Conference 7.286::digital

    
    I just heard a rumor yesterday that the stock split would be announced
    during DECWORLD.
    
    Sounds as good as any, I guess.  ;^)
    
    rgds, Ray

    Speculating on rumors about Digital stock is singularly inappropriate
    for this (or any other) conference on Digital's network.
    
			Steve

    
    Seeing that this is a DEC only conference, and that I was asking
    about a supposed announcement, I don't see anything wrong with
    asking.

    Information about future movement in Digital stock can get DEC
    in big trouble with the SEC if it gets into the wrong hands, which
    includes employees trying to make a few bucks.  Stock splits are
    kept very quiet, and announced quickly.
    
    The danger of asking in this (or any other) conference is that
    someone might be tempted to answer.
    
    There's a lot of discussion in general about stock splits in the
    BMT::INVESTING conference.
    
    					Steve

Steve,

I believe that BPOV09::MIOLA "Phantom" was asking IF the split HAD
happened, not enquiring whether it would/could/might happen where or
when.  If a split has been ANNOUNCED, I'm sure we would have heard it.
If a split is planned, I don't know and don't want to hear it - that's
between DIGITAL and regulators.  And if I knew any more about [any
potential] impending splits [whether real or figments of wishful
imaginations] than was already gossip, I sure wouldn't tell you!

>                                                              I heard
>   that it finaly happened...............is this true?

BobW

I just heard from the guy in the snack bar next to our office that Market 
analysts from E.F. Hutton are anticipating a 3 for 1 Digital stock split.

My God!!!   Do you think it's because of this Notes file !!??!!


						*-)

    
    I'll add this here..
    
    Digital plans on decreasing by 8000, revised figures, and the
    transition package will be offered across the board, 1/3 of the
    first.
    
    

	Maybe maybe not. A rumor with out a source is generally not worth
	repeating.

			Alfred

Article         1244
Path: shlump.nac.dec.com!rust.zso.dec.com!bacchus.pa.dec.com!decwrl!uunet!lll-winken!looking!clarinews
From: [email protected] (BARRY FLYNN, UPI Business Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.biz.labor,clari.tw.computers,clari.biz.economy
Subject: New Digital job cuts may total 8,000
Date: 22 Aug 90 15:08:25 GMT
 
	MAYNARD, Mass. (UPI) -- Digital Equipment Corp., the country's
second-largest computer maker, said it will slash its workforce by as
many as 8,000 worldwide with a voluntary severance package to be
announced within weeks.
	The program will be ``less generous'' than one that trimmed about
2,600 workers by the end of June, senior vice president of operations
John F. Smith said Tuesday.
	The cuts will add to sharply rising unemployment in Massachusetts
where joblessness recently exceeded the national average for the first
time in a decade. Digital, the biggest employer in both Massachusetts
and New Hampshire,has 124,000 employees worldwide.
	A still undetermined number of facilities also could be closed in
the cutback. ``Plant shut-downs is another thing we could never say
`never' to,'' Smith said. However, whether any will be announced with
the upcoming severances is ``not clear at this time.''
	Although details of Digital's offer to its employees have not been
worked out yet, they will be announced and implemented within the next
few weeks said Smith.
	He said estimates of cuts of 5,000 to 7,000 are ``in the
ballpark,'' but 8,000 is possible ``under certain circumstances. We just
can't put a number on it'' yet, he said.
	The circumstance that would lead to the 8,000 figure, Smith said,
is if the U.S. projected gross national product is drastically reduced,
something the company currently does not expect.
	The earlier severance plan offered employees as much as two years'
pay. The upcoming deal will have ``less content,'' Smith said. ``This
plan will be less generous, but still will be substantial enough to give
people the help they need to make the career changes they need.''
	``Once we take care of this we should be able to manage'' any
futher reductions in workforce through attrition, Smith said.

    re .8 .....could you clarify what you mean by "1/3 of the first".
    
    also, does "across the board" mean they will accept volunteers?
    
                                 Anxiously Hoping

    and another question...
    
    will any of the previously exempted job codes be included???

    	I'm sure if they just made such an offer "across the board," they
    could easily rid themselves of some 8000 (or more if they like)
    excellent employees...the ones who could get jobs elsewhere instantly,
    pocket the severance package, and worsen our competitive edge by going
    to work for the competition. I, for one, am still amazed that upper
    management refuses to use the "L" word...Maybe a few more quarters like
    the last one will change their minds...

    
    I also heard that IBM will "Lay off" about 23 thousand employees.
    That is not good news for the most computer industries.
    
    KF
    

  I only used published sources for Computer News. I caught most of the Nightly
Business Report Wednesday, and the Boston Globe, Nashua Telegraph & Wall Street
Journal the last couple of days & didn't see an article. Nor has anything
appeared in Live Wire. If you've seen this article or a variant of it published
in a newspaper over the last few days, I'd appreciate a photocopy of the entire
article.

					Tracy Talcott
					ZKO2-3/R56

    The article appeared in either the Aug. 22 or 23 edition of the Boston
    Herald.  
    
    Dan

    After reading the last five or six repies to this note so that I could
    gain furthur information on Digital's plan to cut 8000 people after
    hearing it on the news the other night, I am totally amazed that we
    gain information and details from Digital employees entering notes
    from published newspapers... As a Digital employee, I somehow wish
    this type of information would be issued to the employees prior
    to going home and having my wife fill me in on what Digital is planning
    to do... 
    
    					Just venting a little frustration
    					Carl

    re .17

    We've had this discussion before. If you know what's going to happen
    before its announced, you can buy or sell stock with insider information,
    etc. etc.

    I only wish that there were some E-mail means, perhaps driven off ELF
    (which would get people to fix non-functioning mail gateways), to send
    out urgent mail to everyone in an affected organization when something
    happens, so we at least get the same information the same time the press
    gets it. I can understand not getting some information ahead of time,
    but I don't understand having to read notes or to wait for E-mail to
    forward its way through the system to the folks at the bottom of the
    pyramid.

    /petes

						Trace

         I advise that you hold on a bit regarding my posting in .10. 
    There may be some inaccuracy to the 8000 estimate.  I understand that
    an internal memo may be released soon to clarify the UPI report.
    
                                      Greg

    Regarding the Press getting the information before the employees ...
    
    Why would Digital not establish a Notes conference or VTX infobase for
    the sole purpose of posting Press Releases as soon as they've gone out
    to the outside world?  At least the employees would have the
    opportunity to hear the ``official'' word nearly simultaneously.
    
    	Don

    
    	As mentioned in an earlier note, at times information
    	about the company could be used in manners frowned upon
    	by the SEC.  This is one of the reasons that pr people
    	are classified as "insiders" with the responsibilities
    	that go along with that designation.
    
    	The critical news releases are posted on Livewire as they
    	are sent to the media.  The quarterly results are an example.
    	Most other releases are product, contract, or affiliation
    	related and usually not "splashy."
    
    	There are problems with the UPI story, but another group is
    	handling that.
    
    ralph
    corp pr

First off, I didn't get any "inside poop".
I was planning on running the article in .10 in VNS, but now that we have some
official communications about to happen (eg the DVN broadcast) and I'm guessing
there'll be some follow-up in the form of a LIVE WIRE article from Employee
Communications shortly thereafter, I'm going to hold off a bit. It would appear
that the article in .10 wasn't carried by a whole heap of papers. To date I've
only heard of the Boston Herald; the Clinton, Mass., Daily Item; and a paper in
Salt Lake City carrying it. If I find an article about Digital in a series of
widely read papers (eg Wall Street Journal) I'm more tempted to use it, even if
it might be controversial and not completely factual, so that Digital employees
know what our customers and our competitors are reading.

Sooooo, sit tight for a couple more days and we'll see what comes down the pike.
My thanks to Ralph Cohen (author of .22) for his assistance.

							Trace

    There is a fairly official memo on this subject from the PR Dept
    floating around the net. It's been posted here twice that I know of.
    The author has refused permission (as is his right) to have it posted
    in Notes. It's already been forwarded far more then intended.
    
    Please do not post it. Posting mail without permission is against company 
    policy 6.54.

    		Alfred

>          <<< Note 372.18 by SVBEV::VECRUMBA "Do the right thing!" >>>
>                         -< Hmm... an idea for DELTA? >-


>    I only wish that there were some E-mail means, perhaps driven off ELF
>    (which would get people to fix non-functioning mail gateways), to send
>    out urgent mail to everyone in an affected organization when something
>    happens, so we at least get the same information the same time the press
>    gets it. I can understand not getting some information ahead of time,
>    but I don't understand having to read notes or to wait for E-mail to
>    forward its way through the system to the folks at the bottom of the
>    pyramid.

The service below might be a good place to start. The last paragraph in
the message seems particularly appropriate. 

Here's an example of an important corporate news service:
(note: this was published on the usenet, so as it's been sent outside 
Digital it seems OK to post it here)


Article 3 of biz.dec:
Path: shlump.nac.dec.com!shodha.enet.dec.com!bacchus.pa.dec.com!daemon
From: [email protected] (Dave Price, System Software Public Relations, 603-884-3467  05-Sep-1990 1804)
Newsgroups: biz.dec
Subject: DIGITAL OFFERS PERFORMANCE BOOST TO FUTUREBUS+ COMMUNITY
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Date: 5 Sep 90 22:04:21 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (The devil himself)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 77
To: mail11:;@decpa.pa.dec.com (@pressrel.dis)


                                            
                  
   +---------------------------+ TM
   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |          Digital Equpment Corporation
   | d | i | g | i | t | a | l |          Maynard, Massachusetts 01754-2571
   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
   +---------------------------+ 

Editorial Contact:

John Satterfield
(508) 493-6647

Steve Kallis
(508) 493-6915


       DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION OFFERS PERFORMANCE BOOST

                       TO FUTUREBUS+ COMMUNITY


MAYNARD, Mass. -- September 5, 1990 -- Digital Equipment Corporation 
today announced that it will allow its internally developed protocol 
mechanism that improves bus throughput capability to be used by all 
developers of Futurebus+ products. The new protocol capability 
increases the speed with which any I/O device, such as a disk, tape, 
or cash register controller, can access computer memory. 
     Generally, most computer architectures utilize two busses, a 
system bus and an I/O bus, connected by a bridge.  System memory 
usually resides on the system bus, which is located on one side of 
the bridge, while I/O devices are connected to the I/O bus, located 
on the opposite side of the bridge.  Transfers of long data sets 
between an I/O device and memory often require many bus 
transactions, each passing through the bridge.  
     The new Digital-developed protocol speeds traffic through the 
bridge by providing a method for an I/O device to indicate to the 
bridge that a subsequent transaction will occur.  The bridge can 
then improve overall system performance by prefetching the next 
data block and holding that data in preparation for the next 
request from the I/O device. 

mechanism will enable developers of Futurebus+ products to improve 
system and I/O performance greatly."  Leahy also noted that "the 
free use of the protocol mechanism is intended only for Futurebus+ 
implementations."
     On February 14, 1990, Digital declared its support for 
Futurebus+, indicating that there are Digital systems under 
development which will utilize the bus.  Digital has contributed 
to the development of the IEEE 896 Futurebus+ specifications, and 
has made significant contributions to the definition of a 
Futurebus+ I/O bus profile.
     Digital Equipment Corporation, headquartered in Maynard,
Massachusetts, is the leading worldwide supplier of networked
computer systems and services.  Digital offers a full range of
computing solutions and systems integration for the entire 
enterprise -- from the desktop to the data center.

                                ####

CORP/90/960

===========================================

This news about Digital Equipment Corp. was emailed to you so that you would
receive it in a timely manner and so that you will have the keystrokes to edit.
If you want other individuals added to the distribution or if you want your
name removed please contact:
     David Price
     System Software Public Relations
     Digital Equipment Corporation
     Voice:  603-884-3467
     Email:  [email protected]

    re .25
    
    �   +---------------------------+ TM
    �   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |          Digital Equpment Corporation
    �   | d | i | g | i | t | a | l |          Maynard, Massachusetts 01754-2571
    �   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
    �   +---------------------------+ 
    
    Did anyone else notice that "Equipment" is spelled incorrectly above.
    
    	Don