tsween

collect unemployment

Stryker

I think we need to stop using the F word... nothing has happened and no need to panic... if it happens it happens, we all knew its a possibility when we got into this line of work, but no use losing sleep and getting gray hair early over a very slight maybe....

also, as a United captain told me once "you arent a real pilot til you have been furloughed once or twice" haha

E1Out

I think the saying goes something like, "You aren't a real pilot until you've been furloughed, divorced and can drink scotch straight."

Although I certainly wouldn't go into panic mode, it's always smart to be thinking about what you would do if you were furloughed. I got furloughed after 9/11 and hadn't even considered a back-up plan. From the day 9/11 happened to the day I was standing on an unemployment line was 19 days. Not much time to put a plan into place.

Personally, I lived off of my unemployment until it ran out 5 months later. I wasn't able to find ANY kind of job in ANY industry for quite awhile. I then took an entry-level position at the airline that furloughed me (allowing me to keep my medical and flight benefits) - until I was able to get another flying job, approximately a year and a half after being furloughed.

The biggest problem I found while I was on furlough was that there was absolutely NO telling how long we would be out for. Right after 9/11 they were telling us to expect more than 5 years. There were so many variables involved, it was very hard for the company to predict. Then, all of a sudden they started recalling 2 years after we got furloughed, and everyone was back on property within a few months.

It was hard to plan your life - or guarantee a future employer you weren't going to bail in 6 months or a year, or feel comfortable going back to school, etc - when you didn't know how long you had before you would be returning to work. Had we had that answer up front, furlough would have been much more pleasant.

Again, it's very smart to be thinking about it now. Everyone I know that has been furloughed is always thinking about "What if?" regardless of how their company is doing, or how much seniority they have. And conversely, everyone I know that's never been furloughed comments that they're looking forward to the "vacation."

whiskerbizkit

Thats why you get a degree in something other than aviation so you can fall back on incase of these curcimstances.

DustoffVT

I was lucky enough to be back at my old flying job about 3 months after furlough. Unenjoyment covered my mortgage exactly, but all the rest of my bills came out of my emergency CD. They say to have 3 months expenses put away in something fairly liquid and they're right.

Stay in touch with the people you know on the line, we have a website that 7 years later is still helping people find jobs.

Getting furloughed ended up with my finally achieving the dream of becoming a military pilot, so recognize that it might be an opportunity, too.

Jetjock65

Yea, Screw my idea Costa sounds like a much better idea! If I was gonna stay down there I'd probally beg my buddy Greg for a job at the Del Rey

E1Out

Under certain circumstances, you're right. That is a good plan. IF you are furloughed within a few years of graduating college, and the furlough was isolated to your company.

However, being furloughed during an economic downturn when employers in every industry are laying off and the unemployment rate is relatively high - it won't matter much what your degree is in. As many of my fellow furloughees can attest to, you still may not be able to find a job immediately.

Furthermore, unless you are keeping up your knowledge and skills in that field - the farther out you are from graduating college, the less relevant that degree becomes to someone who might hire you for a position in that industry.


My advice for anyone who is contemplating the "What if?" question:

1. I agree with the previous poster who said to look at it as an opportunity to fulfill an aspect of your life that you may not have been able to do otherwise. With some planning and a positive outlook - it truly could become an adventure!

2. Seriously assess your finances. Try to eliminate debt now and start saving. Any little bit will help later on. I know a lot of guys who sleep much better at night, now that they have a 3-6 month financial cushion stored away.

3. Ask yourself how much money you need to survive on each month/year. Add a bit for unplanned expenditures, and that will tell you what kind of job you need to be targeting if you get furloughed.

4. Make sure you have the phone numbers for your union reps, company benefits department, supervisors, and company & union Code-A-Phones (if you have them). You will quickly lose access to your company websites, and may find yourself in a position of not knowing who to call for information later on. Also know how to get Employment Verification Information for future employers.

5. Make sure that your contact information is up-to-date with the company and the union. Also find out who to send contact info changes to in the event you move after a furlough. Your last address and phone number is the only way the company will be able to contact you in the event of a recall. Consider using your parents' address if they are less likely to move.

6. Become familiar with the "Furlough and Recall" section of your contract. Find out what pay, medical and pass travel benefits you would be entitled to. (Make sure you COBRA within 63 days of your furlough, and also plan for that added expense. It can be upwards of a few hundred $.) Also, be aware of how many years of "Recall Rights" you have. And if you're still on Probation, find out when your company considers you having Recall Rights. Some companies say "Day 1 of Indoc," other say "after completion of IOE," others say "after 1 year of service." This is important information.

7. Within a month of being furloughed, if you have not heard anything from your Union, contact them and ask for the "Furlough Coordinator's" contact information. Typically, he will be your sole source of information, and the liaison between yourself, the union and the company.

8. Be aware that when you return, you will have to complete a FULL new-hire training course again - and this time, after possibly not having flown in a few years. Most companies are sympathetic to this, but they will NOT "train to proficiency." Many of our furloughees had the attitude of "They furloughed me, so they can retrain me." They had quite a surprise when they came back on property and were expected to get through Initial Training without additional training. So consider options to stay instrument current if you don't get a flying job.

9. In the event you do get furloughed, try not to hang on every rumor you hear. This will probably be THE hardest part of being furloughed. Know that NO ONE - including the company - truly has any answers for you, and they won't for quite awhile. Anyone who tells you they know how long it will take before you return is either lying to you or giving you an uninformed guess, just to make you feel better. Plan for the worst, hope for the best, and try to concentrate on what's immediately in front of you.


On a personal note, the ONE thing I wished I had done when I got furloughed was backpacked Europe or Australia for a month. Had I had a plan in place, I probably could have pulled it off. I promised myself if it happened again, I'd do it.

Hopefully, no one reading this will ever need this information.

E1Out

Oh, one more piece of advice while I'm thinking of it:

Network, network, network. Never stop networking.

No matter how long you've been at your company, you never know how deep the furloughs will go. After 9/11, USAir furloughed all the way back to 1989 (12 years of service).

As time goes on, your contacts in other parts of the industry - and other industries - will fade if you don't make a concerted effort to keep up with people. Don't burn any bridges, because you never know who you may need to call and beg for a job.

DustoffVT

Too true. The MEC chairman told me "see you in a couple weeks" - the company shut down 6 months later.

And I still kick myself for not thru hiking the AT that summer.

freezingflyboy

When I first read that I saw "emergency cross dressing" I guess there's more than one way to make a living!

Ain't that the truth. In the financial world we call that the "homelessness ratio". Basically the ratio of your savings to your monthly expenses. Thats how long you could live with no income before you would be in some deep kimchi.