“Fired” author Annabelle Gurwitch’s Open Letter to Barbara Ehrenreich

Dear Barbara,

I was reading the paper with interest over the last week and saw that the labor department has told us that job growth is up, however, as anyone living in the country today knows, so is our collective anxiety level about the jobs we are headed to or trying to hang onto.

As you know, I’ve been traveling around with my Fired project for over a year now and I feel very privileged that people share their stories with me. Okay, privileged and a little jet lagged.

Here are some stories from the road. It turns out that old adage that truth is funnier than fiction is really true as evidenced by some of these tales I have been told: here are a few of the truly inventive ways people have learned the news that their company was repositioning itself out of their position:

>From Orlando:
I worked in retail and my supervisor told me, “we’re promoting you to customer.”
A new euphemism from HR world,” We’re freeing you up for your future. “

>From Scottsdale:
“I was fired from a job in a cigar factory because I couldn’t stop crying the day John Lennon died.”

>From D.C.:
“Can you help me to get fired? I work for the IMF, we never fire anyone, that’s our problem!”
“I had given 30 days notice to my employer after securing a new position, thinking I had done the right thing. After about ten days went by, my supervisor called me in to say, “Your quitting just isn’t working out for us, we’re firing you!”

Countless people tell me that losing one job led them to a better job in a more appropriate workplace or provided the opportunity to start a new career even, and I am thrilled and impressed to hear how people take losing a job and turn it into an opportunity. I wasted much more time feeling sorry for myself when I was fired by Woody Allen than anyone I’ve met on the road. On the other hand, I can’t tell you how many people ask me to sign a book for their recently made redundant mom, dad, spouse, or for themselves as they feel they are about to be, as I heard recently, “unexpectedly leisured” and are quite frankly terrified. I just read Lou Uchitelle’s book “The Disposable American,” by the way, which chronicles the very devastating effects of being outsourced in riveting and disturbing detail — I couldn’t put it down — too bad it’s not fiction!

I hope people will enjoy my book, and it will give their spirits a lift — providing some humor and inspiration, but I also hope people will take my experience as a model and go out and talk to people about their experiences and take actions that can impact the lives of all of us. That is what the “getting fired” experience has done for me, for sure. This is one of the reasons I’m so excited about UP. For instance, I had heard about the legislation that the house passed to make it possible to form unions and not suffer punitive measures for doing so, and I wanted to read more about it, so last night I went to the site and an article was on the front page of the UP site — very useful. I know you have many goals for UP and I hope I can be a small part of this.

Okay, I have to tell you another story. I was speaking at the Bar Association Luncheon of Labor and Employment Attorneys in LA last week, and I was handed this story:

“ An employee of my law firm was fired after being promised a partner position. “Poor research skills” was the reason cited for his termination. He challenged this decision but the board found his presentation to them to good but “poorly researched.” Sometimes, you can’t win.

You know, as the mother of a child born with a severe birth defect, I share the worry that so many people I talk to share — that losing their job will mean losing their health care. After all, with his pre-existing condition, no one wants to insure my family except our union, so I hope we can build some momentum with UP that will ultimately lead to our country adopting a universal health plan.

Okay, I have to tell you one more story.

From D.C.:
Fired from job at Roy Roger’s restaurant for refusing to say “Howdy Partner” with enough enthusiasm.
You just can’t make that up!

Best,
Annabelle Gurwitch

Tags: Annabelle-Gurwitch, Barbara-Ehrenreich, Fired!, Lou-Uchitelle, The-Disposable-American

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