methods and procedures to obtain and/or determine needed information [yea, like information on who the highest paid people are on each team so they can be singled out for *separation*].
I wonder how fast IBM would pull down this listing if every unjustly separated IBMer who was booted out over the past 12 months were to click on the “Apply” button and file and application that included a comment such as the following:
“I am delighted to submit this application for the HR Professional position. As someone who was involuntarily separated from IBM during the past 12 months, I have in-depth experience in IBM’s separation / resource actions process – and with my over ___ years experience as an IBM _______ I am confident I could easily identify IBMers, especially those at the senior executive level, whose narrow focus on raising the IBM stock price and whose absurdly extravagant salaries are causing IBM irreparable harm. I would consider it an honor and a privilege to aid you in preparing them for a rapid departure from IBM for the benefit of the company. I am confident my skills and abilities would greatly aid you in cleaning house where it is most sorely needed most by removing overpaid, self-centered, self-indulgent executives and replacing them with IBMers who truly care about the IBM company, who are willing to focus on those things that benefit IBM’s customers, and who value IBM’s greatest asset -- it’s loyal employees who have made IBM the success it is today. Please contact me at your earliest convenience to set up my interview, as I am truly anxious to join your team and get started on this critical initiative." -Glad2BeGone-

Comment 11/08/09 Many of us found this article worth sharing.Showing the human side of outsourcing and downsizing.
http://socyberty.com/issues/tell-us-how-ibm-ruined-your-health-and-ability-to-earn-a-living-due-to-greed-and-inhumanity/ -Anonymous-

Comment 11/08/09 WOW. Senator Schemer sure did not blink when billions of cash for clunkers money went to foriegn car manufacturers. Guess he doesn't own stock in the Chinese turbine company. China now owns Hummer. Does this mean the Military should no longer buy them or parts for them. You betcha they should not. But they will. And good old Chuckee Cheese Schemer will remain silent on that one also you can bet. China owns about 2 trillion dollars of the U.S. Debt so him nit picking a small wind farm operation just to look " Patriotic " is nothing but a sham. After all, the Cap and Trade bill also known as the new tax on the middle class was supposed to attract foriegn investors into green energy alternatives. No way will any kind of Government sanction really ever be used against them . Its all just a photo op for Chuck. The President cannot afford to send a mixed message on Cap and Trade like that. Far too many people already realize it is bullshit and cornholing a windfarm joint venture with China would convince everyone else its bullshit also. If they would install wind turbines in congress the energy needs of the DelMarVa area could be met whenever congress is in session by all the hot air they blow around. After all, who else but this congress would order a brand new multi Billion dollar facility thats never been used closed. Its so easy when its not your own money. Wait a minute. Its not their money, its ours they wasted, yet again. I know, I know. Like Chuck ALWAYS says. We inherited this you know. I say over and over. Stop looking for the government to save your job at IBM. It will not happen. Only you can prevent job losses in IBM America. Organize NOW. -Exodus2007-

Comment 11/08/09 Re SEPARATIONS EXPERT, I checked the ibm.com site and I will vouch that this job post is true.
Of course, I wonder why IBM cannot engage one of their dedicated IGS consultants to offshore their own personnel. Perhaps IGS is too expensive. -Re SEPARATIONS EXPERT- (moved from Job Cuts Reports)

Comment 11/07/09 America's slave labor camp /company... Will they go this far??
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/SwineFluNews/walmart-sick-policy-irks/story?id=8999558 -Anonymous-

Comment 11/07/09 -dun-4-: Your right! A lot of IBM managed operations or server support has been cut back to minimal support IMHO. Look how many I/T Specialists and Systems Administrators have been RA'ed after they got a 15% pay cut. Backups? Who needs time to do something called preventative maintenance when IBM management thinks the maintenance will never be needed since the event with never occur for it??? That's the mentaility now. IBM management is more interested in installing or implementing servers or software systems since they make their quarterly signing numbers and get the bonus $$$ rather than making sure the software and hardware are maintained adequately. If a failure and outage occurs IBM management then will point fingers but say "no me culpa" and will do damage control with the customer and then assure the customer it will not happen again. In my book, not good business acumen. -da-facts-

Comment 11/06/09 ignatz:1999 in the US, of course. An interesting piece in the news: Sen. Schumer wants to stop taxpayer aid to a wind farm that uses foreign-built parts. Same principle needs to be applied to IBM, who stands to benefit from taxpayer money. I'm sure we all agree here that US taxpayer money should not be used to fund jobs abroad, even from US-based firms. Period. http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=862394&category=BUSINESS -Think-

Comment 11/06/09 to gadfly, Not everyone is suckered into all the hype about the H1N1, do your own research on this you may be enlightened:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.aspx
There was a lot of hype over the Avian Flu as well, but the drug companies failed to make a profit on it. This new approach for the H1N1 is raking in billioins. Yes, there are people that die from the "regular" flu every year and the number of people that are being affected by this virus is even less than the regular flu. Don't be a sheeple, don't believe everything you hear from your boss or the government. -WhenPigsFly-

Comment 11/06/09 >>Too bad nobody spoke up like this in 1999: "Government should boycott IBM"
Do you mean here or in the UK? The UK employees weren't being raped in 1999, were they? The U.S. employees were and while there was some support, it wasn't enough. Those with the FHA are FIIIINALLY realizing how bad a screwing they got in 1999. But yes, the UK employees do have commendable stones for putting a voice to their displeasure and not doing BAU. It's not too late for the U.S. employees to do the same. It WILL be too late, very soon, but there is still time to unionize.
-IBMer-, Sammy Boy doesn't read here to get advice on morality, he reads here to get his daily laugh at the powerlessness of the employees and firees and retirees. Remember, for every one of the 16,000 employees he fired in 2009, he got a bonus off their heads. He gets to laugh at how silent the 16,000 were in 2009 and WHAT a noise they could have made had they banded together. But they didn't. More's the pity. -ignatz713-

Comment 11/05/09 Sammy Boy is quite BOLD to continue to trash IBMers by eliminating their jobs for cheap labor overseas. Sammy Boy continues to collect his millions each year in salary stock options and bonuses. Sammy Boy, you've got enough millions. Why not act like a MAN instead of a WIMP and work for one dollar per year like Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer? Stop being a WIMP Sammy Boy. For all you readers, please support the Alliance. A Union will put a muzzle on Sammy Boy and stop the plundering of IBM's money and our pockets. -IBMer-
Alliance reply: The Alliance will not muzzle Sam Palmisano. What it will do is give a voice to employees and a good dose of workplace democracy.

Comment 11/05/09 To anon: It seems IBM is having so many problems keeping customer data intact. How hard can it be to do a backup? It's such an amateur thing to have happen. You would think after the first big mistake, they would have put something in place to keep it from happening again. It just makes us look foolish. I think we can safely say we're at the point where the business is 'breaking' WAKE UP C-Suite. You're f***ing with the business now for the sake of your own profit. Look to the future, not just tomorrow's million dollar bonus. -dun-4-

Comment 11/05/09 Any software developer interested in getting out of that hole in the ground named "IBM" might want to read this: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2009/11/05.html
There are companies out there that actually respect programmers. (Or, if you like it at IBM, feel free to stay and unionize.) -Anonymous-

Comment 11/05/09 MSD is the merger of AoD and eBHS hosting -MSDer-

Comment 11/05/09 Too bad nobody spoke up like this in 1999: "Government should boycott IBM"
http://www.politics.co.uk/mps/press-releases/party-politics/liberal-democrats/government-should-boycott-ibm-gidley-$1338842.htm -Think-

Comment 11/05/09 Pandemic preparations are underway at my level. All these preparations are predicated on my team being in contact with H1N1 patients in a clinical setting. There is a course, test, and a trial fitting for this respirator device that is to be used. Interestingly, there is no mention of the H1N1 vaccination, or a requirement to get it prior to entering one of the infected areas. "Let's build a smarter planet..." Give me a break.... -gadfly-

Comment 11/04/09 I'm guessing BOLD=BuyOuts, Layoffs, Dismissals -QTR_CENTURY- (moved from Job Cuts Reports)

Comment 11/04/09 Does anyone know anything about MSD? We just has a few people move out of our group into MSD. Looks like mgmt is playing musical chairs with the account groups. Some are moving to a GDF, others are going GR, and apparently still others are being moved into this MSD organization. -unsure-in-2009-

Comment 11/04/09 Can we put an end to all the Moffat postings? Enough's enough. All there is lately is somebody posting a quote from a new article, and then posting the URL for the whole thing. We can all subscribe to IBM related news feeds on our own, thanks. -anonymous-

Comment 11/04/09 I hear you Rick! ENOUGH of Moffat!!! It's past history in my mind now and will not help anyone already RA'ed like myself and others. It will also not help anyone about to be RA'ed, getting a PBC 3, getting a pay cut, being forced to relocate without M&L, having to pay more for retiree medical coverage, etc. To continue any rant about Moffat is truly distracting us from the very real issues affecting IBMers, ex-IBMers, and IBM retirees. What do I suggest is if someone you know brings up Moffat? Answer with a reply mentioning the Alliance! -sby_willie-

Comment 11/04/09 -Gorya- anyone of Scottish, Irish or any Celtic ancestry could be offended now by Moffat in a kilt. No one should wear one if WITHOUT HONOR. And his crime certainly is heinous enough to be put in the category of being dishonorable.. Now if they put him in his underwear instead well that might be a different and better laugh I don't think anyone could be the least offended by! -hibernian-

Comment 11/04/09 IBM can't seem to do anything right anymore.
http://www.marshallnewsmessenger.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/2009/11/04/1104data.html -anon-

Comment 11/02/09 -anonymous- 11/01/09 asks:
"If he is as innocent as his lawyer says then why should he just run and retire?"
Well, Moffat's lawyer explains that Moffat is "still asserting his innocence" but retired "so he could devote his time and energy to defending himself against the charges”, and we can believe that because Moffat does look sweet and innocent in his kilt:
http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20091102/ibm-moffat-galleon I hope his victims are getting some pleasure out of all this. -Gorya-

Comment 11/02/09 IBM Internal Document Outlines Knowledge of Planned Pandemic With 100% Certainty. See story and internal foils at
http://preventdisease.com/news/09/110209_ibm_internal_doc_reveals_knowledge_pandemic_2006.shtml -Anonymous-

Comment 11/02/09 -ignatz713- Mo Fat violated the IBM Business Conduct Guidelines (BCG). IBM is saying he is being investigated over his personal activity (of insider info leaking). He was giving IBM information out. That is not personal information, right? So why should he get a platinum parachute? If this happened to you or me and we gave insider info.about IBM as an IBM employee we would be an ex-employee, fired, canned, prosecuted not only be the feds. but probably sued by IBM as well with no option to retire and NO retirement benefits as spelled out for violating the IBM BCG! -anonymous-
Alliance Reply: When are we going to end this discussion re: Moffat insider trading? When will we begin the discussion re: the best ways to organize inside IBM and how best to connect with our co-workers? For those of you RA'ed from IBM, but still connected trhough the pension program; do you want to help communicate with your former co-workers that are still there and talk to them about organizing? I'm personally sick of posting these discussions about Moffat..it's getting really boring, IMHO.
Rick White
Treasurer, Organizer, Web Maintenance
and Health & Safety Representative
CWA Local 1701
Alliance@IBM
www.allianceibm.org

Comment 11/01/09 Folks, Phase 1 of IBM pulling out of Vermont: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200991020004

Here is a quote from the article.
"IBM spokesman Jeff Couture declined to comment on the terms of the lease, but said Building 862 is being readied for what will be it’s largest tenant. “We have been clearing out and consolidating,” Couture said. The building will be within IBM’s secure 700-acre facility, he said. The IBM complex is in Essex Junction and Williston and has about 3 million square feet of space, Couture said."
This is the beginning of the end of IBM in Vermont. First building 862. Next 861 and 863. Then the main site. IBM management is not talking. Tom Watson Jr came to Vermont because he liked to ski at Smugglers Notch. Sammy doesn't ski and could care less about your job in Vermont. More job cuts are on the way to free up more buildings to lease. If we had a Union we could demand answers regarding the future of our jobs in Vermont. Support the Alliance and a Union! -BTVer-

Comment 11/01/09 Fair? Moe Phat retired Buffaloes. He keeps his stock options and will have to excercise them in a year or two. For millions upon millions of profits. I suspect the interest alone will cover his medical costs the rest of his life so stop worrying your shaggy little heads about him.I hear him and Sammy are trading Buffalo meat on the commoditiy market now. They say they have a couple hundred thousand head left to slaughter in their United States herd alone. They are even teaching the rest of Corporate America how to hunt the new Buffalo. They say unfortunatly Congress has already fleeced all the U.S. Sheep so the only herd left to plunder is the American Buffalo Workers.Wake up and worry about yourselves . There are no benevolent Corporations. The Government is only Benevolent because its YOUR money they give away. I understand why most IBMers are afraid to stand up. IBM will sell your chairs if your not sitting in them. Rest assured when they are ready to sell your chair they will just throw you on the floor and sell it anyway so you might as well stand up now . The only reason you can trust the union is YOU ARE THE UNION. Sammy has the Buffalo Bullet makers working overtime in the BRIC countries to give him enough ammunition to wipe out the herd. What are you doing to stop them?? Worrying about how much greener Moe Phats grass is sure is not going to do it. He won the game of greed. You lost. Organize and get some for yourselves. -Exodus2007-

Comment 11/01/09 >>So Moffat doesn't get the FHA.
Of COURSE he doesn't get the FHA, silly. He gets the platinum parachute and free lifetime retiree medical and SERP and all the other bennies that his contract brought him when he and Sammy Boy sat down in Armonk, laughed at all of us for our venting and gnashing, and worked out the terms of his 'exit'. You know, like the contracts that the remaining 28% U.S. employees should be looking to sign? Yes, that contract. It worked for Mo Fat, it would have worked for the 16,000 employees fired in 2009, and it will work for the remaining 28% U.S. employees, IF they unionize. -ignatz713-

Comment 11/01/09 -Gorya- Moffat retired? What a coward. If he is innocent as his lawyer says then why should he just run and retire? I wonder how many non-executive IBMers can retire if IBM finds them guilty of violating the BCG's. I bet it is a round goose egg. It would have been more fitting if the official IBM reason of Moffat leaving was that he was RAed. So Moffat doesn't get the FHA. Just like the thousands of IBMers he screwed out of it. Good for him. -anonymous-

Comment 11/01/09 >>And that is unfair to those who were RA'ed and were pushed out of the business by him.
Noooooooooooooooooo. It was UNFAIR????????? Awwwwwwwwww, it was unfair. You don't mean to say that those at the top get more than the grunts at the bottom, now DO you? My, my, my, my, my. So? What are you going to do about it? Unionize, you say? Maybe. -ignatz713-

Comment 10/31/09 What SAM says does not matter. Notice that a Senior Vice President and the future CEO of IBM gets arrested for insider trading and Wall Street does not blink. The Government does not blink. Stock prices do not fall. The street does not " Punish " IBM. The Government will still award Sammy some of the porkulus money for phoney smart grid technology and the screwing of you and I will continue with gusto.
Buffalo Bill Cody explained that when hunting Buffalo you shoot the rear most Buffalo first. The ones in front never notice so they just stand there and do nothing while you shoot the next and so on. With a little repositioning you can shoot the whole herd and they never try to run. I guess it works the same way with IBMers. When will the herd wake up?? Organize before its too late people. One by one your falling and no one but the hunters seem to notice. Remember, when you are the only Buffalo left, you may very well be the first but you are also the last and the next bullet from managements rifle will certainly be yours.-Exodus2007-

Today Comments Only on Moffat 10/31/09 I'm the last US based "commidity" supporting my customer. GR refuses to work 3rd shift IST (it is not why they achieved their degrees). Moffat was "busted" & now he's "gone". Can yall at the top stop the mad push for numbers and provide our client what they contracted for? Yes, I understand that as as a "commidity" that my sole purpose is to sacrifice so that you and yourn don't have to. -TheLoneBeamer-

I hear that Moffat is no longer an IBMer. IBM doesn't say whether he
resigned, was told to leave, fired, quit, RA'ed, or retired (though he is not 55 years old). I reckon why IBM is not telling is that he probably gets all the benefits he was going to get. And that is unfair to those who were RA'ed and were pushed out of the business by him. The only thing Moffat loses out on now is a paycheck. If that is the case then that is what an EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT can do. If you want to get the same UNIONIZE now and get a contract and protection for yourself! -anonymous-

For those that are on cloud 9 with bobby taking a fall and getting"axed" from IBM. He did no thing, believe what you want, and if you don't believe he got a golden parachute you are mistaken. Unionize my friends, its too late for me as I have moved on, but you can make SAM answer to you before he hits his 10-11 eps in 2010. -think_again-

Now that Moffat is no longer with IBM he is therefore no longer an IBM manager; so he may visit us here and contribute. -Silver Fox-

Moffat's lawyer says Moffat "retired from IBM, he was not terminated or fired" (unlike thousands of Moffat's subordinates). The Financial Times says IBM’s approach "contrasts sharply with the approach taken by other companies whose executives have been drawn into the insider trading case" : IBM's "decision to depict the matter as a purely personal one and refuse further comment risks falling short of the transparency needed when a scandal hits a company at the highest levels, according to some corporate ethics experts."
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/26c35c14-c5a5-11de-9b3b-00144feab49a.html?nclick_check=1 -Gorya-

Today Comments Only on Moffat 10/30/09 Now Adkins will be in charge of getting our Indian friends with 2 years experience to replace our skilled veterans with 10+ years experience and business knowledge. -DM-

Good riddance Bobby boy!
http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/technology/ibm-says-moffat-replaced-adkins/ -FutureUnemployedIBMer-

Moffat is gone, would be interressting what his RA´d pakkage is
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/reuters/MTFH04261_2009-10-30_16-19-27_N3085727.htm -Concerned IBMer-

Just posted in the W3 Home Page Bob Moffat now a former employee at IBM. -Goodbye-

Good bye Bob! http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20091030/BUSINESS/91030012/Moffat-out-at-IBM--Adkins-promoted -My ex Boss-

Sounds like big Bobby boy has been canned.....good riddance..there is a statement out on w3 today which says...Rod Atkins is now senior VP of STG and Bobby is no longer an employee of IBM.....hip hip horray!!!! -just another IBM'er-

Corporate Headquarters officially cut 1 job today ....
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idCNN308572720091030?rpc=44 -another IBM serial #- (moved from Job Cuts Reports)

Moffat no longer with IBM; Adkins takes charge
By George Spohr
Times Herald-Record
Posted: October 30, 2009 - 11:25 AM
ARMONK ~W Robert Moffat, the IBM executive who federal prosecutors say played a part in an insider-trading scheme, is no longer an employee at IBM. According to the company's intranet site, Moffat who had been placed on a leave of absence as a result of a federal investigation into his activities will be replaced by Rodney Adkins. http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091030/BIZ/910309980 -anon- (moved from Job Cuts Reports)

Comment 10/30/09 Sam says, "our strong cash flow performance has enabled IBM to return $73bn" in dividends. Isn't that roughly the same amount they stole from the pension plan? That didn't take any management skill worth paying for. -SAM-

Comment 10/30/09 -Ace Canada- Nice. But just a tiny step in a better direction. But IBM still increased the monthly insurance costs the employee has to pay. I would have preferred them keeping the monthly insurance premiums the employee has to pay the same or lower it slightly. Now that would be a bigger step in the right direction. -anonymous-

Comment 10/29/09 IBM to Give Employees 100% Coverage of Primary Care
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&sid=ama5LhPE1QW0 -Ace Canada-

Comment 10/29/09 What having a contract can do:
In a big victory for CWA in California and Local 9421 splicing technicians who lost hundreds of hours of overtime to contractors hired by AT&T, an arbitrator has ruled that the company violated its bargaining agreement with CWA. "This is a magnificent win for us," CWA District 9 Vice President Jim Weitkamp said in a letter to CWA locals. "It is your win, due in large part to the district-wide mobilization on the contracting issue that we started after the 2006 convention."
A monetary award is yet to be determined but Weitcamp said it could exceed $1 million. Arbitrator Barry Winograd directed the union and company to meet and negotiate over the amount owed.
"Monetary relief is justified to compensate for the company's failure, well into 2006 and 2007, to utilize employment options under the labor agreement as alternatives to its excessive reliance on contractors," Winograd wrote in his 72-page decision. The subcontracting mainly involved work on AT&T's Project Light Speed, the company's fiber-optic network. The company tried to claim that past practices made its contracting legal. Winograd placed a conditional order on AT&T requiring it to "cease and desist" subcontracting on the splicers' work for Project Light Speed. If the company decides to resume contracting out, it must give CWA at least 60 days notice and promptly "negotiate over the effects of that decision, including the prospect of hiring regular, term, temporary and occasional employees, undertaking internal upgrades and transfer, and increasing overtime opportunities for company employees." -Alliance-

Comment 10/29/09 just heard today - my whole team is losing their jobs to Brazil -J-
Alliance reply: I'm truly sorry for your job loss. Can you help us answer these Q's?
1) What's your location?
2) How many people could be affected?
3) Did you hear a rumor or did your manager tell you, officially?
4) Were you offered anything, i.e. sep pkg, etc.? (if so, please send us the pkg info)
We would appreciate it if you could give us this information. Thank you for any additional information you can give us.

Comment 10/28/09 As for health care premiums, Randy probably *is* negotiating, but is passing a greater percentage of the cost to employees and even more to retirees. I'd almost bet that IBM's expenditures toward employee health insurance premiums are going down because of these negotiations, a reduction in the number of US employees and because they can claim a younger average employee age. Just the opposite for retirees, obviously, who are increasing in number and age. I'd imagine IBM is also capitalizing on all the press reports that say health insurance costs are on the rise....and therefore everyone should expect an increase. -Think-
Alliance reply: And without union negotiating rights or a contract there is no one negotiating for employees.

Comment 10/27/09 More to come.......
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ac5lPAgsFVrU -Anonymous-

Comment 10/27/09 IBM authorizes $5 Billion stock repurchase
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ibm-authorizes-5-billion-more-for-stock-buybacks-2009-10-27 -marbles-

Comment 10/27/09 Yes, not only PBC 3's get RA'ed, not only PBC 2's get RA'ed as well, but PBC 2+ sure get cut loose as well these days.. I was a PBC 2+ and I was on the RA list in March despite being on IBM STD at the time. I was promptly RA'ed when I returned in August. -sby_willie- (moved from Job Cuts Reports)

Comment 10/27/09 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/10/27/ibm_share_buyback

IBM board gives Big Sam another $5bn
Continues throwing money at market to inflate EPS growth
By Timothy Prickett Morgan

Posted in Financial News, 27th October 2009 16:28 GMT

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IBM's stock repurchasing addiction to show earnings per share growth continues unabated, and today the company's board of directors gave the company's management another $5bn bag of junk to take to Wall Street to buy back its own shares in the coming year.

The news came as IBM was paying out its quarterly dividend of 55 cents per share, payable on December 10, and it was a reason for Big Blue to remind everyone that it has been paying out quarterly dividends since 1916. Other dividends might be bigger, but IBM's is longer and keeps a predictable rhythm, even in stressful times.

"IBM's strategic transformation to higher value businesses continues to drive profitable growth, and our strong cash flow performance has enabled IBM to return $73bn since 2003 to our shareholders," bragged Sam Palmisano, president, chief executive officer, and chairman at the company, in a statement. Some of that $73bn was spent on dividends, but the bulk of it went to buying back shares on the open market, allowing IBM to artificially grow EPS on a year-on-year basis. (Which is why I ignore EPS, except when it is the only metric available.)

IBM has raised its guidance three times for 2009, despite the economic meltdown, and is now promising to hit $9.85 per share in earnings this year. It says that it is well on track to hit $10 to $11 EPS in 2010, a goal it set several years ago. When your board of directors authorizes you to financially engineer this number from the cash the business throws off - rather than, say, invest in a whole new product line, or give bigger dividends to shareholders, or just sit on cash and make acquisitions like the failed Sun deal, which Big Blue walked away from as much because it couldn't afford it as it was worried about the deal going onto the antitrust rocks - it is hard to be impressed. But, then again, IBM is making profits that most other companies in the IT racket would kill for. So who's the dummy?

Certainly not the IBMers, like Palmisano, who are compensated in stocks. They are doing exactly what the system was designed to make them do.

IBM has $4.2bn left in stock repurchase authorizations on the books from this year, and now has another $5bn to go with it. And at the board meeting in April, the company's top brass will ask for more dough. It won't be long before IBM raises its target to $11 to $12 EPS for 2010, so its stock price can be pushed up even more. IBM's shares were up 1.3 per cent, to $121.67 each, in trading on Wall Street this morning after the news, giving the company a market capitalization of $157.5bn. IBM has not had a stock split since May 1999, and there is little question that the company would really like do to one again. There has been a strong psychological tendency in the market in recent decades to push IBM's stock up to $100 a share, so long as it is making money and not trying to go bust, as it was in the early 1990s.
The company also said this morning that James McNerney, who holds the titles of president, chief executive officer, and chairman at airplane manufacturer Boe