My husband and I moved to eastern LA County from New York City in 1983 because of that particular recession. We had two young kids and ended up here because his mother and brother had moved out here, and they were willing to let us stay for a little while.
My husband had worked on the railroad for
13 years, which one would think should carry some serious seniority. But things had gotten so bad, so slow, that he couldn't get more than one or two days of work a week.
As always, anyone who worked in transportation then (esp. trucking, railroads and airlines) found that the "trickle down theory" (pun intended)
really meant that instead of working a full week or even overtime, like my husband and brother, they ALL had to decide whether to try to tough it out on a couple of days of work per week (which often meant taking an hourly pay cut on top of fewer hours) or, like today, find work elsewhere even if it meant moving where one thought the work is.
It was a time of
great distress and hardship for anyone who worked a decent paying blue collar job as auto plants, steel mills, mines and factories were shut down. President Reagan fired all of the air traffic controllers in order to CRUSH that union (PATCO). It was a time where people had gone to work in the same steel mill or factory as their Dad, and now were finding themselves on the street after 20 or 25 years with suddenly useless skills and little on the horizon.
After selling ALL our furniture and many other possessions, we drove across the country as soon as school was out (our kids were 5 and 8). Along the way, we came across SO many people in our situation that I began to feel as if it was an 80s version of
The Grapes of Wrath. Many were far more desperate than we were; at least I had worked up until we left and my husband had at least 6 months left of his unemployment. I couldn't collect UI because I had been self employed in NYC and hadn't paid into the fund.
After five or six months, I finally landing a crappy job at half my prior income; was laid off after three months. I found another job after about a month. It took my husband six or seven months. He finally got a job driving a city bus in LA's public transit system. But, for the first six or 12 months it was only part time.
I never, ever wanted to have that insecurity again. My husband and I are now old and retired. Fortunately, with our small pensions and investments and our VERY modest lifestyle, we should be OK, barring a disaster.
So... now we worry anew. Our older son is on the verge of losing his business and his house. He'd like to sell the business and find a job in the same sales field w/a bigger company. But... there's not much opportunity for this.
The younger one, an Iraq war veteran, was laid off from a building trades union job as a 3rd year apprentice due to the hit construction has taken in this recession. The younger one is trying hard to find something that matches his skills and pays at least as much as UI, even though that is not covering their much tightened budget. He thinks that if they get desperate enough, he can always reenlist, but... his wife has absolutely zero idea of the dedication and grit it takes to be a military spouse. He knows this and worries about it. There's also no guarantee he could go back doing what he was before...
Both our sons are married and have young children.
Many of our sons' friends have either been laid off, had their hours cut or taken pay cuts. Some of them have lost their homes as a result. A few got mortgages they expected to refi, but couldn't due to the meltdown. On my tiny little street alone, there are: 3 young families living with Mom and Dad; a pipe fitter working 4 days one week but none the next; a guy my age (60) who was forced to retire early even though he needs his paycheck. Oh, I forgot the 18 year old twins two houses down who are about to graduate high school. They can't find a part time job to pay for car insurance or gas. Then, there more homeowners in our community who have stopped paying their homeowner association dues.
Where I live, the housing meltdown is not as obvious as it is in parts of Riverside or San Bernardino counties, among others. You don't see a glut of empty houses or "for sale" signs. But here's the thing: there are almost NO JOBS. Anywhere.
Here's my advice: unless you have a support system here (as in family or friends willing to let you sleep on their sofa for ? number of weeks or months),
or you have a firm job offer, all the wonderful California sunshine and our laid back, friendly lifestyle will do NOTHING to help you find a job here.
Please read this in the LA times:
California unemployment rate reaches 11.2% - Los Angeles Times
Latest stats:
State of California: 11.2%
Unemployment in much of Southern California is even higher.
Los Angeles County- 11.4%
Riverside- 13.2%
San Bernardino- 12.5%
Ventura- 9.6%
Even Orange County, which historically has low unemployment, reached 8.5% in March.
(My older son lives in OC).
I wish it were different, believe me. Good luck to you.
sharpmama
Welcome to City-Data.com forum! Make sure to register - it's free and very quick! You have to register before you can post and participate in our discussions with 700,000 other registered members. User profiles and some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your free account you will be able to customize many options, you will have the full access to over 15,000 posts/day about local topics and you will see fewer ads. 
Linear Mode
