April 29, 2002 – Gresham, OR – LSI Logic has started bringing back some of the 73 tool operators it furloughed in January.

About 23 workers have been rehired in small waves in the past three weeks, reflecting a budding recovery in the semiconductor industry, said Kevin Brett, company spokesman.

The semiconductor manufacturer permanently cut 132 workers from its Gresham work force in January, reported Bridge Information Systems. It offered a temporary furlough to 74 others, promising to pay health and education benefits for six months in hopes of bringing them back.

Business was so bad during the first three months of the year that the Gresham plant was using just 46% of its capacity, Brett said.

All but one of the targeted workers agreed to the arrangement in January, Brett said. The callbacks have come in waves of five, 10, and eight employees; each worker has two weeks to return to work.

“It’s an indication the recovery is under way,” Brett said. “As business improves, we will bring back more and more of the furloughed employees.”