Seed company sells out, hundreds out of work

[Emily]

I haven't read through this whole thread but there is something wrong with the information in the OP. Mass lay offs are governed by the WARN law. A 60 day notice is required.

http://www.dol.gov/compliance/guide/layoffs.htm

A covered plant closing occurs when a facility or operating unit is shut down for more than six months, or when 50 or more employees lose their jobs during any 30‑day period at a single site of employment. A covered mass layoff occurs when 50 to 499 employees are affected during any 30-day period at a single employment site (or for certain multiple related layoffs, during a 90-day period), if these employees represent at least 33 percent of the employer’s workforce where the layoff will occur, and the layoff results in an employment loss for more than six months. If the layoff affects 500 or more workers, the 33 percent rule does not apply.

[Parakeet]

I agree that the firings could have been handled much better. However, whether it's one individual, or an entire company being laid off, there is a reason employees are immediately escorted from the premises. Our country has a lack of character problem and, it often, extends across the board to all the parties involved.

[Jethro]

Wait... "Sharing"?

I think I've fallen through a hole somewhere.

No, you haven't. If I'm gonna fill my lunchbox with seeds, I'm at least gonna share the benefits with my needy co-workers/neighbors.
It's us against "the man" dontcha know.

[naturallysweet]

An employer owes his or her employees a paycheck for time worked. But just because an employer hires someone, doesn't make them responsible for the person forever. Hiring an employee isn't the same as adopting a baby!

It is sad to see a long time seed company shut down. I recognize the company. But if you choose to work for someone else, then this is one of the pitfalls.

[Emily]

I agree that the firings could have been handled much better. However, whether it's one individual, or an entire company being laid off, there is a reason employees are immediately escorted from the premises. Our country has a lack of character problem and, it often, extends across the board to all the parties involved.

And unfortunately - that is exactly how this country has flipped from everyone is innocent until proven guilty to all of us being treated as criminals like being stripped searched to get on an airplane.

We have become everything this country was designed to protect citizens from.

We now have armed predator drones ready to shoot and kill on command from the president and a law in place for him to ignore their due process of law.

[Jethro]

We now have armed predator drones ready to shoot and kill on command from the president

Don't sweat it...we're working on a solution to that problem.

[Cyclonemom]

We now have armed predator drones ready to shoot and kill on command from the president and a law in place for him to ignore their due process of law.

You only have to worry about that if you want to date the Wookie's girls.

Right?

[Blacknarwhal]

Clearly there's something I'm not understanding. Nevermind -

Indeed. You are. And many others are too.

We can wax poetic on the nature of capitalism, and how it may not work for everybody but it's better than anything else all we like.

The problem that you're missing is that, when capitalism stops working for large enough numbers of people, those numbers will look for something else. Something "better". Something that helps them prevent their children from starving to death.

For a board that claims to "get it" over the vast horde that "don't get it", many don't actually SEEM to "get it" at all.

There is indeed something you're not understanding. Hopefully you'll get it before the armed mob arrives, because they won't take "I don't understand" for an answer. And they certainly won't look at starving family and say "Golly, kids, we all have to starve to death because daddy wasn't a good enough capitalist. Super sorry about that; hey, why don't we all go look at the better capitalists who are eating and living indoors while we starve and freeze? That'll cheer us up before we die!"

No! They WILL TAKE YOUR STUFF. And you don't have enough guns or bullets to defend against same.

We have essentially two choices: make capitalism work for more people, or allow it to continue on and watch it get destroyed by starving hordes who didn't sell out rapidly enough.

I'm here trying to protect capitalism.

Too many of you are allowing it to kill itself.

[outlaw]

Ferry Morse have always had good seeds till this year. only the cucumbers didn't have to be replanted this year. My family was talking about Ferry Morse must be having money trouble yesterday. Everyone we know had problems with their seeds this year.

4 packs of swiss chard were planned and not one plant came up. The lettuce, onions and peppers all sucked. The first round of lettuce barely had a few come up. Witched to Seeds of Change, doing much better. Their corn was hit and miss, and it did alot more missing, then hitting. It took 3 planting of corn to full in the gaps. Thats 3 differnt kinds of corn, one not Ferry Morse.

[bbkaren]

Okay, BN, and I mean this as a sincere inquiry; given your ideal world, how would this layoff have been implemented? Or would the company have been given government funds, or something, to keep the plant open, or what?