“It’s not personal, it’s business,” Part 2

“When people say it’s business, it’s not personal, well that just means it’s not personal for them.”

--RA Dickey, major league pitcher

Never were truer words spoken about a corporation from a soon-to-be discarded employee. Soon after RA Dickey uttered those words at his former team’s Christmas party, the Mets traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays for a bunch of so-called high-ceiling prospects.

When I read that quote, I couldn’t help but think ruefully back to the day I was laid off. On cue, I was given the “it’s a business decision, it has nothing to do with your work” line. And we’re expected to swallow that bullcrap?

How many times are laid-off employees given that line? To the company, it may be simply a business decision, but to the person being kicked to the curb, it’s very personal indeed. The same company you were so loyal to for many years has rejected you. You’ve lost your paycheck and possibly much more. You’re entire life and livelihood has been throw into disarray. Yet we can’t express an ounce of resentment about it or even question the decision. Why not?

Many commentators pointed out that Dickey probably should not have expressed his displeasure over the pace of contract negotiations with the Mets at the team’s Christmas party, a party attended by kids displaced by Superstorm Sandy. I partially agree with that. He could have selected another, more appropriate venue to vent his frustration. He later apologized for that.

But I can’t fault him for giving his honest answer when asked the question.

Nor can I fault the Mets for making the trade either. Yes, Dickey was asking for a fair contract extension, but chances are the Mets would have risen no further than fourth place in the division in 2013 with him. Once the team let it be known they were willing to trade him, it left open the possibility that another team would come along and disgorge its farm system for a Cy Young award winner.

In reality, Dickey was their most tradable commodity. The team was also dealing from a position of strength. Despite their horrid season in 2012, their starting pitching was relatively decent. Trading one of their younger pitchers made no sense.

And I believe that despite what he said, the Mets would have kept Dickey had not a team made an appealing trade offer. Lots of harsh things are said in contract negotiations. Even in a losing season, he put fannies in the seats every five days. Management was not going to turn away those dollars.

But just because a company can justify layoffs from a business sense doesn’t mean the workers left out in the cold can’t be hurt by their actions. And that goes for desk drones or famous athletes.

Will Dickey win 20 games for Toronto? It’s possible, but not probable. Will those prospects pan out as major league stars? Too soon to say.

Nevertheless, I was sorry to see Dickey go and I applaud him for expressing his true feelings. When a company is getting ready to dump its employees, its workers are rarely given a chance to voice their true feelings. So good for Dickey for standing up for himself and saying he didn’t like the way he was being treated by the team.

So many of us discarded employees never do so, and that’s sad. We should have spoken up, just like RA Dickey did.