Just curious.

I lost mine late last year. I was job eliminated after 11 years at one place in a massive restructuring. Fortunately I found a new and better gig. I'm lucky. I know a lot of very talented people in survival mode right now and I wish I could do something for every one of them.

How about you all? I'm sure you all know someone affected. Anyone else here part of the statistics?

I lost mine late last year. I was job eliminated after 11 years at one place in a massive restructuring.

may i ask what union caused your companies financial woes?

I lost mine late last year. I was job eliminated after 11 years at one place in a massive restructuring. Fortunately I found a new and better gig. I'm lucky. I know a lot of very talented people in survival mode right now and I wish I could do something for every one of them.

WTF? How can that be? I though you controled the world?

I'm in decent shape, but I know alot of people that are really screwed.

chiracsapussy wrote:

I lost mine late last year. I was job eliminated after 11 years at one place in a massive restructuring.

may i ask what union caused your companies financial woes?

I worked in print media, magazines. It's a dying business and this crisis only added water to the sinking ship.

Haven't lost it, but we've been working cut hours since mid-May.

I survived two elimination rounds (mind you my division was still profitable). I quit because I was sick of the russian roulette. I worked in accounting/financial reporting. Right now I am simply tending to my recently purchased properties and looking forward to passive income. I am not being smug, I just think NYC is finished for many of us, the party is over.

Been self-employed since 1997 and business is fine, if improving. Those banks and suppliers who wouldn't loan a shit sandwich as a start-up are now treating me *very* nicely.

I worked in print media, magazines. It's a dying business and this crisis only added water to the sinking ship.

ah yes so it was the pressmans union, i knew it

Got laid off on February 15th with severance pay through May 15th and a check for about 8 weeks vacation time. Found a new job by May 1st. Very fortunate to have skills.

.......so far so good but sales have been down since november. no signs of recovery yet. ironically we have lost two employees recently which may have saved us from any layoffs. one was sleeping on the job and the other came to work drunk. i'm sure they won't have trouble finding work.
i have a friend who was a superintendent for a construction contractor. lost his job after 30 yrs.
another is a bean counter for a manufacturer. they have had a heavy layoff recently. and another supervisor who said his plant let their whole midnight shift go. the longer this drags out the worse it gets.

It's amazing how surreal this all is compared to things last year at this time. House of cards collapsed so quickly.

.......the speed and the lack of control we as the voting public seem to have. i hate to turn on the news.

let's see what did we lose today?

2007 was the peak year for us. Business is down 40% since then overall, but we are still in the black. We've had quite a few layoffs, but as things are now I am fairly secure I think. If we had anyone but Obama at the helm I wouldn't even sweat it.

The owner, unlike our government, was smart with his money during the good times and kept his debt low and a sizable "rainy day" fund.

None of the above. I lost my jobs for other reasons, but had trouble finding work due to the recession.

I have my own business. Site services, all supplied by me, rebuilding old process equipment. I install PLC's and other control systems.

Business is booming, all in third world countries. In the last year I only worked 3 weeks in the USA. The downturn means keeping old equipment running. You should see some of the old rusty crap I keep running.

I don't know of anyone that's lost their job, but I know quite a few looking for one.

Business has never been better. Will have to hire a couple of guys.

Been looking at property on the river.

tozer wrote:

It's amazing how surreal this all is compared to things last year at this time. House of cards collapsed so quickly.

Last year at this time, things were already in the toilet, you just didn't know it because the financial media was not really doing its job.

My business, I had my best year ever last year, but that was due entirely to the corruption and stupidity of the people that run Chicago and Cook County, think contingency fees from five excessive force cases and one wrongful termination case with 10 years of back pay. The rest of my practice involves the average Joe, that's what keeps the lights on and the average Joe ran out of Dough last fall. Since then, things have sucked, probably 50% of what I did in an average year.

Everyone I talk to in any business, trucking, repair, printing, plumbing, agriculture, law practice, carpenters, even trade union thugs, layoffs, hours being cut back, four days of work one day off, furlough weeks every other month.

These income numbers that were published by the commerce department last week are worse that complete horseshit.


The only people that are not hurting?

I have a unique situation....I changed consulting firms a few months ago. I've been paid hourly for the last few years-not unusual in consulting and you often make more than you do when salaried-even with a 6 figure salary. Well the new firm has not had any of its bids go through so they've not given me anything to do. So I am "employed" but not working or getting paid which sucks and which is why I'm looking around.

Fortunately I've always made far more than I needed and have stashed a large amount of cash away so I would be fine for a long time even without working. Most did not do that so they are really struggling.

tozer wrote:

Just curious.

I lost mine late last year. I was job eliminated after 11 years at one place in a massive restructuring. Fortunately I found a new and better gig. I'm lucky. I know a lot of very talented people in survival mode right now and I wish I could do something for every one of them.

At some point, you will have to give up pole dancing.

Being self-employed, I'm doing fine - but some important customers are looking wobbly and are cutting back. Luckily my missus has a well-paid and absolutely secure job.

Germany currently has 8.1% unemployed (slightly down on last month), but it's been worse than that in other years. The rate is expected to rise, but Germany will manage: even those existing on the miserly HartzIV benefits aren't really suffering.

i wonder if spikes ok after all he was him selling property that started the whole crisis

good luck for you all who lost their job.

I would like to adivse you to look for another one as soon as you can.

The crisis is just at its begining.

I really think the crisis will end at the end of summer 2010

Since the crisis, I've been promoted twice. I guess it is a question of perspective.