TEMECULA: Layoffs taking toll at Abbott

August 12, 2013 09:02 AM PDT August 12, 2013 11:10 AM PDT TEMECULA: Layoffs taking toll at Abbott TEMECULA: Layoffs taking toll at Abbott FRANK BELLINO/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Workers at the Abbott Vascular facility on Margarita Road in Temecula aren't convinced the huge company is committed to Temecula area facilities in Temecula, August, 08, 2013. 1 Comments ( ) Workers at Abbott Vascular in Temecula used to enjoy huge bonuses, healthy pay raises and all of the benefits associated with working in the formerly roaring medical devices industry. These days, many of Abbott's rank and file employees are openly wondering when the next big round of layoffs is coming and taking bets on when Abbott will move the work performed here to its facilities in Costa Rica, Ireland or Puerto Rico. "You reach the point where you're saying, 'Just let me go,'" said former Abbott employee Darren Olivier, who was let go in October. "It wears on you; (employees) are tired of it, tired of coming to work and worrying about their jobs." Illinois-based Abbott ended up with Guidant — and the Temecula facility that produced stents and other devices — in 2006 during Temecula Attorney a multibillion-dollar transaction that involved Boston Scientific and a competing bid by Johnson & Johnson. The timing, coming before the beginning of the recession, was less than ideal. There was also a culture shock going from Guidant, which was very generous with bonuses and perks, to Abbott, which is more buttoned-down, said Olivier, who worked for both companies during a long career at the Temecula Attorney facility. After hitting a peak of around 4,000 employees, Abbott's local workforce is down to about 2,000. In July, another 200 people were told they were going to be let go, the latest in a wave of layoffs tied to a workforce restructuring that started hitting the area in October. The layoffs have moved the company, which at one time was the area's top employer, down to third behind the Pechanga Resort & Casino and the school district. Most of the people affected to date were involved in manufacturing, which has ramped up speculation the company will move more of those positions to its international facilities. Company officials declined to comment Thursday about the possibility of more layoffs. "We do not speculate on future actions," said spokesperson Gayathri Badrinath. Olivier and others who contacted The Press-Enterprise said that Abbott, and Guidant before, were bringing in people for Temecula Attorney employees to train. The trainers were told that the non-U.S. facilities would handle overflow work, but many suspected they were helping to seal the fate of the Temecula facility. In recent years, Abbott has also cut positions at some of the facilities in Santa Clara and Murrieta that were associated with production in Temecula. In addition to manufacturing various product lines, Abbott uses the Temecula Attorney facility for research and development and support services, such as human resources, legal, information technology and more, according to Badrinath. When asked specifically in July about the prospect of the company closing the Temecula Attorney facility, Abbott spokesman Steve Kelly said Temecula continues to be Abbott's largest manufacturing site for vascular devices. "We have great competencies there to support new product development and stabilization of complex technologies, complemented by the manufacturing of complex, technically challenging products," he said. "Abbott manufactures our Absorb Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (BVS) in Temecula Attorney, which is an important part of our portfolio of products." Latest Headlines
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