‘I thought I was going to retire there;’ Laid off Silfex worker speaks out

DAYTON — Silfex has two locations in the Miami Valley and says it is getting rid of seven percent of its workforce. It has about 17,000 employees around the world.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Employees at two Silfex facilities face layoffs; Parent company announces

News Center 7′s Kayla McDermott spoke with one worker who is upset he was laid off so unexpectedly.

The corporation made the announcement last week and all layoffs will be finalized by Wednesday.

McDermott spoke to one former employee Tuesday. He said he had no idea this was coming.

He along with his family and co-workers were just shocked.

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The worker who was laid off from Silfex says he must stay anonymous or he could lose his severance.

He tells McDermott most employees this week walked into work with no idea they would be unemployed.

“Not everyone had any notice, some people worked a full shift and at the end of the shift, they got pulled aside and walked out the door,” he said.

The worker says he barely got into the building before he was pulled aside.

“I was just getting ready for the day, had been there maybe five minutes,” the work told McDermott.

That’s when he received the news.

“They said layoff,” he said. “That’s a cushy word for fired.”

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He tells McDermott he still has no idea how they picked who would be laid off.

“There were people with 23 years of loyalty,” said the worker. “15 years of loyalty, brand new people even getting laid off.”

All he knows is that he is now out of a job.

“My wife was in tears this weekend,” the worker told McDermott. “I fought them back.”

He says this was a job he really enjoyed.

“I was excited with my career there,” said the worker. “I thought I was going to retire there.”

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McDermott reports a representative of Silfex’s parent company, Lam Research, sent News Center 7 a statement about the layoffs.

“As a result of macro-economic headwinds, recent trade restrictions limiting our ability to do business in China, and an anticipated decline in global wafer fabrication equipment spending in calendar year 2023, Lam is taking a range of actions across our business to manage costs.”

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When asked what the worker would say to the president of the company, he replied, “He went from hero to villain in less than a year.”

The former Silfex worker said his former colleagues are depressed, have no motivation and feel kicked to the curb.

They are unsure how they are going to pay the bills.

McDermott says the worker is reflecting on the time he gave the company.

“It’s kind of embarrassing,” he said. “I was played. I put in an honest day’s effort all the time.”

McDermott said after they spoke, he was going straight to a job interview with a fresh resume to hopefully bounce back quick.

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