Coke is NOT the real thing!

As a consumer and otherwise concerned American, I am so NOT happy with Coca-Cola. I understand that a business' bottom line is important, but I am not pleased with the way they are going about it.

You see, on December 1 (just a few weeks before Christmas, mind you), Coca-Cola will be laying off people here. Their offices handle much of the collections and back office type work. The operation is being outsources to Guatemala. Earlier in the year, there had been some buzz about this and which of the countries overseas would actually be the recipient of the outsourcing. Well, here it is.

Now, this is not the part I think is so cold. The severance package they announced earlier this year SUCKS! Apparently, employees will receive one week of pay for each year they've worked there. So, the lowly employee with one year of service would only get one week's pay. That's it. So, there will be a lot of kids this year wondering why Christmas missed their houses. Oh, and they have even been holding meetings telling the employees that their numbers are down and that they have to get productivity up. Ummm. Hello!!! You're firing them in a couple of weeks and you're wondering why in the hell morale is low?!! Let me help you here, Mr. Coke Guy. You're giving their jobs away to the Guatemalans you're currently training! But, to Coke's credit (I say this with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek), they are holding job search classes to help the employees get their resumes together so they can find other jobs. Ummm, one more thing, Mr. Coke Guy... the F-ing economy is on the verge of collapse and unemployment is the highest it's been in a decade! There's pretty much NO ONE hiring at year's end, you MORON!

I guess you can tell that I'm sooooo pissed, huh? It's just that, in light of all of the problems with the economy IN THIS COUNTRY, we have a company that has been pretty much synonymous with every American pasttime throwing even more Americans into the unemployment lines for the sake of a few more dollars, much of which will end up in senior level executive's pockets.

That's just great, Coca-Cola. You've lost my business and the business of many Americans, I hope, once this story gets out. Hey, but at least you're helping to boost the economy of Guatemala. Too bad that when vendors have to call you with an issue, they will be speaking to people who they can barely understand. As it is now, your IT department is in India and your employees have to wait up to two weeks to get logins and passwords that work.

Coke, you SUCK!!!! I hope you remember how you've treated your American employees when you want a government bailout within the year because your sales are down.