Getting layed off, rant mode on

[Regis]

Guys, I don't usually post things like this, I'd rather keep it fun and talk about gear and tube stuff, but this is weighing on me and I would like to rant.

I have worked at IBM since 2000 as a mainframe computer operator. We received notice in August that they were laying us off and sending our jobs to India. I have been in this business for twenty years, and a vast amount of American jobs in my industry and others have been lost due to outsourcing. I've been looking since August, and have had only one interview and one offer, for HALF the money I make at IBM. It was a crappy job I was overqualified for forty miles from my house, and now I feel guilty for turning it down.

I'm 51 years old, it's getting old trying to find a new job every five or six years. I'm pissed, I'm depressed, I'm scared of losing my house, and it has been an education discovering the numerous ways that stress affects a man, emotionally and physically.

I'm pissed at IBM, who would outsource the whole fucking company if they could, excepting of course the CEO and board of directors. I'm pissed at our government, that has relaxed the trade laws to the point that jobs are pouring out of America and into other countries like the sea poured into New Orleans after Katrina. Here in Atlanta, the two major auto manufacturing plants are shutting down and putting thousands of people out of work. Of course, the government is doing NOTHING to stop illegals from pouring INTO our country, taking jobs and money from legal citizens.

Ross Perot was damn right back in the nineties, that "Great Sucking Sound" he spoke of has banged on my door.

My last day is November 15, and this is the worst time of year to look for a job. Most companies have frozen their budgets, and the only way a position is going to come up is if somebody dies or gets fired, or quits. Realistically it will be February or March before I find something, and at that it will probably be a third shift job for 60% of my current salary, if I'm lucky.

I have to say some good things: I have had a tremendous amount of support from my friends. People are networking for me, taking me out to dinner, calling me to cheer me up, and giving me things. My friend Kerry gave me a vintage SuperFuzz pedal when I talked about one I had stolen. I tried to talk him out of it but he insisted. He also hooked me up with a part time job with a friend of his to help me get by for a while.

I envy guys like Enzo and you other fellas that have their own business. I'm sure you have your problems, but you damn sure won't lose your jobs to some unskilled, inexperienced Indian boy making eight bucks an hour, like I did.

Thanks for letting me rant.

[Tom Phillips]

Regis,
I can imagine how you must feel. I'm over 50 too. I've been through two layoffs in the last decade. First after 19 years with one company and then after 8 years with the next company. Most people I talked to were encouraging but there were others that said that I should brace for a big pay cut or find a new career. As it turned out, each new job was better than the previous one. I hope that you have the same positive outcome. There is a real shortage of experienced, positive attitude, get the job done people out there. That's where you can compete and be a star.
Best of luck to you,
Tom

[Sock Puppet]

It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.

Winston Churchill

S.

[Bob M.]

Now that you've ranted, go vote!

Bob M.

[John_H]

Originally Posted by Regis

Thanks for letting me rant.

Anytime man.. g/l in your job hunt.

[markbul]

When I look back at the jobs I had between 1973 and 1995, every company is now out of business. This just isn't our father's economy. I worked for a sheet metal shop up the street that made chassis for DEC among others - what ever happened to them? The best thing you can do is get a government job - in my town, they get 15 days sick leave every year.

Good luck with your job hunt - and feel free to rant when needed.

[madialex]

I am 42 am am scared to death I will not be able to find another job if something happens to mine.

The government could care less about our jobs leaving, why? Because it is making their buddies and Ceo's richer and earns them a few extra million in their pockets and an atta boy slap on the back thats why. This will be the most corrupt administration ever when it's all said and done.

Best thing americans can do is vow to never buy the stuff from the companies that outsource, but hell, jobs are leaving so fast who can keep up with who they all are anyway??

[Slobrain]

Well, Here goes my two cents worth...

Every time a Republican gets the office of President, this big layoff crap happens. It's to up shareholders stocks and get the CEO richer. Just look back at the Reagan years and the first older Bush President in office. Same shit different years...

Its all about greed in this country with big corporations and their lobbyist bribing the current Admin running the country and passing bills to help the corporations.Only to kick the American work force in the ass so they can ratchet up more doe in the corporate bank accounts.

Repubs crack me up as they will cause us workers to lose jobs, then when a few jobs come back around they act like they are doing you a REALLY BIG FAVOR, when in fact the same jobs come back with only 60% pay that was originally on the same job. And that’s "IF" your lucky enough to get a job in the same field again!

Don't you all get it, its about "power and control" of poor people in this country by the corporations running the show and the current Repub admin is the paid off puppets that make it happen.

Maybe with the change with the Democrats more in control of the senate the tides may turn lets just hope so. Or prey so...A bunch of them are rich too.

Also lets see if the gas prices go back up since the elections are done?
I bet they will.

Regis, I feel for you. Just try to keep a positive outlook as the stress can really do harm to you. I know, as I've been sick since my Dad passed in September due to a brain tumor and the stress from that has really kicked me in the butt big time. BTW, I'm 45 so I do know about stress..... I was a network specialist.

SLO

[Mars Amp Repair]

First of all, best of luck finding a decent job...you're certainly not alone...I've been there, too.
Well my take,
I worked in the consumer electronics repair field for 30yrs up until the mid 90's when it became very apparent that it was diappearing rapidly. Nice to find yourself at the journeyman level & it all turning to ash.

I left a great paying job w/great benes at Panasonic factory svc in 98 after 8yrs as it was becoming very obvious to me that they couldn't keep paying techs $23/hr to fix $100 VCR's. They all thought I was crazy....it closed in 2001.
I had an offer to get into something I thought would be more stable future. Ok I stumbled into the job. I worked for a relatively small local company that produced a photo printer that imaged directly on photo paper via a CRT (Sienna Photoprint). Quite an interesting arrangement...Greytag bought them out & then quickly went bankrupt. Back in the same boat yet again...all this after nearly 25yrs of stable employment...I never thought I'd see the day in America.
I then secured (really by luck) a job with ATT before 911 & the big telecom crash. Am still working here after numerous layoffs doing something called 'switch translations'. This was my first BIG CORP job. Last year I started my musicians quip repair biz out of motivation from the shear pain of working for a large corp & all the BS that you have to put up with that comes with it.

Once again, ATT has great pay great benes as well as the constant threat of being laid off. At each layoff I found myself constatly wonderin 'how the hell am I going to learn yet a new career at 50+' . We've all begun asking ourselves that question.

With my own biz growing , I'm back to doing what I really love & started doing when I was like 8yrs old.

It seems this is what happens to most of us when we climb the income ladder & get the great paying great benes job. It's called 'the golden handcuffs'. Real bittersweet. You finally get close to the top of your career, you hate being there, but can't leave the gold that it provides. I'm hoping to do just that. Trimming down the fat & getting back to basics. Call me nutz...it's what I know I HAVE to do or will really GO nutz .

Well after all that rant...I've decided that they can't outsource repairing stuff & as long as there are still players that don't want to buy disposable crap...and there's the new threat...with all this China made garbage...we're all stuck to some extent.
If this doesn't work, I think I'm gonna find a way to suvive living in a shoebox on the side of the street with my sign.
I wish the best to everyone who tries to pursue his/her passion...it seems it's becoming a harder & harder endeavor these days in America. I'm pissed. Our folks were actually able to foresee retiring at this point. glen-mars amp repair

[ken]

This isn't a political problem... it's caused by people who have no problem buying a $39.00 DVD player made in Hostilistan when an American made one is $199.

Ken

[Luijo]

You've got a point Ken but...are there still american-made dvd players?!
I mean in a big scale, not boutique hi-fi products that only a handful even know they exists.

[Regis]

Originally Posted by ken

This isn't a political problem... it's caused by people who have no problem buying a $39.00 DVD player made in Hostilistan when an American made one is $199.

Ken

You are right in that the populace eat up the cheap goods, hell, as musicians we do the same thing buying $39 Bad Monkeys and $100 tube microphones.

I do think it was short sighted polititions that in their zeal to provide us with cheap goods they didn't care/see what it would do to middle class workers.

I think that if those dipshits in washington, whether left wing or right wing would do three things the economy in this country would skyrocket like never before:

• Redo the trade laws favoring American manufacturers instead of foreign ones.

• CLOSE THE GODDAM MEXICAN BORDER!!!

• Change the tax laws to make it favorable for American companies to do business here instead of overseas.

That last one is one of the reasons I lost my job to an unskilled, inexperienced Indian boy.

[Slobrain]

Like I said before it’s the politicians that cause these problems and it will only get worse before it gets better.

I bet gas is going to go up again too since the Iraq civil war problems.


Impeach Bush Pulleeeze.......!!!!!!


SLO