Tim, have you consiidered <gasp> railroading? UP is hiring operating department personnel (that would be brakemen, at least initially) in Chicago, Rochelle, and Villa Grove–use their web site to apply if you fit their prerequisites. But hurry–the deadline’s October 1.
I should add that I know of no furloughs around here since UP took over CNW.
I worked in Aerospace thru most of the 60s and all of the 70s. In 1988 I was laid off from Ford Aerospace in SoCal. Then peace broke out for a while and lots of Aerospace workers were laid off. Ford sold the division to Loral. One of my friends who was still there told me that Loral stood for “lay-offs right and left”
Jack
Carl…
Thanks for the tip, but I thought long and hard about railroading, and while I will readily admit, I would find alot to enjoy about the job (I carry no illusions) I am aware that the work is hard, and the hours long. the main problem would be time away from home, since I am a single dad, spending, according to the UP website, “up to five days away from home terminal” would be too much. I have a 14 year old at home, and it would be too much to ask family members at this point to help take care of him.
As a side note, I did apply to the EJ&E and was turned down…
When I lived in the Detroit area you could tell who worked for the auto industry. They all had new cars, a motor home and a boat in the yard and unlimited overtime. Trouble was they didn’t live within their forty hours pay and save the rest so when they got cut back to forty hours let alone laid off the toys got repossesed . As an engineer in the steel industry I have stayed one step ahead or behind the grim reaper my entire career. Out of the last fifteen years I have been out of work for over five trying to find employment. It isn’t only hourly guys who lose their jobs. The important thing to remember is a company does not exist to provide jobs. It exists to make money and people are just another cog in the overall scheme. It isn’t personal. It’s business. It is why many people decide to go into business for themselves. Everybody is goig to have hard times. It is how you prepare for the hard times that matters. I even paid off a house while I was out of work because I have lived below the level I could have and had the savings when I needed them. Three years ago I moved and the broker told me I should buy an $800,000 or more house with my income level and I was vastly underleveraged. I told him I intended to stay that way too. I would be in the mortgage mess now if I had taken his advice. I’ll never drive a $40,000 car or live in the best part of town but what I have is paid for and I sleep at night because it is.