Reading the company vision statement aloud at meetings sounds odd. I'm an independent contractor in the IT industry and I have been a lot of places, but I've never experienced this. Nothing "corporate" about it.

 

My previous post may have been a little brash. We all have different experiences which help to form our opinions and I can respect (most of) those with a different perspective. I can't respect those who refuse to see the other side of the coin and acknowledge some merit.

I'm no longer working by choice, but when I did work I've done both the employee and employer thing. I owned my own autobody business for six years. That experience made me realize how "relatively" easy it is to be an employee.

Once I settled in as an employee the concern over layoffs was always present. I worked in the aerospace industry which is very cyclic. I saw many people come and go due to layoff during my career. My advice is to be the best employee you can be. While that may not always be the silver bullet, it sure does help when layoff time comes around. Make yourself as indespensible as you can - it worked for me for 26 years. Even when a company is downsizing or otherwise trimming their work force, they do want to retain their best. It's up to you to make sure you are one of those "best".

The problem is that only a small percentage of employees are the "best". Another small percentage are the "worst". And the majority in the middle are "acceptable". Your best protection from becoming a casualty of situations like the plant restructuring described here is to make sure you rise from the ranks of the "acceptable".

Life isn't always fair, but if you remain accountable to and for yourself, and don't always blame someone or something else, your chances of success are pretty good.

 

There's a hoot. We've all seen how well that one works. brings out the best in folks huh? You probably subscribe to that wingnut reagan and his 'trickle down effect' Even he admitted that he was wrong about that.
It doesn't matter how good a company is, if the workers don't think they're being treated fairly, then the product will fail. ie: AMF
You want free enterprise and an ignorant and passive work force. Just look at china. The only thing preventing that scenario in north america is organized labour, but then like you said, stupid is as stupid does forrest.

 

The average person doesn't know there was NO middle class before the union blue collar workers emerged.

There was only the rich and poor- sharecroppers, debtor prisons, and poor houses.

That is what the conservatives want to return to and their legislators are making it happen-by design.

Example- our CEO made 33 million, and bitched about our collective bargaining rights they agreed to and have been using since 1937- but now we're a problem-that's no coincidence.

They are building a future without a middle class....ah, they long for the good old days..

 

Consumers look for the lowest cost in products. Manufacturers want to make a profit. Consumers rarely buy a product because they want to support the enconomy they live in. Manufacturers in the US are forced to cut costs and jobs just to compete with cheap overseas labor. It sucks for the US worker but until the US consumer starts to supports products made here, the trend is going to continue.

 

Plenty of blame to go around in this debate. We want to pay Wal-mart prices but demand Nordstrom wages. Corporate greed is one reason for off-shoring of jobs but equally to blame is the tax man and the EPA. Companies will layoff workers at the drop of a hat but unions will defend corrupt or incompetent workers.
Life is not fair. It is what you make of it.