Laid-off Oracle workers tried to negotiate severance, Oracle declined

In short: Some Oracle employees laid off in March tried to negotiate better severance pay and benefits, and Oracle said no.

What happened

Oracle laid off an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 people by email on March 31, according to TechCrunch. One employee said they realized they were cut when they could no longer log in to work tools like the company VPN and Slack.

TechCrunch reports Oracle offered severance in exchange for signing a document that gives up the right to sue. The offer included four weeks of pay for the first year, plus one additional week per year of service, with a cap at 26 weeks. Oracle also offered one month of COBRA, which is a way to keep your health insurance after leaving a job, but you usually pay the full cost.

A key complaint was stock pay. Many tech workers receive part of their compensation in company stock that “vests” over time, meaning you earn it bit by bit like a paycheck that unlocks later. Oracle did not speed up the vesting of RSUs, which are company stock grants, so any stock not yet vested was forfeited.

Some workers also said they did not qualify for WARN Act protections. The WARN Act is a US law that can require 60 days notice before a mass layoff at a single work site. Workers said Oracle classified some people as remote, which can affect whether the law applies.

A group of employees tried to negotiate together and circulated a public petition. Oracle declined to negotiate, according to an email seen by TechCrunch. Oracle also declined to comment on the details.

Why it matters

This story highlights a simple issue for workers: when pay depends heavily on stock, a layoff can mean losing money you expected to receive soon. It also shows how job protections can depend on details like how a company lists your work location.

Source: TechCrunch AI