Another one bites the dust

As the offices of former Transcom USA telecommunications corporation were stripped of their accessories just weeks ago, employees sensed what was imminent: unemployment. Early this April, the telecommunications firm sealed its doors and the future of its former employees. \nTranscom, a former employer of more than 200 full-time personnel, was under the ownership of Great Universal Corporation. When the parent company decided to pull the plug on the unprofitable telemarketing firm, employees discovered they would soon be jobless.\nDavid Ploskonka, a former supervisor for Transcom was one of the released employees. His fiancee, Marlaine Browing, said she was not happy with the untimely layoffs.\n"What they hoped to do was have the workers show up for work one day, only to find chains on the doors," Browing said. "Some of these employees were left without any income for the Easter weekend."\nPloskonka said he was caught completely off guard by his release, but has accepted it.\n"I think its pretty normal the way these companies work," Ploskonka said. "When they pull the plug it's very frustrating for everybody."\nUntil this year, the firm was considered one of the fastest growing companies in the state. The company most recently specialized in telemarketing services for cellular telephone companies.\nOver the past year Bloomington has seen companies from Otis Elevator to Courtyard by Marriott dismiss employees. While some dismissals were due to cut backs, others encompassed a company-wide discharge due to the closing of specific Bloomington facilities.\nBrowing hopes this type of business management does not become a continuing trend in Bloomington.\n"I hope this does not represent a trend in Bloomington business ethics," Browing said. "If it does I hope there is something we can do to stop it."\nPloskonka said the big corporations do not care about the people they employ; they only care about how much money they can make.\n"A lot of the factories in Bloomington are being relocated to other countries for cheaper costs," Ploskonka said. "This puts a choke on the city and makes it difficult to attract new residents; it's going to be hard for the city to continue on the track it's on."\nLinda Williamson, president of the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation, says Bloomington is in rather good economic shape.\n"There certainly have been a number of businesses that have closed," Williamson said. "However, there have also been many expansions and newly opened businesses."\nMonroe county has an unemployment rate of 3.8 percent, which is well below the state average of 5.5 percent. Williamson said employers know Bloomington employees are hard working and dedicated people.\n"You have to get the word out that there are highly educated folks with good work ethics in Bloomington," Williamson said. "They all support business, and employers know this"