3M to Outsource Administrative Jobs

3M Co. is eliminating about 400 jobs at its Maplewood campus as part of a larger restructuring at the manufacturing giant.

The company is outsourcing much of its administrative services and eliminating other jobs to get to the 400 figure. Receptionist positions, mailroom employees, custodial and shipping and receiving are said to be the areas where the work will be contracted out to firms independent of 3M.

Workers said that word about the 400 positions went out last week, about the same time that 3M was announcing a plan to reduce its land holdings on St. Paul's East Side. That includes eliminating 82 jobs at a tape-making plant and moving them to 3M plants in Iowa and Missouri. The 400 jobs are in addition to the tape-making plant cuts.

The cuts are expected to be complete by the end of March 2007.

All of the employees can apply for other positions within 3M, said Jacqueline Berry, a 3M spokeswoman. If they don't find a job they eventually can get severance pay and outplacement help from 3M.