50 More Face Argus Layoffs

50 More Face
ArgusLayoffs
The Ann Arbor Division of sales, warehouse and ship-
Argus, Inc., is planning to lay ; ping operations to Chicago.

off 50 more employes within the | Argus assured the Ann Arbor
next month, bringing the con- Division "is continuing as the
cern's employment level here only optical facility of the corn-
down to ?5n workers. pany." It is currently produc-

T iDtical manufac- ing P1'0.^^01' lenses and optical
, '; ,. . . lptlca1 manuac condenser components to sup
tunna division has been under , . ' . '
" " . ,. i. . port Argus proiector manufac
reorganization tor several p 6 ( ^- ^ ^

id announced today UIlmg m L()lumDla- h- t-
... .,,,.,;.vment has slipped The spokesman added:

horn a late 1962 level of 425 j "All precision optics will be
workers to "just over 300." | made in Ann Arbor to support

; camera production in Spring
"The anticipated level of 250 j Grove
(employes) will be reached in ^ ^ ^^, ^,^ ^

the next 30 days an Argus gently supplying optics to
spokesman said today. ^^ ^^ equipment manu-

Reorgamzation has resulted in facturers. Defense contracts
a corporate order to relocate previously announced, are being
local camera manufacturing op- produced at a slightly higher
erations to Spring Grove, Minn., y^e. Sub-contract work (•'
i other defense prime contracto;

is being produced," the spokc'.s
man said.

, Argils' engineering section is
j located in Ann Arbor and is
' res'ni! "'.'r for all product de-
i sig: .'• concern. That sec-
tion is directed by William B
Hall, vice-president of engineer.
•:ing, of 1707 Hard ing Rcl.
; The layoff of 175 persons
,from the late 1962 level is said
;to be affecting male employes
f "with less than 12 years' sen-
iority."

s "Fem'ale employes with less
than 18 years' seniority will
likely face layoff," the spokes-
man added.

Local Argus employes h'f"
^seniority "bumping" prh
,—that is the right to re pin.
i workers who have been e;

Iployed by Argiis for fewci
j years.

In this connection, Argus
I said it plans to retrain "more
'than halt" of employes re-
gained to do semi-skilled, pro-
duction jobs.

Some employes are being re-
tained, out of seniority, to as-
sist in the retraining, the
spokesman said, adding that
salaried personnel are being
terminated "as their positions
are terminated in accordance
with long-standing practice."

Jobs (hat arc being termin-
; ated within the next 30 days
iwill continue to be manned by
jpreviou- ,;ned employes
iijuring liir isiid-e-out period, the
spokesman said.

He said the local division "is
' continuing to seek out new ac-
tivities for Ann Arbor," add-

is bidding as prime con-
. . .1 on two fire control in-
struments used by the Armed
Forces and is negotiating for
>the manufacture of an optional
sporting goods device.

The division is a major sub-
contractor for three bidding
iprime <•! '; • nrs, and is bid-
Ider on , components for
use on two missiles.

Generally, t h e divisional
management indicates that its
efforts toward getting new
work could result in hi a her

employment later this year