Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller for August 05, 2010

Probably the only person who doesn’t suck up to him. That’s why he’s being laid off.

This must be an insurance company or a bank.

Ah, yes, “priorities.” I long to see the day when firings start at the top rather at the bottom!

Too close to the truth to be funny.

What do the people in power–executives in the literal meaning of the word and of every type–care? They’ve got their butts covered, and if not they’ll just use us to cushion that fall from the top. Which will come sooner rather than later when they keep cutting out from the very foundation of their power just to keep their posh little luxuries.

Is this one of Al Gore’s Mansions?

can he get unemployment insurance (benefits) ?

Depends; in the US, if it’s called a layoff, yes, but if it’s called firing, no. Swedes don’t have such a dichotomy. When I worked for the short-lived Honeywell Ericsson Development Co., after some three years, I was fired, mainly because Honeywell had pulled back $2.5M that had already been spent, and there were no volunteers for layoff. My project was upscoped three weeks before deadline, with no re-negotiation, and oh, I ‘didn’t fit in with the team’. I moped for two weeks, then shotgunned the LA Times ads with resumes, and a month later, started at JPL. Thanks, HEDC!

Often, the worst disasters like this are truly blessings. This jerk doesn’t deserve Bob, and now he’s free to find a good job. Or start his own startup and live his dreams.

????? What? New subject since last comic…

Sadam’s palace??

Since the Cheney tax cuts will expire next year, millionaires won’t be able to afford 100 ft yachts and will have to settle for 99 ft yachts. But then again, they can cut more little people.

I once worked for a huge company that went through a bankruptcy. Once out of bankruptcy, they hired about a dozen executive and senior vice-presidents while laying off about fifty or more people who actually do the real work. Sounds about par for the course.

DARKFORCEsaid, about 3 firings ago: Definitely a Republican boss; that kind of heartless cruelty is part and parcel of the Republican Mentality. So How do you explain the quarter million $$ donation to the Democratic Party and the OBAMA stickers on the boss’s Limo????

Doc/Dorkeforce…NOOOOOO, this is a comic!!!

Good depiction, Wiley. I’ve worked for a CEO and when I QUIT I wrote a letter pretty much saying that it was ironic that the people who were the frontline of the company had to work two jobs to make their rent/mortgage. Even worse was that some of them had to work two jobs SECRETLY because it was AGAINST company policy to have a second job while employed by this company. Meanwhile, this CEO had a huge lake house, a house in Florida and basically came into the office when he felt like it. When he was in, he pretty much sat in his office talking on the phone. Many of the conversations were of the, “If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” variety. Don’t get me started on the “Board of Trustees.”

Hate to break it to you folks who think it’s an issue of right or left - it isn’t. Corruption and the undue influence of money in politics and business isn’t driven by or limited by ideology. Greed, sadly, is a universal human trait.

Very true, knowman, very true.

I HAVE YET TO FIGURE OUT THE THINKING BEHIND LAYING OFF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING TO WORK TO PRODUCE THE PRODUCTS THAT KEEP THE COMPANY IN BUSINESS- LOOKS TO ME LIKE THEY ARE STARTING ON THE WRONG END OF THE LINE BUT THEY NEVER SEEM TO UNDER STAND THAT

@pbarnrob - INRE layoff vs firing - depends on WHERE in the US; some firings can and are treated as layoffs. If they just say “Here’s your hat, what’s your hurry?” and do not give a valid CAUSE for firing, then UI will be available. In some cases, even a “valid” reason can be challenged when it comes to UI benefits. BTDT. Had an employer “fire” me because I was too “careless” (three accidents in one year), even though I had reported a safety issue. Since I had also sent the report to the proper authorities, it was ruled that I was terminated “for the convenience of the employer”, and collected UI - including the BACK payments while the case was being decided! And the company that did the firing is no longer in business in part because of that.

been there, heard that

Sadly, greed is universal. The greed may be for money and/or power. If we allow this trend to continue, even Wiley, with his insight, will be looking for work. I surely hope not for without those brave enough to point to the truth, we are truly lost.

♪♪♪ Downsized me and now they’re gone. Downsized me and now they’re gone.♫ To the tune of JImmy Crack Corn…..♥

The company that “downsized” me made the fatal error of not retaining anyone that actually earned money. So, the company is gone and the bosses lost their Mercedes and BMW and their fancy schmancy condo in the downtown hi-rise. Aw, don’t we feel sorry for them? No, me neither!

Thanks Wiley, again you’ve pinned the tail on the donkey.

Recent studies have found that a lot more people were laid off than needed to balance the books at various companies. Instead, they recovered from their little dips and their profits skyrocketed. The shareholders did nicely. Of course there’s the little matter of in the near future not being enough wage earners to buy the companies’ products. But who looks ahead any more. Let the kids worry about the future.

I’ve heard it predicted that the first will be last and the last will be first.

I like the idea, tend to believe it and can hardly wait.

@grazer–May God richly bless you.

Before I read the punch line, i thought the man with the fan was a monk and in such opulent surroundings, that this was going to be a joke about the Vatican.

Can I get that cartoon on a T-shirt? How about an Interstate sized billboard- posted discreetly near every corporate HQ on the planet, including the Vatican.

once got hit in around of layoffs. One guy who probably had larger “entertainment” (i.e., booze) expenses than my salary survived…

@olddog82,, You are right and it is the same for corporations that move their operations out of the country. Once enough employers leave, there is not enough demand for their product and bankruptcy is next. It won’t happen to Wal-Mart because they have eliminated the competition. Until these firms return jobs to our economy, our economy will continue to go downhill.

Kudos to the 40 billionaires who are to contribute half of their income to charity. I’d rather see that paid in taxes though.

@ Lycka: Wiley’s on a well-deserved vacation through August. (And possibly the first half of September?) Comics return when he does.

A good story needs time to progress, and suspence plays a big part.

Too bad you don’t have a can of oil in your pocket Bob. You could dump it over that b……s head!

I feel lucky to work for the company I do. Our sales have fallen off and something had to be done. The first is that some production workers were asked to move to night shift to replace the temps that were working then. The second thing was that the production workers had to take one week off without pay from now until December. All benefits would continue without interruption. I believe they would be able to collect unemployment for the week. No one was laid off and the company has retained the trained people so when things get better no period of training would be necessary. My company has about 180 employees and is owned by a large multi-national corp. Not all big companies are run by dirt bags.

Glad to see Wiley is into recycling. I remember seeing this comic last year!

Olddog,

You’re undervaluing the importance of the pipeline workers that siphon company profits directly into the pockets of shareholders!

OLDDOG82 said, about 9 hours ago

I HAVE YET TO FIGURE OUT THE THINKING BEHIND LAYING OFF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING TO WORK TO PRODUCE THE PRODUCTS THAT KEEP THE COMPANY IN BUSINESS- LOOKS TO ME LIKE THEY ARE STARTING ON THE WRONG END OF THE LINE BUT THEY NEVER SEEM TO UNDER STAND THAT

What an inefficient boss! He oughta have young women in bikinis doing the fanning. He could pay them less.

Knowman wrote: “Greed, sadly, is a universal human trait.” Unless I’m mistaken, what makes capitalism work is that there is a trait of altruism to balance the greed. It is not in the corporation’s interest as a whole to hog all the profits for the CEO. Unfortunately some people let their greed overwhelm all other impulses and it becomes their end-all-be-all.

Spammer flagged

Hey, at least the minion-operated fan is more environmentally friendly than an electric desk fan.

As automation proceeds to the complete lights-out factory, almost the only costs will be materials and debt service for the facility and tooling, utilities and the like. One guy on call for maintenance when the alarm goes off.

So who will be left to buy the products? Will everybody have to be a stockholder to live?

Of course, most American industry now involves manipulating symbols on the 19th floor, and have *no* relation to physical reality.

Plant a garden, and get back in touch with Earth!

Oh, you cynics. Why, Mr. Big Cheese has already sacrificed the pictures out of his frames — must you wring every last drop of blood from his heart?

palepink the short answer would appear to be “yes”

My 173 shares of stock are worth about $5K. Wow, I can live on the dividends from that for maybe about 10 minutes. Not all stockholders are greedy evil people. Some of us are regular Joes or Janes who are currently unemployed and have run out of benefits.