As a former Oracle employee with a drastically different severance package, I am interested in legal options/opinions. Is this discrimination? Are there any precedences (HP/Compaq, etc.)? Is it normal for a company with the same ownership to treat people that differently? Any suggestions/opinions would be appreciated.

Great photos...like being there. Very sad.

I've been laid off three times in my life and each time came back stronger and with a better and more satisfying job and life. These words may be hard to swallow in the midst of a bleak outlook but I've found that a phrase from a song out of the musical, "Paint Your Wagon" sums it up:

"Ain't never seen a sight that weren't better looking back."

who cares about the livlihoods of 5000 honest hard working americans?..certainly not ellison and his group..he'll probably outsource another 10,000 to india within the next 2 years....pretty soon nobody will be working here..maybe we will all become farmers again....imo

Everybody seems to be shedding a little tear for Peoplesoft employees... what about Oracle employees? They are being laid-off too and I hear the severance package is not as good.

Thanks Larry for taking a great company and throwing it away in only 15 days.

Too bad fed ex isn't showing up at your door today.

As far as I can tell, former JDE employees have not been RIFed in the US either. Larry knows a great product and people when he sees it, or else he might be staging it for wholesale to IBM or the likes.

I am very happy for my ex colleagues in
Europe(JDE) who are not affected.They have been through enough over the years

I just want to say, my heart goes out to you Peoplesoft employees. I am an HP employee, and must say that a big merger is awful and I know how scared and sad you all are right now. My prayers are with all of you.

Notifying the State of Plant Closures or Mass Layoffs

If you are an employer in California with 100 or more employees and are planning a mass layoff or closure, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act may apply to you.

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN), Public Law 100-379, enacted August 4, 1988, requires employers with 100 or more employees to give 60 days advance notice in the event of a plant closure or mass layoff.

Definition of Plant Closure and Mass Layoff:

Plant closure

A covered employer must give notice if an employment site (or one or more facilities or operating units, within an employment site) will be shut down, and the shutdown will result in an employment loss for 50 or more employees during any 30-day period. This does not count employees who have worked less than 6 months in the last 12 months, or employees who work an average of less than 20 hours a week for the employer.

Mass Layoff

A covered employer must give notice if there is a mass layoff which does not result from a plant closing, but which will result in an employment loss at the employment site during any 30-day period for 500 or more employees, or for 50-499 employees if they make up at least 33 percent of the employer's active workforce. This does not count employees who have worked less than 6 months in the last 12 months or employees who work an average of less than 20 hours a week for the employer.