The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, April 15, 2004, Image 17

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    NATIQM
THE BATTALION
5B
Thursday, April 15, 2004
Help wanted
hick offull-time jobs shows companies doing more with less
THtrt
By Adam Geller
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
L1BERTYVILLE, Ill. — Shouting over the
ine of pneumatic screwdrivers, Phyllis
Patrick points to changes in the assembly line
lit twists around her, evidence of a labor mar-
ke; starting to thaw.
In a plant where workers were asked last year
to lake time off without pay, managers have post
ed eight hours overtime on the scheduling board
the coming Saturday. At stations alongside
Patrick, a handful of temporary workers have
be;n added as orders for the plant’s cordless nail-
ins climbed. And now word is spreading down
the line that ITW Paslode is set to hire 14 new
B-timers.
“We could always use a few more,” the safety-
-clad Patrick says, turning back to a work-
bebch where she’s testing motors in the partially
assembled nail guns.
The pickup at Paslode’s plant, 45 minutes north
of Chicago, is good news in an economy that has
be:n very slow to generate new jobs. It comes
1th a big asterisk: Those are about the only new
jo>s that Paslode’s parent, a $10 billion manufac-
l ing conglomerate that prides itself on running
lejin, sees adding anytime soon.
“Why would you be hiring people right now?”
sal's John Brooklier, vice president of investor
lations for the parent company, Illinois Tool
rks Inc., which has shrunk its U.S. payroll
ftm about 36,000 to 28,000 in the past three
years. “If you still have a ways to go before (man-
imdraiPicturing) capacity is filled, where are the jobs
ing to come from?”
Variations of that question loom over an econ-
y that is down about 2 million jobs since early
2(01. Despite a government report showing the
| Ji! Ilited States added 308,000 jobs in March, many
aialysts continue to puzzle over the logic of
enployers’ hiring decisions in an economy that by
ie .' " c;: mast measures is in high gear.
cenitlll, l As election-year politics heat up, much of the
public’s attention has focused on “offshoring” as
(lie culprit in the lack of new employment.
.skediKii jhg truth behind the short supply of new jobs,
’ addin: |
the hai#
'tiers,
of the cos
k is it,"
Bill Bb;
ihi (f®
Head West for golden opportunities
In the past three years, Western states had a job loss of
0.6 percent, less than half the national rate of 1.5 percent.
Percent change In job growth, Jan. 2001-Jan. 2004
pARTYTlMf]
Party Time Rentals
1816 Ponderosa, College Station 696-6555
1904 S. Texas Ave., Bryan 822-5555
fcent Fun/
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Highest:
s Alaska 7.5% $k>
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics Kathryn Tam * AP
hinted at by changes at companies such as ITW, is
more complicated.
In a nutshell, businesses have figured out how
to do more with fewer full-time workers. Even as
the economy grows, many companies are reaping
the benefits in part by rethinking the way they
utilize people.
Part of that is outsourcing, sending some of the
work they do to firms and workers who will do it
cheaper, both inside and out of the country. Some
economists estimate outsourcing overseas
accounts for perhaps 10 percent of the jobs lost.
Businesses also are responding to increasing
demand by relying more on temporary workers,
freelancers and contract workers. Many work off
payroll and without benefits.
Employers also are harnessing technology,
streamlining and automating operations to
reduce the need for labor, and some are pushing
remaining workers to do more. Those changes
mean they often can respond to increased
demand without hiring.
“What employers have really discovered is ...
you can have just-in-time employment,” says
David Wyss, chief economist at Standard & Poors
in New York. “That’s what this really is — I use
the workers when I need them. I don’t use the
workers when I don’t need them.”
IS LOOKING FOR CAMPUS REPS FOR
ON-CAMPUS INTERNSHIPS!
SOPHOMORES, JUNIORS AND SENIORS
to do Sports Marketing, Promotions, Guerilla Marketing, Event Planning and more..
Please go to www.sicampusrepsapply.com
to submit your resume and learn more about being an SI Campus Rep!
)A charges student ^
vith faking abduction
il Boulf
i city anil
wiroiw
nd act]®!
By Jenny Price
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
m
iFiiww
Same*A
MADISON, Wis. — A ed
ge student accused of faking
t own kidnapping last month
ulas charged Wednesday with
i otte Ijing to police in what they sug-
i the gsted was a desperate attempt
oberaiti | (l g et boyfriend’s attention,
chichi'i Audrey Seiler, a 20-year-old
diumsophomore at the University of
Wisconsin, was charged with
two misdemeanor counts of
ojstructing officers. Each
large carries up to nine months
jail and a $10,000 fine.
Seiler disappeared from her
-campus apartment March 27
ithout her coat or purse. She
as discovered curled in a fetal
asition in a marsh four days
ter, and told police that a man
ad abducted her at knifepoint.
But police concluded Seiler
tade up the story after obtaining
store videotape that showed her
uying the knife, duct tape, rope
ad cold medicine she claimed
er abductor used to restrain her.
eiler confessed after she was
anfronted with the tape, accord
ing to authorities.
1 “I set up everything. I’m just
I a messed up. I’m sorry,” they
: noted her as saying. But she
later recanted the statement,
iisisting she had been abducted.
I Hundreds of people from
ladison and Seiler’s hometown
arched for her after she disap
eared, and her claim about an
rmed man touched off a major
lanhunt that authorities said
it the police about $96,000.
Her first court appearance
ftjk as scheduled for Thursday, but
er attorney was expected to
IlickW*’
intWi*
IWTW^
3/T
0
I
lain
appear in her place.
Lawyer Randy Hopper would
not say Wednesday whether she
would contest the charges. He
called Seiler a “model student, a
model citizen.”
The criminal complaint
depicts Seiler as a young woman
upset by a fading relationship
with her boyfriend, Ryan Fisher.
Friends said the two had
been fighting, and Seiler’s
roommate. Heather Thue, told
officers that Fisher did not pay
as much attention to Seiler as
she wanted. Seiler’s mother told
police her daughter had not been
herself lately and was “extreme
ly needy” of Fisher.
Three days before she disap
peared, her laptop was used to
log onto Fisher’s e-mail account
and read exchanges “with
romantic overtones” between
him and another woman,
according to the complaint.
Hopper said Seiler was
home with her parents and
receiving “medical care and
the care and support that she
needs from her family.”
Seiler had also reported an
unexplained attack in February,
saying she was struck from
behind and left unconscious.
But the complaint does not say
whether police believe that
attack was also fabricated.
According to police, one
woman spotted Seiler on a bike
path near the marsh on March
29, 30 and 31. On March 31, the
woman said, she saw Seiler
lying in the fetal position. When
she asked how Seiler was, Seiler
sat up and said she was OK and
liked to come to the marsh after
class to relax.
International Student
Association (ISA) Elections
Who is going to be an ISA officer
next year?
Here is your chance to decide. Come to
election night.
Date: April 15, 2004
Time: 7:00-8:15 p.m.
Location: Rudder 510
Adisou.
C ' S A < fe M i3«' s °
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LGI S LmO
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Out To Eat
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Thursdays in The Battalion
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SMust <Be j .
.VVWVWVWWVV^yfc
ffleaOen
Sandwich Shoppe
Old Fashioned Sandwiches
Fresh Baked Bread
Soups - Quiche - Salads
Baked Potatoes
Homemade Desserts
COLLEGE STATION
Rock Prairie Rd next to
College Station Mod Center
764-9222
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£
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1
5/
fW/Httellci
Authentic Italian Casual Cafe
260-6666
\
SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS ONLY
Present your Student I.D. and
GET ONE FREE FRITTELLA
w/purchase of a Pepsi drink ( s 1.50) J
Present coupon when ordering. Expires 4/27/04^*
3901 S. Texas Ave.
(1/2 mile North of University Dr.)
| Sun - Thurs. II a.m. - 2 p.m., 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Fri & Sat. II a.m. - 2 p.m., 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.
CLOSED MONDAYS
£ Italian Cafe
1 X
as
S. Texas Ave.
mmm ■ "■■■ ■
ljiI
. caffe’ capri
the place for Italian
• for more info, ask a friend
FREE DESSERT
with meal purchase and this coupon
Afi owned & operated
222 n. main in historic downtown brvan
979.822.2675
2 Can Dine!
5 Pc Mixed,
2 Reg. Sides
6 2 Biscuits
3 Pc Mixed,
1 Reg. Side
& 1 Biscuit
*3."
Expires 05/23/04 I Expires 05/23/04
Texas A&M
Students
with a valid
ID get
10% off
on regular
menu items.
Present coupon
where prohibited.
* Popeyes only. ©2003 AFC Enterprises/lnc.
AKER
At on/ Serving Boitted Beers!
aTm
SPECIALTY PIZZA
with purchase turtf speda/ty pizza
Pizza Served Daily After 5pm.
Offer Expires: 4/30/04. Valid for dine-in or delivery.
Delivery minimums end fees apply. One coupon per transaction.
201 Dominik Drive (979) 696-5055
View our menu at: www.BlueBaker.com