Post Time：Apr 08,2010Classify:Company NewsView：740
HSBC Finance Corp. plans to close its Tulsa facility by the end of September and eliminate approximately 465 jobs, the company said Wednesday.
The center at 4848 S. 129th East Ave. primarily handles customer service and collections for HSBC's credit card business.
All employees at the facility will have the opportunity to apply for open positions at other HSBC sites and locations, the company said. But the Tulsa Metro Chamber also points out that those jobs potentially can be absorbed by other employers in the Tulsa area.
"We greatly appreciate the dedication and contribution of our employees. The decision was made after careful deliberation and consideration of a range of factors, as part of our ongoing efforts to balance operating costs and staffing needs across our network," said Rob Sherman, vice president of public affairs for HSBC-North America, in an e-mailed statement.
HSBC Finance entered the Tulsa market in December 2005 after acquiring Minnesota-based Metris Cos. Inc., one of the country's large bank card issuers, which had a Tulsa office along with several other operating centers around the nation.
It could not be immediately confirmed what HSBC's peak employment was over the last few years. But a Tulsa World article that ran Aug. 16, 2006, noted that HSBC at that time employed 850 people in Tulsa, with plans of adding approximately 115 workers.
The company wouldn't disclose the pay range of the positions being affected by the closing.
In his e-mail, Sherman noted that all employees at the Tulsa facility will have the opportunity to apply for positions at HSBC's other card-servicing sites and locations. These would include sites at Sioux Falls, S.D.; Las Vegas; New Castle, Del.; Chesapeake, Va.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Salinas, Calif.; and the Chicago area; he said additionally in a phone interview.
"The Tulsa Metro Chamber's business retention program has known about HSBC's intent for some time," said Jim Fram, senior vice president of economic development at the Tulsa Metro Chamber, in an e-mailed comment. "The employees at HSBC are well-trained, highly qualified, and a number of employees are also bilingual. The skills of this labor force is something we certainly want to retain in the Tulsa region." The chamber believes the jobs can be absorbed into the economy. Fram noted that the chamber is aware of several Tulsa employers in the same industry that currently are hiring, including Cox Communications, U.S. Cellular, West Corp., Farmers, State Farm, Wells Fargo, DirecTV, CapitalOne, Cherokee Nation Enterprises Inc. and AT&T.
Wednesday's announcement follows a string of other sizable layoff announcements this year in the Tulsa area.
Earlier this week, American Airlines said it plans to transfer 200 Tulsa-based maintenance operations coordinators to Fort Worth over two years. The company is consolidating employees of the Tulsa-based Maintenance Operations Center, which oversees aircraft maintenance at line or overnight maintenance stations, with the Fort Worth-based Systems Operations Center.
Also, Oklahoma City-based SandRidge Energy Inc. this week announced plans to buy Tulsa-based Arena Resources Inc., which will result in all of Arena's jobs in Tulsa being lost or moved. The company has 30 headquarters workers here.
Last month, 300 employees with Caterpillar Logistics Services Inc. learned they will lose their jobs when the Broken Arrow facility closes at the end of August.
Also in March, Zeledyne LLC said it would lay off 210 workers on its glass furnace line.
In February, PepsiCo. Inc. said it would be closing the Gatorade plant in Pryor and laying off 108 people because of dropping demand for the beverage line.
Source: http://www.tmcnet.comAuthor: shangyi
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