Bum-aversary
It's been 3 months today since I became an unemployment statistic, and I thought this would be a good time to check in and give everyone a brief update on my situation. In short, I'm still looking for another job, but we're still able to pay the bills, so I'm not out on the street holding a sign yet, like this poor guy.
The road back to gainful employment is looking to be a lot harder than I thought. I've had a fair number of interviews, but the pressure on hiring managers to fill positions internally, and procrastinate on their decisions is immense, plus the competition for available jobs is fierce. Still, I'm optimistic that something will turn up, and if it doesn't, I've already started looking for temporary work to tide me over. Mrs. BH wants to remain in her job for another year, so that's been limiting my search to the local area, which offers few opportunities for the kind of work I do.
Financially, we're in okay shape. I had been counting on receiving about 4 months of wages and benefits from my former employer, but when they filed for Chapter 11 on April 1st (no fooling), everything they owed me was tossed into bankruptcy court, and I was forced to start collecting unemployment insurance, as Mrs. BH's salary is not enough to cover our expenses. Let me tell you that anyone who thinks that UI is some sort of wonderful benefit that turns otherwise hard-working people into welfare queens is in for a rude shock if you ever find yourself in my situation; what I get in a month works out to barely 10% of my former wages, just enough to pay our mortgage. If not for our second income, we'd be in dire straights right now. As it is, we are just covering our expenses, and will have enough to last us through next summer, if we're very careful and don't get any nasty surprises.
As for the lost severance, after consulting with an attorney, it appears that I will probably be able to recover almost $11K of my pre-filing wages and benefits (minus taxes), but everything they owed me after April 1st is essentially lost. If I'm very lucky, I might see 2-4% of it. The company that purchased the assets of my ex-employer has no obligation whatsoever under the law to repay the monies I'm owed, so my legal options are extremely limited. Bankruptcy law in this country is weighted almost entirely towards the employer, and what laws exist to protect employees are filled with easily exploited loopholes.
All in all, things could be a lot worse though. I've run into former colleagues who've been out of work for years, and have few prospects of ever returning to the workforce in any meaningful capacity. While I'm waiting for the next opportunity, I'm getting a lot of home projects done, and brushing up my skills by training myself on new software packages. I'm also looking into taking some college courses, if we can afford it.
Finally, we're still planning to attend the Hukilau next month. We'd already purchased the plane and event tickets before I lost my job, and my sainted mother has offered to cover the rest of our expenses as an early 29th wedding anniversary present.
That should about cover it. I'll be back in another 3 months, or earlier if I have anything positive to report.
Aloha,
Mr. BH