What is your current work situation?

What is your current situation?

  • I'm working full time.

  • I'm working, but am short on hours.

  • I am unemployed.

  • I am unemployed AND my benefits have run dry.


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Satyr

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Jul 20, 2009
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Franklin Park, Illinois
This forum has a wide variety of people of all genders, race, and professional (or not) backgrounds. I just wanted to get an idea of who is still working. What is your profession? Where are you located? Are you working full time, short hours, or collecting unemployment? How do you see the future of your trade/industry panning out?


I'll start. I will turn 30 in October and have been with the same company for roughly 9 years now. I am a Union Sheet Metal Worker whos local covers the surrounding areas of Chicago. I was promoted to foreman a few months ago. That may sound good, but I feel like I have been promoted to Captain of a sinking ship.

Our shop mainly does HVAC for residential and light commercial applications. Much of our direct competition has either closed their doors or gone belly up. When I started years ago, there were 12 tradesmen in our shop and now I'm one of 3. We laid off our two apprentices in the past 2 weeks. They had a few hundred people in the field if you include installers and service techs. That number has dwindled. Foremen have been laid off. Superintendents have been demoted to foremen and owners are working as superintendents.

We have a little work coming up. Some of which is another phase of rehab work for section 8 housing. I think we are still waiting for payment of the last phase we did before we commit to the next.

I have been "assured" the company isn't going to close its doors. But it's hard to see how they will keep us going. With only 3 men in the shop including myself, we are down to 3 days a week. I am sure that will go up and down in the next few months. The only glimmer of hope I can see is if we win the bid for the 2016 Olympics. The decision should be made in October. But, who knows when they will actually break ground on any of the projects. Everything is all in limbo and I still don't think we've seen the eye of this economic storm just yet.

EDIT: Out of respect, I made this poll private.
 
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PTJD

Vaping At FL370
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Oct 20, 2008
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Malaga, Spain
Well my International contract is finished at the end of August, all projects completed for Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Australia. My new contract started last week but to cover the state of Oklahoma so I should be home a lot more. I am in the health care industry and things seem to be going fine.
 

happily

Ultra Member
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Verified Member
May 25, 2009
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anchorage, ak
Commercial construction superintendent, back to work now but had to give up all 12 helpers. In a way this is a blessing because I much prefer to wear tool bags over pushing pencils. Finding a new job in this economy would have paid about the same as my unemployment so I decided to take a nice long rest.(too long though)
 

Robert

Moved On
Jun 18, 2009
1,275
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57
San Diego, CA.
Unemployed and Curently going through Online HVAC Technician training- Unemployment Benefit!!

and now you tell me there are getting rid of the techs. where you are- oh no!

Now I'm more woried- I think I'm part Viking and I will revert if need be.

I installed flooring- mostly carpet for 13 years. For the past 4 year ending Jan 08' I was an Assistant Field Manager for a Floor covering company. We went to 4 day a week then 3 then goodbye- no one is buying houses.
 
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Satyr

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Jul 20, 2009
202
0
Franklin Park, Illinois
Unemployed and Curently going through Online HVAC Technician training- Unemployment Benefit!!

and now you tell me there are getting rid of the techs. where you are- oh no!

Now I'm more woried- I think I'm part Viking and I will revert if need be.

I installed flooring- mostly carpet for 13 years. For the past 4 year ending Jan 08' I was an Assistant Field Manager for a Floor covering company. We went to 4 day a week then 3 then goodbye- no one is buying houses.

Yeah, we've seen a very mild summer. Not as many AC units going out on people.
 

rave

* Resident Wood Nymph *
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Aug 20, 2009
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Raven's Haven, Indiana
I'm working full time, and busting my buns trying to do the jobs of two people. The small monument company where I work began with 13 people, but is now trying to function with six. I am a graphics designer using computer-aided design to create (of all things) headstones. Yeah - people still die when times are bad, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Aunt Martha is gonna get a tombstone. Folks figure that Aunt Martha can wait, and won't complain much about it. Still, I'm busier than a one-armed paper hanger trying to cover the whole CAD Dept. Kinda hard to be grateful when you're so overwhelmed.
 

bewzer

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Jul 23, 2009
349
3
Everett, Wa.
im a bartender, so my job isnt going away any time soon...so its keeping the bills payed...theres no big suprise we are doing well...when the economy goes to ****, we get busier...go figure...and we are so close to canada that all the rich people from japancouver come down and lose enough money on bacarat to buy 3 foreclosed homes a night...even though we are busier than ever though, and liquor sales alone are averaging about $70k a month higher than last year month to month, tips are down at least 25-50% from last year...i poured $1800 in booze saturday night and made $200...last year i would have made $400 easily with tips hitting upwards of $600 a night on the weekends, so times are getting a bit tough...at least i quit gambling

on a side note, i watched a guy lose $80k in 6 hours about 2 weeks ago...made me a sad panda

guess i will go see Al Green on thursday since im off...cheaper than going to the bar
 

Surf Monkey

Cartel Boss
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May 28, 2009
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Sesame Street
I put "working but short on hours" because I'm an independent contract graphic/commercial artist. This is usually the busy time of the year for me but it's really slow right now. My client work has been spotty at best. This time last year I had so much work I was having to farm some of it out to a third party.
 
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