US Congress will offer no extensions......

[porkchop 304]

Attention: Important Information

UPDATE: Federal Extensions to expire on Sunday

February 26, 2010

The U.S Congress adjourned Friday without reauthorizing the four federal extensions of unemployment benefits and Extended Benefits. Each of those programs will expire this weekend. If you do not see a voucher on your claimant homepage beginning Sunday, you are likely exhausted. According to federal law, people can receive the benefits remaining on their current unemployment tier but they will not roll to the next tier of benefits. Hoosiers concerned about losing these benefits should consider a job with the U.S. Census. Thousands of Census jobs are available in Indiana paying up to $15 per hour. Hoosiers interested in applying for a census job should visit: 2010 Census Jobs

Well, as of Friday, the US Congress failed to do anything with the extension program for unemployment.

So, this means there are no extensions availble for anyone currently receiving unemployment.

When your done, your done, no more help from them.

This will effect many folks, including myself. In fact, it will begin to affect us in two weeks.

I am currently a unemployed union ironworker, i have been a journeyman for 13 yrs.

There is very little work available in our area , it has been dry for a while now.

Even with the high levels of unemployed journeymen in the area, our local is still taking in new apprenticeship classes. You see the apprentice not only pays money to be enrolled, but is about 40% cheaper to hire as well.

In two weeks, the state of Indiana will stop my unemployment, it will have came to the end of it's

"tier". I will have no options for an extension, no help of any sorts. The union hall only suggest that we drive up there each morning, and hope there is a call. If the employer does not request a apprentice, then it is up for grabs, but......then if more than one man wants the job, there are usually 30 to 40 men, you have to draw cards! yup, no matter how long you been in, what experiance you have, wether you cheat to pass drug test, it doesn't matter how long you have been without work, one week or 6 months, nothing matters here, just matters what card you pull! you could of been the first one in the door for the past 6 months, with a resume that shines like gold, get a three, your sitting back down again, empty handed and driving home agian to tell the family no work, day after day....

If i take my welding skills or other structual related experiance elswhere, it is called being a rat, i will be ejected from the union and loose my benifeits as well as face fines in some cases. I have aleady lost all of my insurance, because you have to bank so many hours withina certain amunt of time, but those hours are not availble. There is work away from home, but we cannot afford for me to rent a place to start working there and mailing money home.

It is usually a case of, where i have worked hard, putting in alot of hours, paying into the unemployment scheme. When work stops, we stop, draw unemployment for a while, until work picks back up and go again. This time, i can not wait no longer, now i have to find a different job, which will be another big pay cut. it is not horible, but taking a 60% paycut for something you have put the past 13yrs. into, that does suck.

just figured i would rant for a while about it. seems like the system is failing me, and others. it sucks to know we are currently spending billions to help others who will never help us, but the money i personally payed into, is no longer availble for me and my family to use. thier advice, seek employment with the us census, lol, it is 15 bucks an hour they say. well it is two months away still and only last three start to finish. the pay, it is up to 15 bucks an hour, part time, al over our state.... your gas, no matter where you drive to, no matter if you are to be there but for a few hours.....

not a real good opportunity, if you get with the right crew, know the right people, you can put back a small fortune, there is alot of corruption in it. if you are on the outside, trying to get in, you will be bounced around and handled like trash.

okay, i am done now, btw, i have a few job interviews lined up and 17 resumes went out today....wish ol' chop luck.

chop

[BanginGMC 23]

Good luck man!!!

[CadillacMatt 31]

Hmmm I am on a 13week extension (about 7 weeks left) but I was told here in Texas there was only ever one extension available for us

[thebiggmann12 14]

good luck chop...im prayin for ya bro.

[worstenemy453 11]

Man, i hope something happens for you man. Thats tough to read.

[porkchop 304]

just gotta keep my head up and keep going forward, thats all.

highschool diploma, top 10% of my class.....

4 yrs of college, all four on the deans list @ 4.0 gpa

4 yrs of apprenticeship

Journeyman Ironworker

Certified welder

............................ being unemployed= priceless...... literally. lol

don't worry though, i got a game plan in motion with the whole family in play....

Poppa Chop.......

Momma Chop......

Paul and Samantha can run a few of these clever scams........

and the kids, well if they want to eat, then they gotta work too!

no labor laws apply when it is crunch time.......

Kids, take thes bricks .........

and build this highway for the man, and when your done, i got another one for you!

FTL !!!

[Impious 1,476]

I believe the bill that did not pass was an "emergency" bill. It would have only extended benefits another month until a "long term" bill is passed. Here is an exert from another article;

The Senate is expected to consider a longer-term extension of the programs Monday, with passage likely next week.

So while some people may end up screwed in the short term, it does not appear this is a permanent change to unemployment benefits.

[bigrank916 72]

Chop, I feel you man. Its a viscous circle that you get put into. I tell perspective employers that the pay rate doesnt have much to do with it. Unless like you said, it isnt worth it. Most of the time they dont care though. Hire the rookie for less pay. :suicide-santa:Good luck dude and stay up.

[porkchop 304]

I believe the bill that did not pass was an "emergency" bill. It would have only extended benefits another month until a "long term" bill is passed. Here is an exert from another article;

The Senate is expected to consider a longer-term extension of the programs Monday, with passage likely next week.

So while some people may end up screwed in the short term, it does not appear this is a permanent change to unemployment benefits.

it is good to read that...... and any hope is better than none.

i have never veiwed it in this light in the past.... not until now.

now i can not, will not, have the same outlook on it no more.

like i said, it has worked fine for over 13 years and was not by no means new then.....

this is the first time it has gotten all wierd in my lifetime any how....

so now, now i am scared to wait, unalarmed, without worry of something failing.

Trust me, I will be looking into it as the story progresses, yet in the mean time, i will try to find something that is somewhere in between....

it will be a pay cut for sure... but perhaps a lot better than not knowing...

I am rather simple minded, not a big baller by no means, pay my bills, go out for dinner here and there... i am good.

work as a pizza guy for a couple of years, see what comes of the rest

impious, where did you find the read at bro, i would like to look at it

.....

chop

[Impious 1,476]

Sen. Bunning blocks unemployment benefits extension - Yahoo! News

[Sir-Lancelot 216]

I was in the same boat a few years ago Chop. I was let go because the company I worked for couldnt afford me.

WTF? I am in sales if I was making too much money, wouldnt that be a good thing?

It is a bad feeling, so as Clinton said "I feel your pain."

I hope you find something soon bro. My family will pray for yours.

[stevemead08 752]

That dude that had " hit me with a quarter" sign sits in Salem Oregon getting on I-5 freeway ... and i have thrown a few quarters at him. LOL

GOOD LUCK Chop!!

Edited March 2, 2010 by stevemead

[altoncustomtech 773]

I sure hope things work out for ya man. I see you have welding skills and are a certified welder. I don't know how the unions work on the subject but could you be certified to weld on pipelines? The pipes are running into the ground like absolute madness. They just got done finishing a 42" called REX (Rocky Mountain Express) that runs from the flats out west all the way to Ohio somewhere and it's not the last one. Perhaps as a certified welder you could find work doing something like that without pissing off the current union?

[porkchop 304]

that bunning fellar needs to come hang out with me and my click for a while, i am sure we could enhance his current view of "tuff shit!"

the pipe line would be pipe fitters, too bad huh.

also, i am not the one to be away from the family.

changing work sucks, taking a pay cut sucks, i hate seeing something i helped build over a decade, fall!

but, i am simple, i bet my value system is much like alot of yours out there.....

i am not too particular what comes my way, 400' in the air, hanging iron, or in the back of a burger joint, washing dishes........

when i come home and see them smiles, there is where i gain my pride!

chop