My job is being eliminated

Patrusha
Patrusha Member Posts: 487
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Yep. Our company was sold six months ago and I was told today that I would not have a job after Feb. 1. They need me until then to finish up all the projects I am working on and then rely on HQ to provide all of the stuff that I do now.

Sigh.

I'm not the only one on the block. My brother was fired the other day. It was our family that sold the company to this company so it is a little ironic. One of our office workers who has been with the company for 33 years had her last day on Tuesday. Her mom died Tuesday morning so she hasn't cleaned out her desk yet. All told they are eliminating positions of about 40 people in the state, most of them with an average of 15 years with our company.

Friends are being shifted from jobs they love to jobs they are going to hate, but they're thankful to have any sort of a job. The powers that be didn't have a job to move me into. I interpret that as I make too much money and I have cancer.... better to get rid of me. I can't prove it, of course.... just a hunch.

On the other hand I feel it is just a business decision. The economy in Michigan SUCKS. My husband and I are looking at moving out of state to greener pastures so our kids will have better opportunities. We've been through worse times in this state -- we've both lived here all of our lives -- but I think it's going to be a few more years before we see the light of day here.

OK. Off to bed. Tomorrow's another day. Oh, yeah, I can't tell anyone at work that I am losing my job or they'll yank the severance pay I will collect on Feb. 1. I did sign a contract before the sale of the company that basically ensured me that they would keep my health insurance going until July 2007 if they let me go for any reason other than gross malfeasance, so at least I still have that.

Comments

  • JADot
    JADot Member Posts: 709 Member
    Patrusha:

    I am so sorry to hear about this! Now you have so many other things to worry about.

    I am responding quickly because I want to make sure I tell you about insurance in the context of job loss/job change as it is so important to us.

    There is a federal mendate which requires that your ex-employer to offer you COBRA coverage, which is save level of coverage, only paid by you. I think the minimum COBRA period is 18 months. In CA, there is a state extension of another 18 months beyond the initial 18 months.

    After you exhaust the 18 months of COBRA coverage, if you are still on your own, there is another federal mandate (thanks for Senators Kennedy and Kassabaum) that requires insurance companies to provide you insurance coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions. There is just one requirement for this - that you MUST have been continuously covered by some form of health insurance in the previously 2 years (?) prior to your new application. So it is vitally important that you NEVER go a day without being covered by a health insurance. That way, nobody can deny you coversage.

    Another thing I learned - all of your dealings with insurance companies, payments, correspondence, always send them way ahead of time and via registered mail. That way nobody can cancel you citing late or missed payments.

    Hope this helps.

    Cheers,
    Ying
  • scouty
    scouty Member Posts: 1,965 Member
    I'm sorry about your job situation but it sounds like you have covered yourself pretty well in the near term. Good for you on that!!!!!!!!

    Ironically, I was watching the news tonight and they did a special on jobs in Wyoming. Apparently, there are 6,000 more jobs there then people and they showed a job fair Wyoming did in Michigan of all places. How ironic is that??????? There is a website for job listings in Wyoming if you are interested. Google it. I think it was on the ABC news (Katie Couric was the host) and they should have a link also.

    As Ying says, COBRA gives you health insurance a year after your company provided goes away, that should get you to mid year 2008. By then you will be happily on your way to your 2nd year of NED!!!!!!!!!!!

    Lisa P.
  • vinny3
    vinny3 Member Posts: 928 Member
    Patrusha,
    Sorry to hear about your job loss. Hopefully it will work out ok in the end. Keep positive and attacking the beast. The Cobra does last for 18 months after you lose your job but unfortunately you have to pay the premiums.

    ****
  • Patrusha
    Patrusha Member Posts: 487
    JADot said:

    Patrusha:

    I am so sorry to hear about this! Now you have so many other things to worry about.

    I am responding quickly because I want to make sure I tell you about insurance in the context of job loss/job change as it is so important to us.

    There is a federal mendate which requires that your ex-employer to offer you COBRA coverage, which is save level of coverage, only paid by you. I think the minimum COBRA period is 18 months. In CA, there is a state extension of another 18 months beyond the initial 18 months.

    After you exhaust the 18 months of COBRA coverage, if you are still on your own, there is another federal mandate (thanks for Senators Kennedy and Kassabaum) that requires insurance companies to provide you insurance coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions. There is just one requirement for this - that you MUST have been continuously covered by some form of health insurance in the previously 2 years (?) prior to your new application. So it is vitally important that you NEVER go a day without being covered by a health insurance. That way, nobody can deny you coversage.

    Another thing I learned - all of your dealings with insurance companies, payments, correspondence, always send them way ahead of time and via registered mail. That way nobody can cancel you citing late or missed payments.

    Hope this helps.

    Cheers,
    Ying

    Thanks. Ying. I know all about good old Cobra. The insurance for my family would cost about $600 to $700 a month. Pretty steep for an unemployed person. I will still have insurance through my husband, too.... will that count for continuous coverage down the road?

    The company will pay my insurance through next July and then I guess they would have to offer me Cobra at that time. They can't get out of that unless I quit.... and I am thinking of doing that.

    It's wierd. I'm trying not to overreact, but they are eliminating my job because they will have HQ do it from another state. I feel like they're just using me to finish up my projects and I feel like, what the hell? If they don't value what I do enough to keep me on staff, why do they value it enough to keep me there for three months? Answer: They don't want to be left with the details hanging. There is, in fact, no one in the state of Michigan that can do what I do for this company. In that respect, they need me, for now.

    I told my husband I want to get all of my personal stuff out of there this weekend. The resume is already going out... but I just feel like their **** if I stay until February to clean up all the little details for them.

    Still, this **** makes good money so I don't want to cut off my nose to spite my face, either. Take the money and then quit in February? I just don't know how I can continue with the stress of the job knowing that its all coming to an end anyway.

    I'd kind of like to sit them down and say, look, I can't take this stress. It's not good for me. Make me an offer to go away.

    Round 5 of chemo is tomorrow. Joy. Guess I'll have lots to think about while I'm getting juiced...
  • Patrusha
    Patrusha Member Posts: 487
    scouty said:

    I'm sorry about your job situation but it sounds like you have covered yourself pretty well in the near term. Good for you on that!!!!!!!!

    Ironically, I was watching the news tonight and they did a special on jobs in Wyoming. Apparently, there are 6,000 more jobs there then people and they showed a job fair Wyoming did in Michigan of all places. How ironic is that??????? There is a website for job listings in Wyoming if you are interested. Google it. I think it was on the ABC news (Katie Couric was the host) and they should have a link also.

    As Ying says, COBRA gives you health insurance a year after your company provided goes away, that should get you to mid year 2008. By then you will be happily on your way to your 2nd year of NED!!!!!!!!!!!

    Lisa P.

    Hmmmm... I've heard Wyoming is really beautiful... Speaking of googling things.... Google recently moved part of their operations to where I live (and yes I will be sending them a resume). My 83-year-old father has been bugging me to put in a resume since he read a newspaper article a month or so ago about them coming here. So today he calls me, and I tell him my news, and he says, "well, did you send a resume to Goggle?"

    Cracks me up! Goggle!!!! He has the hardest time figure out exactly what "Goggle" does and how it makes any money. Hysterical!
  • Patrusha
    Patrusha Member Posts: 487
    vinny3 said:

    Patrusha,
    Sorry to hear about your job loss. Hopefully it will work out ok in the end. Keep positive and attacking the beast. The Cobra does last for 18 months after you lose your job but unfortunately you have to pay the premiums.

    ****

    I gotta admit, ****, there was, oh, 30 seconds there where I just figured I'd give up on the chemo, too, and let whatever happens happen. Our very huge deductibles start over again on january first so if I don't have another job by then it is possible I will have to stop the chemo... we'll see...

    I'll try to stay positive. After all, being told your job is being eliminated is nothing compared to being told you have a cancer that kills 50,000 people every year. Now that was scary. This? Pffftt.
  • Limey
    Limey Member Posts: 446 Member
    Patrusa, I am a FIRM believer that things like this happen for a reason. Often when change happens, we see the negetive and focus on the fear of the unknown. But when we look back, we see that there was a blessing. Maybe Wyoming is just the perfect place to be for you and your family. I know my last job I applied for I did not get and six months after that happened, our sales manager retired early (totally out of the blue) and I was hired as the next sales manager. Something that i wanted but did not expect it to happen for another 5+ years. It is the best job I have EVER had. Now with my rediagnosis, I will not be able to keep working in that capacity. I am kind of excited to see what God has in store. All I know is my boss called me today and told me to think of what I want to do and how much I want to work from home and he would create a job for me. I hope you can find peace in knowing that what lies ahead bay be exactly what you and your family need. Embrace the opportunity for change. Good Luck
    Mark
  • JADot
    JADot Member Posts: 709 Member
    Patrusha said:

    Thanks. Ying. I know all about good old Cobra. The insurance for my family would cost about $600 to $700 a month. Pretty steep for an unemployed person. I will still have insurance through my husband, too.... will that count for continuous coverage down the road?

    The company will pay my insurance through next July and then I guess they would have to offer me Cobra at that time. They can't get out of that unless I quit.... and I am thinking of doing that.

    It's wierd. I'm trying not to overreact, but they are eliminating my job because they will have HQ do it from another state. I feel like they're just using me to finish up my projects and I feel like, what the hell? If they don't value what I do enough to keep me on staff, why do they value it enough to keep me there for three months? Answer: They don't want to be left with the details hanging. There is, in fact, no one in the state of Michigan that can do what I do for this company. In that respect, they need me, for now.

    I told my husband I want to get all of my personal stuff out of there this weekend. The resume is already going out... but I just feel like their **** if I stay until February to clean up all the little details for them.

    Still, this **** makes good money so I don't want to cut off my nose to spite my face, either. Take the money and then quit in February? I just don't know how I can continue with the stress of the job knowing that its all coming to an end anyway.

    I'd kind of like to sit them down and say, look, I can't take this stress. It's not good for me. Make me an offer to go away.

    Round 5 of chemo is tomorrow. Joy. Guess I'll have lots to think about while I'm getting juiced...

    Hi Patrusha:

    Yes, coverage under your husband's plan would certainly count as continued coverage.

    Google is a great company to work for. They hire the smartest people and give them freedom to do their work. They allow their engineers 20% of each week's time to pursue a personal technical interest at work - does not have to be directly related to their work at all. They hire thinkers and tinkers and let them think and tinker. Is that just smart or what?

    OK, I am getting OT.

    Good luck on your treatment tomorrow!

    Cheers,
    Ying
  • JADot
    JADot Member Posts: 709 Member
    Patrusha said:

    Thanks. Ying. I know all about good old Cobra. The insurance for my family would cost about $600 to $700 a month. Pretty steep for an unemployed person. I will still have insurance through my husband, too.... will that count for continuous coverage down the road?

    The company will pay my insurance through next July and then I guess they would have to offer me Cobra at that time. They can't get out of that unless I quit.... and I am thinking of doing that.

    It's wierd. I'm trying not to overreact, but they are eliminating my job because they will have HQ do it from another state. I feel like they're just using me to finish up my projects and I feel like, what the hell? If they don't value what I do enough to keep me on staff, why do they value it enough to keep me there for three months? Answer: They don't want to be left with the details hanging. There is, in fact, no one in the state of Michigan that can do what I do for this company. In that respect, they need me, for now.

    I told my husband I want to get all of my personal stuff out of there this weekend. The resume is already going out... but I just feel like their **** if I stay until February to clean up all the little details for them.

    Still, this **** makes good money so I don't want to cut off my nose to spite my face, either. Take the money and then quit in February? I just don't know how I can continue with the stress of the job knowing that its all coming to an end anyway.

    I'd kind of like to sit them down and say, look, I can't take this stress. It's not good for me. Make me an offer to go away.

    Round 5 of chemo is tomorrow. Joy. Guess I'll have lots to think about while I'm getting juiced...

    Hi Patrusha:

    Yes, coverage under your husband's plan would certainly count as continued coverage.

    Google is a great company to work for. They hire the smartest people and give them freedom to do their work. They allow their engineers 20% of each week's time to pursue a personal technical interest at work - does not have to be directly related to their work at all. They hire thinkers and tinkers and let them think and tinker. Is that just smart or what?

    OK, I am getting OT.

    Good luck on your treatment tomorrow!

    Cheers,
    Ying
  • goldfinch
    goldfinch Member Posts: 735
    I'm sorry you are going through this. Money issues can be so all consuming. I wanted to let you know that I was laid off once, from a hospital position as a med surg nurse. It ended up working out very well for me. I got a part time position at the same hospital that eventually led to my most favorite job...cardiac rehab nurse. I loved that job! My husband later lost his position and we had to move to VT. That was a wonderful move for us. We had both lived in CT for our whole lives (40 years), and never would have done this by choice. IT has ended up being a wonderful move. Good luck with all your changes.
    Mary
  • betina61
    betina61 Member Posts: 642 Member
    I am very sorry that you are loosing your job, but I am a great believer that changes are for the better, I am sure that you will get a better job that you had. By the way, you mentioned about huge deductibles starting in January and maybe stopping the chemo? I hope from the botton of my heart that doesn't happen. Hugs, Betina
  • This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • jana11
    jana11 Member Posts: 705
    I am sooo sorry this is happening to you, especially right now. As others have said, things tend to work out. Try to think of this as a small break, that you deserve. Keep the resume suffle going on; maybe keeping your job until Feb will give you the perfect amt of time to find the perfect job! Try not to over stress - easier said than done. :)

    Good luck with everything... sounds like you have been thinking about a change for a while. Hopefully this will all work out wonderfully.

    If you need to pause chemo after jan, talk to your docs about setting up an official break. They do it all the time.

    Sending you happy and positive vibes. jana
  • Betsydoglover
    Betsydoglover Member Posts: 1,248 Member
    Hi Patrusha,

    What a bummer with everything else you are dealing with.

    I know how working thru January sounds tough right now, but it may give you time to find a good new job. Try not too be so stressed that you lose site of the fact that you have a salary until the end of January and frankly if you slack off somewhat in order to search for a new job, what can they do to you that they haven't already done?

    Hopefully you can manage a new job and continuous insurance. (If you are actually covered by your husband's insurance as a dependent, then I think you will have no problem at all - that should just take over as primary if yours lapses).

    Chemo breaks happen all the time. If you need to take a break for financial reasons, explain that to your oncologist and I am sure they can plan a break. And since you are Stage II, as you know, chemo for you is not considered to be the standard of care. So you have some flexibility.

    Good luck in the job search.

    Betsy
  • jsabol
    jsabol Member Posts: 1,145 Member
    Hi,
    I'm sorry to hear that you have to deal with all this stuff while fighting the beast. I had to tell you my tale, which involved getting awakened from a nap at home by a call from my boss on my last day of chemo. She was calling to tell me that, after 14 weeks of leave, they would not be able to hold my job open, and would be posting the position. (And I worked in health care, and had carefully arranged coverage for all my job duties!)
    Long story short, I was offered another position in the company, in part, I believe, out of fear that I would sue, even though I had no solid ground. The new position, which I took reluctantly and almost solely for the continuing income, has been a great move for me....good job, great people; one of the best moves I've made!
    So...even if it is scary, keep strong and keep thinking. Things do have a way of working out; all the best to you. Judy