Simmons announces layoffs
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On 05-01-08 there were rumors that the Simmons Company in Janesville would be announcing layoffs.
JANESVILLE — A Janesville mattress manufacturer laid off 71 workers this week, a corporate spokeswoman confirmed this morning.
The Simmons Co. announced the layoffs to workers on Wednesday, said Christine Foster, speaking from the company’s Atlanta headquarters.
The workers’ last day of work was Friday, she said.
Fifteen of the layoffs were “voluntary,” Foster said. That means those employees volunteered to be laid off for 60 days. Those workers are assured of work if they return after the 60 days, Foster said.
The remaining layoffs were nonvoluntary. Foster could not say whether those workers would return to work, but she said Simmons will hire more workers if and when they’re needed, in response to market demand.
Simmons employed about 350 people in Janesville before the layoffs, Foster said.
The affected employees are eligible for Simmons’ Employee Assistance Program, which includes job, financial and personal counseling. They will also be immediately eligible for unemployment and health benefits under the federal COBRA legislation, Foster said.
All the layoffs were of production workers, Foster said. Workers on both shifts were laid off.
“Simmons equalized the number of production workers on each shift,” she said.
The nationwide economic slowdown may be playing a small role in the slow demand for Simmons products, Foster said, but corporate officials believe the real culprit is the fact that springtime has always been a time of slow sales in the bedding industry.
So these layoffs are a response to the seasonal ebb and flow of market demand, Foster said.
Other bedding manufacturers have announced layoffs this spring, Foster said.
The Simmons plant in Atlanta eliminated a shift last month, and layoffs are being considered at other plants, Foster said.
Simmons has been dealing with higher fuel and materials costs, like manufacturers everywhere, Foster said, and it instituted a “small price increase” earlier in the year.
The Simmons Bedding Co. Janesville plant opened in 1980.
Simmons is one of the world's largest mattress manufacturers, manufacturing and marketing a broad range of products. It operates 21 conventional bedding manufacturing facilities and two juvenile bedding manufacturing facilities in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
May 17, 2008 at 9:51 p.m.
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mbird~
Those who were smart and chose to "dig their well before they got thirsty" will have the money to buy whatever they so choose. There's opportunities galore out there, it's not in the industrial sector! There are individuals who are taking advantage of the information aged opportunities and thriving big time in this gloomy economy! Actually, I'm one of them. I say that very humbly too. I'm nothing special, I just chose to open my eyes and ears and get the right information to make it happen. It's available! Go get it people!
I wish you all the best.
May 17, 2008 at 9:31 p.m.
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Yeah I understand everyone's frustrated over losing there job at Simmon's but you guys have to realize some of you are making a lot of money... I am a Delivery Driver for a furniture company making ten bucks an hour.. doing manual labor(yeah it's not construction but my point is.. it's not easy) You guys sit here and complain that unemployment won't help your bills stop having such high spending binges.. stop having all the fun toys yeah they are nice to have and a joy to have. But, you have to realize what is more important.. buying what you NEED.. not WANT! I'm not trying to argue just sick of people from not just Simmon's but GM saying "Oh how am I going to pay for all my stuff and my big house?".. who's fault is that? Everyone here in Janesville knew darn well that GM wasn't going to be here forever.. maybe they should have thought of that before going out and buying something they don't need and showing off to all of their friends of how nice of stuff they have instead of buying what they need. That's just my opinion.. you can disagree with what I say or agree. It doesn't matter to me either way.
May 17, 2008 at 8:53 p.m.
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About the way simmons lays off people: If senior people got to bump people on other shifts what would happen? A messload of paperwork logging shift changes, time cards changes, pay rates, and etc.. A huge change in the home life of TWO families as opposed to one. If senior people got to bump to different jobs that would mean retraining the entire workforce and production would slow to an absolute standstill. Then simmons would be out of a lot more jobs. Everyone at simmons knows that's the way they lay people off. People on low end seniority on first shift know this is what happens. That is why many folks on night shift stay there because they know they would be possibly laid off if they went to days. In closing there were THREE people on night shift slotted for a particular job. There were FIVE slotted on the day shift at the same job. Moving "one certain person" to night shift "legally" covers thier need of FOUR at that position on both shifts. Is that person lucky? Darn right. Is it BS? Not if you learn the facts or ask somebody before whining on a public message board. thanks for your time~ "one certain person"
May 6, 2008 at 7:38 a.m.
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I also think that everyone who is still working is lucky to be able to do so. It doesn't help when others are trying to put down those that try to just make an honest living.With the price of goods these days and gas prices always on the rise who knows what will happen next? In response to one who says people of less seniority should be able to take other jobs seems interesting. How about the ones that pretend to be all about working toward a common goal expressing need to work and then soon as hired in decide that I'm in now so can slack off and just want the 8 hours only. So where is teamwork- believe it or not that is the way life works!
May 3, 2008 at 6:03 p.m.
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My opinion on the whole thing is this:
REGARDLESS of how much seniority you have, I believe that ANY company should go by whom the most producing BEST worker's are at each position.
How fair is it to have a less senior person laid off when he or she produces or is a better TEAM worker than those who are still working.
SENIORITY has many different ways to toss the screws to people.
It's not Simmon's fault we are out of a job, it is the economy. I am thankful that I got to stay employed there as long as I did with the amount of hours we were working.
It's a tough time for everybody and I know for a fact we all are making more on unemployment than other's working at different jobs 40 hours a week.
BE THANKFUL
May 2, 2008 at 10:25 p.m.
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All I can say is....anyone bashing about their job and being unhappy with it...Be thankful you have a job. I made it into Lear for a year and was laid off. I just got around the corner to almost a year at Simmons and I too, was laid off from that job today. Won't be long and everyone will be on unemployment. And we cannot all take a job at McDonald's. No one will have any money to buy a burger...wait...the City Manager will!!!
May 2, 2008 at 10:15 p.m.
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Couldnt agree with you more tk!! Some of us who have worked there for a period of time are getting the screws put to us and cant be promised anything!! Yet people with lower senority who are qualified in other areas get to take over our jobs! Makes no sense. Why not keep the people who know the job a heck of a lot better and can produce a lot faster than put someone there who probably has worked on the job a couple times!! The jokes on them and theyll get what they deserve soon enough!
May 2, 2008 at 9:12 p.m.
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Ah yes its true and heres the funny part they told us all they were going to do it fair this time. well what that meant was theyd lay off certain possitions by senority. ok thats fair EXCEPT when they say they arent allowing bumping shifts if you have more senority.
So let me explain. lets say you are on first.. you are on the low end of senority but on nights you have like 7 people under you.. they need 4 people off which effects you on days so you should be able to switch to nights and take the lower senority spot correct? well not at Simmons.
Oh but after 60 days you can bump those people off so in the mean time you can try to pay your bills with the 350 a week unemployment will give you and if you want insurance cobra is roughly 160 a week so good luck see you in 60 days..
YUP REAL FAIR!! lay off a bunch of people that have worked hard for the company for many years and allow people who have been there barely a year to stay an extra 60 days.
one other thing is interesting they say no bumping but allow one certain person to switch to nights to avoid lay off since he used to be a lead person. Wow BS
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