Fab Workers Have Lower Wages

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,(May 2004) the average hourly mean wage in the Semiconductor and electronic component mfg. is $13.85/hr or $28,810 annually. Semi workers earn 80% less than Steel automotive workers and less than pharmaceutical workers. It is unclear how this influx of low paid workers will finance a booming tech valley economy.

Mission College's Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology Program graduates earn Annual starting salaries range from $30,000 to $35,000

The ironic thing about this is that to attract a semi fab, the SEDC has to show that Saratoga County is an affordable place to live. With the average price of a Saratoga County home the highest in the region ($250k) the average semi production worker could not qualify for a home mortgage even if both family members worked at a fab. With the average fab employing 900 workers (not 2,000 as the SEDC has misinformed the public), it would be anticipated that approx 800 workers will be employed below the economic level needed for home ownership. If the SEDC's bloated estimates of employees does come true, approx. 8,000 workers will be employed in Saratoga county but will not be able to afford to live there. So much for the idea that Malta would turn into some kind of a suburban paradise where workers can live and work in the same community.

If We'd Known, We Would've Taken Them to Arizona Ourselves!

Local residents were discouraged when they realized that Malta Town Board could have been bought so easily. "Hey, we could've raised enough to take them to a chip fab AND Disneyland. That would have beat out the SEDC's midnight trip to Arizona anyday"

Even though the trip was illegal and unethical considering the upcoming vote, the board felt that they needed the vacation anyway. "Anyone can visit Fishkill or Essex in the winter, but a project like this deserves a world-class junket" News of the trip has thousands of state workers, who follow similar ethics guidelines, accepting gifts and travel to aid in "fact finding".

We Bought Us a Town!

The Center for Economic Growth and the Tech Valley Chamber purchased the town of Malta last night for $3,500. State Taxpayers will pick up the rest of the $18 million tab. "We've always wanted our own little sandbox where people respect developers and we don't have to worry about those pesky voters, Now we've got a whole town! And no one gets to vote on anything!" said the Chamber Spokeswoman. The CEG was surprised that anyone actually lived in Malta.

Local control will be turned over to the Chamber after a short trip to the Caribbean with town board members. The town will be cleared of the existing residents over the next few years by a combination of inflated housing prices and higher taxes.

AMD ponders future Troubled IC supplier weighs value of "non-core" units

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. said it will consider exiting non-core businesses if these don't show clear signs they "are on a healthy path to leadership and profitability," according to chairman and CEO Hector Ruiz. The move is part of steps being taken by the company to restore its operations to profitability. AMD has previously said it will cut 10 percent of its workforce and is now considering a wider range of reorganization options that could result in deeper cuts and possible business unit disposal.

Analysis: AMD's numbers don't look good

AMD posts sixth straight quarterly loss

AMD Slammed With Suit Over Birth Defects

The Times Union won't even mention this story!

AMD, Islam, and the 'Fujitsu Factor'

Analyst cuts AMD forecast amid MPU snags

Intel-AMD dispute: long slog

Is AMD switching foundry camps?

AMD is nearly out of cash, says analyst

AMD dropped hints about moving towards an ''asset lite'' model to cut fab costs,

Time to Retire Worn Out Slogan

We've heard it ad nauseam, according to the SEDC -The Luther Forest Technology Campus is ..."only one of two places on the planet so perfectly suited for nanotechnology manufacturing."

Apparently, they're building chip fabs everywhere else on the planet except Luther Forest. How can we let them continue spouting this trash? Consider this: (and this is only one week's news!)

• SMIC plans 300-mm fab amid strategic shift
• Ericsson plans to invest $100 million in India, EE Times, 02/27/2006
• Amkor begins wafer operations in Singapore, EE Times, 02/27/2006
• SanDisk mulls new 300-mm fab, EE Times, 02/24/2006
• Vietnam OKs Intel chip plant, EE Times, 02/23/2006
• APT shuts plant, reduces headcount, EE Times, 02/23/2006
• Ample launches full IC design in Bangalore, EE Times, 02/22/2006
• Intel to open center in Gaza Strip, EE Times, 02/20/2006
• ST to hire 300 more engineers in India, EE Times, 02/20/2006
  

Why a LFTC Chip Fab Will Never Use Much Water

LFTC will never be a big enough user to support the Saratoga County Water System

For some reason the Saratoga County politicians refuse to do their own homework on Chip Fabs and still believe the bloated claims of the SEDC that a chip fab would pay for the county water system. The SEDC used inflated, outdated numbers from old chip fabs to come up with an incredible amount of water use. Come on guys, we elected you to do some work, not sit at some breakfast presentation and swallow a line of bull along with the rubber eggs.

There are several reasons why a tenant of LFTC will never use the amount of water claimed by the SEDC:

• It is unlikely that Malta will ever see 4 chip fabs.
• Any chip fab built in Malta would not use anywhere near that much water. Newer fabs and processes are focused on saving water, it is one of the most expensive resources in the process. Just call down to Albany Nanotech and ask what they're doing to reduce water use.
• The Town of Malta has stipulated that each fab must use the best available technology. This means that a fab built today would not use the same amount of water as the fabs outlined in the Impact Statement.
• It is looking very likely that the tech campus will host other types of industries that are not big water users.
• Not a Chip Off the Old Block With a Little Help from RMI, Texas Instruments Breaks New Ground
• High tech dependent on plenty of clean water Even so, semiconductor firms are finding ways to conserve
• International SEMATECH Audit Shows Marked Decrease in Water Use
• Reducing water usage in semiconductor manufacturing

Sausville's Vision - 4 Lane Highway through Luther Forest

"Let's extend that exit 11A right through the tech park and into Stillwater"

Two years ago Paul Sausville drew a big black slash through a map of the LFTC. His vision of Luther Forest is to extend a 4 lane highway through the forest and open up the Stilllwater forests to development.

Malta Mini Mansion

In order to attract low-paid chip fab workers to Saratoga County the SEDC has been telling the world what an affordable place Malta is. At the same time they are buying up houses in the Luther Forest neighborhood for almost twice their market value. There must be some convoluted reason for this other than to drive the real estate market up in Malta. Can you think of any?

Perfect for the growing family of chip fab workers - multiple rooms for your buddies, several fab workers living together can almost afford to live here, maybe with the help of some higher paid restaurant workers.

Utilities - power lines very close by, water and sewer to be built, costs of pipelines shared by taxpayers!

Close to LFTC - a short walk through world-class forest, you can hear the shift whistle from your doorstep!

Bring your work home - periodic accidental air purges ensure that you can breath the same air at work and at home

$1,750,000