Research Triangle Park, N.C. – We have asked IBMers to respond to growing media reports about a massive reorganization and a big round of forthcoming layoffs. Not everyone agrees with these reports.

The Skinny has heard from several veterans about the stories. One, who doesn’t want to be identified, dismisses the reports by Robert Cringely, the writer and blogger at PBS who has reported that as many as 150,000 – nearly half of IBM’s workforce – people in the Global Services unit are in trouble.

The writer also discounted Lee Conrad of fledgling union Alliance@IBM’s warning that 12,000 people will be laid off beginning around the end of the month.

Cringely has not said that 150,000 people will be laid off immediately. He said cuts will be made over time with many jobs to be sent overseas. And IBM is on record as saying it will had vast numbers of workers in India.

But this IBM vet still bleeds blue. His letter:

“I read your article on the WRAL website. I have been employed as a technical professional at IBM for the last 27 years, most recently in Endicott, NY. For obvious reasons, I will remain otherwise anonymous.

“Mr. Cringely’s claim that approximately 150,000 IBM IGS employees in the United States will be laid off this year id clearly baseless. The total IBM employment worldwide is about 350,000 employees, with the IGS division accounting for somewhere around half of that number. So, Mr. Cringely is claiming that all employees working for IGS in the United States will be laid off this year. Anyone can see that such a claim is ridiculous.

“Mr. Conrad’s claim that 12,000 employees will be laid off this year is equally baseless. I have heard no rumors of any layoffs of this size, other than from Mr. Conrad. Mr. Conrad has a history of making statements like this to instill fear in IBM employees and to promote both himself and his organization.

“Mr. Conrad also has a history of trying to organize a union for a number of years now. Even after all these years, Mr. Conrad’s attempts to form a union at IBM have met with only token success. I suspect this latest attempt will fail too.

“Sincerely,

Curious Reader.”

What do you know or hear? The Skinny can be reached at rsmith@wral.com.