Eeee. Yikes. Sounds like we are gonna end up getting some state farmers in manufacturing i bet eventually, and it sure will nit be anything close to what they make out there. Welcome to the real world folks. Ill be happy to humble some people in my domain. I know that sounds arrogant but there has always been a certian amount of people in this town that think they are hot sh-- out there at state farm. I think alot of that attitude may subside a bit because of this. S---s for them big time and its not their fault really. But thats not the real world and i think some people are in for a surprise.
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Mitsubishi boy, maybe you’ve struggled cuz you need to learn how to write.
I would like to respond to all the people saying SF employees don’t know how good they have it. Most of us do but there are a few who never worked anywhere else who don’t and always complained about what they did have. I can say that I’ve walked beans, detasseled, babysat, worked in a bakery at a grocery store, been a teller at a bank, worked at a company for 10 years until it was bought out and the jobs moved to Texas, bartended, worked in retail, another grocery store, put myself through college and finally landed at State Farm. I hoped getting a job at State Farm would be secure thinking it would never move but seems I may have been wrong. I live in central Illinois because I like it here. My friends are here and my family is here. It hurts to hear all the nasty comments because I do know how good I have it at SF. I worked to get a job at SF because I knew about the benefits of working at such a good company. Many of the comments are from men saying what they do for jobs well good for you not a lot of women are cut out for some of those jobs and they do pay better than being a teller at a bank. And the other comments about tech jobs everywhere. Yes there are tech jobs everywhere but there is no reason tech jobs can’t stay in Bloomington.
Thanks for emulating such a gracious spirit. Should we all continue to follow your example? If you don’t think 99% of us recognize how fortunate we’ve been, I’m afraid you’re mistaken.
I’ve never worked at SF but my wife retired in June 2015 after working there for 41 years. And we both wish the best for you all. It is a sad day for the area to see the largest employer go through a restructuring and downsizing.
I was born here and have lived most of my life here in B/N too. I played in the corn field where Corporate Headquarters has been built. I worked on the building during construction as a union laborer in 1973. I was here when our population boomed with all the employees coming from California and elsewhere over the last 45 years. Some day I’m sure SF will leave B/N permanently but we will survive as a community of good people. God bless you all.
I love how the bitter people in this thread act like there are no tech jobs anywhere in the country. LOL The reality is that there are many tech people with current skills who are willing to pick up and move across the country. There is nothing special about Bloomington. Couldn’t find a job in manufacturing for 1.5 years? Well... it’s manufacturing. Those jobs ARE tough to come by. Plus I’m guessing you were unwilling to move to another state. Meanwhile tech is where the economy is right now and there are plenty of unfilled positions out there. There’s not going to be a lot of tech workers who suddenly look for manufacturing jobs. There’s just going to be a lot of people moving out of Bloomington.
This affects way more than corn town Bubba. This is a well respected company ruining its own reputation by dumping most of the experience in favor of cheaper younger replacements. Customers are leaving in large numbers after having to deal with untrained and often uncaring claims staff. It is sad to see such a success story self destruct.
This made me laugh. The author makes good points. Althoufh slightly rude, very accurate to what will happen to some of those who end up getting cut. Sorry for all of you, but the author is correct. State farm employees habe been coddled for decades. Reality check time for many
Agree with 1ncv. The jobs being eliminated now at SF don't exist at other corporations anymore because they all eliminated busy work jobs 10 years ago. And the majority of the people getting let go in BN won't rush off to the bright lights of the big city. They are older, unskilled for modern corporate demands and complacent. Many actually think they work in IT because their job title says so. But they do little to nothing with actual technological processes. They are the middle business people, the red stapler people who use inane phrases like, low hanging fruit, synergy, 50,000 feet up, and the worst - at the end of the day. Barf. They are the walking cliches in The Office. If they weren't, they would still have jobs. The thought that SF is actually letting people of "quality and experience" go is just something comforting to say to themselves and others so they don't have to admit they have nothing to show for their lives. I'm not saying these aren't good people. They are "nice". I feel bad for the lambs. But complacency is the devil here and SF let them stay ignorant of what true value is. So leadership is to blame because it wasn't hard enough on you, not because it was. SF people bemoaning the layoffs have a right to grieve, and yet if you don't see why you were let go and have no clue and can't understand it, you are the reason why the layoff is happening. Busy work isn't providing value no matter what your manager told you. Your manager was just trying to make sure you didn't stab him/her in the back. Inept managers keep inept employees to stay in control and keep their jobs. It was a giant piss pot basically and senior leadership knew it after ICP failed. And yes ICP was both the fault of leadership thinking their employees could handle it and the employees not being able to handle it and not righting things. If you think leadership is 100% at fault, you're making excuses for yourself and your cohorts.
I heard a lot of the same " ill find a job justvas good as this one" when i worked out at mitsubishi. I have been gon for almost 10 years. Still looking for something similar. Keep that in mind. "Corporate America" is no different than "blue collar America" in the sense that all you are is a spoke on a wheel that can be replaced rather easily. And rheybare correct. Because companies simply dont care about the individual worker anymore. Its all about that money honey. And if it dont make money it makes no sense. The billion+ loss sf recorded last year tells me that several thousand people out at state farm dont make sense to their bottom line anymore. Its not personal. Its business. Like i said before, it took me 1.5 years to find another job close to what was offered at mitsubishi. And im still only about 2/3 the pay and half the benefits. This isnt just manufacturing. THIS IS REALITY FOR THE COUNTRY. CORPORATE AMERICA INCLUDED. MORONS, SHEESH. LOLOLOLOLOL. You will find out just how screwed you all are. Just wait. Im telling you. Its going to be harder than you think to find a job like what you have, or should i say had at state farm. Good luck. And stay optimistic. Because when you are on your couch bawling your eyes out when the harsh realities set in, optimism will be all you have. Belive me. I have been there
Moving out of Illinois is good if you can afford it logistically. Thinking "corporate" America is welcoming lots of middle age folks with open arms and wallets is bad. "Similar jobs at other companies" is, well, kind of asinine.
The reality is there won’t be a big glut of SF employees looking to get into manufacturing. The ones who are able will retire. The ones who aren’t will move out of state to get similar jobs at other companies. If there’s any silver lining for those folks, it’s getting out of IL.
The OP just comes across as a bitter a$$hole enjoying the misfortune of others, but lacking any real understanding of the way things work in corporate America.
Again, the economy is good. No one is "screwed." You may have to move but if you have any marketable skills you will find work.
There are plenty of high paying jobs out there, if you're qualified and especially if you're willing to move a few hours north or south.
Don't listen to this clown.
And as another couple of posters have mentioned, you can't just fall into a skilled trade. Those take skill"and specific training and the people who do them have every right to be proud. A person who was proud of their job and who recognized the skill they utilized to do it wouldn't expect terminated office workers with no training to just stumble into their trade one day. That also is a very weird outlook.
@truth teller good for you. I worked in trades while in hs, etc. those jobs take skill for sure, and people cannot just fall into them. I have told more than one student to pursue a trade. It is honest work that hardly ever lets you down.
That’s why you have to keep yourself relevant and put as much away in retirement as possible.
Good luck to everyone
Welcome to the struggle people. Thats all im saying. Listen or not, but you will see how hard thimgs really are. Give it time. Swallow your pride and tske a lower paying job. Because the good paying jobs arent out there. Ive looked. Downsize now while its easier. Sell the big house you dont even need. And the boat you only take out 3 times a year. And the 20,000 dollar harley.
Sorry dude; it's definitely embarrassing. And yes, he's gloating. That's obvious.
Gloating at the misery of others is something narcissists, sociopaths, and other maladjusted individuals do.
This ain't a midwest thing. This is a "small town with one gigantic employer" thing.
I live in the midwest too. But I don't live in a small town.
It's his experience, so it's not embarrassing and I don't believe he is trying to gloat at SF misery. I think his perspective is needed to understand how SF is viewed in the Blmg community. It's not always pretty. In the hubs SF doesn't quite impact the community so much as in Blmg. The Midwest is the outlier now. People here in Blmg take it very personally since for many it's all they know. The OP should realize this. But employees should realize they have been insulated from reality of many of the corporate and non corporate people experience in the area and now people are letting them know, albeit in uncouth ways, how hard this area has been for many esp in the last decade... Learning curves for everyone.
This clown is going to feel differently in a few years when State Farm leaves Bloomington and the tax base there collapses.
Living in a big city myself, I can't even imagine this myopic obsession people in Bloomington have with State Farm. Get some self respect, man. You're embarrassing yourself. The OP makes you look like a degenerate hick, not to mention a sociopath.
It is interesting to see how many people in this community seem to be ecstatic to see State Farm employees go through this despite all of the negative consequences it will have for the community. Housing prices will decrease, restaurants will close, the community will have less tax dollars to support infrastructure, etc. It's like people are excited to see a nose cut off to spite the face
I also lost my job in 2009 due to the recession, along with my home. We still currently rent. It took me 1.5 years before i was able to find another job. Gloat? No. But this is a reality check for many. I have alredy lost everything and had to climb back up. It wasnt easy people. I wish you the best of luck. Because when you lose everything like i did in 2009, you find out whats really important in life. And it surely is not a high paying job. Yod bless you all
It’s actually spelled “a lot” and not “alot.”
The funny thing is i have worked in manufacturing for a long time. Its a great trade. Alot of skill is involved. My wife works in the health field and graduated at the top of her class. We together bring less than 100k/ yr. Whats wrong with that? Anything we did? Absolutely not! Thats the real world. We got back less than 5k this year. 2 children. And it was very much needed, belive me. You people at state farm have absolutely no idea how well you have it out there.
Same old liberal class warfare thing. Ill bet if you got a tax cut you'd call it crumbs. I hear nobody at SF ever say that. Coming from a family where i was the first to get a college education i know my father, a blue collar union worker, woukd never take that attitude toward anyone losing their job. Shame on you OP for gloating over the misfortune of others. And you may very well lose your job soon when there is nobody to buy whatever you make.
I don't live in Bloomington but be careful what you wish for. If SF lays off 1/2 the employees in the area B-N will go into a full-blown depression. Housing prices will plummet, unemployment will be through the roof, who is going to absorb 5000-7000 jobs in the immediate area? Wishing for someone else's misery does not make you arrogant, it makes you an a$$hole.
And the ole college degree debate pops up lol. You must be one of the people im referring to about that "im better than you" attitude that is so prevalent in bloomington/normal. Stay humble out there. You knever know what may happen in the future😉
Evetything in life is a matter of perspective. The thing is a college degree would never help you in manufaturing. Its all about on the job experience. A degree would help you somewhat in engineering but not on an entry level position like most of the people at state farm would be qualified for....
Many affected have college degrees so I sincerely doubt they end up in manufacturing.