There are anecdotal reports about layoffs that came down at Xerox in Webster on Thursday, but so far no official word from the company on how many people were affected.
Town Supervisor Ron Nesbitt says he has heard about some people taking voluntary buyouts in anticipation of layoffs.
While he doesn’t know the number of people affected, anything that involves a substantial reduction is concerning to Nesbitt. He notes that Xerox and its employees bring in a lot of revenue to Webster.
“They’re the biggest taxpayer in town. You relate this to what happened to Kodak, a little bit there; we’re concerned for the residents that live and work and for economic development as far as the town and the village, because people go to lunch, they buy gasoline, they shop here, it all has an impact on economic development in the Town of Webster," Nesbitt told WXXI News.
Gary Bonadonna is a manager with the Rochester Regional Joint Board, an umbrella group that represents a number of local unions, including about 400 workers at Xerox.
He has heard the layoff speculation also, but says it apparently involves management employees and not his union workers. Xerox has been employing at least 3,000 people in Webster in recent months, but it also has been reducing headcount worldwide in an effort to streamline the organization and stay profitable.
Xerox has not responded to several requests for comment about the layoff reports.
