Fellow Employees,

In order to ensure continued transparency of Corporate Communications, this announcement is being delivered to all employees of the Capital Corporation and their families, as well as being posted on our Company Kiosks in every district of the Quarter. Recently, unfounded rumors have been circulating throughout our community, and although a large proportion of them are based on wild speculations, there is, unfortunately, an element of truth to their conjectures. In brief, due to the severe economic downturn we have been experiencing over the last six quarters, both nationally and globally, we have been forced to announce the cessation of all operations in Plant #2 by the end of the current month, the exact date of the closure to be determined shortly. This circumstance is a result, in large part, of the unprecedented and catastrophic disruptions of our overseas markets, a condition far beyond the control of your current Management Team and one unlikely to end soon. As a result, the closure of Plant #2 will not be temporary.

We are pleased to announce that—whether on the factory floor or in an administrative office, whether your professional responsibilities end next week or on the final day of the month—all recent employees will receive an additional full month’s salary as severance pay. All employees who have been with us for ten years or more will receive double that compensation, a full two months of salary as severance. The necessary documentation for the receipt of these funds—including whatever encumbrances, strictures, and covenants are required for each person or position—will be forthcoming to all those who qualify.

The Capital Corporation has always been proud of being a custodian for the well-being of its corporate families from, as we like to phrase it, “the cradle to the grave,” and many of you have taken advantage of our subsidized fees to live in our Corporate Residences and to utilize the nearby services. We, in turn, have found great pleasure in overseeing generations of families settling and thriving in our neighborhood, and so we are terribly saddened to inform you that with the shuttering of Plant #2 all Corporate Residences—along with affiliated shops and markets, theaters and dining halls, gymnasia and parks, education and spiritual centers—will also be closing their doors within the next three months. By the end of that period, at a precise date to be determined shortly, all former employees of the Capital Corporation will need to have vacated the Quarter. Your Management Team is currently involved in negotiations with other corporate entities regarding the redevelopment of the property, but until such time as its future status can be contractually determined, all access to the Quarter, following its closure, will be restricted to security and authorized personnel.

We are, however, pleased to announce that Counseling Centers have been activated in the Medical-Nursing Complex, and that appointments may be scheduled beginning next week with professional consultants who will help you with your relocation arrangements and financial settlements. As a valued former employee, you will also be given preference whenever employment opportunities arise at other Capital Corporation properties across the country, although be advised as you consider your future destination that openings within the current organization will, for the foreseeable future, be quite limited. We are sorry to announce that our landmark Plant #1, along with all affiliated services, will also be closing under similar conditions, and all operations of its sister plant (#1A) will be transferred overseas to a less volatile economic environment. All other plants within the corporate structure have already begun to reduce their hours of operation and are in the process of rightsizing their staffs both on the factory floors and within the administrative offices, and consequently, none of our current properties are welcoming new residents into their respective Quarters.

We understand and appreciate that many of you have conserved sufficient resources to withstand the disorder and deprivations now disrupting every sector of our society, and we are grateful for having been able to provide many of our employees with sufficient financial assets to sustain a comfortable lifestyle even in troubled times. Others of you, we are sure, have relatives and friends who will provide financial and emotional support as you strive to establish yourselves elsewhere.

But we also recognize that many of you will find the uncertainty of relocation and an independent future without employment to be an intolerable burden, and for those who desire it, psychological counseling will be offered at the Medical-Nursing Complex.

The Medical-Nursing Complex will remain open for the duration of the closure process, and we are pleased to announce that a possible alternative course of action will be offered to all of our employees and their families. In the past, we have provided our workforce with an option for their loved ones who have had the unfortunate experience of being diagnosed with a terminal illness. Caregiver Comfort has been especially welcome when such maladies are likely to be painful, debilitating, and linger beyond the financial limitations of Corporate Medical Coverage. After careful consultation with our insurance supplier and our partners in Government Health Services, your corporation has been authorized to extend Caregiver Comfort over the next three months to all who wish to take advantage of the service. As with the previous more limited program, the new Caregiver Comfort will be administered on a strictly voluntary basis and at no cost to participants. Once activated, the procedure, with which we have considerable experience, will be compassionate, instantaneous, and entirely pain-free. Recognizing that such a decision will also help to relieve an already strained national social welfare system, our partners in government have agreed to subsidize a generous honorarium, equivalent to the monthly salary of a Level 8 Exempt Employee, to be delivered immediately to the beneficiaries of all those who decide to take advantage of this option.

Consulting Counselors are now being assembled to discuss with interested parties what Caregiver Comfort entails, including schedules, necessary clinical procedures, disposition of property, and any spiritual or religious concerns you might have. We recognize that this represents a very serious decision, and we urge all those considering it to discuss its full implications with their families. But if you lack the necessary resources and feel you might, before long, descend into despair and destitution without a foreseeable end, why then risk becoming a burden on your neighbors and society when you can further contribute to the well-being of your own family?

We assure you that all those selecting Caregiver Comfort will, upon request, have a final resting place in Graceland Grove close to, if at all possible, whatever loved ones may have preceded you there. We also want to ensure you that any new owner of the property will be strongly encouraged to keep Graceland Grove undisturbed for the conceivable future. Graceland Grove is, after all, hallowed ground! With that in mind, your Management Team is organizing a Memorial Ceremony for those who choose to sacrifice themselves for the Common Good, for they will indeed be revered as national heroes.

We recognize that difficult tines require difficult decisions, and additional notifications will be forthcoming informing you about upcoming requirements and deadlines. Secure drop boxes have been installed throughout the Quarter for any comments or questions you might have, particularly in regard to any of your concerns that we may have overlooked. Phone numbers for scheduling appointments with Consulting Counselors will be on prominent display early next week. In order to avoid overwhelming our call centers, all appointments will be handled automatically, so please be patient and considerate.

Again, we are saddened to be the bearers of this unfortunate news, but rest assured that your government and its corporate partners are doing everything in their power to reverse as quickly as possible the dire economic circumstances that have so unexpectedly disrupted all of our lives and to lead us back again, together, into a more prosperous future.

Sincerely,

Your Human Resources Department
for the Management Team of the Capital Corporation
(END)