Workers foresee Hynix rehirings.Byline: SHERRI BURI BURI Bastyr University Research Institute (Washington) McDONALD The Register-Guard The word spreading among many employees who were laid off from Hynix Semiconductor Inc.'s Eugene plant last summer is that they should expect to be back at work next week. Current and former Hynix employees on Monday said a major rehiring appears to be under way, with workers signing agreements to return to the plant, and taking company-required physical exams and drug tests. In July, facing low demand and low prices in the computer memory chip market, Hynix cut 600 jobs at the Eugene plant, retaining only 200 workers. During the past few months, Hynix has gradually rehired some workers as it has retooled the factory and begun producing 256-megabit dynamic random access memory Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) is a type of random access memory that stores each bit of data in a separate capacitor within an integrated circuit. Since real capacitors leak charge, the information eventually fades unless the capacitor charge is refreshed periodically. chips, or DRAM, instead of the 64-megabit DRAM it had made since the plant began trial production in late 1997. As of mid-December, Hynix said it had rehired about 150 workers, for a total of about 350. It's unclear exactly how many of the remaining 450 jobs are being filled in the latest rehiring wave. "I've heard the majority of people will be coming back the week of Jan. 14," said April Cosgrove, a former process engineer who was rehired in November as a manufacturing technician, with the promise that she'll return to her former engineering position later this month. Hynix on Monday wouldn't confirm the information from employees. The company plans to make an announcement later this week, said Steve Doran Steve Doran is a politics student and radio DJ at URN, the University of Nottingham's student radio station. She presents the Evening Show on Tuesdays as well as The Graveyard Shift on Sundays. , spokesman at the Eugene plant. Until then, he said he's not authorized to give out any information. Some laid-off workers said they received registered letters from the company in late December offering them jobs - some at their previous pay rate - as long as they passed a drug test and physical exam. Many have taken the tests and signed letters pledging to return to work. Now, they're waiting for the company to tell them when to show up at the plant. Tim Folliett, a former equipment technician at Hynix, said when he signed his letter of rehire Re`hire´ v. t. 1. To hire again. in late December, company officials told him his first day back at work would be between Jan. 14 and Jan. 17. As of Monday afternoon, he still didn't have a definitive start date. Laid-off workers speculated that with the anemic local labor market labor market A place where labor is exchanged for wages; an LM is defined by geography, education and technical expertise, occupation, licensure or certification requirements, and job experience , many employees will gladly return to their jobs. "I've been looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. other things," said Michael Karas Karas may refer to:
Don Finlayson, a former equipment support technician at Hynix, said he has been searching for jobs for the past five months, but nothing comes close to the pay at Hynix. Even with the hope of returning to work drawing near, Hynix employees said their worries aren't over. Micron Technology Micron Technology ("Micron") NYSE: MU is a multinational company based in Boise, Idaho, USA, best known for producing many forms of semiconductor devices. This includes DRAM, SDRAM, flash memory, and CMOS image sensing chips. Inc., a rival memory chip maker based in Boise, Idaho “Boise” redirects here. For other uses, see Boise (disambiguation). Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the county seat of Ada County and the principal city of the Boise metropolitan area. , is in talks to buy or merge with Hynix's memory chip operations. Hynix's South Korean corporate parent operates 12 plants in Korea in addition to the Eugene factory. About half of the Korean plants make memory chips, and the other half make nonmemory chips. Micron is likely to complete its financial review of the debt-strapped Hynix and to begin negotiating a deal on Jan. 15, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Yonhap News, a Korean news wire service. Karas said if he's called back to work, he'll consider it temporary because of the ongoing talks between Micron and Hynix. Folliett said he thinks if Micron acquires the Eugene plant, the Idaho company will keep it running. "This is probably a more up-to-date plant than anything else Micron has," he said. The continued uncertainty about the plant's future is unnerving un·nerve tr.v. un·nerved, un·nerv·ing, un·nerves 1. To deprive of fortitude, strength, or firmness of purpose. 2. To make nervous or upset. , several employees said. "Everything's kind of scary," with the talks between Hynix and Micron, said Casey Shaw, a process technician who was rehired in November. His wife, Julie, returned to her job in late October as a materials analysis technician in Hynix's quality assurance department. "We just go there, do our jobs and hope they'll be there tomorrow," Casey Shaw said. |
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