June 17, 2004 – As corporate executives, conservative economists and the Bush administration tout the end of the "jobless recovery," and the beginning of broad-based hiring, U.S. companies are continuing to lay off workers in mass numbers. Some of the job cut announcements in the past week include clothing-maker Sara Lee, which said 4,175 people will be fired worldwide, with several hundred of the job cuts in the US. Following behind Sara Lee was telephone and cell phone service provider Sprint, which said it will cut up to 1,100 jobs as part of its plan to save $1 billion over three years. Earlier in June, Sprint cut an additional 1,000 jobs in Illinois. Chicken foods processor Tyson also announced cuts, saying 200 people in Virginia will lose their jobs as the company closes down a manufacturing plant.
