I got "fired" on New Years Eve last year. I was set up and that story is BS. I recently got hired as an overnight temp and have worked my butt off. I have got to see my son just for a few minutes during the day. Well my working my butt off paid off as they like my energy and I now have a full time job during the daylight hours. I just read that they got rid of 10% of the people at local hospital and I am very glad to have a full time job. Praise The Lord. David......am not alone....Dorman

Congratulations. I have been out for three months and start back on Monday. Glad to hear things are looking up for you too!!!!

Old Blue

Congratulations and good luck to you both. Very good news.

Grats Matey :)
I know what it is like to not have a job.
Sept 2 will be 1 year since i last worked, 120+ job applications later, still no work:(

Grats again:)

Congrats man, it's tough out there! Got laid off end of January, got lucky and found work a week later, got laid off again 3 months later, got lucky again and found another job in about 6 weeks, started about 5 weeks ago. Been a really weird year, hang in there guys!

Thank God! That's great news. I work in Elkhart County in Indiana. It's been tough. Hopefully things are going to get better for alot more people. Randy.

Good for you guys! I feel very lucky to have my job. It's a good one too! My family would like me back in WI but there is nothing there for me.

. . . My family would like me back in WI but there is nothing there for me.

No kidding it is a job desert here. The employment section in the Milwaukee Journal is a page and a half -- used to be about 7 or 8 . . . :freak:

Congrats on the new employment. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Great news! I've been blessed with my job but I can imagine the feeling that must creep up on good, hard working men who are out of work. For almost 2 yrs, every quarter there would be layoffs, and everytime, I spent sleepless nights in near panic wondering when the ax would chop my head off. I still don't think I'm out of the woods, as my company refuses to allow anyone to feel to secure in their job.

I don't think corporations realize how much THEY are adding to the nation's slow sales and their own slumping numbers. With each layoff I hear about, I go into savings mode... which means I have less money to buy the products from ANY company. If my company would just say "ok, we're done... if you're still here, you're safe"... I would go and buy a new house and get the heck of the apartment I've been in for the last decade.

Why should anyone commit to spening big money if the corporations and companies of this country won't make even the smallest commitment to their employees? Greed is winning in America. I'm all for capitalism, but when the top 1% owns 98% of the wealth... there's nothing left for the rest of us... and we have no real politcial power either.. as the uber rich control the message. Mexico is a prime example of a capitist system being destroyed by the greed of the top 1%.

If the national inflation rate is approx. 4% per year, give or take, how come the average raise from the 2 largest retailers, which are also the 2 largest employement firms in the usa, Home Depot and Walmart, why are the average raises 1-1.5% hmmm. Depot has not given out a raise larger than 2% to anyone I know in the company (other then the bigwigs) in the last 5-6 years........how long has this recession been in the works?

And even though Depot always rants and raves how they never lay anyone off, they cut our benefits horribly and charge approximatly 600.00 a month for family coverage.
And they don't need to "lay people off" when its so easy to fire them. The new policy in place is "if a customer complains about you for any reason, your done, walked out, no questions asked", sorry, I see alot more (yes more, 4 in my store the last month) "non-layoffs" coming our way.

Sorry to bitch about every guys "toy store" but unless you worked there a long time, or know someone who has, you may not believe me. Honestly, if I could collect unemployment and work under the table to make up a couple bucks, I WOULD.

This recession won't last forever, and when it clears up a bit, I know alot of people who will be turning their backs on Home Cheapo and going another way.

I have heard that about Home Cheapo before from others . . . not a nice company to work for in that respect.

If the national inflation rate is approx. 4% per year, give or take, how come the average raise from the 2 largest retailers, which are also the 2 largest employement firms in the usa, Home Depot and Walmart, why are the average raises 1-1.5% hmmm. Depot has not given out a raise larger than 2% to anyone I know in the company (other then the bigwigs) in the last 5-6 years........how long has this recession been in the works?

And even though Depot always rants and raves how they never lay anyone off, they cut our benefits horribly and charge approximatly 600.00 a month for family coverage.
And they don't need to "lay people off" when its so easy to fire them. The new policy in place is "if a customer complains about you for any reason, your done, walked out, no questions asked", sorry, I see alot more (yes more, 4 in my store the last month) "non-layoffs" coming our way.

This is why I left private industry & took a Civil Service job @ MTA-NYCTA as a subway trian conductor. I already had my fill of the privhad
Sorry to bitch about every guys "toy store" but unless you worked there a long time, or know someone who has, you may not believe me. Honestly, if I could collect unemployment and work under the table to make up a couple bucks, I WOULD.

This recession won't last forever, and when it clears up a bit, I know alot of people who will be turning their backs on Home Cheapo and going another way.

This is why I went to work in Civil Service @ MTA-NYCTA as a Subway Train Conductor.
@ the age of 24 I decided that I had enough of the private sector & its
8u!!$#!+ after not a few bad experiences so I started taking civil service exams (traffic enforcement,MABSTOA Bus Co.,P.O. transit, etc.

It does not pay that much in relation to what you are responsible for but the Job security,medical & pension benefits cannot be beat.
If nothing else I can retire in less than a year & a half after my 55th birthday.
Its just too bad others cannot have this in the private sctor these days.

Neal:dude:

Congratulations to you all. :thumbsup::thumbsup: rr

i guess this is turning into a gripe session. let me in too, im an independent contractor carpenter/ and i have a heating repair licence.both licenceand insurance for both are becoming a burden to keepup but i do. here in rhode island ive read is the second highest unemployment rate in the usa.so im shakin the bushes everyday for work,but it seems like less is fallingout.ive been chasing a wind turbine company that plans to provide up to 800 jobs in rhody i want 1 can u imagine the number of people and the talent pool that will be tryin to score a job!! im just hoping that they see me as among the best and brightest(cmon stop laughin)i was born here and spect ill die here.hey at this stage ill do what it take to keep my wife and house and life above the risin tide. how am i doin? ok today ill see what tomorow brings.and all you other guys out there you keep hangin there. soon there will be slotcars for everyboy and girl!!

Congrats on the new employment guys!All of the above sums it up! YO !Its so hard in NY i work at a factory/warehouse where 85% of the people who work their cant complain about the two breaks being 8 minutes each(illegals can hurt you to one day)Ill just be happy and grateful for the employment,FOR NOW!:freak:sincerly MARCUS.....THE CLEAN VERSION

I think American's have got to open their eyes to this job thing. One of the starting points is that there are too many Americans who want it handed to them and gripe about wages. The Mexicans don't seem to care how much they get paid therefore many jobs are getting lost to illegals. I will work for minimum if that is all I can find and that is what I am am doing. 36K one year to minimum wage is a change but I have never lived above my means and only have student loans and a humble house payment. I really love my $500 VW Eurovan without a payment like most. Sitting on the couch complaining isn't getting anything done for me. I got my humble job and will work my butt off to keep it. We can all do it. Besides, I have enough slot cars and track to keep me busy for at least 2 years not to mention the encouragement and cool ideas from you guys here at HT. Everyone needs to keep the chin up and the rails clean. Thanks guys, David

I am sorry, but I think the job situation is worse than the healtcare situation. I feel like many of the people who can not afford healthcare is because they are unemployed. I was more than lucky to find an awesome job but most are not as lucky as me. I would like to see the President focus on jobs instead of healthcare.

When I had a job, I passed on health care. Giving up 1/5 of my weekly check just in case I got sick was crazy. Now I am unemployed, and still go without health insurance. I would rather have a job.

Amen VJ, and happy for everybody that has a job! Environment in big business/corp America is tough. You ask for stuff to make your job better, to sell more or improve customer service, you get "don't complain, you're lucky to have a job." Obstacle to things getting better, and as long as they enjoy making you feel insecure and frightened ("Where would you go?") few are comfortable making financial commitments - save mode is right - and those businesses that would benefit from those purchases don't get work and won't hire. A viscious circle.

That "stimulus" money went to some strange places, didn't it? A lot of gov't programs, not the promised job stimulus at all.

When I had a job, I passed on health care. Giving up 1/5 of my weekly check just in case I got sick was crazy. Now I am unemployed, and still go without health insurance. I would rather have a job.

You must be young and single with no kids....

60% of the bankruptcies in this country are due to medical costs and I think most of us are one big accident or sickness away from that ourselves.

Actually I'm 48, married with one 10 year old and an 11 year old extra we got last year. The wife and kids are covered. I haven't been to a doctor in 7 years, and don't plan on going. After my last bout with health insurance it's not worth the bother. The company was pulling 135.00 a week out of my check for insurance, and none of it was going to the insurance company. The 1000.00 worth of doctor bills for my son and wife ended up getting paid out of my pocket. This is on top of the 4 weeks pay I got screwed out of. If I even tried to get insurance now, all my pre existing conditions would prevent me from being covered for the most likely problems. I just chew a couple asparin and bear it. :drunk:

Had to come out of my shadowy semi retirement myself this year due to market trends. Missed the position I had wanted but took a lesser paying hell hole position with the same company to get a foot in.

Rather than dwell on my inalienable entitlements; I buckled down, zipped my lip and accepted the idea that nothing is forever unless you make it so. I spent extra time learning the facility, how our various departments interact, and networked myself internally whenever possible.

My transfer came through yesterday and along with it came better hours, better perks, and a fat pay raise. Granted it was a grueling eight month audition, but I wound up attaining my goal in much the same way as Dave mentioned in his thread starter.

Ironically my outgoing department's head said "Your gonna be tough to replace."

My new department's head man said , "This is a no brainer, why didnt we hire you before?" :freak:

Dumbasses!...er...I mean....Thank you sir! :tongue:


Note on insurance: Ujoe, they only cover the leg that's not broken....why would they cover something that is broken?...and they will cover the remaining sighted eye...with a patch; however they cant cover the eye you lost...because after all... it IS lost!

Agreed it's a joke and a travesty... short of gutting the fat hog it has become and starting over I dont have the answer.