National

Oracle: Oracle Corp. cut about 500 sales and consulting jobs in North America, according to a recent report. The Wall Street Journal said the cuts came from the Redwood City software company's 33,526 employees in the Americas, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter. Oracle employed 86,657 globally at the end of Nov., including some at its Rocklin campus. The story follows days of speculation on blogs and online news sites that thousands of jobs were being cut. Oracle reported its first year-to-year quarterly profit decline in November when it posted net income of $1.3 B, down 1%, on revenue of $5.6 billion, up 6%.

Flowers Foods Inc.: The decision to close a bakery that shipped specialty bread products to Florida from a Flowers Foods-affiliated bakery in Fort Smith will eliminate 82 positions. The Fort Smith Baking Company, a subsidiary of the publicly traded Flowers Foods Inc., said recently that 48 employees and 34 subcontracted workers will be out of a job soon.

Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation: Pilgrim's Pride has announced the loss of more than 500 jobs at its Suwannee County chicken processing plant. The director of corporate communications for Pilgrim's said recently that 505 of the nearly 1,400 workers at the plant would be laid off in coming months. Some contract growers will also be eliminated, but he said the number is not yet known. There are 158 growers in the area that service the local plant. Pilgrim's, troubled by high feed prices and a glut in the poultry market, sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection recently.

Micrel Inc.: Chip maker Micrel Inc. said recently it will cut about 6 percent of its workforce as it lowered sales and profit estimates for its fourth quarter. Micrel has 923 employees, according to financial-information service CapitalIQ, meaning the company plans to reduce head count by about 55 people. Reflecting the recent tailspin in the semiconductor industry, Micrel said it expects revenue for the quarter to decline 18 percent to 20 percent from the third quarter because of fewer-than-anticipated orders in late November and December. Micrel did not say where the job cuts would come in the company or when they will be completed.

The Sagamore: The Sagamore resort announced recently it will temporarily lay off up to 200 workers for the winter and close its doors through March due to the economic downturn. The General Manager declined to comment on the exact number of affected workers. He said the Bolton Landing property typically scales back its staff for the winter, with 100 to 200 seasonal workers reducing their hours to as little as one day a week. This year, however, there will be no winter work for that group, or for another 15 full-time, salaried employees who have not historically been affected by seasonal shifts. A staff of more than 50 will remain onboard during the down period, resort officials said. All workers are eligible to apply for unemployment benefits, and The Sagamore will continue to provide health, life and dental coverage during the first two months of the furlough for those currently enrolled.