Jobless in America: Stories from the Frontlines of the Economic Crisis

By Nicholas von Hoffman, The Nation. Posted February 10, 2009.

Kate Stewart
Centreville, Va.

'Probably applied for about 200 jobs'

I am a married 35-year-old man with two young children at home. About three years ago, I made the decision to return to college and finish my bachelor's degree with the hope that it would help empower me to achieve more than the low-paying jobs in which I have worked for most of my adult life. I attended a top university, UC Berkeley, while working part time. I graduated with a bachelor's in history with honors.

It has been just over a year since I graduated, and I cannot find a full-time job. Believe me, I have been trying. I have probably applied for about 200 jobs at all sorts of companies, from Starbucks to Google. The closest I have come to landing a job was when I made it to the second interview for a County Department of Public Health analyst position. But before I knew what hit me, the county froze the position because of budget constraints.

I cannot express how discouraged I am at this point. My family and I are basically surviving off public assistance. I want to work and do my part, but nobody will hire me. I just do not know what to do.

Dean Stankiewicz
Berkeley, Calif.

'At least we are better off than a lot of people'

My husband had a promising career ahead of him when he began with Cleary Building Corp. (pre-engineered structures, such as barns and outbuildings) as a sales specialist three years ago. After his first year with the company he was ranked number two nationally in first-year sales. But then the economy started to change. In 2007 his sales plummeted, as did his base salary, from $335 per week to $250 per week. In 2008 his base salary dropped to a dismal $200 per week, to support a family of four. Less than minimum wage.

Finally, in October, he was let go. Cleary then tried to deny his unemployment and withheld his last paycheck. We had to solicit the assistance of our local Representative, Diana Fessler, to assure his unemployment. Cleary appealed the decision once his unemployment was granted.

The worst part of this layoff is that my husband carried our family's health insurance. With my two part-time jobs, I make just over the amount allowable to put my children on Medicaid. Luckily, Ohio has a plan that if you keep your children uninsured for six months, you may be eligible for a buy-in health plan through the state. But what about those six months? Do you want your children to be uninsured for six months?

On New Year's Day I went to a party with some old college friends. I discovered that one of them had been laid off from Miller-Valentine, where he had worked for more than twenty years. He was the sole support of his family of five. I think at least we are better off than them, than a lot of people. I still have a job.

Gail Ruhkamp
Laura, Ohio

'Class war has begun'

I have been laid off since September 5. I am an electrician with IBEW union membership. Although I work from a pool of workers on an "out of work" union list, we have seen no new calls for some time. Last fall, before I was laid off, there were few wind-farm jobs available. I am a 54-year-old woman, so I feel the outlook for a decent-paying job, or any job, is growing quite dim. I am collecting unemployment, and thank God for the extension allowed by the federal government. I do have a little in savings, but I fear the day may be nearing when I must use it for monthly payments. My husband is still employed, but this could change at any time, as no one seems safe. My worst fear is not that I will have to work for a lesser wage--it is getting into trouble with my mortgage.

Who knows where tomorrow may take us? We have been truly wronged by the greed of many, the lack of good stewardship of our government, the attempts of many to continue this damage. It all turns back to greed. Corporate America no longer represents American interests, as it is owned by outside interests and the hunger for big profits. This country was built on the people's strength to revolutionize against those who wrong us, and soon this may be necessary again. Class war has begun.

Sue Oelkers
Red Wing, Minn.

'My little McJob may go away'

After being laid off from a slowly dying biotech company at the end of 2001, I looked for a job for a year but had trouble even finding a reasonable job to apply for. My wife and I moved to Tucson in 2003, and I took the third postdoc of my career because that was what was available. I have now moved up to assistant research scientist, which is essentially super-postdoc. So far, very little grant money has come through for me, and my boss is getting squeezed, as our state government looks with glee at the idea of cutting back expenditures on all education.

See more stories tagged with: economic crisis, unemployment, joblessness

Nicholas Von Hoffman is a columnist for the New York Observer and is the author, most recently, of "Hoax" (Nation Books, 2004).

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