Jobless find new work, not old standard of living

[UpInArms]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2001979079_jobless14.html

Trent Burks used to earn $24 an hour as a painter for Boeing. It was a comfortable enough income that he and his wife could buy a larger home in Tacoma and still put a little away in savings every month.

But like thousands of other Boeing workers, Burks lost his job in December of 2001. And like thousands of others, he returned to school, got retrained and found a job that pays a fraction of what he used to earn.

"Believe me, it's a struggle," said Burks, 42, who now earns $14 an hour as an electrician. "We live paycheck to paycheck."

Burks is one of Washington's jobless who made his way back into the work force, which grew again in June, although more slowly than in previous months.

...more...

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Wish i made that much

I'm working like a dog for $7.50, no benefits. My husband lost a mechanic's job at $18 an hour, got another for $10, and lost it due to poor health. Of course, neither place has health insurance or any benefits. Just hope we're able to get along, as the former employer lied to make sure he was cheated from getting any unemployment.

[readmylips]

2. My neighbor, 2 years without a real job....

He's 54 and can only find odd jobs paying 6 to 9 dollars, but no job is permanent. He was with his company for 24 years, 25 he would have retired with full pension. He was forced to take a small money incentive or take nothing. He finally took a full time job with Sears, after a month Sears cut his hours back to 30. Now he goes on assignments only when Sears calls him. On his days off he answers Ads and sends resumes but no real job for 2 years.

[ocean girl]

3. Me too.

I've been unemployed for 3 years, after almost 30 years in publishing and advertising, including owning my own business for 5 years. I've never seen so few jobs in my life and I look EVERY day. Before this, I never had more than a 2 week gap between jobs and now I don't see anything on the horizon.

A few weeks ago, I had 2 very intensive, 4 hour interviews with company, and then found out the guy that was going to hire me, got fired himself!!! Everyone's scared to death right now - afraid to hire - afraid to take any kind of risk and holding on for dear life!

Luckily, my husband has a good job, but I miss working. I'm taking an on-line class to figure out what to do with the rest of my career.

Never give up - never surrender!!

[Krupskaya]

12. Another publishing vet

I'm going on three years without a job, too, after being laid off post 9/11 (due to "falling ad rates," blah blah) from a $45K/year magazine job. The publishing industry is CRAP right now. I figured I would freelance for awhile until things got better, and they haven't. Freelancing is cutthroat, too.

I'm really at a loss as to what to do. I'm considering joining the trades.

[marlakay]

18. I feel your pain!

I have been out of work for 5 months. Quit to move, luckily husband has good job but I am bored except for working on Kerry campaign. I went to interview earlier this week at job placement place, she told me it is an employers market and basically check in once a week. The way she said it was like, don't hold your breath for getting a job!

[mhr]

19. Unemployed Four Years Here

2,000+ resumes out the door, nothing in the way of interest.

Have run out of options and ideas.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. But you are safer now

He's 54 and can only find odd jobs paying 6 to 9 dollars, but no job is permanent. He was with his company for 24 years, 25 he would have retired with full pension. He was forced to take a small money incentive or take nothing. He finally took a full time job with Sears, after a month Sears cut his hours back to 30. Now he goes on assignments only when Sears calls him. On his days off he answers Ads and sends resumes but no real job for 2 years.<<

GWB... making America safer for poorer people. Gotta love it... I have been working through temp agencies.... after what I had.... it is a real reality check.

[xchrom]

5. seems like orwell was the author

for the entire age we live in.
it's gonna get worse before it gets better regarding jobs -- until we cut corporations off from the politicians -- we are screwed.

[fearnobush]

6. When do workers get their due from the Ministry of Plenty.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

7. Bananna republicans

>>until we cut corporations off from the politicians -- we are screwed.<<

We have been screwed for sure. What can we expect from bananna republicans?

[struggle4progress]

8. kick for lower and lower wages

:kick:

[Massacure]

9. $14 isn't so bad in my neck of the woods. Not sure about Washington

[saigon68]

10. "We are on the Cusp of the Recovery" THE CHIMPANZEE 2/12/2004

YA NICE QUOTE ---ASS FACE

[DeepModem Mom]

11. kick

[Danmack]

13. I've worked 10 of the last 38 months....

20+ years exp in:Material-Inventory manager, process specialist, MS office expert, Purchasing mgmt.

Made $28/hr 38 months ago, last job I had started at $11 as a stockroom boy (I'm 47)and lasted 7 months before laid off.

It just seems everything has melted. I'm in debt up to my ears now where I wasn't 38 months ago. Got one more UE check and then I don't have a clue on what to do.

Dad says I can move back with him and mom. Now isn't that a great thing for your ego.

Life sucks.

I just wish there was a light at the end of the tunnel, but there isn't.

What makes it worse is reading all the lies from the BA that the economy is just cranking along and knowing for some it is (the rich and corp america), and they will do anything to keep these SOB's in power.

[mhr]

20. My Letter To The Kerry Campaign That Touches On These Issues

www.johnkerry.com/onlinehq/mediacorps/yourstory.php .

------

Dear Mr Kerry,

I used to believe in the American dream - stay out of trouble, get an
education, serve your country, and work hard with success virtually
guaranteed.

I used to believe that this country was for everyone not just the
wealthy and powerful.

I used to believe that our institutions mattered and that they
represented a tradition of honesty and integrity not a haven for
partisan politics and special interests.

I used to believe that we could make a difference in the world by
example not through lies, threats, torture and war.

I no longer believe.

Now unemployed for four years, I have come to understand that
America is a sham, nothing more than a racket for the ultra-wealthy
to extract their pound of flesh from people like myself. Once exploited,
we become little more than roadkill on the corporate super highway
- discarded like yesterday's news.

The America that I grew up believing in is dead, replaced by cabal of
avarice, deceit and deception all designed to benefit those who have
at the expense of those that have not.

I honestly don't know you Mr. Kerry and can say that you are not
speaking to the issue that matters most to me, a fair and equitable
America.

A nation that understands we are stronger when all
citizens share the fruits of our collective work and sacrifice. A nation that
emphasizes our shared experience and beliefs. An America that puts
people before profits, nation before corporation, and society before economy.

Maybe you can make a change. I hope that to be true. Many of us would like to believe again.

Sincerely,

MHR

[TahitiNut]

24. Very good letter.

After all, if our government isn't about Justice, both social and economic, then what is its legitimacy?

[TahitiNut]

27. A close friend has been unemployed for over four years.

He finally lost everything last year: no income and no assets left. He got a call from a collection agency last week. The collection agent was calling from India!!

I see this as prototypical of the rape of the working class in America by the Busholini Regime.

[rfkrocks]

14. The truth is out there

The rich getting richer and the middle class in big trouble- Bush world-like Biffworld in the back to the future movie series-is a dark place-

[Ernesto]

15. "Unions are a detriment to the economy"

A quote from the chimp

[chicaloca]

16. This is why we have all those reports that unemployment is down...

Because there are more underemployed people than ever before. The LA Times had a great article about this a few months ago in the business section. We need to scream it from the rooftops that less unemployment in the traditional sense does not mean that things are getting better or that people can afford to buy groceries or medicine.

[TahitiNut]

21. It can be seen in Real Average Weekly Earnings ...

Table A. Composition of change in real earnings of production
or nonsupervisory workers(1) on private nonfarm payrolls
_____________________________________________________________
        |          |          |          |          |
        | Average  | Average  | Average  |   The    |   Real
        |  hourly  |  weekly  |  weekly  | Consumer | average
 Year   | earnings |  hours   | earnings |  Price   |  weekly
  and   |          |          |          | Index(2) |earnings
 month  |__________|__________|__________|__________|________
        |
        | Percent change from preceding month, 
        | seasonally adjusted
________|____________________________________________________
        |          |          |          |          |
2003:   |          |          |          |          |
  June  |    0.2   |    0.0   |    0.2   |    0.2   |    0.0
  July  |     .4   |    -.3   |     .1   |     .1   |    (3)
  Aug.  |     .1   |     .0   |     .1   |     .4   |    -.4
  Sept. |     .0   |     .0   |     .0   |     .3   |    -.3
  Oct.  |     .1   |     .3   |     .4   |    -.2   |     .6
  Nov.  |     .2   |     .3   |     .5   |    -.3   |     .8
  Dec.  |    -.1   |    -.6   |    -.7   |     .2   |    -.8
2004:   |          |          |          |          |
  Jan.  |     .3   |     .6   |     .9   |     .6   |     .3
  Feb.  |     .2   |     .0   |     .2   |     .3   |    -.1
  Mar.  |     .2   |     .0   |     .2   |     .5   |    -.3
  Apr.  |     .3   |    -.3   |    (3)   |     .2   |    -.2
  May(p)|     .3   |     .3   |     .6   |     .7   |    -.1
  Jun(p)|     .1   |    -.6   |    -.5   |     .3   |    -.8
________|__________|__________|__________|__________|________

[TahitiNut]

22. That means $100/week in June 2003 became $98.69/week in June 2004

The cumulative effects of hourly earnings, hours/week, and inflation means that the average worker (lucky enough to have a job) lost 1.31% of the value of their labor in that 12 months.

[Jack Rabbit]

17. This is why Bush is going down

This shows why talk on "impoved" economic figures is bogus rhetoric. A fellow who was earning $70,000 with benefits as a computer programmer two years ago who is now stocking shelves at WalMart after a long stint on the unemployment line probably doesn't consider himself employed, even if the Department of Labor does.

[AnnInLa]

23. I'd like to hear Tucker Carlson address.....

Tucker repeats over and over again statements about how many new jobs were created and how the jobless rate is down, down. But, the many jobs that were lost during the Bu$sh reign were mostly in the manufacturing industries and had BENEFITS, like health insurance and retirement; and the jobs found are in the service industry and do NOT include BENEFITS. So the job-loss problem is much deeper than it seems on the surface, because of the added pain of losing benefits. We are going to hell in a handbasket, quickly. But, of course, the economy is improving....for whom?

[Mountainman]

25. Well why the hell ain't these folks putting away for retirement and of

course they will have to pay a bigger share of their health care costs, if they have health insurance at all.

Once we do away with social security and medicade they will be better off because we can lower taxes on the wealthy who will give them 2nd and third low paying jobs so they can have a decent life style.

[Yavin4]

26. Labor Is Becoming Devalued

Somebody posted a link to a story about Boston Consulting Group telling their corporate clients to more aggressively outsource to cheap labor markets. The story mentioned getting labor for $1 an hour. In NYC, you can earn $1 an hour just by collecting plastic bottles. IOW, the globalized compensation for a factory seamstress or assembly line worker on your automobile IS THE SAME AS the compensation for the poor soul picking up plastic bottles to take them to a recycling center.

[llmart]

28. All of the personal stories here break my heart.

I talked to a woman the other day who is 55 and works a full time job for very little pay and works a part time job in retail in the evenings and weekends. I said to her, "You must be exhausted" and she nearly broke down in tears. She said she was barely making it. Someone her age shouldn't have to be in that position in the richest country in the world. I can't tell you how pissed off I get when I hear these stories. I live in a wealthy area and when I see the rich flaunting their big McMansions and SUV's I have a hard time not hating them. I almost start sympathizing with the crooks who steal because maybe that's the only way we will have any equity in this country. I have never bought the media's bullshit about a recovery. There has been none.

[ikojo]

29. The American way of social darwinism is the BEST ecomomic

system on the planet.

After all the company must do these things to stay in business. Companies are under no obligation to keep people employed. People who lose their jobs can improve their skills by going back to school.










At least that's what some Dems and all Republicans and liberatarians believe.


Isn't capitalism grand?

[Mari333]

30. sold everything I own

got everything else up for sale. Cant afford the taxes anymore. Cant afford a damned thing. Living cheap. F*ck the corporations. I will beat them at their own game. Wont buy a goddamned thing.
Ill live like my dad taught me, live with nothing. If Gandhi can do it, so can I. This is a depression.
I took a 2 week course for a health care job. Now, I have to take the state test. Im waiting for that, then Ill work for a while at the age of 52. Whats really ridiculous is I stayed home with my kids when they were little..values eh? Repukes are all liars..stay home moms end up screwed. Well, there arent any jobs here..its a 10% unemployment rate here.
If anything makes my heart break, its seeing so many people losing everything they own, everything they worked for.
and dont forget..the baby boomers are about to retire..and Bush wants to attack Iran..
goodbye social security, goodbye retirement.