State of the Union

I fell that I am a little over due to add a rant to my blog. So I think it is time to add a new one.
I recently learned that a good friend of mine husband was recently fired from his job. You may ask what is different about that? People get fired everyday. Well before you decide to stop reading this posting let me provide you with a background about the person that got fired and how the company decided to handle the firing.

Background

To keep names confidential I will just call my good friend’s husband named Jim. The company Jim worked for was a newspaper company that provides the news for several of the cities and towns in and around my location. This newspaper company is by no means a New York Times, or a Atlanta Journal Constitution. But they tend to do a good job, and besides I do not live in a huge metropolitan area that the NYT or AJC have behind them.
Now Jim has been associated with this organization for not 10, 15, or 20 years. He has been working for this organization for 35 years. 35 straight years. I have to say it one more time 35 YEARS. Than why did he get fired?
Well he must have done something terribly wrong. Maybe he had a sexual harassment case brought up against. Or maybe he was embezzling money from the job. Or, I got it, after 35 years he was sick and tired of getting up everyday and going to work, and was often times showing up late or not coming at all. Well rest assured it was none of the above. Jim simply got fired because he just so happened to fall into the group that got fired this time.
Over the years this newspaper company would gather a bunch of the workers together and fire them. The company may include a reason why or it may no. Jim has made it through this entire time without getting fired. Maybe I need to do some more investigating because I just do not understand.

How it happened

Jim’s superior one day last week called a meeting. Jim and 49 others were to be present at this meeting. Then the news was broke to them. But the most disturbing part was how it the news was giving to them and the subsequent events.
Jim was fired with 49 others without given a reason. After 35 years of loyal, dependable, hard work to this company he gets fired for no rhyme or reason. Next the company brought in local law enforcement to keep the peace. Each of the 49 people was supervised by the police as they gathered their belongings and was walked off the premises. Jim had some of the perks provided to him from the company which included a cell phone that had to be turned in as well.

Now

I don’t really understand the firing and how the company decided to handle it. Quite frankly it may not be any of my business. But I wonder if it is a result of now. Or current state of the economy may be the reason for it. I just read the other day that the National Basketball Association had to lay off 20 (not sure if that is correct number because 40 keeps popping in my head) people because of economic concerns. I don’t know…But as one human being to another, Jim deserved a reason. Even if Jim did not care to here it after 35 years it deserved that much than to be escorted of the premises by the police.