Bethel layoffs in 2008 - 300+ and counting

by sir82 139 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  kwintestal

  I haven't read the whole thread so I'm sorry if someone mentioned this, but isn't this just another way of putting the cost of the JW onto the average publisher? Really, why would the WT pay to have someone they don't need at bethel when they know if they gave them the title of "Special Pioneer" that they'll go into a congregation and the congregation will pay all (or most) of their expenses (food especially) on top of their regular donation to the WTS. I know when our cong. had a special pioneer they took turns providing her meals for the day.

  Kwin
• 

  nvrgnbk

  I always wondered what the purpose of requiring them to take a vow of poverty. Somehow I thought it was for the benefit of the volunteer

  LMAO
• 

  sir82

  "Are discharged members just thrown out into the street? Or are there arrangements that are made for as smooth a transition as possible. I don't know. Perhaps one of you experts on this subject can outline the procedure.

  I'm certainly no expert, but...

  As noted in this post: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/151300/1.ashx

  Some of the "transition" includes:

  -- $600 per month from the Society per person

  -- Health care coverage (don't know how extensive, deductibles, co-pays, etc.)

  -- Reimbursement for mileage in "theocratic activities"

  -- Clothing expense allowance of a few hundred per year

  So there is a "transition allowance". However:

  -- This arrangement is only in effect for as long as the couple serve as "Special Pioneers". Go off the list, and all of the above terminates immediately.

  -- The monthly stipend is prorated if either one does not achieve their hour goal. Only turned in 60 hours? Guess what, you only get $300 this month.

  -- How much preparation & emotional support did the Society provide to help the couple with this transition emotionally? They fully expected to live out their days in Bethel service. Within less than a month, they are told they are leaving, given a new assignment hundreds of miles from all friends & family, and are expected to work in field service each & every month for more hours than they likely did in a typical year while in Bethel service. The culture shock will be huge - and I expect large numbers, if not a majority, of the "reassigned" special pioneers will be off th elist within 5 years.

  One could argue "How much 'emotional support' does a corporation give when it lays off employees?" None, but then again I am unaware that General Motors, Ford, etc. proclaim themselves to be the sole representatives of God on earth, nor do they refer to their employees as "family".

  Is that "unethical"? Maybe the answer depends on how one views the Society. I would contend JWs are not trained to view the Society as "just a corporation", but as something more. Those who viewed the Society as "just another business" were not as likely to go into Bethel service to begin with.
• 

  Seeker4

  How much do you wanna bet that very, very few Special Pioneers will ever miss their monthly time goals??
  
  I had close friends who were SP. The husband said he and his wife stopped comparing time. They'd go out for a day in serivce, he'd end up with 10 hours, she'd end up with six! Me, when I Pioneered, I sucked every second I could count of the day. Somebody asked in one thread if you'd count a study with a two year old - hell, I'd count the time reading the Bible Stories book to the yet unborn!
  
  S4
• 

  proplog2

  I don't have much pity for these people. I'm sorry. I am 62. I have been self-employed my whole life. I have no pension. I have changed the way I earn a living at least 5 times. I still don't have health insurance. My wife and I raised 4 kids. I got no help financially from my JW parents. I rent. I never owned a home. But, I have enjoyed the freedom of being able to read 2-3 books per week on subjects of my choice for the last 35 years. Sometimes, I get depressed because I am still working but I'm not afraid. I'm still better off then 99% of the people in the world.
  
  These people that have been "re-assigned" probably don't have children. If they are single it should be even easier to provide for themselves. There are just so many ways to earn enough to support yourself.
  
  You couldn't pay me $5,000 per month to be a special pioneer.
• 

  metatron

  To be completely accurate, they aren't thrown into the street - but the Society is exceedingly cheap about supporting them.

  We need to keep in mind that this is much worse than simply being laid off by a 'worldly' corporation - generally, you don't give up having

  kids to work at Chrysler or automatically have to look for a place to live when you get a pink slip.

  In particular, these layoffs show that the organization IS PART OF THE WORLD in a very simple, practical sense. If you behave like

  the world, you are no different from it.

  The idea that the Society doesn't need these people is absurd. The amount of support they offer suffering publishers in local congregations

  is pathetic- as I know from calling Bethel as an elder. They offer to pray for you and hang up. Witness families are falling apart and

  young Witnesses are being denied a good education - all things that Bethel could help with.

  And they wonder why Witnesses are closing their wallets? Wonder no more..

  metatron
• 

  mcsemike

  Hi MinisterAmos: I agree with your comments. I have no love for the WT. I'm considered to be one of the top ten "apostates" in Florida. And proud of it. I just wanted to say that A/C jobs are year round. LOL Today is Feb. 5 and it's 85 degrees and we have the A/C on. We eat Christmas dinner with the A/C on. I just wanted people to know there are jobs, I saw many today on the Internet.

  To proplog2: The issue isn't the transition, it's where you end up. I gave up a career as a concert pianist to become the busiest MS the circuit ever had. I'm now 58, have no job, no health insurance and I'm divorced. And don't even get me started on the "child-raping" conduct of the WT. I did obtain a BA in Psychology after quitting the JW's. I am also a MCSE (Microsoft Engineer). I have that degree, that highly regarded Microsoft certification, and I play 30 musical instruments, ten of which are good enough to be in a symphony orchestra. I also was invited to join MENSA. My wife left me because I dared criticize the WT and I divorced her. I had to move to Florida and live with a family member while I try to find work.

  BUT----------------------- I have NO pension. My social security will be low. My health was nearly destroyed because of what happened to my daughter. She'll be in therapy the rest of her life.

  You either don't get it or you need to do the research, not us. We are on this board BECAUSE WE OURSELVES did the research already. Maybe one out of one hundred are let go from Bethel with some sort of help. But it's not enough and they don't do it for all the "WT rejects".

  Please don't even try to use any psychology to analyze my "faults" or anything else. My GPA for the psych degree was 98.5. I've read Ray Franz's books and Steve Hassan as well. I'm writing a book and I have done MY research already.

  I've been kinder to you than I usually am with JW apologists or people who support the WT without knowing the facts. I hope you learn something here.
• 

  trudy

  Hello friends, When I first heard about the release of older JW's from their Bethel home, I cried for them. Can you imagine having to pack up, then sent off away from all your friends, (your Bethel family) and then put into a room of strangers who then would be expected to pay your doctor bills, food etc.MAKING YOU A DEPENDANT upon the mercy of a JW family. If it was me, I would feel like a huge BURDEN upon others. Horrible! And too, how can they Special Pioneer clear up to old age's illness? If one cannot be a Special Pioneer, then this small allowance would evaporate in thin air! Looks to me they would still be a slave to Watchtower doctrine. To all who put faith in the Watchtower religion: I was going through old bound volumes and found the 1963 bound volume. In the pages of the May 1, 1963 issue of the Watchtower, I found on page 283, a short paragraph at the bottom of the page. It reads:( from out of the mouth of the Knights of Columbia heights street ) UNQUESTIONING OBEDIENCE Catholic Priest James J. Navagh, bishop of the Ogdensburg Diocese, New York, told delegates to the 67th annual state convention of the Knights of Columbus that Catholics should obey church orders without question. Quoting a Catholic scholar; he said, "If you believe something is white and the church says it is black, believe it is black." Sound familiar? Does anyone know where Rutherford's quote can be located? Please share it with us.
• 

  NewYork44M

  Several have compared what the society has done to some of the down sizing occuring with the auto industry. It is interesting to point out that those included in the downsizing of FORD and other Detroit companies were offered substantial bonuses:

  http://www.businessweek.com/autos/content/sep2006/bw20060914_025888.htm?chan=autos_autos+index+page_news

  THE OFFER DETAILS. For union workers, the offers are pretty generous. The packages being offered are similar to those GM gave its employees earlier this year. The offers:
  
  • Employees can take $100,000 in cash to walk away with no retirement or benefits.
  
  • Workers with 30 years of service, and hence retirement eligibility, can take an additional $35,000 in cash and retire.
  
  • Others who have at least 28 years at Ford but aren't eligible to retire can go on leave for two-thirds of their pay until they are eligible to retire.
  
  • Others can take an education package that reimburses them up to $15,000 a year for tuition for up to four years, along with a stipend of 50% of their pay for the same period.

  Down sizing is a reality of the modern age. The society may not be the worst employer, but they certainly are not in the top tier of companies looking out for employees.
• 

  trudy

  UNQUESTIONING OBEDIENCE Catholic Priest James J. Navagh, bishop of the Ogdensburg Diocese, New York, told delegates to the 67th annual state convention of the Knights of Columbus that Catholics should obey church orders without question. Quoting a Catholic scholar; he said, "If you believe something is white and the church says it is black, believe it is black." ------------------------------------------------------------- Sound familiar? Does anyone know where Rutherford's quote can be located? Please share it with us.