With no formal announcement of the number of layoffs Dell has confirmed they are laying off workers at the Winston-Salem plant. So far the number ranges somewhere between 150 and 300 workers were lead off the plant floor and informed they no longer worked for Dell. Considering Dell’s profits have dropped over 45% recently and is actively trying to sell the Winston-Salem plant a reduction of 300 jobs is certainly better than an outright closure.

Dell opened the plant in 2005 with almost $320 million dollars in tax breaks and cash incentives including who knows how much in undocumented cost from repaving of roads and exit ramps in the Union Cross Road area. The incentive plan which was the largest in state history including $37 million in local money was all based on Dell hiring a total of 1,700 employees by the end 2010. Considering the dwindling numbers of employees, Dell’s plummeting stock price down some 60% in a year and attempts to sell it’s Winston-Salem facility will Dell ever employ 1,700 employees at the local plant? If not what are the odds our elected officials who so happily give away millions to Baseball stadiums and PC makers will be able to collect any repayment of those millions?

So Mr. Leak is it time to react and be concerned?

“The uncertainty certainly is something to have a little bit of concern about,” he said. “At the same time, there’s uncertainty with every business we work with. … I’ll react if and when something happens.”Bob Leak Jr., president of Winston-Salem Business Inc

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 11th, 2009 at 11:24 pm and is filed under Business News, Technology, Triad News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.