Work layoffs...Grrrrrrr!!!

[red-rose-in-winter]

Is anyone else out there laid off from their job now?

My situation is sort of confusing, but here goes....

 

I was hired part-time at a shipping/receiving warehouse to scan barcodes for products that companies send back to us. Basically, it's items they can't/don't sell....mostly seasonal items like Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day gifts....

 

Around the beginning of May, they started sending everyone home in the middle of the day because of lack of work. This went on for a few weeks, but I only worked a total of 6 days out of the whole month of May (and they were only half days). I was told to call in every Friday to find out about the work situation for the next week.

 

I found out later when I FINALLY did go back to work this past Monday, that all the full-time people had been working this whole time (but in a different department). I thought, OK...I'm only a part-time employee, so of course they're going to give them first dibs on the work.

 

So far, this past Monday has been the only day I've worked in this whole month of June. Ok, they had an employee meeting Monday and my supervisor told me to stay at my station....that the meeting didn't apply to me. So I thought, Ok, maybe it's something to do with their insurance or something I don't have.

 

Well, later (out of curiousity) I asked the lady that worked behind me that day what the meeting was about. She said that they were told that only 70 people out of the whole factory (out of about 200+ employees) were going to get to keep their jobs.

 

No one even told me anything about it. If I hadn't asked that lady, I'd never known. All these weeks that I've been laid off from my job, I've had to call in and see if there is any work. Every week they told me "No, you're off this week."

 

Looks like my supervisor or someone would have told me that only 70 people were going to keep their jobs. I guess they were only going to call me in when someone took a vacation/sick day to get the work out. I know that I am only part-time, but I feel like a second-class citizen or something. The good news is that I get to draw unemployment while I'm laid off. I'm thinking about looking for another job, because just working one or two days a month isn't paying the bills!!!

 

I guess my ending comment is....the good jobs never last. I actually liked the job, the hours were great, and the pay was EXCELLENT!!! Does anyone have any comments or experiences with layoffs???

[cinnamonstix49]

Rose--

 

Every cloud has a silver lining.

[HokeyReligions]

I got laid off my job May 5, 2003. I've worked a couple of contract positions since then, but I'm STILL looking for a permanent job with benefits!

 

It sucks, but it happens. Don't wait until you are officially laid off, start looking now. Get references from co-workers and supervisors, get your resume in order, and network. Verify what kind of unemployment you will receive (you can apply on-line). One woman I worked with thought that Unemployment paid 85% of a person's salary for a year! I WISH! For a person making $50-$60k a year the payout was less than $9,000 spread out in weekly payments of $328. When the nine grand was gone, it was gone! Working part-time or "on call" may change the UE benefits you receive.

 

You were treated like you didn't matter. I get that sometimes as a contract employee. It's like they think I'm not smart enough or good enough and don't have the same feelings or I lack the ability to make a real contribution to a team. But we know better, don't we!

[red-rose-in-winter]

I am planning on going job hunting first thing Monday morning. There are several businesses in the same industrial park as the company I am laid off from. Plus there are some companies that I looked up in my area on the internet that I want to check out too. They may or may not be hiring, but it's worth it to check out!!!

 

The unemployment here in North Carolina goes something like this: if you QUIT a job, you get 0% unemployment benefits. If you get LAID OFF, you get benefits from the PREVIOUS job you worked. Like for instance, the last job I worked was a minimum wage job, so I get unemployment for that job....not my good paying job I am laid off from. And you can only draw for so many weeks ( I think mine is 14 weeks ), then when the unemployment runs out, that's all the money you get.

 

And if they call me in for only one day, that messes up my whole unemployment for that week ~ I don't get a check at all since I worked at my job. So really I get paid more for being laid off than to go in for one or two days. My husband suspects that they are stringing me along so that when the full-time people start to quit (remember that only 70 people out of 200+ get to keep their jobs), they can call me in to fill in the gaps. Well, I'm not waiting around for that to happen.