150,000 USPS Job Losses? ~ Workers Hold Sony France Boss Hostage

JUST WHEN YOU BELIEVED the French workers who held their bosses hostage at Sony France to get a better settlement deal were the worse example of disgruntled soon-to-be former employees, look out! Here come the United States Postal Service employees in a similar situation. Duck! USPS employees have dominated the news repeatedly with on-the-job violence toward their supervisors and co-workers so often that such acts are called "going postal."

WARNING: Please be patient and polite when you purchase stamps now more than ever. The person processing your package or selling you stamps may be facing lay-off. Reuters reports that 150,000 postal workers face job loss.

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U.S. Postal Service to cut 1,400 jobs
Reuters
Fri., Mar 20, 2009 2:20pm EDT

http://www.reuters. com/article/ topNews/idUSTRE5 2J51W20090320

(Reuters) - The U.S. Postal Service said on Friday it is closing six of its 80 district offices. In addition, administrative staff positions at district level nationwide are being reduced by 15 percent and nearly 150,000 employees nationwide being given opportunity to take an early retirement.

More than 1,400  mail processing supervisor and management positions are also being eliminated.

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These are hard times.  Workers hate being laid off, and sometimes their stress builds toward hostility directed at their employers.  This can make things difficult for employers and supervisors. Sony France president Serge Foucher certainly found out on March 13 just how aggreived people sometimes are when facing layoff.

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http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/world/workers-hold-boss-of-sony-france-hostage/2009/03/13/1236447463760.html

MONT-DE-MARSAN, France - The boss of Sony France has been detained overnight by workers angry at the amount of compensation offered before the closure of a plant at Pontonx-sur-l'Adour in southwest France.  Sony France president Serge Foucher had a bailiff testify that he was not being allowed to leave the plant and the bailiff "told us he would approach the forces of order," CGT union spokesman Patrick Hachaguer said.

"He won't listen to us, we didn't find any other solution," the left-wing union delegate added.

Foucher had come to meet 311 sacked workers one last time before the factory closes on April 17 but staff, unhappy with the compensation offered by the Japanese high-tech giant, went on strike and barricaded the entry to the site with tree trunks late on Thursday.

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I know it is unkind of me, because the negative impact of our worsening global economy is no joking matter, but I can see this scene at Sony France playing out in a comedy movie.  In fact, it reminds me of what happened at a firm where I was employed.  A lady was laid off on Monday, but she came to work the rest of the week.  She had some mental health issues.  Every day our baffled human resource manager would pass the laid off employee at her desk, just typing away!  Obviously, something had to be done, but I think the firm’s management was wary of offending this highly volatile ex-employee. 

One day the supervisor, who was probably quite nervous by then, called the former employee into her office and asked the woman if she understood that she had been laid off on Monday.  The woman answered that she fully understood that.  However, since the firm was paying her through the end of the pay period and she had nothing better to do, she decided to just keep on coming to work.  I don’t know how they managed to get her to stop, but they did.    

At another firm where I was employed, the company was downsizing and restruturing.  All of the contract workers were let go.  One man whose position was terminated on Friday was right back to work on Monday.  He was a big guy, an engineering draftsman.  His boss went to the ex-employee's work area and said, “What are you doing here?  You were let go on Friday.”  The former employee stood to his full 6’4” height and towered over his ex-boss.  “With all due respect, sir,” he said, “I don’t accept lay-off.  Can’t afford it.”  And he sat back down at his drafting table and resumed working.  So I should have written, all of the contract workers except one got laid off. 

Job termination is a major issue for employees, and it can sometimes even be threatening for supervisors.  Many people facing job loss do not handle the stress well.  This writer wrote advice for people facing layoffs and suffering financial loss from other causes in this article:

Bubonic Plague Coming Soon?  Infested Lab Rats Missing
www.nowpublic.com/health/bubonic-plague-coming-soon-infested-lab-rats-missing  

Maintaining a positive outlook is key to getting through hard times.  Clinging to one's sense of humor, adapting to changing circumstances in life, and finding joy in simpler, less expensive pursuits will do much to help laid-off workers.  As long as the economic downturn does not get around to threatening the jobs of America's postal workers, we should all be fine.**  Sony France workers have nothing over on U.S.P.S. employees when it comes to being disgruntled!
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** This article was updated Mar. 20 at Paragraph 1 with Reuters' report that 1,400 U.S.P.S. employees face job loss, and as many as 150,000 postal jobs are on shaky ground.

Below is a rather gloomy report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: FEBRUARY 2009

United States Department of Labor

Payroll employment has declined by 2.6 million in the past 4 months. In February, job
losses were large and widespread across nearly all major industry sectors.

The number of unemployed persons increased by 851,000 to 12.5 million in February, and the unemployment rate rose to 8.1 percent. Over the past 12 months, the number of unemployed persons has increased by about 5.0 million, and the unemployment rate has risen by 3.3 percentage points.

The unemployment rate continued to trend upward in February for adult men (8.1 percent), adult women (6.7 percent), whites (7.3 percent), blacks (13.4 percent), and Hispanics (10.9 percent). The jobless rate for teenagers was little changed at 21.6 percent. The unemployment rate for Asians was 6.9 percent in February, not seasonally adjusted.

If you are brave, see more data at this link:  http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf

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It is useless to worry about situations over which one has no control.  The mental energy that is spent blaming employers or others for job loss should instead be used to learn new skills or utilize networking opportunities.  Put steak sauce on your chicken, and spend the extra time you have showing love to your family and neighbors.  Look forward! 

Some people have more trouble adjusting than others.  When one finds oneself sinking into depression or experiencing other signs of psychological disturbance resulting from stress, it is important to seek professional help.  We don't want to read about you in the paper!  Many churches offer counseling services that might be useful, especially if one has lost one's health insurance and cannot afford treatment.  In fact, the counselors in many churches are mental health professionals, sociologists, and some are certified counselors.  This link offers helpful resource information for people who are in need of mental health services for themselves or loved ones:  www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/help  

HERE’S SOMETHING to keep us all upbeat while our leadership finds solutions:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02zOk_LQCkY&feature=related

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Mary Neal
Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill
http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/AIMI

Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? ~ Luke 12:24-26