Layoffs are not something any employees can control. It's gonna happen or it's not. That's it. Without proper collective power, the only thing we can do is worry.

You're right in that language doesn't matter. Hell even the delivery of the message doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is the severance or layoff package. That's the real meat. There should be a mandatory law that publishes all layoff packages so that everyone can see if they're getting a fair deal or not.