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In reply to the discussion: Unemployable At 50 Fate Of Present And Future Workers [View all]Flatulo
(5,005 posts)A friend of mine who was a loyal employee of 25 years was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2002. He had the kidney removed and his prognosis was good, but six months later the cancer had returned and had spread to, well, everywhere.
He was missing a lot of time from work for chemo and radiation. Our VP of engineering, who was a simply staggering prick, made the courageous decision to fire him. Well, the engineers and designers who worked with this guy were fucking outraged beyond belief. This VP was insanely wealthy, pulling in about $2m per year with salary, stock options amd bonuses. We couldn't outright kill the VP, although everyone wanted to. Instead, everyone in the department donated one week of vacation time and converted it into cash. We presented our colleague with a check for over $90,000.
The VP harrumphed a few times when he heard this, and he was pissed that we had all banded together to support a friend and colleague, seeing it as an act of defiance. Our friend was an excellent worker and an incredibly decent human being. He's still hanging on 10 years later but really looks terrible. The cancer has spread to his liver and his days are numbered. Thankfully he was quickly approved for SSDI and his kids have been helping him tremendously.
But the point is, that this VP is very representative of the corporate leadership we have today. They would literally have you die than lose a few bucks. It's not hyperbole, they are that fucking evil.
It's not capitalism, but a nasty breed of fucker that has come into power in the last 20 years or so. The business schools are teaching all about entitlement and nothing about being a human fucking being.
If I ever see that VP again, I swear I am going right for his balls.