Chevron selloff of credit units triggers layoffs

Chevron Corp.'s decision to sell its credit card businesses has triggered the layoffs of dozens of employees in the East Bay, but some workers may land jobs with one of the two firms that bought the operations.

Some 76 Chevron workers in Concord associated with the two proprietary credit card businesses will be dismissed starting in February, Chevron officials said Monday.

"The affected employees supported the consumer and commercial call centers at our Concord office," Leif Sollid, a Chevron spokesman, said in an e-mail reply to questions from this paper about the job cuts. "They performed a variety of roles that are typical of a call center.

San Ramon-based Chevron in August announced that two of its subsidiaries would sell their Chevron-branded credit card businesses. Chevron sold its consumer credit card business, which has the Chevron and Texaco brands, to GE Money. Chevron also sold its commercial and business credit card business to FleetCor Technologies Operating Co.

Chevron said it communicates regularly with the 76 employees to advise them of situation and the benefits available to them.

"All impacted employees will receive severance packages, which include educational reimbursement, redeployment, and outplacement services," according to an e-mailed Chevron statement.

The company also is hosting a variety of workshops to help the affected employees with resume writing, interview skills and financial

The staff reductions will continue as late as June.

Some of the soon-to-depart Chevron workers, though, could land new jobs with FleetCor, which has already begun to gear up operations in the East Bay.

FleetCor processes fuel card transactions. It will open an operations center in the East Bay.

"We have started the process of job fairs and interviews with some of their people," said Bill Schmit, president of FleetCor's major oil division.

FleetCor is attempting to hire people in a wide range of occupations, Schmit said.

"We are looking primarily for people in customer service, as well as credit and collections -- and some marketing and sales positions," Schmit said.

George Avalos covers jobs, economic development, commercial real estate, finance and petroleum. Reach him at 925-977-8477 or gavalos@bayareanewsgroup.com.

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