Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Sysco Employees Hold their Collective Breath

I was informed today that Lankford Sysco is getting ready to make yet another cut. This time upwards of 30 employees will be informed by this Friday if they are the ones loosing their jobs or not.

Sources say that cuts are going across the board this time; from upper level management to the folks working the docks.

Times are getting tougher and tougher and it seems that there is no one anywhere especially here on the shore that is immune from the recession that we are experiencing.

Lankford Sysco is certainly Pocomoke's anchor employer that has consistently provided bread winner jobs for many of our local families for many many years. After cuts earlier this year, it's anyone's guess who will be next.

What an absolute shame this is. America's only GNP is war, and we hit an economic landslide such as this one of the first things consumers stop doing is eating out.

It's time to wake up America and call your Senators and Congressmen and tell them that this NAFTA and GAT is a complete and utter failure. It has caused our country to be consumers and not producers and when we don't produce anything to sell, we can't afford to consume.

I sincerely wish the very best for the Lankfords, and for the families that these cuts will affect. Keep them in your prayers and keep our country in your prayers.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

You know who to blame for this whole assed up mess, but some folks still think he's the greastest thing since sliced bread!!

Anonymous said...

I guess 12:45 must be talking about our great business friendly governor OMalley. It amazes the party that loves to tax business to the excess and their CEO expects the same businesses to expand in this state.How many major companies since his election have left this area.This is the same great party that prevented WalMart to set up business in Somerset Co.It also the party whose nominee thinks that high gasoline prices are good for the economy!

BossHogg said...

Who?

Russ Blake?

Anonymous said...

Go to American Solutions.com and sign the petition "Drill Here/Drill Now. Let's start making America strong again.

Anonymous said...

i think they have had alot of competion from companies out of new york and north in the past few years. holt has been in the food distribution buisness for awhile now, probably hurt them some. i think alot of people still go out for dinner because the cost of food in the grocerie store is rediculous.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Beach Boy been there done that. I have drill here/ drill now bumper sticker on my Titan pick-up!

Anonymous said...

Sysco is eliminating jobs not because of other competition one reason is because of the fuel prices to run that big fleet of trucks and the other reason is because corporate is trying to come in on the pocomoke location. It truly is ashame that this is happening. We can only hope it gets better and not worse!

Anonymous said...

Somehow I think the Lankford's are a far way from starving compared to their employees.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous @ 5:22 is exactly right. It is not the competition that is hurting Lankford SYSCO, it is this economy. The terrible rising fuel costs, and the SYSCO Corporation that looks at only the $$.

The Lankfords in the Lankford SYSCO ran a family business, SYSCO Corporation is exactly what it says, a corporation. Employee translates to expense to SYSCO Corporate.

The employees were dedicated, qualified workers, and the layoffs in no way reflect on the quality of the work that they did.

Anonymous said...

Hey, you ever stop to think that it was the bloated payroll of relatives, friends, and a**-kissers that led Sysco corporate to come up here from Houston and set things straight? You are right, the Lankfords will not starve, and neither will their cronies. It will be the honest hard workers whose only liability is that they did not grow up in Pocomoke knowing/blowing the right people, or sleep with the right people to get where they are.

Anonymous said...

Hey Anonymous 10:18 PM, I take offense at your remarks.

I have been a Lankford SYSCO employee for over 20 years. I am not a relative, was not a friend prior to employment, am not an a**-kisser, would never sleep with or do anything else immoral to get or keep any job.

I was hired on my work record, and have so far managed to hold onto my job by my willingness to learn new skills as I am asked to.

This is not to say that the next lay off won't take me, or that I might have missed this one by a stroke of luck.

No one is safe, when a lay off is based on head count, determined by a corporation.

Senior Management did the best job that they could to minimize the loss, but when SYSCO Corporate speaks, they are the BIG DOG.

Anonymous said...

I heard they cancelled the annual Banquet in Ocean City as well. That probably brings close to 1/2 million dollars if not more into the beach area in the dead of winter. I dont see things getting any better there or the shore for that matter......

Anonymous said...

Don't take too much offense. You know some of what they said was right on the money. If you've been there 20 years and survived on merit, good for you. But from the looks of things you can do drugs, steal, lie and break laws and still have your job today while others are suffering. No, I'm quite sure all the Lankfords are doing just fine today. Same can't be said for the families trying to figure out how to survive in this economy. Did any of the Senior Management (who you proclam did such a good job) offer to reduce any of their 6 (or 7) figure salaries to save a few jobs? Didn't think so. I agree to keep those families in your prayers but don't waste precious prayers on the bigwigs who can still pay their bills and live in their big houses.

Anonymous said...

Lankfords started way before you were born, I don't care how old you are. They began in a small potato shack south of Pocomoke along side of the railroad tracks that brought the potatoes to them.

Sysco didn't just jump into what we now know as Lankford-Sysco, it was a long process. Even 5 years ago, would any of you predicted that fuel prices would have taken such an untimely hike?

This economy is affecting everyone. A lot of people made tons of money on Real Estate in the same period of time, it's also affecting them, it doesn't have one thing to do with failures of their employees.

Anonymous said...

I've been with Sysco for 10 years. Nobody deserves to lose their job, but when you look at some of the names on that list you have to wonder about hidden agendas. Specifically one or two come to mind and if you work there you know who I'm talking about. A lot of people want to know why certain people lost thier job when there were others doing a lot less that got to keep theirs.