The Alliance@IBM/CWA Local 1701, an IBM union, claims IBM has implemented 17 separate layoffs for a total of 9,308 jobs this year, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal. That's been known for some time.

Here's what is new: Big Blue is expected to cut a total of 16,000 jobs this year, many of which are in the United States, according to the union. This comes at a time when IBM is thriving despite the downturn.

A spokesman for IBM dismissed those claims by that group. He confirmed that IBM has taken various ''resource actions,'' but he said the company cannot comment on the size or specifics.

Defending Big Blue, the spokesman also made the following data points: 1) IBM is the largest hi-tech employer in the U.S.; 2) IBM has added jobs this year, including in the U.S.; 3) 60 percent of its workforce got raises; 4) IBM is not misleading the public and is transparent about its ''resource actions.''

IBM also discredits the union, saying that its information is false. ''When the Alliance says 10,000, that can't be accurate. People have opportunities to look at jobs elsewhere'' inside the company, the spokesman said.

IBM declined to elaborate on how many jobs are offered to axed workers. And to a degree, Big Blue still won't fess up to the size of the job cuts. This is when I believe that IBM has credibility issues.

I'm not the only one. For some time, the union has charged that IBM is cutting and outsourcing U.S. jobs, while quietly hiring in India. As expected, IBM did not comment on the cuts in the most recent report. That article can be read here.

On its Web site, the IBM union also lists in detail the various cuts in the individual divisions within IBM. That can be read here. On another entry, here's what the union alleges: ''As unemployment increases, IBM continues to abandon the U.S. workforce in favor of offshore workers. Not only is IBM shifting work from U.S. locations to low wage countries it is also importing foreign workers to replace U.S. workers.''

The union has urged IBM to stop replacing American workers with foreign workers, re-hire U.S. workers and stop offshoring U.S. jobs. The union said U.S. contracts to be staffed by U.S. workers.

According to the union, three recent examples should raise the concern of all US workers: