Kind of a beigey rider on a light-chestnut horse then

Tomorrow is zero hour. Well, actually, because of vacation scheduling, it's been pushed back, but tomorrow was intended to be the final hour. Two people from my department were on the chopping block, and I have lowest seniority. (insert ominous music here).

We had a meeting with the Union where we discussed various plans and we all got a print out of our retirement plans (I'm one year away from vestment in our National Plan, so I only qualify for the Inter-local Plan). All the options were laid out on the table. I had hoped a few people might see that their plans were much better than they thought. I think there was some of that, but do you know what the major factor was in their decision not to go?

The cost of health care. Once again, we're back to the cost of health care in the US. If we had actual national coverage, I think they would have had more volunteers than they would know what to do with. So not only have I had my wages stifled by heath care costs, I'm now boned in a whole new way.

Now the good news. One, several vacations had already been scheduled around the department, and we're a little short handed at the moment. So our deadline has been pushed back to the 24th, right before I turn 43. I have severance pay that I qualify for and the unemployment would probably be the best I could hope for. Ohio looks back past the just previous quarter calendar, and then averages your wages over the four quarters before that. So for me, until July, that would mean all of 2008, which wasn't my best year, but picks up all the time before 4 day weeks, and the first part of the year had some good overtime.

The second piece of good news is that we did have one volunteer. It was someone I had never even thought of as a possibility, but they're taking the opportunity to refocus. I wish them the best of luck.

The third piece of good news is that there have been (as I am lead to believe) several long conversations about my employment (I've heard this from several sources within the building, the first time I heard I was asked not to say anything, but now I think it's somewhat general knowledge in the plant). That the department is now down to one involuntary layoff gives the company options (because of Union Rules). Now, I'm sure they also didn't want to lose the person next up the chain of seniority, so I think they're pretty glad about dogging that bullet. But if they have a position open in the department in the next year, that would mean I would be the first to be called back (Right of Return).

Here's where the advice I've given everybody who has asked for it comes into play. In business, your reputation is the most important thing. I have a reputation for being a productive hard worker who picks up new things quickly, can work with minimum oversight, and produces quality work. All things that are valuable in the current work environment.

Nothing has been settled, it's all still up in the air, but I'm feeling a little better. My mood has lifted immensely. I've ordered new glasses and am thinking about other health care things that I was putting off. So not out of the woods yet, but there's daylight. Thanks for everybody who has been concerned and offering prayers and good thoughts. It's working.