A sobering critique of the American practice of corporate layoffs examines their questionable necessity, the overuse of the practice, and their devastating repercussions for both individuals and the nation as a whole, arguing that layoffs are frequently counterproductive and encourage mergers, outsourcing, and wage stagnation. 50,000 first printing.
Louis Uchitelle worked as a reporter, a foreign correspondent, and the editor of the business news department at the Associated Press before joining The New York Times in 1980. He has been writing about business, labor, and economics for the Times since 1987. He was the lead reporter for the Times series “The Downsizing of America,” which won a George Polk Award in 1996. He has taught at Columbia University and was a visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation in New York in 2002–2003. He lives with his wife, Joan, in Scarsdale, New York.