@JessTheUnstill @carnage4life I think you are both correct. I wonder however if there is a better way to do layoffs? My dad's union contract specified strict last-in-first-out rules which kept talented people out of the field because time was the only way to advance. My current gig is extremely cyclical and there are attempts to keep "good employees" through downturns, but as you say that is hard to measure and fought with bias.

What would you suggest to a plant that will need to go from <100 to >500 and back a few times each decade?