VincentHill
Needs a life
Posts: 6520
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posted April 03, 2003 01:28 PM
Not About Bikes, 20 people were sent Home today
Not since the late 80's and early 90, have we had layoffs. There are about 400 working here and we just went through the 5% senario, and we have the 10% senario in hand for a little later this year. Folks, times are not good and they may get worse before they get better.
Another thing is that when I started, we got paid up to the date. When we got paid on Friday and you were not there, they had to take it out of the next check. They changed that about 10 years ago. Of the 400 people that were here, there are now less than 50 that get paid the way I do! Do what you must, but hang in there!
  
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jonwright
Needs a job
Posts: 2416
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posted April 03, 2003 03:09 PM
Where do you work and what do you do?
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VincentHill
Needs a life
Posts: 6520
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posted April 03, 2003 03:26 PM
Hard to believe, But of all places, I work for the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The #1 thing they do that anyone knows about id they Publish SCIENCE Magazine (To Science people the same as the New England Journal of Medicine is to Doctors) Title is Senior Collector & Credit Analyst. In other words, I approve Credit and then when they do not pay, I get it back. Hence the !!! and Bolding all over the place. I really do speak loudly and forcefully all day long and it is hard to stop. I sort of write like I talk and sound. (As my wife  )
This place puts Science in the classrooms in schools, even puts it in churches and I knew about Fosamax before my mother's doctor did and she taught at Georgetown. (It helps grow bones and stops them from breaking). Advertising is down when the Universities cannot advertise for Professors because the States cannot give them any more money, because the Tax Base is less because the residents are unemployed! I think you realized that I am upset today, because a "Tax Cut" will not do these newly unemployed much good right now when you have no job / income to benefit from. I and some others offered to donate 1 day a pay to retain some of the people, but the association did not want to do this either. It really disturbs me to see your collegues leave. Thanks for asking!
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wannabe
Pro
Posts: 1931
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posted April 03, 2003 04:17 PM
Vincent, I know how you feel. I live and work in Silicon Valley, and it seems like the tech sector was hit the hardest in this slump. My company recently (2 weeks ago) went through its first layoff in its history. They laid off 20% of our workforce, and among them were some of my really good friends. This is not the first time I've survived a layoff. You end up with a kind of survivor's guilt. You feel bad for your friends, and you kinda feel guilty because you're happy that it wasn't you.
Hang in there, V. Just go home, kiss your wife, and be happy that you weren't one of the 20.
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"There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; the rest are just games." - Ernest Hemingway
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kcadby
Pro
Posts: 1733
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posted April 03, 2003 04:56 PM
Suck-ohla...
Hang tight Vincent...
We are lucky here (so far) more work than we can keep up with...
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12RPilot
Pro
Posts: 1094
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posted April 03, 2003 05:39 PM
 Edited By: 12RPilot on 3 Apr 2003 17:40
Anyone been following Goodyear Tire lately? We'll be lucky if they don't file Chapter 11 before June.
Here in Illinois the universities just jack up the rates every year to cover projected budget shortfalls. Wish I could do that !!!! In the end, I just wanna keep my Ninja and my guns. The bank can have the rest.
 
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blink
Novice Class
Posts: 48
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posted April 03, 2003 06:18 PM
Sorry to hear about this Vincent. Everyone but one person in the department where I work who had more than 20 years was "restructured" last week. One person had 35 years and was only 2 years from retirement.
Many others had 25 years. This is the easiest way for Companies to cut the costs of their pension plans. They will be replaced with temporary workers with little benefits and no pension plan impact. It would appear that even these temporary jobs are just a phase before everything goes to a lower cost labor market overseas. The products we make have virtually no sales in the 3rd world so the people who will be making the products we used to make here won't be able to afford them. We used to be a $2 billion a year company. Now we are getting all excited about the potential to sell $30 million in China. As our sales drop and the sales to China increase you can project when the two lines will meet. Unfortunately our company will have ceased to exist before this happens.
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VincentHill
Needs a life
Posts: 6520
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posted April 03, 2003 06:40 PM
Misery loves Company, but I do not think it loves Miserable Company!
WOW!! Guys, We never talk about this stuff and when we do, it is shocking! I really did not know about Goodyear, I worked for Firestone for 3.5 years, the 2nd longest Job I ever had, on this one is more! Those Steelbelted Tires everyone wanted and the French (Who Else) Developed with the 2 Ply Michelin Radial tire. They never coated the Steel with Glass like Goodyear did and the steel got hot and came out. Originally on the 500 and they were on Corvettes and destroyed I do not know how many rear Fenders!
I joke with people when I call them and they are embarassed about being late with a payment. I tell them "If everyone pays on time I am unemployed. If they pay too easily, then they pay me less." Now I need to add one, If no one buys anything or buys on credit, I am unemployed. Thanks for the good words folks, because I took this harder than I thought I would. AT least, some were given real good terms, like everything they had in leave, plus a % of annual pay for every year they had been there! Something like a Month per year Up to 100%
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Made History @ Daytona and still one fast old man!!
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Zhooligan
Moderator
Post Whore Extraordinaire!
Posts: 3829
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posted April 03, 2003 07:45 PM
Hope things hold up for you personally Vincent. Things are pretty tough all around for a lot of folks.
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To those who do not count their life in years, but in how life
has touched them in the past and how much it can hold in the
future; -- Youth is forever.
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tbbt
Expert Class
Posts: 114
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posted April 03, 2003 07:50 PM
Edited By: tbbt on 3 Apr 2003 19:50
I've been laid-off since last October... Unable to find a job yet.
Soon I'll have to have my Vanson jacket modified. I'll have to have them put a sign on the back that reads "Will work for gas money..."
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AKA: T^2
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tbbt
Expert Class
Posts: 114
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posted April 03, 2003 07:53 PM
Actually, this unemployed thing is really starting to suck...
I spend a lot of time traveling between Panic and Depression, with an occasional trip to Apathy.
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AKA: T^2
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slug
Pro
Out in search of my mind...
Posts: 1433
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posted April 03, 2003 08:12 PM
yeh, in last 6 months we have had 150 or so laid off. mostly due to moving assembly lines to mexico. (and soon, china)
needless to say i am looking around for another place of employment, so that i move on MY terms and not on spur of the moment
the dot commers killed us.
the 'quick buck' based on ether and smoke
when the wind started blowing, it was gone.
the problem with non-tangible products.....
my IRA has been declining since 98...it is worth WELL less then what i have put in to it
*sigh*
 
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frEEk
Administrator
ummm... yeah
Posts: 9660
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posted April 03, 2003 08:12 PM
tbbt, if i may throw my $0.02 (CDN) in, get whatever job u can in the meantime. as in whatever min wage gig u can find. the mone may be pitiful, but it's better n nuthing. at least it slows down the growing pit of debt. plus it gives u something to do. the main problem of course is availability to look for real work and time for interviews etc. i spent 4 months last year as a parts driver for a local auto parts store. it was just barely enough to cover my mortgage, but no car insurance, gas, food, heat, phone, etc. but still, it means i was $4000 less in debt at the end of those 4 months when more normal work became available. plus it was actually pretty fun for the most part. that's the good thing about min wage jobs: they'r usually dead easy
obviously u may not have that option for an number of reasons, and dont think i'm pullin a holier than thou on u. just relaying my experience in teh same situation.
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your car is slow
Needs a job
Fuck Nitrous...Got Boost?
Posts: 4089
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posted April 03, 2003 09:27 PM
Its nuts here...My boss got let go a few months back...nice cushy 6 figure salary down the tubes. He hasnt been able to even find an entry level job in the IT field lately.....I couldnt believe it.
So thankful to be employed right now....it seems like a nightmare in the job market :/
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Do not taunt happy fun ball!
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Zhooligan
Moderator
Post Whore Extraordinaire!
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posted April 03, 2003 10:18 PM
Yeah one of the problems in the market these days is there are essentially two spots. Big dollar high paying jobs and low paying min. wage stuff. With very little in the middle. So when you lose your job you don't drop a notch you fall off of the empire state building.
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To those who do not count their life in years, but in how life
has touched them in the past and how much it can hold in the
future; -- Youth is forever.
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wannabe
Pro
Posts: 1931
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posted April 03, 2003 10:34 PM
On a lighter note, Vincent, now that I know what you do, I can't stop picturing you on the phone saying "You are past due on your payment. Your payment terms are 'net 30,' not 'net-whenever-I-feel-like-it!' Now, when can I expect to receive a check?!"
I used to sit one row over from our accounts receivalbe pit bull. I used to hear her say that at least once a day. 
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12RPilot
Pro
Posts: 1094
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posted April 04, 2003 05:38 AM
My wife used to work collections for MTX speaker company. If you knew her, you would understand how ineffective she was. A total pansy. Needless to say, they found her something else to do.
BTW, I see on today's headlines: Goodyear posts record $1.1 billion loss. When they go tits up, maybe I can be a crash tester for Vanson or Joe Rocket. I have crashing down to regular habit.
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jonwright
Needs a job
Posts: 2416
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posted April 04, 2003 07:47 AM
Guys, I work in IT as well. My company (a major IT equipment supplier) has done almost quarterly layoffs since I've joined the company almost two years ago. I got in right when things started to get bad.
Yeah, I'm kinda nervous because I'm not sure what I'd do next if I ever got laid off. Here in my office I've seen it go from almost 20 guys (we're in a field office) to 8.
Yeah, we're all kinda sweatin' it right now. A couple of the sales guys would leave, but there's no where to go. There ain't crap out there.
I thank God that I haven't been put in the unemployment line. There but the grace of God go I...
We were one of the many companies that enjoyed the stooopidness of the dotbomb era. Now that that party is over we're having to figure out how to pay for all the cocaine we all snorted up a couple of years ago while partying hard.
Well, if it does happen I don't think I'd go back to IT. America started with exporting assembly lines (those of you with 80's era Hondas should pat yourselves on the back) and now the white collar jobs are moving over seas as well. I've seen my customer eliminate a whole development organization and move it to....INDIA.
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VincentHill
Needs a life
Posts: 6520
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posted April 04, 2003 07:52 AM
AGAIN, WOW!! Out of work since October, I did not work for a year one time to road race and stated that I was all over the country looking for work GoodYear can not afford that kind of loss!
Actually, commercial collections are a lot easier than Consumer. I allow people to get to 60 before I get to them, then there is no excuse and no duck and hide.
Best part of my job is when I go home at night, I am a very nice person, because "I gave at the Office" and have no animosity lefy
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zx12zx11
Expert Class
Posts: 471
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posted April 04, 2003 11:21 AM
I feel for anyone that has gone through all the crap that is going on.
I work for Delta Air Lines. But for how much longer who knows.
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VincentHill
Needs a life
Posts: 6520
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posted April 04, 2003 12:39 PM
Delta is in the best shape of any Airline except (of course) South West Airlines. I fly the Delta Shuttle to NY or ride the Acela High SPeed Train. If the Airlines go under, Delta should be the last one, because to me, they are one of the Best ones!
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Zhooligan
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posted April 04, 2003 12:54 PM
Delta usually comes out at the top of the list when the consumers are surveyed.
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To those who do not count their life in years, but in how life
has touched them in the past and how much it can hold in the
future; -- Youth is forever.
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wannabe
Pro
Posts: 1931
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posted April 04, 2003 12:55 PM
Yup, as far as service goes, Alaska is #1 in my book, but of the major airlines that fly everywhere, Delta has by far the best service in coach.
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Megabyte
Pro
Posts: 1047
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posted April 04, 2003 03:22 PM
Over here in Seattle/Everett Boeing has laid off over 30,000, and many high tech jobs have been lost too. I've been through 2 layoff, and understand how it feels. Hang in there 
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We First make our habits and then our habits make us.
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VincentHill
Needs a life
Posts: 6520
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posted April 04, 2003 07:39 PM
How does a community lose 30,000 real Jobs and not become Gary Indiana, Youngstown Ohio or even where I am from Toledo Ohio (Even Toledo Scale is not made there any more. Not to mention Champion Spark plugs! Willis Jeep is now being made in Willis Overland where they were made in the 40's)
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Made History @ Daytona and still one fast old man!!
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