Recently, we have been deluged with the news of Boeing layoffs, special treatment for the airline industries and newspaper articles depicting the “poor college graduates” whom are no longer in such high demand (employees that are used to being “wined and dined,” as one article stated.)
Well, my comment to them is, “welcome to reality,” sometimes referred to as “the real world.” When you choose to take a job in the aerospace industry, you should expect layoffs. It’s nothing new. What bothers me most is these Boeing people (and other related industries) are whining for compensation above and beyond the normal unemployment package. They think they should be bailed out and carried through these tough times. Not to mention free schooling for re-training, etc.
How unfair to the rest of the working class people who have had similar experiences but absolutely no care packages or special hand-out lines. I ask you this: What about all those lumberjacks who were put out of work permanently because of the environmentalists who decided the spotted owl was more important than the welfare of these families? Where was their hand-out line? Did they receive long-term severance packages and free schooling? Absolutely not! Most of these men had logged all their lives and didn’t have other marketable skills.
My father was a logger and had dedicated his life to hard work in the woods and then one day it was all over, his life forever changed. He was one of thousands of victims. But people didn’t consider loggers important enough for special programs. The same thing goes for our many construction workers. During the cold winters, hundreds are laid off. This is normal and expected. When winter layoffs happen, you don’t see a special hand-out line for them. It’s simply considered life as a construction worker. The construction/housing industry has slowed down drastically as a result of Sept. 11. There are many contractors out of work and many more soon to be. Large layoffs are happening in every occupation. Will all of these people be given special treatment, or is it just the few specific industries?
Lake Stevens
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