Job Status

It is 7am on Saturday and all are sleeping so I finally am able to post something!
I can give a little more detail regarding the job issue. Ok, Duner's work is trying to recover from the 3 years it was owned by a company that didn't really know how to manage its money. They had employees work INSANE amounts of overtime, and missed a few payments to the bank and had to get sold to a company called Kohlberg & Company, an investment company that buys companies in financial trouble, reorganizes them and fixes the problems and gets them on track.

This new company has cut out the overtime completely. Dropped orders that were not at least X % profitable, Shut down all 3 shifts at times only to work 2 shifts for weeks at a time and asked for volunteers to take weeks worth of unemployment. They forced everyone to take unemployment the week of Christmas.

You think, gee, that is not so bad?
Sure, if you don't have a second job.

Duner has a 2nd job. He has worked part-time for YEARS at a restaurant. The way 'Unemployment compensation' works is they see the second job as income. So they do not give you benefits since he was 'AVAILABLE' to work at the second job. Or if they do it is minus what you made while you were off of the other job. But you wait about 1 month while they 'investigate' your claim...

We learned that nugget of knowledge a few years ago. So we didn't even bother. We were able to get by without a paycheck for that week.

So, now he had began applying at jobs around the area. I just rolled my eyes and thought- Why are you doing this? He has been at his job almost 6 years already. He has 2 weeks vacation. Some seniority. Why?
Then they offered the job. Almost the same pay. Cheaper Dental, Union Dues, and stable employer. (They make belts for the other industries) No vision insurance, no vacation and no more free paper plates but maybe some overtime. It has given us LOTS to consider. It was a really tight race until...

They decided this week to eliminate 4 jobs at Duner's position. Thankfully NOT Duner's!
At the end of April they are going to cut those peoples pay by $3 per HOUR.
That, my friends, is what you call a deciding factor.

We have been though a previous 'mill shut down' and been forced to be unemployed once before. It does make you more aware of things.
When they did that move, that just showed us what they could do for us. His current job does have a few other plants in the area and rumors are flying high in the plant about his plants work being transferred out to those other plants. I used to not believe those 'rumors' until one turned out to be true, when the shut the mill down.

Now the kicker is we are going on Vacation in March for 9 days. The new employer says, if you go on vacation you will have to take 'points' for those non-worked days. Ok. Not good. Duner usually doesn't call in, but at his current job they allow up to 9 points before 'corrective action' is taken. It would really only be 6-7 points he would use, but we don't want that to effect any raises later.
We asked if he could start the job the day after he comes back? They said maybe, but they suggested a different position on a different shift, BUT that job has to be offered to internal employees first. We have to wait a week to see if they have any takers. That job would be a straight nights position. The other would be 3-11 shift. We prefer the Nights, only because his second job and his golf league in the summer. It would be nice to be on a solid shift to plan you life around.

So wish us Luck this next week!