You're doubly wrong:

1- the laws dictate minimum terms for the agreements, they don't put ceilings on the maximums

2- the regions in which employees got shafted in that way aren't the regions in which employment laws are stricter

> 1- the laws dictate minimum terms for the agreements, they don't put ceilings on the maximums

That's not how it works in many jurisdictions: if a company does a round of layoffs and exceeds the terms ... those are the new terms going forward for that company.

Do you have any reference for this? In which jurisdiction does it work like that?