Wednesday, October 31, 2007

10-31-07

Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, Scott said he spoke with the Union Steward last night and this isnt a permanent closing of 3rd shift. Its a temporary shutdown. How nice is that? Makes you ponder the big question. Do you look for a job while shutdown, or do you sit on your duff and pray they call you back?

How Fun!! /sarcasm off

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

10-30-07 - EQ

Been having fun. Started running with Borracho and Delusions almost every night.

Lets see, heres the character list.

Krystalea - 70 wizard 70 sage 320 transmuting 100 aa's
Zymeria - 70 defiler 70 provisioner 350 tinkerer 78 aa's
Arzania - 70 swashy 70 woodworker 98 aa's
Myrinna - 38 conjy 70 weaponsmith
Zephina - 7 bruiser 70 jeweler
Attalyne - 26 troub 70 carpenter
Vizera - 23 warlock 20 alchemist

Pardom my lack of capitialization for class/tradeskill names. As far as aa's for the last four, I have no idea, don't really pay much attention to that, as they are not really played all that often and its usually to tradeskill not adventure.

No goals set for them anymore. If they make it anywhere above what I have now, thats all the better, otherwise I am happy with it.

Okay I lied, I really would like Krys to get to 350 transmuting. /nods. I need about, uh, 15pp to do it. /nods. I need to farm, rofl.

10-30-07 v3.0

Articles I have come accross.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071030/AUTO01/710300398

Okay, nothing in there about the Compass, Patriot or the Caliber, but it does show cutting about 1000 contract positions. Hmmm??

http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/10856221.html

Hey, I totally understand the position you are in, but I have one question. We knew it was temp, but we all prayed with everything we had that it would become perm. So here is my question: Why on God's green earth would you purchase a house while being temporarly employed? Yes, we all though we would become permanant, but really, you couldnt have waited 2 years to find out for sure?

Sorry just had to get that out.


Chrysler LLC plans to end the third shift at its Belvidere assembly plant, which could put as many as 1,000 employees out of work, a high-level United Auto Workers official told stunned members Friday.
Chrysler would not confirm the report, but rumors have been circulating for weeks that the third shift, added in July 2006, would end by Christmas. Union officials typically are advised of such plans before company announcements to workers.
A worker who attended the meeting said Garry Mason, an executive assistant to UAW President Ron Gettelfinger, shocked them by saying that sluggish sales of the three vehicles built at Belvidere -- Dodge Caliber and Jeep Compass and Patriot -- meant "the third shift was gone," as if that news was common knowledge.
There was a gasp in the room," said the worker, who asked not to be named. "Everyone was like, 'Huh?' This was the first time there had been anything official about it. It was a real eye-opener."
Another Local 1268 member who was at the meeting said Mason displayed "a deer in the headlights look" when he realized they hadn't been told. Both workers said Mason didn't say when the shift would end or how many workers would be affected. "
After that, he backpedaled and just changed the subject and talked about why the contract is so good," one said. "He just kept avoiding the subject."
Mason's statement about the third shift appeared first on a Web site forum maintained by Local 1268 members.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-sat_chrysler_1027oct27,1,6172106.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

That pasted horribly. I dont have access to the Trib, but I copied the link as well if you want to sign up, but I found it interesting. We shall see.

10-30-07 v2.0

I won the contest at Alla's and received my beta key.

I will make posts on it, with my impressions, but unforunately I will not be able to publish them until the NDA is lifted.

/dances

10-30-07

Hello. Been a long time, yes?

Life is going as usual. Well almost. We are on the verge of falling back down, but not entirely. Scott's job may be in jeopardy, so we are doing what we can to prepare for the downfall, but not so much until it is officially announced. So we shall see what happens. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Here's a story and I really need to get this out as it has been in my head for quite a while now.

January 2003: The last week of the month, Scott (Tool and Die tradesmen) gets sent home. His hands look like they had been dipped in a vat of acid. Its horrible. He hurts. He cant put his hands in water of any temp, but cool/cold is the one that hurts the least. I am 6 months pregnant.

February 2003: File for Workman's comp and find a lawyer. By the end of Feb we still haven't seen a check and its starting to hurt.

May 2003: Scott is told to return to work on the 19th. By the 21st he is sent back home. Hands are back to square one. Nathan is born on the 22nd.

June 2003-July 2004: Work with lawyer on getting everything set up, payments are coming just very sporadic. We get a monthly check, or a bimonthly check, hell we sometimes end up with a two week check. Makes for paying the bills oh so much fun.

Aug 2004: Workman's comp says you last payment was in July, we are sorry you misinterpreted our letter, but in layman's you are now released to look for a job and no more money for you.

Oct 2004: Settled. Received settlement check. Yay! Pay off my car, a few other bills and sock the rest away.

Apr 2005: Woot. Scott finally found a job. (Yes 8 months later, and no money inc. Good thing I socked some of that money away.)

Apr05-Apr06: Struggle with bills, as our savings is depleted. Scott is only making $8/hr and it is rough.

April 2006: Woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Scott got a job at Chrysler. That is the place to be. And its permanent too. OMG. His first paycheck with 3 1/2 weeks pay at his previous place of employment.

May 2006: Chrysler says, "We lied." Sign this 2 yr temporary contract or lose your job. That's okay we say. We can do what we need to in the next 2 years. Hopefully.

Aug/Sept 2007: Rumors start flying as the national contract is up. The rumors are the ETE's (Scott's formal position) will be hired.

Right here......this is where it all goes to hell. GM gets their contract that says temps will be hired. Woohoo. Scott and I finally let ourselves down in the respect of money, and start talking about fixing up the house, and possibly getting it ready to be put on the market. 5 years is our goal. We talk about the vacations we will be able to have, everything. We actually start to dream about the future.

Oct 2007: Contract signed for Chrysler. No temp to perm status ever mentioned. Then it starts. The rumors of the parts suppliers being told that 3rd shift is getting cut on Christmas Eve. Now the rumors are ETE's and then the extra 400 more will be let go, starting around Nov 15 through the end of the year and 3rd shift gone.

We knew it was temporary, but howdy fuck you. It was nice not having to worry about money for a damned change. It was nice being able to go out to dinner on occasion, let the boys go and do fun stuff. Not ever having to see the look on their face when you tell them you would love to do this, that or the other but you cant because we have stinking money.

Scott has a horrible time finding jobs with the tool and die maker label on there. No one wants to hire him because they feel he will leave if he finds a job back in the skilled trades line. He even tells them, I cannot go back into tool and die, I have psoriasis now and I cant work in the fluids. Doesn't matter.

It was a 2 yr contract, we are only 18 months in. The UAW or Chrysler should at least confirm or deny the rumors. Tell us the damned truth. Don't lie to us anymore. We were prepared for the boot at 2yrs. Not now. We were also hoping for a perm position after two years. Especially if 3rd was being kept open. Just confirm/deny something please. Let us know. I hate living like this.

And pray that my husband can find a decent job quickly after he has been let go. $14/hr to stay with what we have. And that will not allow us to go out to eat or anything like that. I have one out and that's the truck we purchased after Scott started at Chrysler. Got it at my work. Paid $16k for it. It was worth (blue book person to person value $20k) I owe $11.5k on it, and blue book shows $17.5k value. I really don't want to sell that truck. I hope for everything we have one of three things happens. He gets perm at Chrysler (on the line), he gets perm at Chrysler (non core), or he finds a damn decent retire from job, within a month of lay off.

For the love of all that is holy, don't make me go through hell again. Please?

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

10-24-07

I really need to update this...so that will be my goal for tomorrow :)