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Title: U of TX Med. Branch in Galveston 3,000 to be laid off, starting with 600 today Post by: MuffyBee on November 18, 2008, 01:28:36 PM UTMB's 3,000 layoffs begin with 600 firings today
By HARVEY RICE Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Nov. 18, 2008, 9:21AM GALVESTON — The University of Texas Medical Branch is expected to lay off about 600 employees today and in each of the next four days in response to losses caused by Hurricane Ike. About 3,000 employees will be out of their jobs by the end of the five-day process, most of them workers at the temporarily closed John Sealy Hospital. Department heads are expected to meet personally with those being fired, but many of those losing their jobs have been unable to return to work since the storm and will be notified by phone, e-mail or letter, UTMB spokeswoman Kristen Hensley said. UTMB President David Callender announced the layoffs in a message sent Monday to UTMB's 12,000 employees. Employees have been expecting the layoffs since the University of Texas' board of regents last week approved cutting the UTMB workforce by 3,800. The layoff is a severe financial blow to Galveston County and the city of Galveston, already suffering economically because of the damage caused by the storm. UTMB suffered $710 million in storm damage, but carried only $100 million in insurance coverage. The hospital, the medical school's main source of income, is no longer earning money. Officials say the layoffs are needed because UTMB is losing more than $40 million a month, mostly from salaries. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6117841.html |