Bitterness was tinged with relief. After 22 years as a
dedicated IBM employee and about 18 months with its successor,
Endicott Interconnect, he was fired, one of an estimated 60 workers
so far affected by a plantwide purge.
"I was in a state of shock," Gorman said of his initial reaction.
"It was like a bad dream. I thought I was going to wake up from it."
But for Gorman and others involved in the string firings, it has
been all too real.
Endicott Interconnect executives have been unwilling to explain
the reasons for the job cuts. Attempts Tuesday night to reach
Endicott Interconnect Chief Executive James J. McNamara Jr. were
unsuccessful.
The action has much of the 1,800 employee work force wondering
what has prompted the personnel cuts.
"What they're doing is firing long-time workers at the site
because of their higher pay and replacing them with temporaries at a
much lower rate," said Lee Conrad of Alliance@IBM, a branch of the
Communications Workers of America. The Endicott-based Conrad is
trying to unionize Endicott Internconnect and IBM.
"This caught everyone by surprise," Gorman said. "I know some
good workers that were let go."
Gorman said his manager told him he was fired for poor
performance. It has been the same story told to others fired within
the past week, said Conrad and those who have been subject to the
firings.
"My manager called me into the office," said Gorman, a production
operator. "He said to me, 'As of today, I have to let you go with
EIT, Endicott N.Y.' "
His performance evaluation had been previously lowered from a two
to a four on a five-point scale, he said. But, he noted, he changed
jobs within the past month, and his manager had previously said he
was "coming along" in his new position.
"I think some of the managers were told to lower people's
performance just to give them an excuse to let them go," Gorman
said. "I wasn't put on notice or anything."
The 52-year-old Town of Maine resident expects to begin the job
hunt soon, looking within the region for another position with
similar responsibilities. Meanwhile, he has started searching for
medical coverage for his family during his employment hiatus.
His IBM pension of $471 a month will help him cover his mortgage,
and his unemployment checks will help with other expenses, but he
wonders about the impact on his wife and his 19-year-old son.
"They were just devastated," he said.
Conrad wonders if Endicott Interconnect is targeting those who
question company personnel policies and business practices.
"It will have a chilling effect on the work force and make them
afraid to speak out," Conrad said.
Endicott Interconnect was formed by local investors two years ago
to take over the operations of the former IBM microelectronics
division in Endicott in a deal worth $65 million. The company
assembles circuit boards and other components for the electronics
industry at the 4.1 million square-foot plant.
Gorman said his high hopes for the newly formed company were
dashed two weeks after the Nov. 1, 2002, takeover, when Endicott
Interconnect slashed 200 people, 10 percent of the work force, from
the payroll. The action came days after a celebration hosted by
executives to note the company's fresh start.
Last Thursday's firing ended months of uncertainty for Gorman.
"I had one good feeling as I walked across the parking lot" for
the last time, he said. "It was a sense of relief. There was life
before this place and there will be life after."
