The Jobless Recovery-Does it fit your area

[mr-pirk]

I have noticed that all the companys that do busness with the company I work for are covered up with orders and are generaly behind schedule in delievering on what they are currently working on.
We had to have the babbit re-poured in two bearings on the generator we are over-hauling and the company that normaly does it for us was to busy to get to it so they farmed it out. Also we needed a water-gland seal built for a bearing box and it got farmed out to the same company doing the bearings and they are so busy they farmed it out to a 3rd company.
We needed to have some scaffolding built and the company that we use for that was having a hard time finding scaffolding to rent because they said right now all the scaffolding in this part of the southern US is being used by someone. They said they were even having trouble find scaffolding they could buy because the folks manufacturing the scaffolding were behind in orders.
The combustion turbines I work on sometimes needed a motor control relay. The part is outdated so it needed to be cross-refrenced by GE(general electric) and when we talked to thier engineers about it they said they are so covered up right now that they will get to it when they can but not to expect anything to soon.
We are going to have about a 3 week lull after the generator-haul before we start our summertime project of having the head-gates sand-blasted and repainted and that contractor is saying he is having a hard time finding enough available equipment for the job.
My wifes son-in-law works for a company that makes trusses for buildings like Wal-Mart and such. He says they are working overtime to try and keep up with the orders.
Her son works for a company that makes equipment for the oil refinery busness's and he says he is staying way to busy and they are farming out work.

What I am seeing is there are alot of companys covered up with work but instead of hiring folks themselves they are farming out the work to companys that have temperory employment. The company I work for uses contractors to make up for the man-power they lost when we went through our "down-sizing"(don't you just love how they hate to say "lay-offs"). The contractors we use are covered up with work but rather than hiring more folks they work the ones they have like dogs and simply pay the overtime.

One of the bearings we had re-babbited was machined wrong and had to be sent back so our over-haul is at a stop this weekend so I finally got a weekend off. I even managed to get in a days vacation last Friday to spend a little time in the yard with Mrs-Pirk. I was asking the contractors if they were loking forward to a few days off as much as I was and they said they were already scheduled to work all weekend. I asked them how long it had been since they had a day off because I know that every Sunday I have had off since we started our over-haul they have had to work. One of the contractors told me it had been since January since they had a day off.

Just wondering if it is the same in your areas.
Mr-Pirk

[PABuck_HNTR]

What I am seeing is there are alot of companys covered up with work but instead of hiring folks themselves they are farming out the work to companys that have temperory employment

I have to say that I see this as something some companies have to do to keep their heads above water. With all the regulations on business I see my personal employer doing some temporary hiring. For a couple reasons.

1. They don't have to pay more into Workers Comp and Unemployment benefits for someone who may not work out.


2. They don't have to offer OVERPRICED medical Ins to part-
time and temp workers.

As far as work being out there....YES there are jobs all over...Just some jobs aren't good enough for some folks , so they will just collect their unemployment benefits until they run out and then complain later when they finally look for work that there are no "good" jobs. Thats because someone else with a little pride in themselves took the job first instead of opting for unemployment benefits.

My neighbor was employed at a large paper pulp mill in our area for 13 years or so. The mill closed down a few years back, he was offered training (for free) in 2 seperate fields, while collecting unemployment for a year or whatever it was. He instead didn't want to be either of the things offered and lost out on education. Now his unemployment is run out, his wife and 2 kids(has 5) are employed and he's buying hundred dollar cars and parting them out for extra cash. I respect the fact tthat he is doing something to make money, but I have to walk out my door every moring and see his junkyard 25 feet away from my back door. I have the same tax bill (aproximately) he does for our property(in the city)and I have to go to work everyday while he reduces my property value because he's too lazy to get a real job.

[kenton6]

We have one of the largest job growth areas in the Nation. We have never had a "recession". Actually most of the time businesses are clamoring trying to find workers. We are in an area that now comprises more Hispanic than African Americans and the Hispanics are taking up the so called "lousy, low-paying" jobs. Most Hispanics work at least two jobs and sometimes three or four and love it.
It has always been difficult for me to see and understand the joblessness but I do know there are pockets. My family is in Maine and that state is severely depressed and very few jobs. But Maine has always been that way but at present it may be a bit worse.
It is hard when the job market changes and as time goes on that change is occurring very rapidly and you have to change with it or get left behind and that "changing with it" is difficult to say the least for a lot of people.

[Dave590]

The area in which I live has always had a shortage of workers. Being a small town, the kids generally want to leave right out of high school and go to where the "action" is.

There is quite a laundry list of positions available here, from teachers and doctors to electricians and roofers.

[vc1111]

Business tactics today reflect the elevated risk as a result of market pressure, foreign competition, taxation, EPA, etc.

No company expands based on short term market trends. To survive they must move cautiously..."just in time" inventories, etc.

Look at the upcoming election. How can a company or an idividual plan, knowing that if Kerry is elected the entire business climate will be overhauled? Personal and corporate taxation will be overhauled to punish corporations and the "rich," who are the ones that are in charge of creating jobs and expansion. How much new production equipment would you buy, how many new people would you hire, how much expansion would you orchestrate, knowing that in about 8 months the rules may dramtically change?

[bob d]

exactly vc , most companies that fail are ones thattried to expand too quickly . it is more economical to farm out work for a temporary glut of work

[mr-pirk]

Fight4YourGuns I know what you mean about the medical insurance costs. We recently had a increase and will get one over the next 4 years. We were invited to a "informational meeting" with one of the VPs so he could explain why it was neccessary. I asked him what pro-active things they were doing to prevent another round of increases when this latest round no longer covered the cost. The look on his face was totaly blank, you could tell he hadn't even considered being pro-active. I suggested they get someone thinking outside the box to see if there was anything that could be done and you could tell by the look on his face it went right over the top of his head.

Kenton I know the Mexican folks around here are hard working people, but I am not sure about them "loving working 2 and 3 jobs".

Dave I know here in Arkansas they are very short of nurses and teachers.

VC I defintly understand your point. Not only is there the normal un-certianty that surrounds presidental elections but everyone seems to be waiting on the other shoe to drop
and the next world trade center bombing.

Bob D I agree about expanding to quickly. The company I work for was to quick in thier down-sizing(the other side of that coin) and they lost a lot of knowlage and talent that is costing them right now.
They are having to use vendors to do the same work our people used to do and the vendors are charging the @$#$% out of them.
Mr-Pirk

[fng]

To survive they must move cautiously..."just in time" inventories, etc.

And this accomplishes what?

Less taxes on "INVENTORY" ??????????????

How "fornicated" up have the "bizzzzzzzzzzness" people in this stupid country become such that you are taxed on INVENTORY ???

does anyone hear a bullet coming???

BTW: a milwaukee judge sent me paperwork proving beyond a shadow of a doubt i was unlawfully terminated --- guess who i'm calling tomorrow?

he he.

BTW: I'm going to institute a tax on all you retards that wear shoes... that will make things right...