On an April 7 video call, the executive director of Goodwill San Francisco Bay told a dozen of the clothing-and-jobs charity’s local staffers that they would be laid off , part of a sweeping cut to the chapter’s presence in the region that included closing its headquarters.
Workers peppered the executive with questions, a recording of the call obtained by SFGATE shows. Anton Ray emphasized that the layoffs came as a last resort amid dire financials, but he had few specifics for the irate workers, who worried out loud about ongoing projects and the veterans who use Goodwill’s job help services. As Ray wrapped up the call early, he said, “I am sincerely sorry that this is landing with you in a way that is frustrating, that is confusing and aggravating.”
The workers stayed on the call after Ray left, the recording shows. “F—k Arizona,” one worker said, referring to the Arizona chapter that took over leadership of the San Francisco Bay chapter last year. Another said, “No severance, that’s a real s—tty one, guys. They did us all dirty there.” (Goodwill will only pay the employees for 60 days as mandated by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act .)…