An angry laid-off HP employee wrote this letter to government officials: 'I have no one to stand for me'

Last month, HP told select employees that they were going to be cut from HP's payroll in an unusual way.

They would be offered a job at a different company that HP had contracted with to supply labor, so they would continue to work on HP projects, with HP customers.

The new company would be making new job offers. Employees who turned down the offers would be cut from HP, and not eligible for layoff severance, which has typically been one week of pay for every year of service, employees have told us.

Maybe these workers should be happy that they are getting a job offer instead of being unemployed.

But many of them aren't. That's because the new job offers often involve pay cuts, worse benefits, and loss of vacation days, and are for contract positions.

One employee is trying to get the US government involved and sent the letter below to various government officials.

We were asked not to reveal the employee's identity, so here is the letter slightly edited to remove identifying facts:

As a law abiding US citizen, I am bringing my tales of woes with my current company HPE [HP Enterprise] (in process of separating from HP) who has decided to sever away my employee status, [through] no fault of mine, claiming business reasons.

While I totally understand the business reasons that might be the cause for this sudden decision, I am asked to consider work via a contracting company Ciber as a contractor, so HPE's business can continue.

The employee is left to fend for themselves, and even contacting the judicial system is an expense to the employee. Where does an employee go?

While I can consider this authoritative decision from HPE again due to business reasons, I have been forced to take my vacation within the next few weeks and I am denied any severance (barring the two-week pay).

As an HP/HPE employee for [over 15 years], and while I understand that any company can make changes to its worker severance compensation at any time, I disagree that this agreement is fair to me.

I have no one to stand for me, no one to represent me through NO fault of mine. I have made personal sacrifices, worked a lot of overtime and flexible hours over the years. The employee is left to fend for themselves, and even contacting the judicial system is an expense to the employee. Where does an employee go?

While I talk for and about myself here, I ask fairness for all the employees who are left out in the cold world.

I am not asking for anything that is not mine, but only what should belong to me, my severance, as [per] HPE's current policies, because I have never been compensated for overtime hours and flexible work hours (off hours and weekend hours).

We're not sure how successful this effort will be. IBM is another huge tech company undergoing layoffs to fend off its shrinking revenue. Senator Grassley wrote a letter to IBM last April demanding to know details about its layoffs and its usage of foreign Visas, and then held Senate hearings in support of a bill over the issue. That bill has been stuck in committee since January.

But the letter shows why some employees feel angry, and why morale is low at HP ES, even among workers not being cut, according to one person who still works there.