Ok, who still has there job

[Hemi 6.1]

Yes thanks Guys. I've been really lucky.
I clearly don't receive as many call as 2 years ago, But it has been picking up.
I think the bank being forced to lend money and lower intrest rates has helped in my area. I'd love to hire a few more guys ,but not so sure thats to wise just yet. Maybe the summer I'll look for 2 more guys , I want to start expanding into General contracting all of the houses I build. Not just a few every now and then.

 

[bhelms]

Any way you can take them on as subcontractors? Of course they need to be self-employed entities themselves at that point, have other customers and take care of their own taxes and insurance, etc. But it's one way to manage the ebb and flow of work...

 

[Van]

Still working here and business has been stable and rising slowly since more people are shopping at walmart stores and sams clubs for food. But the companies sales have slowed on hard line goods significantly to the extent that a transfer to the Williamsburg VA import center most likely wont go through due to poor sales of import items. The move to VA is important so that we can take care of my father so I will be looking at the local job market which is still going pretty well though nothing like what Ive been hearing about Fargo ND which aparently has an unemployment rate a hair above 0.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

Any way you can take them on as subcontractors? Of course they need to be self-employed entities themselves at that point, have other customers and take care of their own taxes and insurance, etc. But it's one way to manage the ebb and flow of work...

I don't do the "Sub Contractor" Thing. All my guys are paid employees under workmans comp.
If I paid them as subs , By LAW they are not aloud to be paid a weekly Hourly pay ,or Use and of my tools or Ride to work in my Trucks. And that doesn't fly in my business .
Paying real employees as subs ,does nothing but make the bosses Rich and the workers have nothing.
I Like running my business by the book, someone gets Hurts ,No One gets sued, They work over 40 hours they should get Time and a Half, They get Sick, they should have Health insurance.
I make enough money to live a good life, I've worked for people that don't give a crap about your well being,only their own.
I don't want anyone working under me feeling like they don't measure up to me. I worked my ass off for the 7 years starting my own business, I couldn't have done it without my guys.
My next goal is to Split up Crews and apoint a Foreman to run the second crew, In another location. But only If building picks up again. Thats my Goal Take Over all the Log Home needs in,Southern NY, Northern NJ, Northeastern and Central PA .

 

[bhelms]

No offense intended. My comment was triggered by your statement that you wanted to become more a general contractor. In my experience a GC often subs for specialties not in his line ("core competencies") or to extend the crew when more hands are needed. Agreed that the laws are very explicit in what differentiates an employee from a sub. But being a sub does not mean the person is any less of qualified resource for the job, or diminished in stature in any way.

My wife worked for many years as a sub doing "plant maintenance". It was a win-win arrangement for both her and her customers. Altho' the hours she worked in any given account were fairly constant, she invoiced for work done, and at the end of the year received a 1099 instead of a W-2. She carried her own insurance (had to have proof of it to enter the customers' premises), had her own tools, vehicle, etc. But the amount she charged per hour was considerably higher than a wage a company would pay an employee for comparable work as the burden costs shifted from her customers to her. The relationship she had with her customers in no way diminished her relative position in the "food chain" as compared to an employee. She made about the same money but had a lot more independence in how she worked.

A very workable arrangement in many situations. We may see a lot more of this in the current economy as employers are reluctant to take on full time employees and all the attendant responsibilities and costs when the work availabilty is variable and uncertain. But they may be more willing to take on subs for stated work over certain durations and conditions. We do that here in my office. About 1/3 of our current engineers and technical staff are subs, hired for a specific project and/or duration. Many times their contracts are extended. They get paid a higher amount, but then have to cover all their own insurances. Interestingly, the company does provide the office space and computers, etc...

 

[navychop]

My son and I both have government jobs. We'll never get rich, but the job security is tops.

Fairfax County VA, one of the richest in the nation, and many other governments, are laying off employees.

 

[MikeD-C05]

Legalize pot & there will be a huge decrease in the prison population.

Like that would ever ,ever happen in Texas. But you are right, most of our inmates are there for drug and alcohol related crimes.

 

[Foxbat]

I'm fortunate that I support an old computer OS that has few experienced support types left.

Gee, OpenVMS/VAX by any chance? We have many VAXen still going strong, 20 years later. They aren't going to be replaced anytime soon, either.

 

[shanewalker]

I was laid off in mid-November. Tech related, economy related, healthy dose of office politic.

Lots of irons in the proverbial fire, but no one is ready to 'commit' because of the economy...employers are taking a deer in the headlights wait-and-see approach. Which is nerve racking as my severance/savings bleeds away while they await the second coming of the economy.

We just met with our real estate agent to put our house back on the market--which we moved into only last May. And we all know how well the real estate is moving these days.

But at least my 8mo-old son is getting more beautiful and smiling every day. He's my inspiration.

Good luck to all out there...this is one hell of a beast, this recession/depression.

 

[gbjbany]

Fairfax County VA, one of the richest in the nation, and many other governments, are laying off employees.

Yep wife works for folsom City and they are laying off people, inlcuding freezing hiring in police and fire. Reducing shifts and furlough days. Not all sunny working for the gov either right now.
They also have some crazy rules and ways about who they lay off. Makes me crazy

Have no idea what's happening at my place. They keep saying all is good, we laid of 20k people a couple of years ago but waiting for other shoe !

 

[Lee Smith]

Gee, OpenVMS/VAX by any chance? We have many VAXen still going strong, 20 years later. They aren't going to be replaced anytime soon, either.

No. All of the VMS systems I support are Alphas and we are going to Itanium within the next year (I hope).

But, I do have great memories of working with VAXen. My first one was the 2nd VAX built in 1977 when I worked for DEC.

 

[snathanb]

I'm still working and I don't see that ending anytime soon. My department is a profit center and the company collects $15k a week (plus T&L) for my services. I'm already booked solid through 2009, so I'm gold through at least the end of the year.

 

[Van]

Yea goverment jobs are not safe in VA,



Cities brace for layoffs of local constitutional officers | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

Cities brace for layoffs of local constitutional officers
Posted to: General Assembly News

By Dave Forster
The Virginian-Pilot
© February 28, 2009
RICHMOND

Before they reached a tentative deal Friday night, state lawmakers had proposed a 5 percent funding cut for prosecutors, sheriffs and other constitutional officers. The lawmakers backed down from the cuts, but if they do end up as part of the budget, they would force layoffs in Hampton Roads, officials said Friday .

Norfolk Sheriff Bob McCabe said he would have to cut about 31 positions from a sworn officer staff of 447. The smaller staff would probably mean the end of inmate cleanup crews and other services that deputies provide , he said.

“It’ll be the first time we’ve ever had to cut positions in my 15 years,” McCabe said.

 

[jayn_j]

All of the above, who have already posted, I would venture to guess are under 50 years old.

Anyone my age or the others mentioned have no value to contemporary America.

No, its now sour grapes, just reality.

But don't worry, I and the others will survive.

My job went south back in the tech crash of 2001. Lately, I am surviving by picking up work as a hired gun contractor. I'm 59 and I partially agree. Companies don't want to take a risk with their insurance and pension pools (whatever is left of them). However, the work is still there, and the kids they want to hire are inexperienced and need us to show them the tricks.

I still see a shortage in my field (real time embedded firmware), but nobody is ever going to offer me security at this point, and we live day to day.

 

[snathanb]

I still see a shortage in my field (real time embedded firmware), but nobody is ever going to offer me security at this point, and we live day to day.

I probably depends on the field. My company direct hires hundreds of them (real time embedded firmware engineers) and they make a very good living with a fairly secure job. I have friends who have been engineers here for 20+ years. It's a strong job in the telecommunications field. That is my background, as well. However, I've moved from the r&d side to the engineering services side of the company and make even more.

 

[jayn_j]

I probably depends on the field. My company direct hires hundreds of them (real time embedded firmware engineers) and they make a very good living with a fairly secure job. I have friends who have been engineers here for 20+ years. It's a strong job in the telecommunications field. That is my background, as well. However, I've moved from the r&d side to the engineering services side of the company and make even more.

And my current company is hiring 30 year old engineers right and left, but won't convert the 50 something contractors to permanent. My point is that once you have been laid off after you are 45, it is difficult to impossible to get another permanent job. My old company (the computer one with a name a little less than IQ) started hiring college grads just as soon as they had cleared out 50% of the old farts.

 

[LER]

luckily I'm good where I'm at. The company I'm with helps others save money by improving their processes, and the visibility of the bottlenecks. We're kicking butt and taking names.

Gartner just listed us in the upper right of the MQ.

After the 4 years of hell I had from 2003-2007 this is great. I've been in this position for 2 year as of 2/12/09.