At the end of the day (in this case, literally), I have one thing for which to be really thankful to ChevronTexaco. The corporation, and especially its Richmond operation, provides so much material to write about. So I couldn’t resist closing out this week by copying two stories from Bay Area media.

First, we have the Contra Costa Times reporting on September 9, 2003, that the same fervently patriotic ChevronTexaco that would even steal Point Molate from the city to enhance homeland security is laying off 275 Bay Area employees and shipping their jobs to Asia, presumably to make more profit. The corporation sent 100 jobs to Manila last year. Oh well, those Bay Area folks can probably get another job – maybe the government will hire them.

Second, on a lighter note, Bill Mann, writing for the Alameda Journal (September 12, 2003) had a really great idea for a new Richmond festival. Columnist Mann suggested, “After seeing a recurring story out of Richmond on KTVU the other night, I wonder if ChevronTexaco might attempt a P.R. coup and sponsor a weekend street fair there called "Shelter in Place Days.” Now, I can really see potential there. With such a truly unique draw, I could see "Shelter in Place Days” becoming an event of regional or even national interest that could attract thousands of well-healed tourists to Richmond, filling hotels and restaurants, and changing the image of our city from a crime ridden industrial slum to something more like New Orleans or San Diego. 

200 ChevronTexaco accounting jobs will be shifted to Philippines (By Rick Jurgens, CONTRA COSTA TIMES, September 9, 2003.

ChevronTexaco Corp. plans to move about 200 accounting jobs from the United States to the Philippines and eliminate another 175.

ChevronTexaco announced the planned changes at a "town hall meeting" Thursday for employees of its Concord financial services center, according to spokeswoman Bonnie Chaikind.

"It was quite a jolt," said one affected employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity. That employee estimated that about 200 jobs in Concord would be lost.

Chaikind said she did not know what portion of the cuts would take place in Concord. Affected operations include accounting services for credit card and financial operations and the accounts payable department, she said.

About 25 jobs will be transferred to Manila early in 2004, and the other moves and job cuts will take place over the next two years, she said. About 275 ChevronTexaco employees and about 100 contractors' employees will be affected.

Last year ChevronTexaco moved 100 credit card call center jobs from Concord to Manila. Cost cutting has been a major target for the company since it was created by the 2001 merger of ChevronTexaco Corp. of San Francisco and Texaco Corp. of White Plains, N.Y.

Chaikind said the employees would be offered severance payments, outplacement services or chances to move within the company: "We're going to make every effort to find positions within the company for employees who are affected."

The changes will leave ChevronTexaco with about 550 accounting employees in the United States supporting its domestic operations, Chaikind said.