A union.. haha.. this is the U.S.- other countries send soldiers to your home, take you out in the middle of the night and shoot you. We- well, we send you bills.

All kidding aside, there are some stringent requirements for unionizing in the U.S.- I know if you work for the city of DC, for example, you can opt into one- I also know that in Boston- it's illegal to unionize if you're not fulltime- (something of that sort is the loophole).

Love the things I hear of Europe. Seems like you guys don't spend most of your budget on things to kill people- that's inspiring- almost as if you guys learned something from wwii about the importance of treating the average person with care and respect.

Phew..

You make a sensible point about what to take personal and what not to- about filing for unemployment quickly. And yes- the advice about not holding loyalty- especially in such a situation- after an ending relationship- real world.

moritz also makes a point about not being overly concerned with references. I think it's sound.

Yes, it's not personal. That's something I taste here- I think it's financial. It just seems so dirty. Why not just say something more honest- aha- I think that- if they said something like "we're having trouble with clients etc, we may be laying you off in the next x timeframe"- that would put them at a disadvantage. Because then they have someone who may at any point tell them they found other work- etc. Or maybe they fear having now someone working with less interest/etc.

I'm still concerned with their angle- what kind of dispute they will offer up- and having my wits about me to say the right things when I talk to the people managing unemployment disputes.

There's a paper trail all over, in my favor- it's just so petty to take things to that level.-

I'm quite - sobered- about what I see stated in these responses- that people are hessitant to - esentially- tell the truth- about their former employees- I guess it's obvious- but I for one- had no idea that a reference from a previous employer was such an empty piece of paper!