Event introduces laid-off employees to other firms
November 12, 2005
The four former co-workers say they are just beginning to adjust to life outside Eastman Kodak Co.
The men — in their 40s and 50s and with families — are sending out résumés and taking job-hunting classes. They all worked for at least two decades at Kodak's paper mill and are a bit new to the job-search challenge.
Their latest move took them back to Kodak Park on Friday, where they were among about 500 laid-off or soon-to-be laid-off Kodak workers at a company-sponsored job fair.
"I've had a couple of good hits," said Mark Renz of Greece, as he stood with his friends in a corner on the third floor of Building 28. "CooperVision, Adecco, Paychex — possibly."
Kodak is fully into its transition from film to digital and deep into its plan to cut between 22,500 and 25,000 jobs worldwide by 2007. Friday's job fair, which along with the creation of a career center is aimed at helping those laid off find new jobs, attracted about 40 local job-hunting companies, with open positions ranging from retail to engineering.
Technology Consulting Network in Henrietta, for example, was looking for two software developers. But its staffing division also needs about 40 workers for its technology-related clients, said Chief Executive Jim Cavagnaro.
Also in attendance were manufacturers in the middle of big expansions, such as CooperVision and Harris RF, both of which have announced plans to add hundreds of jobs.
The job fair — for workers who left the company since November 2004 or who will be leaving by January 2006 — was a first for Kodak. It was one way of connecting former Kodakers to local companies hoping to hire them, said Stephanie Maddox, director of Kodak's Office of Workforce Readiness.
She said that soon after the summer announcement that Kodak was increasing its downsizing estimates, about 20 companies called Kodak looking to get in touch with workers.
"People are aware of the skill sets we're getting rid of as we offshore our product lines," she added.
Kodak's year-old career center has helped 3,500 workers nationally with issues such as career advice, retraining and redeploying to other jobs within Kodak, she said. Most of those jobs were in Kodak growth areas such as its health group, ink jet and health and safety divisions.
It isn't unusual for companies undergoing massive downsizing — or letting go workers in one area while hiring in another — to help employees find placements, said Brian Clapp, a senior vice president at the Philadelphia-based Right Management Consultants, an international career transition and organizational consulting firm.
"In addition, if you have to let good people go, from a PR perspective, it does help with the transition," he added.
Some at Friday's fair said it wasn't a bad way to continue or jump-start a job search, while others said they had mixed feelings about the event.
Dion Barnes of Spencerport, who has been jobless for two weeks, said he understands that changing business needs have forced Kodak to cut jobs. And he appreciates the company's efforts to link him to open positions.
Still, he wished Kodak had told him the truth about his job. His job in the paper mill was cut several months ago when the company sent the work to a plant in Germany. He was moved to another position that was supposed to remain in Rochester, but that work was also outsourced to Germany.
"But hopefully something good will come out of this," he said, gesturing at the fair's tables full of executives from companies that are hiring.
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