Haley, at least we still do have jobs. We are more fortunate than many. Our company hasn't made any cuts, yet, no adjustments to 401K's. They did announce that there will be no salary increases this year. Many of us do have commission as a portion of our compensation, and this automatically lowers our income when things are down. I'd tell you how much I just lost personally, but should not put that kind of thing in an open forum. There are other things that have happened lately, too that I really don't want to put on here, but some good news would really help us all right now. Don't think I can handle much more bad news.

One thing I hate about all of this is that being in a management position, I get to deliver and explain the reasons for some of the bad news. It's hard to have to explain to people that they won't be making as much for a few months because of a customer's financial problems. They are upset, and there is nothing you can do but try to help them to understand and realize that we do still all have our jobs, and we are all sharing in the losses together.

I hope and pray that your situation will improve or at least stabalize so you have some comfort and security.

Thanks Marilyn, i hope it does get better, but just thinking now, i got cut to 4 days a week, now 5% of my pay on top of this, and on April 1, another 4% cause were not getting any raises.. its' depressing, but yes Thank God i still have a job, and Thank God too that my husband is still working good.
So i'm just going to try and cheer up, and take the punches for now. and move on and see what happens in the next couple of months.

It's time to pick what's really important in our lives and get rid of the rest. That way we don't have so much to worry about losing. Compared to others...we are blessed with abundance and when any part of that is threatened..we start stressing. Why do we put ourselves in this position....we should know better.

Amen, Janet !!!

We know better, but it's difficult to put it in perspective and focus on the positives, and our blessings when the nightmare just won't end. I was busy today visiting with customers and trying to do my job to build relationships and work out ways to increase our sales and begin the process of recooping some of the recent losses and when I got back to my truck and to my cell phone after being away from it for a couple of hours, I had several missed calls and voicemails. More people needing answers about what happened to cause the recent losses, everyone wants details and more information on a topic that frankly is beyond all our control, and I'm tired of explaining. It's up to the bankruptcy courts and the lawyers now. Tomorrow morning, I will be visiting with more customers trying to develop a couple of new accounts, and tomorrow afternoon, it's back to the office to answer some of the questions left over from today. Who'd have thought 6 months ago that we would be where we are today. I'm trying to hang on, but most of the time, I'm just a breath away from tears and turning into a blubbering idiot.

I told hubby, I haven't starting reading the 4th book in the Twilight series yet because I don't have time. It may just be time to break it out and start reading. I need to escape into another world for a while. Calgon, take me away.......

I think it's a good idea to take some time for yourself and read. It always helps me to "escape" in a book when I'm feeling stressed.

Marlilyn how is it going at work??? Same depressing day here... starting next pay we will see are 5% pay cut.. so i was redoing some of my bills last night.. moved some around, Thank God my cc will be paid off next pay, finally!!! then that will give us some extra money next month, then i have Micah's second Birthday party to deal with, its going to be small no big deal this year...

Haley, I just don't know. I visited a customer yesterday who makes needle coke. It's a material that goes into electrodes. They are shutting down for two months due to lack of sales. Just a few months ago they were going and blowing, revamping the plant, two expansion projects in engineering. We sold them lots of valves last year, and one of the projects was going to be huge for them and us. All their storage is full, and they have literally a mountain of unsold coke in the plant. Looks like a huge pile of coal.

Their are laying off all contractors with the expection of 5 or 6 engineers. The shift workers are going to straight days, 40 hr weeks, and will be doing the maintenance work, mowing lawns and such if needed. There really isn't any maintenance to do since their outage last year. BTW, their owner is in Pennsylvania.

The people in the plant are scared. The same plant went bankrupt several years ago and shutdown for almost a year, laying off all but just a few people. Their new owner had really turned it around, found lots of global customers.

I'm beginning to wonder if there is anyone left to sell to. What a mess!!!

It is a mess Marilyn, we been in the red at work for 2 months now, i'm just waiting for them to lay us off for a couple months. Hopefully, its not permanent, I just Thank God everyday that Mike is working so good, but then again his government job ends in September, so i don't know where there going to send him after that, if there's no work around here there going to send him out of town again, and that is a nightmare on me by myself with Micah, but i did it before and will do it again i guess..
If i get laid off, i'll just bartend under the table again like i did before to make ends meet.. we'll see what happens. I know a couple of clubs that need parttime daylight bartenders... Mike is not going to like the idea, but i have to do what i have to do...
Maybe there is a light at the end of this long tunnel but i don't see it yet????

their owner is in Pennsylvania.


What company is this?

It's called Seadrift Coke. It has maintained this name through various owners. I'm not sure what the parent company is actually called. They are probably just dba Seadrift Coke. The man who owns them, and I don't know his name, has a background in the steel mills of PA, but decided to branch out into the coke industry. He's supposed to own this plant and one other. You know he's gotta be sick over what is happening.

I'm kinda in the Steel Mill industry, don't know to much about Coke.. and i never heard of Seadrift Coke..
I went to a good friend of mines childs birthday party this weekend and found out that here husband just got laid off Friday, and basically they told him they don't know if they can hire him back.. how depressing... and they just purchased that house about 2 years ago, don't know how there going to keep up on the payments if he can't find another job... even Birthday parties are depressing to go to...