GE workers back on job -- for now

After substantial layoffs, 200 to 250 Bloomington General Electric workers are going back to work.\nBut only for awhile.\nA temporary increase in sales of the side-by-side refrigerator model -- the NewGen line to employees -- has created a demand for second-shift production of the unit for 12 to 14 weeks. The most recent wave of layoffs included about 735 union members last December.\nThe 30-foot refrigerator is the only model made in Bloomington, one of three GE refrigerator plants nationwide. \nTerry Dunn, GE media representative, said the reason for the layoffs was the "current cost structure" of the Bloomington plant. He expects more layoffs in June to bring the total to 1,400.\nAbout half of the GE jobs formerly in Bloomington will be transferred to Celaya, Mexico, where labor is cheaper.\nGE quality control employee Joe Abbott, a 33-year veteran of the plant, said he is happy for the returning workers, although he wishes they would be employed longer. Atmosphere in the plant has been anxious since the layoffs, he said. He said many employees are skeptical because they believe they have not been told the entire truth. \n"We try to take what they say with a grain of salt," Abbott said.\nHe compared being laid off to the death of a sick relative: Although the employees knew it was coming, its arrival brings depression and anxiety. Now, there is nothing for former employees to do but get on with their lives, Abbott said. Many of Abbott's family members are employed at GE, and he fears that they might face layoffs in the future. \nFormer workers might have a hard time finding comparable jobs in the Bloomington area. Abbott knows of employees who have relocated to West Virginia and South Carolina to find work.\nRemaining workers face transitions and new positions. Many employees have been shifted to new jobs on the line, and Abbott said GE is well-known for its lack of training.\nThe lack of training has caused increased scraps at the plant, Abbott said. \nThe International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2249 is working for both the former and current employees of GE. Local 2249 Vice President Ruth Ann Vaught said the union is working to hold job fairs for former employees and an early retirement option for workers who are expecting to be laid off. She said she believes the additional prospective layoffs in June are going to be "massive."\n"I hope more people get more demanding," she said. She said she believes one plus is many people in the community still wish to purchase products that are made in the United States.\nOverall, the air in the plant is one of uncertainty.\n"Anyone who says they know what's happening in June ... they are lying," Abbott said.