All of the speculation on here about the motives of the judge, ESL (Eddie), Sears (Eddie), secured creditors (Eddie) is nauseating. We'll never know the true impact to the business or our own employment until the judge hands down his decision this week and the transition to the new company starts. And even then we'll be kept in the dark until Eddie resumes the liquidation under his new company and we're told at the 11th hour our jobs are being cut.
The outcome for employees has been the same all along. No matter what happens in the courts or after the bankruptcy is settled, everything I've read and witnessed first-hand over the last 10+ years at Sears proves the plan has been and always will be a structured liquidation just barely inside the legal lines where only key stakeholders like Lampert can benefit at the expense of unsecured creditors and employees. Ultimately this means we all will lose our jobs as the business continues to shrink.
The only variable I see in these court hearings or in whatever his transition plan turns out to be is not IF we lose our jobs... but WHEN. The baseless claim of "saving 45k jobs", or whatever Eddie is claiming the number is today, is nothing more than news fodder meant to tug the heartstrings of the media. We all have to stop being so delusional and naive. These narratives are insulting and none of us should be duped by Lamperts sudden altruism or concern towards employee welfare.
Even if the judge approves the bid and the company is reorganized, there has been no go-forward plan presented for how those jobs will be preservedlong-term. How many of those 45k employees will still be employees by June, or December, or 2020? Saving 45k jobs is just a snapshot in time - the day of the court's decision. Once the judge rules and Eddie sells the business back to himself, the slow motion liquidation continues - but this time sheltered from public scrutiny. 45k jobs will turn into 20k jobs, and then eventually 0 jobs. And all Eddie will have to say is "I tried" as he rides into the sunset as a full time landlord under Seritage and brand licensor under Sears NewCo.
Happy job hunting everyone