Laid-off take survival jobs to pay the bills

[UpInArms]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=711&e=13&u=/usatoday/11917747

Two years ago, John Van Ness earned six figures and supervised employees. Now, the laid-off Sun Microsystems manager sells plumbing supplies at Home Depot.

"It's a job; it's a paycheck," says Van Ness, 57, of San Jose, Calif., who lost his job in 2001 and has seen his income drop from $125,000 a year to about $25,000. "But I'd like to get back to something I really enjoy doing."

It's a growing lament. More workers who find themselves unemployed are turning to survival jobs, taking hourly or part-time work to make ends meet as the economic rebound drags on.

Nearly 5 million people who want full-time jobs have settled for part-time work because of economic conditions, up roughly 30% from 3 million in July 2000, according to September unemployment data from the Department of Labor.

...more...

[4dsc]

1. Same thing happened to my brother

and I wonder if he still votes republican??

[saigon68]

9. Its because of abortion and gun control

Those 2 single issues elected Tommy Thompson (the scumbag) as governor of my state for 16 years.

[True_Blue]

11. Same thing happened to me

I was laid off a little over a year ago. Now I am making 1/2 of what I used to make.

[FuseONE]

2. yeah

drop from $125,000

Yea, that must sure suck to be in his position. Call me when you're begging relatives to sleep on their basement floor and eating toast three meals a day, John. Then I might feel sorry for you. Cause you see, I'm getting laid off in a month, and I haven't been making $125K for god knows how long. I'm making 25K. I feel your pain though
:nopity:

[elfwitch]

3. sad but common in these uncertain times

Anyone who has a job is lucky to have it. Anbody who doesn't has my deepest sympathy. I understand the perils of a huge income drop. Our household went from two salaries to one when my husband started school and my son was born. It isn't easy living on what I make in a city as expensive as Dallas. I cannot even begin to imagine how someone is doing it on 25K in California.

[Yavin4]

4. In The Eyes of Republicans, There's No Difference Between

$25,000 a year and $125,000 a year.

[elfwitch]

5. I guess poor is poor...

You are probably right. Even $125K is not enough to make them care. It would be interesting to see all of these rich A-holes try to make it on $50K for a year. Though I doubt it would make any difference. Evil cannot be taught, only destroyed!
:nuke:

[Guaranteed]

6. Sad? You've got to be kidding.

I've never made over twelve bucks an hour. Shut the hell up, you spoiled piece of crap (and yes, I have a bachelor's degree). "Oh no I'm not making 125K per year anymore"...psssh. Fucking pig.

[UpInArms]

7. never made that kind of money either

and have worked damned hard for every penny I earned - oh well -

I think this article is interesting because these are the people that the "good times" have rolled for ..

the ones that "made it" and they are going to find out how hard it is to "make it" without all of their money -

when our congress has no qualms about making $158,000 (oh! they have to have 2 homes!) and the average person makes it on $25K or less, the disparity is more apparent.

More people will wake up without the ability to buy their designer jeans and logo shirts and all that crap...

just a prole, I am :shrug:

[KC]

8. Well

I'm sorry when anyone loses their job and that he lost his high paying job, but welcome to OUR world Mr Van Ness...now you can see how impossible it is to live from paycheck to paycheck.

KC

[Avalon Sparks]

10. Man that was a depressing article......

It really scared me...

I was laid off after 9/11 from my cushy and high paying tech job... I did the unemployment thing and I hate to admit it, but I kinda enjoyed it and I didn't look at any jobs that weren't specific to my field - of course I didn't get even ONE interview but the week after my unemployment ran out I was able to obtain a high paying sales job, but quit after 6 months because of the high, high stress, I was fortunate though, they gave me the option of quitting, with 5 weeks severence after only 6 months.

2 months after that I got the job I have now. In fact I was offered two jobs within a week of each other. I felt very lucky. I did take a slight decrease in pay but it's for a great company and I'm back in my field again.

When I read stories like that it brings back the fear, anxiety, dread, and lack of self worth I felt after my own experiences. It really was HORRIBLE.

I know belive I have post tramautic stress disorder to an extent from my layoffs. I've been at my new job for 7 months and I never really stop worrying about losing it.

I hate what Bush has caused in this economy, and yes I blame him 100%.

[will work 4 food]

13. Interesting..

I thought I was the only one that wondered about having Post Traumatic Stress as a result of being laid off. It was a high paying job, too. Over 150K...I was out of work for over a year. Now I make 50K in retail. I miss my weekends and I miss the big bucks. But hey, at least I have health insurance. </sarcasm> :wtf: :argh: :grr:

[ConcernedCanuk]

14. I hate what Bush has caused in this economy, and yes I blame him 100%.

. . hmm Yes, Bush is a BAD guy no doubt,

but even people on welfare have TV's and rent movies for their vcr's

I manage to survive on 10,000/yr (and that's CANADIAN bucks) by buying stuff when it's on sale, watching prices, and self-restricting my life-style,

OUR problem is we want it all now and finance/borrow ourselves into finacial obscurity.

If I ain't got the cash, I do without.

Corporate America teases us with credit cards, debit cards that all have a COST.

Cash is cash, pay ur rent, buy your food, do the food bank thing if you have to , shop at Amity, Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc. where you can get everything you need for about 10% of the NEW identical product.

Patience - that what it takes, took me 1 year to build my first 'puter, - cost ? 10.50Cdn - the 'puter I got now ? EXPENSIVE, cost 103.00 - I waited, found the parts etc. put them together - etc. etc.

Get the idea ?

We CAN live on much less than what our Korporate Businesses try to sell us

Just My Humble Canuk Opinion

[Avalon Sparks]

20. Thanks for the input Canuk...

True - TV and movies - what else do you need? :)

Actually the hubby and I have no outstanding debt other than one car note.

However, I don't enjoy pitching pennies at all, it makes me cranky. Did it all through college and for 3 years after graduation. I really hated eating cheap, and juggling rent and utility bills. Digging pennies out of nooks and crannies just to buy gas.

I'm happy when we live comfortably and don't have to worry if a car repair, or expensive vet treatment for our older kitty arises during the month. We also put money into savings every month.

Now I'll look for the best deals, and only buy clothes (a little weakness of mine) during major sales in the off season or at Target, and we don't spend foolishly... but I find that a lot of times "convenience" can suck money away from me. Like the convenience of buying my lunch a couple times a week instead of packing it, or taking clothes to the drycleaners, or having my nails and hair done. I very much enjoy these little extravagances, and I guess if I had to give them up I'd feel somewhat deprived.

And actually since I rarely watch TV, I don't think I'd find much solace in it, although there is always books at the library which I very much enjoy, but if Bush* gets handed another 4 years perhaps there won't even be that.

[area51]

12. From $125,000 to $25,000/yr

I hope John Van Ness is going to vote for a democrat for prez in '04; he should be able to figure out who killed this economy.

[JackDragna]

15. It's more than just Bush.

Bush has certainly harmed the economy by running up the defecit. He is, however, more of a symbol of the true casues of our economic stsgnation than a prime cause. He represents the trickle-down, race to the bottom voodoo economics that has been plauging this nation since 1980. Corporations began by cutting middle class jobs and replacing the workers with temps. As the 90's rolled around, workers were laid off and not replaced, all in the name of boosting stock prices as investors were fooled into thinking corporations were "tightening their belts." Now we have the importation of foreign labor and the movement of jobs to other nations.

Corporate wealth, in terms of real dollars, has never been higher. Corporations could afford to pay a large force of middle class workers and support the economy and society, but instead we see an increasing amount of profits go to executives. We live in the new age of the robber baron: the only difference between today's corporate masters and those of the Carnegie era is that today's masters don't need to bother preaching social Darwinism.

America must wake up. America must strengthen their crumbling unions and demand a reasonable wage. At stake in this struggle is the very issue behind many of our social and political ills: how much do workers deserve to be paid for the work they do? If what they get paid gets any lower, we'll finish our march to dystopia.

[jiacinto]

16. That includes me

I am in a "survival job" right now myself.

[MaidinVermont]

17. When a democrat is president everyone prospers and eats well

Why can't voters see this simple fact? Was it Carter that did us in?

[Robin Hood]

21. I believe that Bush Co. Did Carter in.

I think that it was poppy Bush and his Saudi buddies who created the gas shortage which led to the economic malaise of the time. Whenever a dem gets in, Bush co. manipulate the energy markets to harm the economy of dems.

[SoCalDem]

22. They also sent James Baker to Iran to tell the Ayatollah to "wait"

..that he would get a better "deal" from Raygun...

Nothing happens by "accident"..

Baker also was sent to Israel & palestine at the end of Clinton's term to tell them to "wait" for a better deal from junior..

Sharon's coincidental "election" came at a fortuitous time too..:(

[NickB79]

18. Tell that to all us recent college graduates

Who spent the last 4-5 yrs living off ramen and mac and cheese, driving crappy cars, living in poorly maintained dorms and apartments, thinking "When I graduate, I'll live soooo much better" and then get dumped into this economy. We never even had the opportunity yet to make $125K a year! Hell, it'd be a dream for me to make $25K a year! I'm living off of ~$9000/yr, still stuck in my old job that I had while in school making subs at Quiznos, still driving my POS car. And I'm not the only college grad working there! Other friends of mine I graduated with are now working at such fine establishments as Burger King, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Bath and Body Works, and Walmart. Cry me a river for "only" making $25,000/yr. At least you (hopefully) have savings from when you were making all that money.

[SoCalDem]

19. Baby boomers graduated into the same kind of economy

and then we got hit with a couple of reagan recessions, a gas crisis, wage & price freezes..double digit inflation.. (interest on our Denver house was 15.8%)...another recession..you get the idea..

The ONLY graduates who had it "cushy" were the ones who fell into the "bubble years" of the 90's.. It was never that good before, and it's not likely to be that way in your lifetime.. Welcome to reality :(