The sun appears to be setting on the era of high-dollar tobacco manufacturing jobs in Winston-Salem.
It shouldn't be shocking news to the community that R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.'s local workforce is shrinking yet again. The company has announced 19 job cuts since 1983 that have reduced the number of employees from 15,500 to 2,500.
However, last week's start to the next round of workforce reductions appears to have struck more of a nerve than did major job cuts in 2003, 2008 and 2009.
That's because, unlike previous job-cut announcements, Reynolds American Inc. specifically said pay rates are being evaluated. And they're more likely to fall rather than rise.
The increasing presence of contract workers, which Reynolds has used for more than a decade, also has proved unnerving to employees who have contacted the Winston-Salem Journal. They declined to be identified out of fear of losing their jobs and/or severance package.
