Re: "It's our understanding that when the employees were furloughed, a stipulation was they remain available for two weeks in order to receive their severance pay,"Majak said. "That expires on Friday."
This is just my opinion, but furloughed seems sorta different from layoff. Furlough sort of suggests to me something like "time off". At the same time, they talked about "severance pay", normally pretty permanent.
If they really said that the 220 folks only get the severance pay if they are willing to remain "available" for two weeks, that's a pretty short leash and an awfully strong incentive to stay "available" (the meaning of which is undoubtedly spelled out in the severance package).
Without knowing the specifics, this suggests to me that, despite all the strong finality-sounding talk, there was still a very real possibility in the termination package offeror's mind that the place might reopen in some form, and within a two-week window.
As an employee, you'd have to be kinda crazy not to remain "available" for the two weeks. But if the work force were to be "reassembled", the subsequent stability of that work force would depend on a bunch of factors, some of which would be under control of the "New Business", but many of which lie solely in the hearts and souls of the employees.
In my experience, once you have mentally turned the corner on a decision such as the decision to look for another job, it is not easy to return to retrace your steps and resume your former direction. My heart really goes out to the work force. It is a pretty unsettling state of affairs regardless of the outcome.
Rumors are flying. I'm sticking by my radio! JimA |
