dooms du jour, April/2001
[Commentary] ©2001 Phil Hyde, The Timesizing Wire, Box 117, Harvard Sq, Cambridge MA 02238 USA (617) 623-8080

4/29-30/2001
- "Whatever happened to the shorter workweek?" with Phil Hyde
at Boston Public Library, Mezzanine Conference Rm on Tues, May 8, at 6:30 pm -
weekend roundup per the NY Times and the Boston Globe:
• 36 downsizings reported, costing over 47,780 lost jobs
• 30 takeovers reported this week, worth over $13.31B
• 3 bankruptcies & • 1 homeless story & 
vs. 11 TIMEsizing stories + 1 UPsizing (8 new jobs) + 3 UNtakeovers ($185m+)
< YTD: 454 dnsz (610020 jobcuts) +499 takv($339B) +101 bkrp vs. 105 timsz +41 upsz (24719+=4%) +24 untk ($22B+)>
1 weekend downsizing, totaling 55 lost jobs:
• all 55 jobs (100%) cut as Leo Burnett ad agency closes Boston office
vs. weekend glimmers of hope: • 1 weekend UPsizing story - 5 new jobs as 3 ad agencies expand
• 'good, but' - Globe article lists ways to save jobs but scants trimming hours
• 1 timesizing item: - due to 35-hr week, French consumer spending rises
for 4th time in 6 mos during global downturn, says Le Figaro with data

4/28/2001 sat (re fri biz)
- "Whatever happened to the shorter workweek?" with Phil Hyde
at Boston Public Library, Mezzanine Conference Rm on Tues, May 8, at 6:30 pm -
4 takeovers reported in NYT & BG, worth $552m
+ 6 downsizings totaling 10,420 jobcuts + ??, cited by NYT & BG:
• 3% workforce cut (8000 US jobs lost) at Unilever consumer products, instead of
just trimming hours by 3% (15 minutes a day for whole firm including top execs), re-
investing pay from any overline hours in overtime-targeted training & hiring, & keep-
ing everyone together, employed, earning & buying 97% usual am't of consumables
• 2000 US job cuts at Comair  • 240 Ma. cuts at Thermo Electron lab eqpmt 
• 180 Ma. cuts at Ceridian's work-life counseling unit  • unspecified US cuts
at Knight-Ridder Services  • unspecified US cuts at Art Technology e-software
+ omens: • fatal mission for Sir Bland, new chair of Brit Telcoms = revive stock price
vs. glimmers of hope: • judge caps top executive pay at RNK Telecom
• 1 UNtakeover - appeals court blocks $185m babyfood merger - Heinz' of Beech-Nut
• 2 timesizing items: - German forecaster admires France's new (35-hr workweek borne) flex, &
- Société Générale cuts to 6% the 'nominal' 11% hike in costs due to 4-hr cut in French workweek

4/27/2001 fri
- "Whatever happened to the shorter workweek?" with Phil Hyde
at Boston Public Library, Mezzanine Conference Rm on Tues, May 8, at 6:30 pm -
5 takeovers reported in NYT & BG, worth $2.17B + $??
+ 9 downsizings totaling 8545 jobcuts, cited by NYT & BG:
• 3500 US & German job cuts at Siemens
• 1% workforce cut (1400 LatAm jobs lost) at Sara Lee underwear, instead of
just trimming hours by 1% (5 minutes a day for whole firm including top execs),
reinvesting pay from any overline hours in overtime-targeted training & hiring, &
keeping everyone together, employed, earning & spending 99% as much as usual
• 1000 job cuts at Corning fiber optics  • 885 Atlanta cuts at Webvan online grocer  • 700
US cuts at NEC memchips  • 500 Ma. cuts at Manufacturers' Services  • 270 Pa. cuts at
VerticalNet e-info  • 200 more US cuts at Robertson Stephens  • 90 more cuts at C-bridge
vs. glimmers of hope: • 1 UNtakeover - NEC will spinoff PC biz
• 2 TIMEsizing items: - PRGI strains to blame the 35-hr workweek for its failure
to cut its Q1 loss despite higher revenues in France, & - the IMF has the nerve to tell France
to relax its 35-hr workweek after admitting France will have the strongest growth in Europe this year

4/26/2001 thu
- "Whatever happened to the shorter workweek?" with Phil Hyde
at Boston Public Library, Mezzanine Conference Rm on Tues, May 8, at 6:30 pm -
5 takeovers reported in NYT & BG, worth $2.17B + $??
+ 6 downsizings totaling 1,201 jobcuts + unspecified, cited by NYT & BG:
• 12% workforce cut (900 jobs lost) at EarthLink ISP, instead of just trimming hours by
12% (to five 7h2m days for whole firm including top execs), reinvesting pay from
any overline hours in overtime-targeted training & hiring, & keeping everyone
together, employed, earning & spending 88% as much as usual
• 166 job cuts at Bookham Technology  • 50 cuts at Be Free 
• 45 at Astral Point  • 40 at Boston Globe  • ?? at Teledyne
+ omens: • media are finally noticing labor glut and • downside of globalization 
• Japan is sinking lower & • despite high unemployment & rampant automation,
Indonesia, like HK, still thinks less than 35 hrs/wk is 'underemployed'
= the opposite of France, where over 35 hrs is 'overemployed'
vs. glimmers of TIMEsizing:
• Sun Microsystems cuts costs without layoffs by taking whole July 4th week as vacation
• R. R. Donnelley reduces workweeks to limit workforce reductions 
• 35-hr France's "labor rigidities" are breasting the criticism

4/25/2001 wed
- killing us 'softly' with thousands & thousands of cuts -
7 takeovers reported in NYT & BG, worth $3.2B + $??
+ 9 downsizings totaling 20,280 jobcuts, cited by NYT & BG:
• 10% workforce cut (7,000 jobs lost) as Flextronics
gets panicky over slowing demand, instead of just trimming hours by
10% (48 mins/day for whole firm including top execs), reinvesting pay
from any overline hours in overtime-targeted training & hiring, & keeping
everyone together, employed, earning & buying 90% their usual electronics
• 5000 job cuts at JDS Uniphase  • 2200 cuts at Lucent  • 2000 at Cooper Industries 
• 2000 at Agere Systems  • 1500 at Morgan Stanley 
• 500 at Phelps Dodge  • 300 at El Al  • 80 at Cargill
+ 1 bankruptcy/failure mentioned: • Qantas New Zealand
vs. glimmers of hope: • 1 UNtakeover - USX will spinoff steel unit
• 1 TIMEsizing item: Cooper Industries avoids even more job cuts & moves by cutting hours

4/24/2001 tue
- In a well-designed economy, the phrase 'working poor' is an oxymoron -
9 takeovers reported in NYT & BG, worth $5.22B + $??
+ 6 downsizings totaling 7,334 jobcuts, cited by NYT & BG:
• 7% workforce cut (5,000 jobs lost) as Honeywell
self-amputates to 'remain competitive', instead of just trimming hours by
7% (34 mins/day for whole firm including top executives), reinvesting pay
from any overline hours in overtime-targeted training & hiring, & keeping
everyone together, employed, earning & spending 93% as much as usual
• 2000 more job cuts at Compaq  • 178 cuts at W. W. Grainger 
• 100 at Raytheon  • 50 at Clorox  • 6 at Katsin/Loeb
+ 2 bankruptcy/receivership's mentioned: • Gerald Stevens Inc. • SEIU Local 254
vs. glimmers of Timesizing: • France to stomp layoffs by firms with profits & long hours 
• French employer bewails workweek & growth!  • 21% of big US firms offer compressed weeks

4/22-23/2001
- "Whatever happened to the shorter workweek?" with Phil Hyde
at Boston Public Library, Mezzanine Conference Rm on Tues, May 8, at 6:30 pm -
weekend roundup per the NY Times and the Boston Globe:
• 33 downsizings reported, costing over 68,469 lost jobs
• 25 takeovers reported this week, worth over $15.05B
• 6 bankruptcies, with over $1.32B debt, & • 3 prison stories
vs. 4 TIMEsizing stories + 3 UPsizings (?? new jobs) + 1 UNtakeover ($??)
< YTD: 418 dnsz (562240 jobcuts) +469 takov($326B) +98 bkrp vs. 94 timsz +40 upsz (24711+=4%) +21 untak ($22B+)>
+ 1 weekend homeless story: • society chatters re not enuf cheap housing - or is it too few
well-paying jobs - or is it too few people hoarding too many well-paying working hours
= too long a workweek to let everyone join in?!
+ 1 weekend prison story: • tale of 2 jails, 'get tough' vs. rehabilitate
vs. weekend glimmers of hope: • 1 weekend UPsizing, 8 new jobs - 'Asylum' opens NYC office
• employee buyouts via ESOPs have saved at least 215 jobs in Mass. since '92
• Dave Barry targets the financial community & Saint Greenspan with some well-deserved ridicule

4/21/2001 sat (re fri biz)
- "Whatever happened to the shorter workweek?" with Phil Hyde
at Boston Public Library, Mezzanine Conference Rm on Tues, May 8, at 6:30 pm -
2 takeovers reported in NYT & BG, worth $490m
+ 5 downsizings totaling 20,261 jobcuts, cited by NYT & BG:
• 12,000 job cuts at Ericcson telecommunications of Sweden 
• 5% workforce cut (6500 jobs lost) as Honeywell
self-amputates to 'remain competitive', instead of just trimming hours by
5% (24 mins/day for whole firm including top executives), reinvesting pay
from any overline hours in overtime-targeted training & hiring, & keeping
everyone together, employed, earning & spending 95% as much as usual
• 1000 job cuts at Silicon Graphics  • 591 at Janus Capital  • 170 at Macromedia
+ 1 prison story: • Anthony Lewis brands America uncivilized because of prisons
+ omens: • biggest jump in month's Mass. jobless since '91 recession
vs. glimmers of hope:
• 2 UPsizings: Thayer to build Orlando resort & Krispy Kreme to open in Sioux Falls & Fargo
• 1 UNtakeover - Aon to spinoff insurance underwriting  • spending still strong (but debt stronger)
• 2 TIMEsizing items: US furniture industry mentioned again as trimming workweeks, & French
workweek-trimming credited with ability to relax other work rules & 'nimble up' whole economy

4/20/2001 fri
- "Whatever happened to the shorter workweek?" with Phil Hyde
at Boston Public Library, Mezzanine Conference Rm on Tues, May 8, at 6:30 pm -
5 takeovers reported, worth $123.4m + $$undisclosed
+ 8 downsizings, cited by NYT & BG, totaling 12,077 jobcuts +?? :
• 10% additional workforce cut (10,000 more jobs lost) as Nortel
exacerbates its ballooning losses, instead of just trimming hours 10%
(48 mins/day for whole firm including top executives), reinvesting pay
from any overline hours in overtime-targeted training & hiring, & keeping
everyone together, employed, earning & buying 90% as much fone stuff as usual
• 1025 job cuts at Kimball Int'l  • 420 at FleetBoston  • 381 at Sega in Japan  • 131 at
Datek Online  • 92 at SportsLine.com  • 28 at Bozell  • unspecified at Quokka Sports
vs. glimmers of intelligence: • columnist reinforces 'antique' idea that jobs really matter, not stocks
• another shot at St. Greenspan  • UFE slams NAFTA expansion  • another reader vs. overpopulation
• 1 TIMEsizing item: Motorola may also be doing shorter workweeks to avoid additional layoffs

4/19/2001 thu
- $50 gets you a return trip on an overnite bus from Boston Common to Quebec City Fri
4/20 at 10pm to protest free trade, 617-524-8100 - but some buses blocked at border -
3 takeovers reported, worth $159m + $$undisclosed
+ 6 downsizings, cited by NYT & BG, totaling 12,597 jobcuts +?? :
• 27% workforce cut (6000 jobs lost) as Spain beats down Brazil -
Santander clobbers Banespa - & its own markets - instead of just trimming hours
27% (to five 5h50m days/wk for whole firm including top execs), reinvesting pay
from any overline hours in overtime-targeted training & hiring, & keeping
everyone together, employed, earning & banking 73% as much as usual
• 3000 job cuts at HP  • 3000 at Celestica  • 550 at Tellabs 
• 37 more at NYT digital  • unspecified at JP Morgan
+ 1 bankruptcy mentioned: • Winstar Communications
vs. glimmers of hope: • trade deficit shrinks as US cuts imports
• 1 TIMEsizing item: 1,350 Comair pilots strike for more rest between shifts

4/18/2001 wed
- "Whatever happened to the shorter workweek?" with Phil Hyde
at Boston Public Library, Mezzanine Conference Rm on Tues, May 8, at 6:30 pm -
5 takeovers reported, worth $210m + $$undisclosed
+ 8 downsizings, cited by NYT & BG, totaling 15,100 jobcuts:
• 3% workforce cut (7000 jobs lost) as Royal Philips Electronics reacts to economic
slowdown in a way guaranteed to deepen it instead of just trimming hours 3%
(15 minutes a day for the whole firm including top execs), reinvesting pay
from any overline hours in overtime-targeted training & hiring, & keeping
everyone together, employed, earning & shopping 97% as much as usual
• 3500 job cuts at Eastman Kodak  • 2500 at Texas Instruments  • 1500 at
Timken bearings  • 400 more at Convergent  • 100 at Scholastic Cp. 
• 70 at Network Engines  • 30 at Cohn & Wolfe
+ 1 bankruptcy mentioned: • Shuttle America 18m in the red 
vs. glimmers of hope:
• 1 UPsizing: Domain Home Fashions to double its 20+ E. Coast stores over 3 yrs
• Provant to trim about $2.3m from executive salaries in response to falling profits

4/17/2001 tue
- "Whatever happened to the shorter workweek?" with Phil Hyde
at Boston Public Library, Mezzanine Conference Rm on Tues, May 8, at 6:30 pm -
10 takeovers reported, worth $14.07B + $$undisclosed
+ 4 downsizings, cited by NYT & BG, totaling 8300 US jobcuts:
• 7000 job cuts at 2-time loser, First Union, after it buys Wachovia
• 1% workforce cut (600 jobs lost) as Eaton hydraulix fuels deteriorating market
conditions instead of just trimming hours 1% (5 minutes a day for the whole firm including
top execs), reinvesting pay from any overline hours in overtime-targeted training & hiring,
& keeping everyone together, employed, earning & shopping 99% as much as usual
• 500 more cuts at Cisco  • 200 pilots canned at Conair
+ 4 bankruptcies mentioned: • AMF Bowling 1.3B in the red 
• South Fulton Medical Center  • Track 'n Trail  • Vision Metals
+ 1 prison story: • officials finally admit prisons losing drug "war"
+ omens: • Japan sinks deeper  • as we bash economy, work prospects for teens shrink
vs. glimmers of intelligence: • forget water wars, reader fingers the big one - overpopulation
• nurses trade less family coverage to limit mandatory overtime (but why 'mandatory' in 1st place?!)

4/15-16/2001
- "Whatever happened to the shorter workweek?" with Phil Hyde
at Boston Public Library, Mezzanine Conference Rm on Tues, May 8, at 6:30 pm -
weekend roundup per the NY Times and the Boston Globe:
• 29 downsizings reported, costing over 18,691 lost jobs
• 30 takeovers reported this week, worth over $14.71B
• 2 bankruptcies mentioned & • 1 prison story
vs. 5 TIMEsizing stories + 4 UPsizings (3+ new jobs) + 0 UNtakeovers + 1 UNbankruptcy reported
< YTD: 385 dnsz (493771 jobcuts) +444 takov($311B) +92 bkrp vs. 90 timsz +37 upsz (24711+=5%) +20 untak ($22B+)>
+ 2 weekend downsizings, totaling 134 lost jobs:
• 30% staff cut (110 lost US jobs) as Outpost.com web electronix seller panics over pro
forma loss, instead of just trimming hours& pay 30% (to four 7-hour days for everyone
including top execs) & keeping everyone together, employed, well-rested & creative, &
earning & e-shopping at 70% normal rate
• 24 US & Can. jobcuts at Tribal DDB Worldwide ad agency
+ 1 weekend prison story: • inmates rampage in Dartmouth [Mass.] House of Correction
+ weekend omens: • layoffs blindside Massachusetts & beyond   • DVDs are stagnating
movie rentals - so much for "technology creates more jobs than it destroys"
vs. weekend glimmers of hope: • English is booming as world language
• France's PM considers toughening road to layoffs for companies in profit
• Bob Kuttner has a better 'death tax' to cut - one that would really boost the economy

4/14/2001 sat (re Good Fri biz)
- Phil Hyde speaks at Boston Public Library, Mezzanine Conference Rm on Tues, May 8, at 6:30 pm -
3 takeovers reported, worth $88m + $$undisclosed
+ 4 downsizings, cited by NYT & BG, totaling 2436 jobcuts:
• 1000 NYC job cuts at Merrill Lynch   • 1000 at Warnaco in
Dominican Republic  • 350 at Biddeford Textile  • 86 at Gen3
+ 1 bankruptcy mentioned: • Biddeford Textile
vs. glimmers of hope:
• one good company puts integrity over short-term profit
- Consumers Report drops mass subscription from chain of car dealerships

4/13/2001 fri
no takeovers reported in NYT or BG
but 3 downsizings, reported by NYT & BG, totaling 398 jobcuts:
• 2.4% workforce cut (202 US jobs lost) as Dow Jones & Co. over-reacts to drop in adver-
tising instead of just trimming hours 2.4% (12 minutes a day for the whole firm including
top execs), reinvesting pay from any overline hours in overtime-targeted training & hiring,
& keeping everyone together, employed, earning & spending 97.6% as much as usual
• 150 Ma. jobcuts at Art Technology Group  • 46 at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care 
vs. glimmers of TIMEsizing - more Europeans wonder why progress has stopped:
• Jospin plans to expand tax credits for French firms cutting workweek  • German air controllers
want shorter hours  • Scotland's parliament pledges to grant teachers 35-hr workweek in 5 yrs
- English & Welsh teachers want same - both hardline & moderate

4/12/2001 thu
12 takeovers reported, worth $6.84B + $$undisclosed
+ 9 downsizings, reported by NYT & BG, totaling 7,081 jobcuts + unspecified:
• 3375 jobcuts at Heilig-Meyers furniture  • 1100 at Kozmo.com e-tailer 
• 8.3% workforce cut (875 US jobs lost) as Pricewaterhouse acctg spooks about declining
demand instead of just trimming hours 8.3% (40 minutes a day for the whole firm includ-
ing top execs), reinvesting pay from any overline hours in overtime-targeted training & hir-
ing, & keeping everyone together, employed, earning & spending 91.7% as much as usual
• 850 cuts at Scient  • 420 at Yahoo  • 256 at Putnam Investments  • 135 at Loudeye
Technologies  • 70 at Borders  • unspecified more cuts at Motorola
vs. glimmers of hope:
• 1 UPsizing: E*Trade will put shops in 20 Target stores  • columnist poohpoohs idea that stocks will
lead upturn  • Texas committee supports referendum on death penalty  • DaimlerChrysler's shareholders
rage about acquisitions  • import prices drop (but ominous portents underlie)

4/11/2001 wed
3 takeovers reported, worth $15m + $$undisclosed
+ 8 downsizings, reported by NYT & BG, totaling 7818 jobcuts + unspecified:
• 5.5% workforce cut (3000 UK jobs lost) as Marconi phone eqpmt freaks over downturn
in demand instead of just trimming its workweek 5.5% (26 mins./day for whole firm inclu-
ding top execs), reinvesting pay from any overline hours in overtime-targeted training &
hiring, & keeping everyone together, employed, earning & buying 94.5% usual #fones
• 2000 cuts at Siemens  • 1330 more at Motorola  • 450 at Critical Path 
• 400 at ANTEC  • 300 at Chadwick's  • 200 at Daleen  • 138 at Guide
+ omens: • investors buy merely in belief no bad news looms
vs. glimmers of hope:
• 1 UPsizing: Scana to build new SC power plant  • 1 UNbankruptcy: London Fog to emerge
• Holland sprints to world leadership in social progress, legalizes Kevorking, quality vs. quantity!
• Financial Acctg Board bans counting giveaways as sales (but how could we have kidded ourselves?)
• 2 TIMEsizing items: ANTEC Net eqpmt cuts to 4-day weeks in some factories before resorting to layoffs
- hours cuts as alternative to job cuts are becoming more familiar to consumers

4/10/2001 tue
12 takeovers reported, worth $7.77B + $$undisclosed
+ 4 downsizings, reported by NYT & BG, totaling 920 jobcuts + unspecified:
• 44% workforce cut (700 Ca. jobs lost) as NEC semiconductors panics over downturn
instead of trimming its workweek 44% (to five 4½-hr days for whole firm including
top execs), reinvesting pay from any overline hours in training &/or hiring &
keeping everyone together, employed, earning & buying 56% their usual PCs
• 185 NYC cuts at NBCi  • 35 cuts at Sawtek  • unspecified cuts at the SEC
+ 1 prison story: • NJ prison population, risen 400% in 20 yrs, now shrinks 11%
vs. glimmers of hope:
• 2 UPsizings: Starr Seigle opens NY office with 3 new employees
& McCarthy Mambro Bertino opens in Boston with ?? new employees
• 1 timesizing item: Sawtek Inc. avoids some layoffs by reducing work hours

4/08-09/2001
weekend roundup per the NY Times and the Boston Globe:
• 28 downsizings reported, costing over 21,301 lost jobs
• 33 takeovers reported this week, worth over $25.76B
• 11 bankruptcies, with over $9.13B debt
vs. 11 TIMEsizing stories + 1 UPsizing (?? new jobs) + 2 UNtakeovers reported ($18.35B)
< YTD: 356 dnsz (475080 jobcuts) +414 takov($296B) +90 bkrp vs. 85 timsz +33 upsz (24708+=5%) +20 untak ($22B+)>
+ 1 weekend downsizing:
• 12% workforce cut (38 lost US jobs) as Wieden & Kennedy ad agency over-reacts to
'economic realities,' instead of just trimming its workweek 12% (to five 7hr-2min days
for whole firm including top executives) & keeping everyone together,
employed, earning & responding to ads at 88% of normal
+ 1 weekend bankruptcy story: • biz wipeouts way up in Mass.
+ weekend omens: • grim times for jobs in high tech
vs. weekend glimmers of hope:
• 'good, but...' - some US companies still training (eg: new Intel-Babson MBA)...but just drop in bucket

4/07/2001 sat (re fri biz)
5 takeovers reported, worth $1.4B
+ 2 downsizings, picked up by NYT & BG, totaling 290 jobcuts:
• 20% workforce cut (250 NY jobs lost) as Enron energy trading panics about downturn
instead of trimming its workweek 20% (to four 8hr days for whole firm including
top execs), reinvesting pay from any overline hours in training &/or hiring &
keeping everyone together, employed, earning & spending 80% of normal
• 40 Massachusetts cuts at Segue Software
+ 5 bankruptcies: • PG&E with $9B debt • Mahoney Hawkes with $13m debt • Ursus
Telecom • Salisbury Nsg & • Wayside Ctr Nsg in Ma. (plus a 3d nsg home unnamed)
+ omens: • March's 86,000 job loss worst since last recession in '91
• doctor making $300K/year cries poor, 'needs' tax cut, boohoohoo
• columnist says a computer could set rates better than Greenspan
vs. glimmers of timesizing: • worksharing via 35 hrs/wk turns France into safe haven for investors
• French railroads agree to hire 25,000 new workers this year under 35-hour maximum-workweek law
• shorter workweek gives French workers higher pay in private than public sector, without inflation, yet

4/06/2001 fri
- Timesizing.com calls upon Americans to work a six-hour day today
to honor the greatest secret in American history, the passage through
the U.S. Senate of a national 30-hour workweek on this day in 1933 -
7 takeovers reported, worth $1.51B + $$$undisclosed
+ 4 downsizings, picked up by NYT & BG, totaling 2390 jobcuts + unspecified:
• 43% workforce cut (2000 NY jobs lost) as Winstar Communications panics about the
downturn, instead of trimming its workweek 43% (to five 4hr,35m days for whole firm
including top execs), reinvesting pay from any hours over that line in training &/or
hiring and keeping everyone together, employed, earning & patronizing the Web
• 250 Mich. cuts at Idex  • 140 US cuts at Sycamore  • unspecified US cuts at TiVo
+ 2 bankruptcy mentions:
• Advanced Deposition Technologies, cuz Bank of Canada's after it!
• unlimited home exemption - I can stiff my creditors even if I live in $5m mansion!
+ omens: • after decades of mergers, US banks acting like mkt-gouging monopolies
vs. glimmers of timesizing: • overtime & hours reduction spread wide to cope with slowdown
• a particular case of 'paysizing' to avoid layoffs that should also be timesizing (& may well be)
- Agilent 'sacrifices together, starting at top' & cuts all 48,000 employees' pay by 10%

4/05/2001 thu
- Timesizing.com calls upon Americans to work a six-hour day on Friday, April 6,
to honor the greatest secret in American history, the passage through the U.S. Senate
of a national 30-hour workweek on April 6, 1933 -
4 takeovers reported, worth $39m + $$undisclosed
+ 7 downsizings, picked up by NYT & BG, totaling 7529 jobcuts + unspecified:
• 7.3% workforce cut (4500 US jobs lost) as Supervalu supermkts freaks because it lost
a contract with Kmart, instead of just trimming its workweek by 7.3% (35 mins. a day
for whole firm including top execs), retraining and keeping everyone together,
employed, earning & doing 92.7% of regular food shopping
• 1800 global cuts at Visteon autoparts  • 980 Ky. cuts as Mattel moves jobs to Mexico 
• 180 Ma. cuts at Akamai Technologies  • 40 NY cuts at TheStreet.com online biznews 
• 29 US cuts at Merrill Lynch  • unspecified US cuts at Open Market Inc.
vs. glimmers of hope: • Canada moves to protect the 'spirit bear'
• 2 timesizing items: - France's PM maintains course on general
shorter-hours approach to avoid micromanaged fixes, but...
- skills shortage reveals need to move beyond Timesizing rev. 1.1 to
Timesizing 2.1 with continuous overtime-to-training conversion feature

4/4/2001 wed
- this Friday, April 6, is the 68th anniversary of the greatest secret in American history, the passage through the U.S. Senate of a national 30-hour workweek -
7 takeovers reported, worth $1.26B + $$undisclosed
+ 7 downsizings, picked up by NYT & BG, totaling 3410 jobcuts + unspecified:
• 1.5% workforce cut (1075 Ga. jobs lost) as Solectron electronics over-reacts to,
and speeds up, slowing demand, instead of just trimming its workweek by 1.5%
(7 mins. a day for whole firm including top execs), retraining and keeping every-
one together, employed, earning & making 98.5% of usual electronics purchases
• 650 Mass. cuts at Firepond software  • 600 Va. cuts at MicroStrategy software 
• 450 Ka. cuts at Raytheon  • 400 NY cuts at Citibank's Salomon Smith Barney 
• 235 Calif. cuts at Wine.com  • unspecified cuts at The Portland Oregonian
+ 1 bankruptcy: • P.J. Clarke's Saloon on NY's East Side, $54k + 5 mos' rent in the red 
+ omens: • Wall St blames its nightmare on consumers - weaker spending - not itself
vs. glimmers of intelligence: • French consumer confidence down but
cushioned by $27B in taxcuts & decade-low unemployment due to shorter workweek
• Michelin & its unions agree on formula for implementing 35-hr workweek at its French plants

4/03/2001 tue
9 takeovers reported, worth $1.55B + $$undisclosed
+ 5 downsizings, picked up by NYT & BG, totaling 7433 jobcuts + unspecified:
• 5% workforce cut (5300 mostly US jobs lost) as DuPont joins chem-co flight
from biotech, instead of just trimming its workweek by 5% (24 mins. a day
for whole firm including top executives), retraining & keeping everyone
together, employed, earning & doing 95% of normal shopping
• 833 mostly US cuts (33%) at PolyOne  • 700 cuts (33%) at Ariba software 
• 600 cuts (10%) at 12 Technologies  • unspecified cuts at Powerful Media (ha!)
+ 3 bankruptcy mentions: • W.R. Grace $60m in the red  • Nevada Bob's Golf Inc.
• 1,500,000 US consumer bankruptcies expected this year, 25% more than last year
+ omens: • US mfg down for 8th mon. • populat'n up (despite resource shortages)
vs. glimmers of intelligence: • campaign finance bill passes Senate
• 2 UNtakeovers - FPL cancels $15.8B Entergy grab, Ariba scraps $2.55B Agile deal
• 2 timesizing items: work-spreading in France via shorter workweek
is giving France & eurozone stronger demand when weaker in rest of world

4/01-02/2001
weekend roundup per the NY Times and the Boston Globe:
• 33 downsizings reported, costing over 64,397 lost jobs
• 28 takeovers reported this week, worth over $32.1B
• 1 prison story, 1 homeless &
vs. 7 TIMEsizing stories + 1 UPsizing (?? new jobs) + 0 UNtakeovers reported ($0)
< YTD: 328 dnsz (453779 jobcuts) +381 takov($270B) +79 bkrp vs. 74 timsz +33 upsz (24708+=5%) +18 untak ($4B+)>
1 weekend takeover reported, worth $20B
+ 3 weekend downsizings, totaliing 249 lost jobs:
• 7.4% workforce cut (170 US jobs lost) as Ameritrade self-amputates
despite profits, instead of just trimming its workweek by 7.4% (36 mins a
day for whole firm including top executives) and keeping everyone together,
employed, earning & continuing their stock-purchase plans at 92.6% of normal
• 52 US jobcuts at Giant Step ad agency  • 27 Minneapolis cuts at Rapp Collins agency
vs. weekend glimmers of timesizing:
• 8.8% unemployment-level French have benefited from 35-hr workweek but still complain loudly -
time to dismantle some of that big gov't justified by 13% unempl't rate of 1997 & CUT TAXES!