=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SF Gate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/chronicle/archive/2003/03= /13/BU107364.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday, March 13, 2003 (SF Chronicle) Airline to open sites in S.F. and Chicago George Raine, Chronicle Staff Writer United Airlines and a job placement company, Adecco, have formed a partnership that will open offices in San Francisco and Chicago to help former United employees find work, the airline said Wednesday. The United-Adecco Job Center will open March 31 at the United Airlines maintenance facility at San Francisco International Airport. The other center will open Monday at the airline's corporate headquarters in Elk Grove Village, near Chicago. United had 100,000 employees before Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorist attacks, combined with the deteriorating economy, pushed the carrier and most of the rest of the airline industry into a prolonged slump. On Wednesday, United said it has 72,500 employees on its payroll. About 20, 000 were furloughed as part of a reduction in force, while others have retired or moved on to other jobs -- or are looking for work. United believes there are about 23,000 people who can be served by the j= ob placement program, said Randy Rotondo, managing director of human resources for the carrier. As a practical matter, almost all of the former United workers will not find jobs in the ailing airline industry. That is in part what prompted the idea for job centers, as the workers will be entering new fields of work and looking for meaningful jobs, Rotondo said. "We would love to have them back, but unfortunately we can't bring them back. We want to help them transition into meaningful work," he said. More employees are expected to lose their jobs as United struggles to emerge from the Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection it sought in December. Adecco, a global staffing and human resources company based in Switzerland, describes itself as the world's largest staffing company. It has U.S. operations based in Melville, N.Y. The job centers in Chicago and at SFO will be open to former United workers who will have access to Adecco's job search and placement resources. In addition, United said that Adecco's more than 5,800 offices in 63 countries will also be open to former United employees looking for work. The former workers will not be charged a fee, said Ian Grundy, vice president of sales and marketing at Adecco. Instead, a fee would be paid by the company hiring the former United employee, he said. "We will be looking to match the skills and experience of the former United employees with the needs of our clients," Grundy said. He said the full range of United's workforce, including mechanics and administrators, will be accommodated. The services available to the former United employees include skill evaluations, interviews with consultants and computer-based training. About 5,500 letters went out Tuesday to former United employees in the Chicago area, informing them about the job center. The remaining 23,000 former workers will be notified later in stages. United's Rotondo said counselors will also be able to make arrangements for training grants if there are competence gaps. Adecco has worked with retrenched workers from other airlines, in part because 12 of its European offices are located at airports. On Tuesday, United asked a bankruptcy judge for a six-month extension on filing its restructuring plan, saying more time is needed to complete the complex task. That request will be considered at a hearing on March 21. Shares of United fell 6 cents to 91 cents Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange. E-mail George Raine at graine@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2003 SF Chronicle