ACS guidelines are not met at some companies
Committee details results of latest layoff investigations The Committee on Professional Relations, through its Subcommittee on Professional Standards, is continuing to investigate layoffs of chemical professionals. This report, covering seven layoffs involving 61 chemists and chemical engineers, is the latest in a series of multiple termination reports (C&EN, May 19, page 45). The committee also wishes to remind readers of the 1972 board of directors' policy statement. The board "urges all employers to exercise the utmost restraint in the application of such techniques (layoffs) and cautions them to consider the long-term effects of such actions on the health of the chemical profession and of the chemistry intensive industry." This report covers six layoffs that occurred from July 1974 to January 1975 at the following companies: American Standard (Piscataway, N.J.), AMP Inc. (Harrisburg, Pa.), Avon Products (Suffern, N.Y.), Corning Glass Works (Corning, N.Y.), Lee Pharmaceuticals (South El Monte, Calif.), and Mead Johnson & Co., a subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Corp. (Mt. Vernon, Ind.). The seventh layoff occurred at FMC Corp. in Baltimore when the research facilities were closed in June 1972. This layoff was reported to the committee only last summer. Officials at AMP and Mead Johnson refused to supply the committee with information on detailed termination conditions. Three chemists were terminated at AMP. According to newspaper reports, 60 professionals were terminated at Mead Johnson Research Center. The company declined to inform the committee of the number of chemical scientists involved. (The IndianaKentucky Border Section reported that 12 chemists were terminated.) All employers were provided with the data they had supplied to review for accuracy prior to publication. Lee Pharmaceuticals and FMC requested that the data they had provided not be published. According to the company, three chemists were terminated at Lee. However, the terminées reported that four chemical scientists were terminated. FMC terminated 14 chemists when the Baltimore research facilities were closed. The remainder of the data on these companies reported in this article was supplied by the terminées. The committee compared the termination conditions of these layoffs to the standards outlined in the 1974 Guidelines for Employers. Four of the companies covered in this report did not 48
C&EN August 25, 1975
give employees any advance notice of the layoff. Terminées at American Standard, AMP, Avon, and Corning Glass stated that they were asked to leave the premises the same day they were notified. Terminées at Lee were given four days of advance notice, and terminées at Mead Johnson were notified two weeks before they were expected to leave. FMC was the only company to surpass the guideline standard of one month advance notice. According to the terminées, they were notified six months in advance of the facility's closing. It was found that long-service employees still are being terminated. Five of the six FMC terminées responding to the survey had more than 10 years of service, and three of these terminées had more than 15 years of service. Both American Standard and Avon terminated two employees who had more than 10 years of service. Four of the 12 terminées responding to the Mead Johnson survey had more than 10 years of service, and two of the 18 terminées at Corning Glass Works had more than 10 years of service. Companies also did not meet the guideline standard on severance pay. Terminées at Lee received only two days of severance pay. Terminées at American Standard and AMP received one week of severance pay per year of service. Terminées at Corning Glass were granted one month of severance pay for up to four years of service, two months for four to eight years of service, three months for eight to 12 years of service, etc. Avon and FMC terminées reported that they received more than one week's but less than two weeks' severance pay per year of service. On the other hand, a majority of the terminées at Mead Johnson reported that they received an average of two and a quarter weeks' pay per year of service. Only two companies, American Standard and Corning Glass, met the guideline standard of 10-year pension vesting, regardless of age. According to terminées at Mead Johnson and FMC, their pension plans were vested at 10 years of service and 40 years of age. The pension plans at AMP and Avon were vested at 10 years of service and 45 years of age. Terminées at Lee Pharmaceuticals reported that the company did not maintain a pension plan. Five of the employers did meet the guideline standard on continuation of major protection plans. According to
The Subcommittee on Professional Standards decided that the following companies did not meet the ACS Guidelines for Employers in the designated areas. Companies whose names appear in boldface were judged to be substantially below the guidelines in designated areas. REFUSED TO SUPPLY TION
INFORMA-
AMP Inc. Mead Johnson ADVANCE NOTICE American Standard AMPInc.a Avon Products lnc. a Corning Glass Works Lee Pharmaceuticals21 Mead Johnson a SEVERANCE PAY American Standard AMP l n c . a Avon Products Inc. Corning Glass Works FMC Corp. a Lee Pharmaceuticals21 ASSISTANCE AMP lnc. a Lee Pharmaceuticals 8 EMPLOYEE SERVICE American Standard Avon Products Inc. Corning Glass Works FMCCorp. a Mead Johnson a PENSION VESTING AMP lnc. a Avon Products Inc. FMC Corp. a Lee Pharmaceuticals 8 Mead Johnson a EMPLOYEE PROTECTION PLANS Lee Pharmaceuticals 8 Mead Johnson 8 REHIRE PRIVILEGES AMP l n c . a Avon Products Inc. Corning Glass Works FMC Corp. 8 Lee Pharmaceuticals 8 Mead Johnson 8 8
This information from the terminées.
was
gathered
terminées at AMP, insurance coverage was continued for six months beyond the termination date. For terminées at American Standard, Avon, and Corning Glass, insurance protection was continued for the duration of the severance pay period. FMC terminées reported that major protection plans were continued for 30 days beyond the date of termination. However, terminées at Lee and Mead Johnson stated that their coverage ceased at termination. American Standard was the only
company to meet the guideline standard on rehire policy. According to officials at the company, terminées were informed that company policy required that terminated employees be rehired before new employees were recruited. The Committee on Professional Relations expresses its appreciation to the following local sections for their help in investigating the layoffs and preparing this report: Corning, Indiana-Kentucky Border, New York, North Jersey, Southeastern Pennsylvania, and Southern California.
ACS guidelines Advance notice. 4-week minimum. Severance pay. Minimum notice and severance pay is 1 month plus 2 weeks for each year of service. Assistance. Efforts should be made to place terminée in another position within the organization, or terminée should be given assistance to find employment elsewhere. Pension plan vesting. Full vesting after 10 years' service. Employee service. Those with minimum of 10 years' service should not be terminated except for continued evidence of previously documented inadequate performance or cause. Employee protection plans. Should be extended for 1 month at employer's expense following termination. Rehire privileges. Rehire privileges should be carefully explained to terminée.
American Standard Inc., New Brunswick, N.J.; October 1974
All past articles on layoff data published in C&EN are available on request from the Office of Professional Relations, American Chemical Society, 1155—16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. Members of the Subcommittee on Professional Standards are: Dr. James G. Bennett Jr., chairman Dr. Henry Bader Dr. Eugene N. Garcia Dr. Anna J. Harrison Dr. Ronald J. Maner Dr. Albert C. Zettlemoyer, ex officio
sylvania Section surveyed the terminées and received the following information from 2 of the 3 terminées: Advance notice. No advance notice was given. Severance pay. Each terminée responding received 2 weeks' severance pay. Assistance. Other than making available copies of résumés, no assistance was given. Pension plan vesting. The plan is fully vested after 10 years of service and 45 years of age. Employee service. Each terminée responding had less than 3 years of service. Employee protection plans. Health and disability insurance plans were extended for 6 months after the date of termination. The life insurance plan continued for 7 months after termination. Rehire privileges. One terminée indicated that the rehire privileges were explained in that he would be the first to be rehired in his field as required by personnel. The other terminée indicated that no rehire privileges were explained to him and he was not certain what the rehire policy was.
Avon Products Inc., Suffern, N.Y., November 1974
Information from the employer
Information from the employer
Number involved. 5 chemists and chemical engineers were terminated. Advance notice. 2 weeks' pay was given in lieu of notice. Severance pay. 1 week of severance pay was given for each year of service, with a minimum of 2 weeks and a maximum of 26 weeks. Assistance. Terminée résumés were circulated to other business groups in the corporation. The company was willing to assist in the preparation of résumés and to establish contacts with agencies and research firms. Pension plan vesting. Pensions were fully vested after 10 years of service. Employee service. 2 of the 5 terminées had more than 10 years of service. Employee protection plans. Major protection plans were continued until the end of the month in which the last severance pay was issued. Rehire privileges. American Standards' rehire policy requires that the company rehire those terminated before new employees are recruited. The rehire policy was explained to the terminées.
Number involved. 1 biochemist and 4 members of management, all of whom had various chemical-related backgrounds, were terminated. There are 111 employees who have professional chemical-related backgrounds working at Suffern. Advance notice. The amount of advance notice varies with the circumstances but at the very least 2 weeks' advance notice, or pay in lieu of, is given. Severance pay. The amount varied upon individual circumstances and ranged from 2Ί/2 months to 4Ί/2 months. Subsequently, these amounts were adjusted; additional weeks were given to 2 ter minées who had difficulty finding suitable employment within the original severance pay period. Assistance. Efforts were made to utilize the terminées in other parts of the organization prior to notifying them of termination. Office space, secretarial assistance, telephone use, résumé writing assistance, etc., were offered as well as management recruitment and employment agency contacts. Pension plan vesting. Pension is fully vested after 10 years of service and 45 years of age. Employee service. 2 of the 5 terminées had more than 10 years of service Employee protection plans. The terminées' major protection plans were continued for the full duration of the severance arrangement. Rehire privileges. Policy at Avon does not specifically require rehiring.
Information from the terminée The professional relations committee of the North Jersey Section contacted a terminée and found that he was in accord with the above information, with the exception of rehire privileges. The terminée indicated that he had not been informed of the company rehire policy.
AMP Inc., Harrisburg, Pa., October 1974 Information from the employer Three chemists were terminated at the Harrisburg plant. The company refused to supply the committee with detailed termination information.
Information from the terminées The professional relations committee of the Southeastern Penn-
Information from the terminées The professional relations committee of the New York Section surveyed the terminées, and found the following: Number involved. 2 of the terminées identified as chemical scientists by the company answered the survey. Advance notice. The terminées received 1 day of advance notice. Severance pay. Both terminées responding received 10 weeks of severance pay. Assistance. Assistance was granted in preparing résumés and August 25, 1975 C&EN
49
minor assistance was provided in finding a new position. No attempt was made to place terminées in other parts of the company. One terminée responding was reluctantly granted typing service, desk space, and telephone privileges. Employee protection plans. The terminées' major protection plans were continued for a full period covered by the severance pay formula. Rehire privileges. The terminées responding were not aware of any rehire privileges.
Employee protection plans. Major protection plans were continued for 30 days for the terminées. Benefits were continued for the individuals who were retired early. Rehire privileges. No rehire privileges were mentioned.
Lee Pharmaceuticals, South El Monte, Calif., July 1974 Information from the employer
Corning Glass Works, Corning, N.Y., November 1974
3 chemists were terminated. The company provided the committee with information, but asked that the information not be published.
Information from the employer
Information from the terminées
Number involved. 18 chemists and chemical engineers were terminated. Advance notice. No advance notice was given. Terminées, however, were given considerable time as described below. Severance pay. Terminées with less than 4 years of service received 1 month of severance pay; those with 4 or more years but less than 8 years, 2 months; 8 or more years but less than 12 years, 3 months. Assistance. Very extensive out-placement service was provided. The service, which lasted 2 days for each employee, instructed the terminée in résumé preparation, interviewing, career choices, contact development, and a variety of other aids necessary for mounting a successful job campaign. Pension plan vesting. Pension was fully vested after 10 years of service. Employee service. Two of the 18 terminées had 10 or more years of service; none had more than 12 years of service. Employee protection plans. The terminées' major protection plans were continued for a full period covered by the severance pay formula. Rehire privileges. Corning Glass Works had no rehire policy which required that they rehire those terminated before new employees are recruited.
The professional relations committee of the Southern California Section surveyed the terminées and provided the following information: Number involved. 2 terminées responded to the survey. According to the terminées, 4 chemists were involved in the layoff. Advance notice. The terminées received 4 days' advance notice. Severance pay. The terminées were given 2 days' severance pay. Assistance. No assistance in finding new employment was provided. Pension plan vesting. The company did not have a pension plan for its employees. Employee service. All terminées had less than 3 years of service. Employee protection plans. No provisions were made to continue health and life insurance. Rehire privilege. No rehire privileges were mentioned.
Information from the terminées
Information from the employer
The professional relations committee of the Corning Section identified a partial list of terminées and found that the terminées generally were in accord with the information supplied by management at Corning Glass Works.
The company refused to provide information to the committee. It was learned from newspaper reports that 60 persons were terminated.
FMC Corp., Baltimore, Md., June 1972
The professional relations committee of the Indiana-Kentucky Border Section surveyed the terminées and received the following information: Number involved. 13 chemical scientists responded to the survey. However, 1 of the respondents was transferred within Bristol-Myers, the parent company. 1 person also received early retirement. Advance notice. 9 of the terminées received 2 weeks' advance notice. 1 terminée claimed he received 2 hours' notice. 1 person, with more than 15 years of service, received 3 weeks" notice. The early retiree was given 4 weeks' notice. Severance pay. Each terminée received severance pay in addition to advance notice according to the following schedule: 4 weeks' pay plus 1 week's pay per full year of service for persons under age 30; 1V2 weeks' pay per fuil year of service for persons age 30 to 40; 2 weeks' pay per full year of service for persons 40 to 50. The terminées responding to the survey received an average of 2V4 weeks' pay per year of service. Assistance. Most of the terminées responding reported that they were given assistance with résumés. Others indicated that attempts were made to place them within the company or to find other jobs. Pension plan vesting. Several terminées indicated that the pension plan was vested after 10 years of service and 40 years of age. Many terminées gave conflicting information on pension vesting. Employee service. 4 of the 12 terminées responding had more than 10 years of service. Employee protection plans. Most terminées indicated that health and life insurance coverage ceased on the day of termination. Terminées had a month to convert to individual plans. Insurance was continued for the early retiree. Rehire privileges. 2 terminées indicated that rehire privileges were available and explained to them.
Information from the employer FMC closed the research department in Baltimore, and 14 chemists and chemical engineers were terminated. The company provided information to the committee, but requested that the detailed information on termination conditions not be published.
Information from the terminées The Office of Professional Relations conducted a survey of the terminées and found the following: Number involved. 6 chemical scientists previously employed at FMC at the Baltimore facility responded to the survey. 3 of those responding were given early retirement, and 1 person was transferred within the company. Advance notice. Most of those responding stated that they received approximately 6 months' notice of the plant closing. Severance pay. All of the individuals terminated, including those who were retired early, received severance pay. One terminée with a little more than 2 years of service received 8 weeks' severance pay. Two employees with more than 15 years of service received more than 25 weeks of severance pay. Assistance. 1 person stated that no assistance was given in finding a new position. 2 terminées stated that assistance was given in preparing résumés and finding a job. 2 persons were given assistance in relocating within the company, and 1 of these persons was transferred. Pension plan vesting. The terminées responding stated that the pension was fully vested after 10 years of service and 40 years of age. Employee service. 5 of the terminées responding had more than 10 years of service; 3 had more than 15 years of service. 50
C&EN August 25, 1975
Research Center, Mead Johnson & Co., Subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Co., Mount Vernon, Ind., January 1975
Information from the terminées
CAS to use grant for tagging energy data Chemical Abstracts Service has been granted $136,800 by the National Science Foundation's Office of Science Information Service to conduct an experiment in the tagging of energy-related data in information accessing services. The 18-month study, which will be supported in part with CAS funds, will evaluate the usefulness and economic feasibility of incorporating data tags in secondary information files. Tags are brief notations or codes that indicate the presence in a primary document of specific types of numerical or factual data. The purpose of such tagging is to make the existence of potentially useful data visible in the secondary information record for the document. The presence of such data in a paper or patent often is not indicated in either the abstract or the index entries for the document because it does not reflect the primary emphasis of the study being reported. As part of the experiment, CAS will add data tags to a special pilot version of its computer-readable Energy file, which parallels sections 50-52 and 69-72 of Chemical Abstracts. A selected group of data users will assist in identifying the types of data to be tagged and evaluate the usefulness of the tagging. A study also will be conducted to determine what types of energy-related data may be present in documents covered in sections of CA other than the seven included in the Energy file and the feasibility of adding data tags to these sections. D
Membership Promotion Five ACS local sections will receive awards for outstanding work during the 1975 ACS membership promotion season. Winners are based on the number of new member commissions claimed and competition was by specific size grouping of sections. The Chicago Section will receive the overall award for
MAN AND MOLECULES Aug.22 MODELING AIR POLLUTION Dr. Francis Pooler U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Each week C&EN announces the "Man and Molecules" program to be released the following Friday. See listings for stations broadcasting in your area (C&EN, March 10, page 29).
most new members enrolled. Winners in each specific size group are the California, Wisconsin, Puerto Rico, and South Plains sections. The awards in the form of an engraved plaque will be presented during the ACS national meeting in Chicago.
Meetings Calendar of Events Future ACS national meetings: Nov. 30-Dec. 5, 1975. Mexico City April 4-9, 1976. New York City Aug. 29-Sept. 3, 1976. San Francisco March 20-25, 1977. New Orleans Aug. 25-Sept. 2, 1977. Chicago Write Meetings Dept., ACS, 1155—16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. Oct. 7-10. 108th ACS Rubber Div. Inc. Mtg. Fairmont Hotel, New Orleans. Write W. C. Rowe, Firestone Tire & Rubber, 1200 Firestone Pkwy., Akron, Ohio 44317. Oct. 7-14. Intl. Plastics & Rubber Fair. Dusseldorf, West Germany. Write Robert Schulte, Dusseldorfer Messegesellschaft mbH, NOWEA, 4 Dusseldorf 32, Postfach 320 203. Oct. 8. Annual Conf. on Citrus Chemistry & Technology. Landmark Motor Lodge, Winter Haven, Fla. Write Dr. Robert E. Berry, Citrus & Subtropical Products Lab, 600 Ave. S, N.W., P.O. Box 1909, Winter Haven, Fla. 33880. Oct. 9-10. Shoe & Allied Trades Research Assoc. Conf. Hotel Métropole, Brighton, England. Write SATRA, Satra House, Rockingham Rd., Kettering, Northants, U.K. Oct. 13-14. AIChE Annual Conf.—"Industry in Transition." Houston. Write Gloria Lambson, AIChE, 345 East 47th St., New York, N.Y. 10017. Oct. 14-16. 7th Natl. SAMPE Tech. Conf. Hilton Inn, Albuquerque, N.M. Write Soc. for the Advancement of Material & Process Engineering, P.O. Box 613, Azusa, Calif. 91702. Oct. 14-17. Workshop in Environmental & Land-use Analysis. Rensselaerville, N.Y. Write Gordon A. Enk, Director of Economic & Environmental Studies, Institute on Man and Science, Rensselaerville, N.Y.12147. Oct. 14-17. Intl. Rubber Meeting. ACS Rubber Division Inc. et al. Prince Hotel, Tokyo. Write Eli M. Dannenberg, Cabot Corp., Concord Rd., Billerica, Mass. 01821. Oct. 15. Plastics Engineering Conf. on Injection Molding & Processing. Hilton Inn on Campus, Rochester, N.Y. Write Robert Flovier, Nalge Co., 75 Panorama Creek Dr., Rochester, N.Y. 14625. Oct. 15-16. Fall Conf. of Chemical Group of Natl. Assoc, of Purchasing Management. Niagara Falls, N.Y. Write Jack Jacobi, Mallinckrodt, 3600 North Second St., St. Louis, Mo. 63147. Oct. 15-17. Intl. Gel Permeation Chromatography Seminar. Marriott Motor Inn, Pittsburgh. Write Bill Dark, Waters Associates, Maple St., Milford, Mass. 01757. Oct. 16-17. "Immunology for the Practicing Physician/' Kaiser Center Auditorium, Oakland, Calif. Write Dr. Alan S. Levin, U of California, School of Medicine, Extended Programs in Medical Education, San Francisco, Calif. 94143. Oct. 18-21. Annual Mtg. of Amer. Coke & Coal Chemicals Institute. Greenbrier,
White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. Write ACCCI, 1010—16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. Oct. 20-21. Fall Mtg. of Western States Section of the Combustion Institute. Palo Alto, Calif. Write Combustion Institute, 986 Union Trust Bldg., Pittsburgh, Pa. 15219. Oct. 20-22. Conf. on Environmental Risk-Cost-Benefit Analyses Factors for Water & Air Pollution Control. International Inn, Washington, D.C. Write Harold Bernard, Information Transfer, 6110 Executive Blvd., Suite 750, Rockville, Md. 20852. Oct. 20-24. Conf. & Workshop on Uses of Advanced Pulsed Neutron Sources. Argonne National Lab, Argonne, 111. Write J. M. Carpenter, Solid State Science Division, Argonne National Lab, Argonne, 111. 60439. Oct. 21-22. Plastics Engineers Conf. on Vinyl Chloride. Regency O'Hare Hotel, Rosemont, 111. Write Soc. of Plastics Engineers, 656 West Putnam Ave., Greenwich, Conn. 06830. Oct. 27-30. Workshop on the Nuclear Debate: Basic Issues for 1976. Copley Plaza Hotel, Boston. Write Atomic Industrial Forum, 7101 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20014. Oct. 28-30. ACS 11th Western Regional Mtg. Southern California Section. Sheraton-Universal Hotel, Los Angeles. Write H. L. Recht, Rockwell International, Atomics Int. Div., P.O. Box 309, Canoga Park, Calif. 91304. Oct. 29-31. ACS 27th Southeastern & 31st Southwest Regional Mtg. Memphis Section. Memphis. Write C. Slater, Dept. of Chemistry, Memphis State U, Memphis, Tenn. 38152.
THE D A A (Diacetone Acrylamide)
CHALLENGE FIGURE out the formula: OHCH3 Ο CH 2 =CH-C-N-C-CH 2 -C-CH 3
I CH 3
FIGURE out applications in: 1. Polyesters as a crosslinking agent . 2. Methylolation LubflZOl
3. Photo reactions
H I M B
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