Its been confirmed there are definitely going to be layoffs at my job. For me, thought, the hand-wringing has been whether or not I will be laid off or not. Since they began discussing the possibility of layoffs earlier this year, I had been preparing, by saving up money and working out a plan on what to do if I did get laid off. So I’m not going to be devastated if I did get laid off because I have a game plan on that contingency. Even still, I’d prefer not to lose my job.
Here’s the breakdown: They are going to lay off ten percent of bus drivers at my job. There are between 850-900 drivers (not sure on the exact figure). If it were just that, I’d be safe, because I’m 102 from the bottom. 85-90 drivers below me would be gone, but I’d still be here, barely…
The problem is light rail operators. They are laying off ten percent of them as well. There’s only about 100 of them, so that amounts to ten operators. Here’s the problem- they all promoted up from bus driver, which means if they get laid off they’re actually just getting demoted down to bus driver. The light rail operators getting demoted could push me off, if they have more seniority than I do :mad:
So it will boil down to less than 10 people on whether or not I myself get laid off. The only posive I can take away from the situation is they will re-hire laid off drivers in seniority order, so if I do get laid off I’d be among the first people to come back. How long that will take, I have no idea…
Good luck Incubus. Waiting for news like that must be nerve-wracking. However, it definitely sounds as though you’ve been much smarter about it than most people.
The one time I’ve been laid off in my life, I knew I would be going as I had only been there for a few months. It made it a lot easier for me, not having to wonder.
My company laid off 6 people a few months ago. I found out about it the day before and my boss told me I was definitely not on the chopping block since they were going by performance, not seniority.
I can’t imagine having to spend months waiting for news like that. I hope it works out for you.
However, should bad news come…
If you currently have health insurance and like it, you of course can get COBRA (an extension of your insurance). Normally, it is outrageously expensive, but Obama put through a law that allows people to get COBRA and the government will pick up anywhere up to 65% of the cost - making it about the same cost to you as you are probably paying now out of your paycheck. Just something to think about before that window of opportunity dries up (I think you only have about 2 months to decide to keep your insurance or not.)
Still, hoping it doesn’t come to that, but losing a job AND health insurance is a double crappy whammy. BTW, those benefits can last at least 18 months - giving you some time to find other work and still be insured.