Employees at Pfizer's manufacturing plant in South Williamsburg might want to sneak out with some Zoloft tonight: The pharmaceutical giant announced this afternoon that it will lay off 10,000 workers and close several sites, including the Brooklyn facility. The plant will close incrementally over the next two years, with the last of its 600 employees muttering Viagra jokes to himself at the end of 2008. We don't know anyone who works at the Pfizer plant, but the Internet introduced us to Earl and Michael, two Williamsburg workers who might want to revise the generous quotes they gave to a Pfizer employment Website. Earl apparently joined the company as a temp in 1995, eventually rising to a tableting shift team leader. "Stay focused, and take your job seriously," he recommends to prospective employees. "The opportunities are there." Michael, a maintenance team leader, worked at the plant since 1969. "I received encouragement and sought out the knowledge I needed to succeed," he recalled. "The opportunities still exist today." Or not. Expect the site at 630 Flushing Avenue to go condo any minute.

Working for Pfizer Global Manufacturing [Official site]
Pfizer to Lay Off 10,000 Workers [NYT]