Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/07/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Jeffrey, You were always expendable. Now, unless it's under the threat of lawsuit or union action, it often makes greater economic sense for a company to shed you from the workforce and replace you with someone younger, cheaper, and more pliant. We live in an era of calculated risk and costs. Why should a company follow a high ethical standard if, odds on, they might make more money getting rid of the "problem" and worrying about a lawsuit later? The injured party may or may not have the stamina, money, or fury to see it through. The company often assumes that, in the event of a viable lawsuit, they can always settle. I know of three examples from various experiences with this line of thought: 1. My partner, John, was recently in an auto accident. Another driver rammed into the driver's door of his car. John was stopped, perfectly legally, in a line of traffic. The other driver backed into his door. The culpability could not have been clearer. John made the claim with the other driver's insurance company. The other driver's insurance company refused to settle; they told him, "Go sue us." So he contacted an attorney, who sent a letter. THEN the insurance company settled for an amount covering the attorney's fees and the damages. In the old days, with clear culpability, there would have been no question--the claims adjuster might have written a check on the spot. Now it's a matter of playing the odds. Would John have just said, "Fergeddit" and eaten the cost of the repair? With many people, the trouble of finding a lawyer would have outweighed the expense of the repair. The insurance company follows the letter of the law and makes more money. 2. An employer I know dismissed a longtime employee who had been treated for breast cancer. The employee was on disability during her chemotherapy, and still managed to make it to the office part-time. When the chemotherapy was finished, she came back full time. The employer told her that they no longer needed her services, and was "redefining" the job. The person who filled the "redefined" job assumed the same set of responsibilities. Did she have a case? I'm no attorney, but I'd be willing to bet that she did. She chose not to pursue a lawsuit, since it would be far more draining on her health and outlook. She walked away and started another career. The company got rid of their health "problem" and saved a fortune. The company played the odds and won. 3. A food processor once told me that the company regularly "played the odds" with their processed edibles. Occasionally a batch would go through tainted, but that it would be far more costly to institute more rigorous processing and inspection standards. The cost of paying fines was lower than re-engineering the process. I hope to hell that Brian makes this an extraordinarily expensive and embarassing decision for Google. That's the only chance older/less healthy workers have at redress for what appears to be a horrible injustice. Jim Shulman Bryn Mawr, PA -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+jshul=comcast.net@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+jshul=comcast.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Jeffery Smith Sent: Friday, July 23, 2004 2:07 PM To: 'Leica Users Group' Subject: RE: [Leica] FYI: legal press release Good Grief! I'm 54 too. We've reached that age that we are seen as expendable. Depressing. Jeffery Smith New Orleans, LA -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+jls=runbox.com@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+jls=runbox.com@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Brian Reid Sent: Friday, July 23, 2004 1:00 PM To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us Subject: [Leica] FYI: legal press release I've had to keep quiet about this for a long time, but today my attorney issued this press release: http://reid.org/brian/misc/PressRelease.html Summary: I was let go from Google for "unspecified reasons" and I am taking them to court for wrongful termination. Please don't let this affect your use of Google. It's still the greatest search engine around, even if it has a few people in management with whom I disagree. The working folks who keep it operating are the best. And until recently, all of them reported to me.... _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information