"I Heard The News Today, Oh Boy..."

This past January I started a new job---two years to the day of having been laid-off another one---with a company that can only be considered a titan in it's industry.  For obvious reasons, said company shall here remain nameless.  Let’s just say that it runs with the Big Dogs like Microsoft and Apple do in their respective industries.

As the American economy refused to awaken this year, I considered myself fortunate to be employed.  This job was something I had never done before. It paid 30% less than what I was ‘used’ to making in my career, before American politicians decided to systematically do away with the Middle Class…but more on that subject down the road in this blog.

This job involved the type of heavy lifting of boxes and building of displays at retail that make one think of the slaves toiling away at the base of the pyramids in Egypt. 

For the first months, I detested it and bit my lower lip over my tongue to suppress the words “I quit”, or “I don’t think this job is for me” on a daily basis.  Then, a strange thing happened:  I actually started liking it, and became damn good at it.

This past week my highly profitable employer held a regional conference call.  Ordinarily, these are not such a bad thing, but this conference call wasn’t to tell us “Ooooh Rah” keep up the great work and let’s vanquish the competition. 

Rather, it was to tell us the continuing tall tale being told by much of Corporate America:  that despite grotesque profits in an uncertain business environment in which “our go-to-market-strategy has been negatively affected by worldwide economic uncertainty”…our jobs will end in 60 days.

Poof.  Bam.  Kablooey---as they used to say in the Marvel comic books---just like that, and just in time for Christmas according to their timing.  Bah Humbug, over 300 of us tossed upon the dung mountain of joblessness in America without so much as a “Thanks” and a pat on the back on our way out the door.

They say the longer one lives the more you are likely to see; well, did I mention that this was a grotesquely large and profitable company?

·         The conglomerate is a staple on the Fortune 500 list, and has been a legacy company since 1843.

·         It has over 30,000 employees world -wide.

·         In its’ second quarter earnings report from July of this year, the company reported earnings of $2.6 billion, up 11% over the prior year…in a down and out global economy.

·         It recently completed the acquisition of a European beheamoth that will save the company $80 million within the first 6 months after closing on the purchase.

Once upon a time in America, getting a job with a Fortune 500 company meant that even those without ambition could still work hard, keep their heads down, and toil towards reqtirement without fear of being separated from the company.

Today in America, working for a Fortune 500 company has meant being treated like chattel; worked to the bone for longer hours and less pay without the hope of even thinking of having a career.   Weirder still, it has meant being hired and trained, given a 3% raise at the 6 month mark; and being fired.

All in the same year.

Just like me.

Welcome to America, the Hypocrite Nation.