Layoffs at CA Technologies, 2 days after sale of firm closed

CA Technologies workers in Islandia and Manhattan were notified of layoffs Wednesday by Broadcom Inc., which closed on its acquisition of CA this week, according to more than a dozen employees.

The workers, some facing layoffs, said that based on documents they received from the company they believed more than 300 workers were losing their jobs.

A Broadcom spokesman confirmed that there were layoffs, but declined to provide numbers or comment on statements by employees that at least 33 percent of employees at the two locations were being laid off immediately or within several months.

The Islandia office, which was the headquarters of enterprise software maker CA until 2014, housed about 1,000 workers as of May. At that time, the company had about 11,000 employees worldwide.

Documents cited by the employees say the Islandia and Manhattan facilities are subject to Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notices, which New York employers are required to file in the event of a mass layoff. 

Scores of CA employees gathered at a TGI Fridays near the Islandia facility Wednesday night to say farewell.

One CA veteran said the company's sale will leave a gap on Long Island.

"Thirty-three percent or more lost their jobs," said one of those gathered who asked that his name not be published. "When you have 1,000 and one-third or more lose their jobs, that's a big chunk," he said.

 "They're my family," a finance worker who started at CA about two decades ago as an intern said of her co-workers. "We're still in shock." 

A representative from Broadcom provided a statement saying: “As with any acquisition, we seek to align skills and resources to most effectively pursue today’s market opportunities.  This inevitably requires reductions in select areas of the company. These are difficult but necessary decisions.”

Some of the employees are expected to have their last days this week, while others would continue for 30 to 90 days or even longer, according to multiple employees who asked not to be identified. 

The remainder of the Islandia workforce would transition to Broadcom.

The layoffs come two days after Monday’s close of Broadcom’s $18.9 billion acquisition of CA, the former Computer Associates, which was announced in June.

Broadcom, based in San Jose, California, makes computer chips used in cable set-top boxes and other devices.

“Sending out love to all my friends at CA Technologies today,” Kristen Wilson posted on her Facebook page, which lists her as former senior director at CA Technologies. “For those sticking around, acquisitions can be tough, but sometimes you can end up being really happy.”

One employee said CA Technologies had occupied four of the six floors of the leased Islandia building. The remaining Islandia operations will be condensed to two floors, the employee said.

By Ken Schachter

kenneth.schachter@newsday.comkschach

Ken Schachter covers corporate news, including technology and aerospace, and other business topics for Newsday. He has also worked at The Miami Herald and The Jerusalem Post.