Pros
A bittersweet review of the Pros since ultimately, we will be out of a job next year, but Fairchild has offered many opportunities in the 20+ years I have worked there.They offered very good benefits. They have the best Educational Assistance program I have ever known. They allowed for me to get a degree and other certificates without incurring any debt. They paid for it all and it is something that will help me move forward after I am no longer an employee. Ever since the announcement of the closure, and even before then when the rumors were going around, the site management has encouraged employees to take advantage of the educational assistance and any other opportunities to help us when it's time to move on. The severance package they are offering is fair. They are providing out placement, a job fair, and other support services to help us out. I'll miss the on-site gym which included a variety of classes for a minimum monthly fee. I will miss the great people that work there too. I am definitely leaving there much better off than when I started.
Cons
I used to have great respect for Mark Thompson. At one time, he wanted to keep manufacturing jobs in the U.S. He made a deal with our then governor, Jon Huntsman, five years ago that our site would provide more high paying jobs in exchange for tax breaks and other business-friendly perks. They even started to convert our site to an 8" facility to keep us competitive. It gave us a false sense of security. Meanwhile, Mark brought in the new COO, and it went downhill fast. They pulled the plug on the 8" conversion, and as soon as the five year agreement time was up, they pulled the plug on the whole site.