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AllezAllez510
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 11, 2009 - 08:57pm PT
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Well, I got my pink slip today, so it got me thinking...even if you have a job, how has the recession affected you? Dumb question maybe, but has anyone seen a bright side to this...like more time to climb?
I'm a teacher, so I see the recession through the eyes of my kids. Kids coming to school with no lunch, hand me down clothes, no school supplies, tired from moving from house to house, parents divorcing, etc. Every year we have science camp where the kids go to a "camp" for four days. It costs $250. Last year we had 130 (of 160) go. This year, we had 100 (of 160).
It also makes me think about how out-of-touch politicians (from both sides of the spectrum) are. I really wonder if they have any clue what's really going on? Especially in California. My opinion of the CA state legislature is about on par with sack of dog sh!t.
Cool. Rant over. I'm going to the gym while I can still afford it.
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Moof
Big Wall climber
A cube at my soul sucking job in Oregon
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Feb 11, 2009 - 09:28pm PT
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5 days forced vacation in the next two months, more to come for the following quarter in all likelihood. We have 6 days of shutdown with forced time off over Xmas already, so I already have zeroed out my vacation days. They've requested that we try to borrow the maximum 80 hours of vacation by years end so we start next year owing them 2 weeks (that comes out of any severance).
10% arbitrary and unilateral pay cut. No clear criteria for restoration, just the companies whim. Raises this year were, of course, canceled a while ago (retarded eval. process lives on...).
Still, I have it better than a lot of folks like yourself who are being canned, getting much more substantive furloughs, or getting 20% cuts.
My present project is "fully funded", but we can't buy much needed software licenses that are only about $4k, as cost controls are that ridiculously tight.
Wife is just finishing up her teaching program, and her district is planning on axing 300 teachers at the end of the year, and hiring none next year. Many of the non-contract folk (aides, admins, etc) are also either already cut, or soon to be cut. $25k burned on the degree that I'd really rather have in savings right about now...
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Feb 11, 2009 - 09:32pm PT
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watching the mail in my new school district. The Pink slip of almost a year ago, seemed evidence enough, for me, though!
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happiegrrrl
Trad climber
New York, NY
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Feb 11, 2009 - 10:04pm PT
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Yikes. So far for me I'm doing okay.
My three largest clients also happen to be the most wealthy of my clients, and each of them has slowed down on their quickness to remit payment. One(my largest client) has been "forgetting" and "it must have gotten lost in the mail-ing" me on every single invoice for the last six months. All of these people paid within days of invoice receipt up until late summer of '08.
Nobody has given an inkling of cutting service, so that's good. But 3 clients are the type that, if they lose their job, will suspend service. Two of the three are teachers and the other is in publishing.
I'm trying to get another venture up and running, doing an online shop with hair accessories made from vintage buttons. So far I have sold about $150 since 1/10/09. But....I have spend more than that in photography equipment, and raw materials....
One of my friends lost her job(in music industry) last July and has had an absolute awful time even getting interviews. The last we spoke, there was nothing on the horizon. She was putting on a string front of stoic determination, but the fear was palatable in speaking with her. A single mother of a two year old.
People on the streets of NY don't "seem" to be affected, but I can't say as I'm really connected to the business world much. Nobody in my building(20 apts) has lost their job that I know of, and most of them are office professionals in their 30's.
My landlord is worried he won't be able to rent an apt. on the ground floor in the building. It passed out of rent stabilization and was renting for over $2K. It is a TINY, on the street(noise/sense of privacy issues) studio that would be better as a (small) office.
New building in Manhattan has slowed WAY down. For the past several years it has been a dusty, chaotic cacophony of construction. Now - the ones that aren't finished are taking a lot longer to complete, and the crews are much smaller. I haven't so much as seen any demolition since the "meltdown," and it used to be seemed like every block had something coming down AND going up on it.
I talked with someone in construction back in November. he said any project that wasn't finalized to be started had been cancelled, and NO new projects expected for 2009.
I saw a news story a few weeks ago that said the number of women in the workforce will likely be more then men for the first time in the history of the US, as the jobs that are going bust are more typically male-oriented(construction and finance).
This will be hell on the emotional integrity of families, as men lose their abilities to support their families and have to rely on their wives wages; wages which used to be part of the whole or adjunct wages not necessarily counted on....
We are going to need to pull together as communities to help each other.
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AllezAllez510
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 11, 2009 - 10:28pm PT
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Yo Moof, what district does your wife work for? My sister works in Beaverton. I briefly attempted to move back to OR last summer. Sent out at least 30 resumes and did not get a single call back or interview...not a one. Had to move back to CA to get a job...which I lost today (well, I'll "lose" it in June).
I've got no wife or kids, or sizeable debt. I guess I should consider myself lucky. I guess I'll have to bookmark the jobs page for tuolumne and mono counties again...
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couchmaster
climber
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Feb 11, 2009 - 10:42pm PT
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Beaverton is doing poorly. My business partners wife is a Beaverton teacher. They are cutting back and shes hoping to miss the cut. I had thought teachers were sort of immune to all this. To get around the Union rules and contracts to do this, the administrators announced some state of emergency. I should have listened closer.
For moi: our largest customer, who has plants in China, India, Poland, Italy, 5 in the US, ETC etc. has announced plans to close the nearly facility. We flew out to the home office to pitch them for some other business, only to find out that although their requirements are shrinking (their largest customer is Caterpillar, and Cat has layed off over 20,000 recently and may do more) while the line to get that shrinking business has lengthened! There were 60 highly qualified bidders from all over the world for the slice of the pie they were offering to let us look at.
They say a recession is when it happens to the other guy: when it happens to you, it's a depression. Good luck Allez, you'd think that there should always be work for teachers someplace.
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dougs510
Social climber
down south
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Feb 11, 2009 - 10:47pm PT
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Been out of work since November.. perhaps a year contract job starting next week... Hopefully... cause my savings is about gone, and I'm a step from the sidewalk... this is some HARD TIMES
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Redwreck
Social climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Feb 11, 2009 - 10:50pm PT
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I'm an IT guy for a weekly newspaper in LA. Print media was already getting hammered before this recession and now it's REALLY getting hammered. About 20 of my coworkers have lost their jobs over the last several months, and it won't surprise me if I get laid off sooner rather than later. Assuming that I'm still employed in June I won't be getting the raise I'd normally get, and our hardware/software/infrustructure budget is basically frozen. Pretty grim all in all.
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Nohea
Trad climber
Aiea,Hi
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Feb 11, 2009 - 10:51pm PT
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Dang, sorry to hear that. I am in class right now with 7 other student teachers, our last class to finish our Masters. All of our schools seem positive about our employment next year. Hope that is true!
Enjoy the time off.
Aloha,
wil
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Crimpergirl
Social climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Feb 11, 2009 - 10:54pm PT
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Allez - sorry to hear that. I hope you can make the most of your time off.
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mike
climber
I have no clue
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Feb 11, 2009 - 11:04pm PT
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I got underbid by some lowbwall hack on a job yesterday. His Total Price on one unit was lower than my Materials for the same unit. People are working for free these days just to keep working. I don't get it.
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happiegrrrl
Trad climber
New York, NY
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Feb 11, 2009 - 11:13pm PT
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D'ya think that low baller figures he'll get the bid and then adjust the fee with some "reason" after having the contract signed?
Like when you go to the mechanic and he says "a new alternator will be X" and when you come back he tells you "Well, yeah, and I also found you need to have such and such and such and such replaced too" and tells you the bill is three times higher?
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Dick_Lugar
Trad climber
Indiana (the other Mideast)
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Feb 11, 2009 - 11:44pm PT
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Allez, that sucks and that's bad news if they're laying off science teachers to boot. I'll be in the market for an Earth Science secondary job in 2010. I still got my env. consulting job, may have to hold on to it a tad bit longer than I was planning too! You may have to bail out on CA. in the end, good luck!
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Moof
Big Wall climber
A cube at my soul sucking job in Oregon
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Feb 11, 2009 - 11:45pm PT
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Allez,
My wife is student teaching in the Beaverton school district, which is not doing so hot (as mentioned). Some of her fellow students are in districts that are MUCH worse off, one started rationing copier paper to 1/3 of last years already stupidly small level after only a couple moths of the school year. Basically the state is steadily cutting the education budget as the year goes on, as they really have no choice. Every time they estimate their revenues, new numbers come in that miss the revised projections, triggering another round of statewide tightening of everything.
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Moof
Big Wall climber
A cube at my soul sucking job in Oregon
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Feb 11, 2009 - 11:59pm PT
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Gave the mortgage company a call the other night. We're not hurting yet, but a lower rate would be really nice to help with the pay cuts, and the bank's been sending me lots of junk mail to get me to refinance. As expected, since I am slightly underwater, and nowhere near their required 20% equity, they told me a I was SOL to initiate a new loan. The phone drone didn't find it funny when I pointed out that they must really like the place more than me, and that being underwater I have nothing to lose if I walked away. She didn't respond when I asked how many payments I would have to miss to get my loan restructured, and started telling me I could borrow from my 401k to keep making payments.
I thought we'd done it right, conventional loan, zero late payments, pay a little extra every month, but none of that matters one bit. We are numbers on a balance sheet, nothing more.
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mike
climber
I have no clue
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Feb 12, 2009 - 12:04am PT
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Happy, those are called change orders. Usually done when a small item or idea is changed on the contract. If the scope of the job changes drasticaly, a new contract should be written up (to protect you and the client). More than likely this guy has no employees, no license, no insurance, no bond and no talent.
Caveat Emptor
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graniteclimber
Trad climber
Nowhere
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Feb 12, 2009 - 12:15am PT
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"Every year we have science camp where the kids go to a "camp" for four days. It costs $250. Last year we had 130 (of 160) go. This year, we had 100 (of 160)"
California Education Code Section 8263
A child shall not be denied participation in a field trip due
to the parent's inability or refusal to pay the charge. Adverse
action shall not be taken against a parent for that inability or
refusal.
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Redlands
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Feb 12, 2009 - 01:06am PT
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Mandatory 2 days per month unpaid furlough. Amounts to about 10% paycut...but since I worked a 9/80 anyway, now it just means I have every Fri off instead of every other Fri...I'll take that trade.
Luckily we are the project mgrs/engineers that will be executing those stimulus infrastructure projects, so layoffs are unlikely. Other agencies are looking at imminent layoffs.
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AllezAllez510
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 12, 2009 - 01:16am PT
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It's not classified as a "field trip." Devil's in the details. Believe me, we looked into it.
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graniteclimber
Trad climber
Nowhere
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Feb 12, 2009 - 03:27am PT
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California Education Code Section 35335
The governing board of any elementary, high, or unified
school district may charge a fee for school camp programs, provided that payment of such fee is not mandatory. No pupil shall be denied the opportunity to participate in a school camp program because of nonpayment of the fee.
If the district is charging students for anyting, they must be able to point to where they are authorized to do so.
Code of California Regulations, Title 5, Section 350
“A pupil enrolled in a school shall not be required to pay any fee, deposit, or other charge not specifically authorized by law.”
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