There were no ducks to see today and the day, in general, could not be described as “ducky”.
First… our town was wiped off the map.
I was mailing out packages and using our usual system but had to go directly to the postal service site to mail out the Yarntini gift prize. Although it never gave me trouble in the past, the site refused to accept my zip code. I then had it look up my zip code… it gave me the right one. I tried again to print my label…no luck.
Rinse and repeat. Multiple times.
I made some calls. I finally called a number that I found on the postal service site. Which… shock of shocks… was routed to a very nice man…in India. That’s right people… even the USPS outsources.
First the nice Hindi man told me that Oakland, Florida wasn’t a city. I assured him it was. Then he asked me if I had just moved here. No, Sweety. I’m not crazy, lost or delusional. I do happen to know where I live.
He eventually seemed to believe that I was a responsible adult and he put me on hold. When he came back on the line I got a bit of a shock. You see… the postal service updated their database this weekend and they deleted zip codes that are no longer in use. And so, Oakland, according to the postal service and my very nice little customer service worker, no longer exists and no longer has a zip code.
This was a bit of a shock to the postmaster in the OAKLAND POST OFFICE!!!!!!!
Reason number two that Monday was not so ducky….
I made lunch, we were sitting down to eat and Dana’s phone rang. I had a weird feeling. Dana goes upstairs, shuts the door. When he comes back downstairs he informs me that….
– He has been laid off effective immediately.
– He will not receive any severance pay unless he agrees to sign away any rights to pursue legal action against the company… a statement we found odd. Why would we sue?
– His being a remote employee had nothing to do with the choice to eliminate him.
And after putting two and two together, here’s what I’ve realized….
Dana wasn’t the highest paid employee in his group or the one with least seniority. His travel expenses didn’t make him all that expensive but one thing did. Dana is the parent of a special needs child. While that child is no longer receiving any services she will always have that potential. Dana worked for a company that was self insured and over the years had been making it more and more difficult to obtain care for Anna Grace. This is why Dana was offered severance only if he gave up any legal right toward legal action.
– We can’t sue them for laying him off.
– We can’t sue them for ending his job.
– But…. firing/laying off/etc an employee because they or their child has a disability…. is a violation of federal law. They know it and I’m pretty sure they realize that we know it.
We will sign because, in truth, taking legal action against folks really just isn’t our style, the whole thing is difficult to prove, etc. Dana was an employee that went above and beyond, loved his job, did all he could to encourage his team toward excellence, was well liked, respected, and had glowing reviews. He was also just told last week that his entire team was vital to the future of the company. But there was one thing about this man that meant he had to go… he was the parent of a special needs child. So, as happens with many parents of special needs children, he was eliminated. Not by his boss or any of his direct superiors. He was eliminated from the top, by the folks who ran the numbers.
And so it goes.
Dana has now finished his work day, he’s been “unemployed” for 1.5 hours and ya know what? All is well. Everything is just fine. Our God will provide for us and all of our needs in the same incredible and wonderful way that He took care of Anna Grace. I don’t have a single doubt about it. Not. Even. One.
I’m saying a prayer right now for you and your family. God provides – you just need to believe.
That’s just wrong. Terribly wrong. I’m so sorry.
Wow! I’m really sorry to hear about that. That stinks, and as you said, that does seem illegal, but I understand your reasons for going along with it. As long as he can get a good referral out of them, that will help. While none of us had disabilities, it is also not uncommon for places to let go of the “last one hired, first one fired”. That happened to my dad in…um…the last recession, and he was in the education field. It wasn’t a reflection of his abilities, but just what I said. My husband got laid off 2 weeks before my son was born simply because he wanted to continue to be a telecommuting distance worker and didn’t want to move to California. (I did, but that’s another story.) He was “unemployed” for the first 18 months of my son’s life, and luckily got the poopy insurance we have now just as we were starting to realize his apraxia and other issues. He consulted for a few places, and the biggest client said they had enough money to hire him, but they had an arrangement so that he worked for them primarily, but he could still work with other clients. That was about 6 years ago, and it’s still in place today. It’s only the first day. Dana should take a breather, and start in the new year, when new budgets are in place.
wow, that sounds all sorts of illegal.
You will find something. For the record I hate when people get laid off right before or right after the holidays (as my company just did to people)
I’m really sorry, Kris. Branden said that they made a lot of decisions that no one at the not-upper management level understands; a lot of people were pretty unhappy about the choices made. Not that it helps, but I think everyone was surprised (shocked was the word Branden used) to see Dana go. Here’s hoping he’ll find new (and better!) work, maybe somewhere with a little less of a commute. =)
I think this totally qualifies as “not ducky”
So sorry to hear about Dana’s job. As you may know, Ben got laid off about 6 weeks ago, but was only out of work about 2 weeks. Dana is a clever man and I have faith that he will find something quickly. We’ll be praying for you!
You know, things always work out. How else can you increase your faith if it isn’t tested a little, right? You’re in my prayers, darling. *hug*
UGH! This is so typical–more than we even know, I am sure.
My husband has worked at a paper mail for 43 years, and he was getting ready to retire next May, after his 62nd birthday. Well, his job is being done away with in Feb. our Union fought and they got him a retirement WITH a package—that we were not expecting. SO, we nded up being so blessed and I’m praying something good will come out of your problems~~God can work anything to good!
I’m so sorry Kris! The world just seems to take great joy in hurting those with the greatest needs! Will be praying for all of you!!
Whoa. Not ducky is a brilliant, if understated, description. My sympathies to you, my wishes for a wonderful Christmas together for you, and my prayers that Dana will find new employment with the New Year.
I’m beyond speechless about this. I have no doubt that God will provide something better very soon but this is just so wrong on so many levels. My prayers are with you, Dana and AG, Kris!
If I were you, I wouldn’t sue so you can take the severance package but you CAN notify the ACLU so they can be called to task for their actions. Even if you don’t sue, if they have more than 20 employees they are breaking all sorts of EEOC laws and should be accountable to that…so that it doesn’t happen to anyone else!
You’ve got a better attitude than me. I think you should call everyone’s good friend and attorney John Morgan and let him go after it.
O crap, crap. I am so sorry about this. You all will be in my prayers. I also have faith that Dana will find something else with a wonderful company soon.
And being as you don’t have a town to live in, you could always come back here. Our basement extra bedrooms are open!
And can the company really do that? I guess I’m naive, but I would just think that this is so wrong. The ACLU isn’t a bad idea.
oh man… I’m so sorry this has happened. God is good, and He will provide.
wow, now I’m caught up. So sorry Kris. will be praying.
That’s really awful. I admire your complete faith. I feel like mine is so shaky these days, it’s nice to hear about someone who trusts in God to care for your families needs. I hope things turn around soon.
This is a PERFECT example of why we need a single payer health care system, not an employer provided optional system.
I’m sorry this happened to you. I do believe you will survive, resourceful and clever and decent as you both are. Best wishes.