GE Transportation employees line up to take early retirement

By JIM MARTIN
jim.martin@timesnews.com
Hundreds of layoffs at GE Transportation might be avoided as the company's older and more experienced employees line up for early retirement.


More than 500 out of about 750 eligible employees have filed paperwork to be considered for the company's special retirement program, said Shaun Francis, the company's senior executive for human resources.
This is just what the company and its main union were hoping would happen when GE Transportation announced Sept. 15 that it will lay off 1,480 employees by the end of November.
Jim Pifer, president of Local 506 of the United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers of America, said at the time he was hopeful that hundreds would elect to take early retirement, effectively sparing noneligible employees from losing their jobs.
........read more
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------