Early this year I hired on with a construction company. Due to it being Idaho I inquired what is done during the winter months when there is no construction going on. I was assured that there will be no problem finding 40 hours a week of work. For an additional month during training I continued my protests and was reassured that working in the winter isn’t a problem.
Well it is a problem. I’m logging in ~3 hours a day now. I got my wife pregnant under the promises that there will be full time work. Now it’s hard as balls to find work. My boss said that I need to just go on partial unemployment. I work my 3 hours a day and unemployment fills in the gaps until work picks back up.
I’ve been hesitant to do this. This isn’t money that I’ve earned. My wife is now furious with me for not going on unemployment. She says that because employers pay a special tax that is just for unemployment I’m not screwing the state over and this is not going on welfare. Regardless, this just doesn’t seem moral. I’m debating swallowing my pride and just delivering pizza or flipping cards at the casino again to get by. My work’s promises don’t pay the bills. Is this the right thing or should I just go on unemployment?
[quote]Mikeyali wrote:
Yes, this counts as politics in my head.
Early this year I hired on with a construction company. Due to it being Idaho I inquired what is done during the winter months when there is no construction going on. I was assured that there will be no problem finding 40 hours a week of work. For an additional month during training I continued my protests and was reassured that working in the winter isn’t a problem.
Well it is a problem. I’m logging in ~3 hours a day now. I got my wife pregnant under the promises that there will be full time work. Now it’s hard as balls to find work. My boss said that I need to just go on partial unemployment. I work my 3 hours a day and unemployment fills in the gaps until work picks back up.
I’ve been hesitant to do this. This isn’t money that I’ve earned. My wife is now furious with me for not going on unemployment. She says that because employers pay a special tax that is just for unemployment I’m not screwing the state over and this is not going on welfare. Regardless, this just doesn’t seem moral. I’m debating swallowing my pride and just delivering pizza or flipping cards at the casino again to get by. My work’s promises don’t pay the bills. Is this the right thing or should I just go on unemployment?
mike[/quote]
The economically prudent thing to do is take what you can when you can.
The hard part is rationalizing your morals away. If it helps just think of it as insurance that was already paid for.
I’d try to get additional work and seriously consider a career change. This problem will probably pop up year after year. Also, if they knowingly misled you, I’d keep that in mind as well.
And if you’ve got a wife and kid(s), yeah, take unemployment while you search for additional work and a new career. Family is more important than some philosophy.
Take the unemployment. It is funded via payroll tax on your employer. Presumably it was built into his cost of labor (your cost) when he priced jobs when times were good. He paid for it and you are entitled to it.
[quote]Mikeyali wrote:
Yes, this counts as politics in my head.
Early this year I hired on with a construction company. Due to it being Idaho I inquired what is done during the winter months when there is no construction going on. I was assured that there will be no problem finding 40 hours a week of work. For an additional month during training I continued my protests and was reassured that working in the winter isn’t a problem.
Well it is a problem. I’m logging in ~3 hours a day now. I got my wife pregnant under the promises that there will be full time work. Now it’s hard as balls to find work. My boss said that I need to just go on partial unemployment. I work my 3 hours a day and unemployment fills in the gaps until work picks back up.
I’ve been hesitant to do this. This isn’t money that I’ve earned. My wife is now furious with me for not going on unemployment. She says that because employers pay a special tax that is just for unemployment I’m not screwing the state over and this is not going on welfare. Regardless, this just doesn’t seem moral. I’m debating swallowing my pride and just delivering pizza or flipping cards at the casino again to get by. My work’s promises don’t pay the bills. Is this the right thing or should I just go on unemployment?
mike[/quote]
Its easy to be a philosopher when the livin’ is easy, so I wouldn’t try and tell you what to do.
As a taxpayer, I’d have no objection to helping someone with a pregnant wife, and who was looking for work. You would be using the money as it was intended, to help good people over a rough spot.
You are not trying to live on the dole. God bless you and your family. Now go sign up!
Taking government allowances is never wrong. The allowances might be socially unjust but if they are there take them. You will be taxed sooner or later anyway.
If you’ve got a wife and child to support then harden the fuck up - you don’t get to think like this with mouths to feed.
That’s the standard procedure in construction business in the northern hempisphere. Consider the unemployment days to be part of the job, which it in practice is.
[quote]kaaleppi wrote:
That’s the standard procedure in construction business in the northern hempisphere. Consider the unemployment days to be part of the job, which it in practice is. [/quote]
Yeah, I had anticipated that and that’s why I asked in the interview about it and pointed out multiple times that I didn’t want to go on seasonal unemployment. For the last 7 months I was reassured that I wouldn’t have to. So far as I see it, this is a form of corporate welfare and I don’t want these guys who lied to me to get away with it. Seems to be no damned integrity in this world.
[quote]Mikeyali wrote:
kaaleppi wrote:
That’s the standard procedure in construction business in the northern hempisphere. Consider the unemployment days to be part of the job, which it in practice is.
Yeah, I had anticipated that and that’s why I asked in the interview about it and pointed out multiple times that I didn’t want to go on seasonal unemployment. For the last 7 months I was reassured that I wouldn’t have to. So far as I see it, this is a form of corporate welfare and I don’t want these guys who lied to me to get away with it. Seems to be no damned integrity in this world.
mike[/quote]
How is it corporate welfare? It’s you who receives the welfare if you take it.
I run my business a little different. I keep a core group of people with me year round. I add to our workforce on a temporary basis to handle projects. They should have told you if that was the plan from the beginning. FYI my core group of workers all started as temps years ago.
As to unemployment, you should take it. Your employer and you both pay into it in good times. When times aren’t so good it’s insurance to get you by. Nothing wrong with collecting unemployment insurance. Take it and feed your family.
[quote]Mikeyali wrote:
Yes, this counts as politics in my head.
Early this year I hired on with a construction company. Due to it being Idaho I inquired what is done during the winter months when there is no construction going on. I was assured that there will be no problem finding 40 hours a week of work. For an additional month during training I continued my protests and was reassured that working in the winter isn’t a problem.
Well it is a problem. I’m logging in ~3 hours a day now. I got my wife pregnant under the promises that there will be full time work. Now it’s hard as balls to find work. My boss said that I need to just go on partial unemployment. I work my 3 hours a day and unemployment fills in the gaps until work picks back up.
I’ve been hesitant to do this. This isn’t money that I’ve earned. My wife is now furious with me for not going on unemployment. She says that because employers pay a special tax that is just for unemployment I’m not screwing the state over and this is not going on welfare. Regardless, this just doesn’t seem moral.
I’m debating swallowing my pride and just delivering pizza or flipping cards at the casino again to get by. My work’s promises don’t pay the bills. Is this the right thing or should I just go on unemployment?
mike[/quote]
The one thing I can say for sure is that YOU paid for your unemployment insurance, not your employer.
You also tried to avoid the situation you are in now.
So, through no, or little fault of your own you “lost” your job. That is what this insurance is for.
Then again you have the possibility to find another job that pays the bills-
Personally, I also would not have a problem working in a casino, how is that so demeaning that you would swallow your pride?
[quote]orion wrote:
Personally, I also would not have a problem working in a casino, how is that so demeaning that you would swallow your pride?[/quote]
I think his pride swallowing refered to cashing his unemployment checks.
And while having another job or two is quite noble, the importance of spending time with your family should not be overlooked.
You gotta feel for anyone who is in this situation at this time, I have been relatively immune to the downturn but my sisters husband works in the auto industry and has been put on two days a week - and he is one of the lucky ones.
We are all affected by this directly or indirectly in one way or another and some people are not actually as lucky as you to have the option of claiming unemployment insurance and it will be a scrape for them to put bread on the table.
My advice is take it and use the time off constructively to start looking for something else, plan to start your own business or do some charity work.