More layoffs - Now it's Exide, what about the Chrysler/Chevy dealers? Also Health care layoffs continue as well! (Bristol: insurance, how much)

[Tony1790]

I heard on the news that Exide in Bristol is laying off 500 people and cutting back to only one shift, is that correct?? First Eastman, now Exide, ugh!

When I worked in the Coast Guard I always bought Exide batteries for use on the lights I worked on, it's terrible that they are laying off!

What about the Chrysler and Chevy dealers? According to Obama, Chrysler has 30 days and GM 60 days until bankruptcy, what about all the people that work there? If I was buying a new car, Ford/Toyota and Honda would be what I'd be looking at, unfortunately I can't afford a new car anyway.

As to Health care jobs, the hospital I work at are on a hiring slowdown and that includes nurses. We have over 30 Nurse interns (nursing students soon to graduate), unfortunately we are only hiring 8 or so hospital wide. The interns were hired with the intent of getting a fulltime Nursing job once they graduated, now they will be scrambling to find a job. Think of all of the new nurses that graduate every 6 months. There is the May batch coming up and I graduate in August. Looks like I'll need to scramble to find a job, I'll be graduating with 50 other students all of whom are also looking for a job as well!

Take care out there and work hard to keep your job, unless you plan on quitting, then let me know so I can apply

Tony

[Beretta]

My heart goes out to those that have lost their jobs. With most of the Exide employees residing in the Bristol area, the loss of their insurance will certainly hurt Wellmont Bristol Regional the most.

I do have to wonder about RN's not being able to find jobs. I hope you're wrong about that. We had such a shortage a few years back. Very scary indeed.

[Tony1790]

Originally Posted by SmokyMtnGal

My heart goes out to those that have lost their jobs. With most of the Exide employees residing in the Bristol area, the loss of their insurance will certainly hurt Wellmont Bristol Regional the most.

I do have to wonder about RN's not being able to find jobs. I hope you're wrong about that. We had such a shortage a few years back. Very scary indeed.

Bristol Regional is where I'm at, and the outlook is poor (currently) for employment due to other people's layoffs. When Eastman or Exide, etc layoff, people lose their insurance, when you don't have insurance, you can't afford to be sick, so no hospital visits = no patients, leads to less need for nurse's, support staff, etc. Don't get me wrong, they are still hiring, but waaay less than what they had planned and I know of several soon to graduate nurse's that thought they had a job that now do not. And from the internal buzz at the hospital, we may have a 2nd round of layoffs coming for support staff!

I was at the VA today looking for job openings, there is currently one opening for LPN, and there are over 50 people in my class that need a job (august grads) this month there are over 30 LPN's graduating, so that's 80 new grads at one school alone looking for work, are there enough openings? Not that I'm seeing, but I'll keep looking, I have a few months until I graduate, I should be able to land a job somewhere by then.

Tony

I hope the best to those effected by Exide layoffs, I've had many people from there as patients, they are some very hard working folks, God Bless! If anyone knows, is this just a temporary layoff or long term??

[Beretta]

I'm sorry, I thought you were graduating with an RN degree. LPN jobs are definitely much harder to come by.

The Exide announcement said that the layoff's are "indefinitely" but that they have no idea when they will be able to return employees to work.

I have also heard that there will be additional layoff's in your system. One of the top exec's told my dad that he didn't know how much longer even he would have a job!

[suecen]

I think the nursing thing is just so amazing. I mean a couple years ago people were told to go into nursing; there was such a shortage. But Tony - how you explain it - it would make sense - like dominoes. At the college where my friend graduated from last May a counselor there told people it will be hard to find a nursing job. Just goes to show how things can change so quickly. This is a scary time to be job-hunting. My daughter graduates next May and I'm sure she'll be moving back home.

[Tony1790]

Originally Posted by SmokyMtnGal

I'm sorry, I thought you were graduating with an RN degree. LPN jobs are definitely much harder to come by.

The Exide announcement said that the layoff's are "indefinitely" but that they have no idea when they will be able to return employees to work.

I have also heard that there will be additional layoff's in your system. One of the top exec's told my dad that he didn't know how much longer even he would have a job!

Yes, LPN is much harder, but the Nurse Interns that I mentioned are all RN interns (no interns for LPN's). What is disheartening is that the interns were hired with the agreement that they would transition to fulltime RN jobs, so as an LPN I will have to look elsewhere unless an opening comes along.

Of course there is always the option of moving to where there may be a job available, I think that there is a greater demand in Asheville and better wages as well, the cost of living is more, but housing is in the process of crashing there, so that's making it cheaper......in a bad way for sellers

Tony

[jabogitlu]

The Exide is a hard hit. I saw it on the news today in the break room at Target. I know so many people who are having an awful time scraping by. A friend's dad has cancer, lost his job and with it his insurance, his wife works three part time jobs with no benefits. He just wrecked his truck (not his fault) and there's no way to afford to fix it, so he's driving around with no hood or bumper, and no third gear as well.

Just one story out of many. Luckily natives here are used to hard times. We're scrappy.

[exide1]

i work @ exide been there for about 3yrs. this layoff was a shock to us. we knew everything was slowing down, and there were rumors about the layoff. but after yesterday we never thought 567 people would be going home. we got the rest of the month to work. so as far as looking for another job , there is none in this area. i will stay on unemployment as long as i can , and wait till the economy subsides. emotions are real high, gonna be hard now to make our car payments , house payments ,, mortgage. there is no job in the bristol area that can compete with exides wages. or not even come close. going from 15+hr to min wage. uGH.
as they say "it will get bad , before it gets better"

[rccrain]

Man, I sure hope its temporary for Exide.

For your car dealers, Chrysler is in big trouble, but hopefully they can come out of Chapter 11 and make it work.

GM will be fine. They could come out of bankruptcy in better shape than any other auto maker. I'm hearing the plan is to divide GM into two companies - the star and the dog. The star will come out lean and mean. The dog may never come out (Saturn, Hummer, etc) - what can be sold will be sold. The rest will just go away.

The new GM will have half the employees at lower wages than any other auto maker. It will also be coming out with the most revolutionary car since the 'model t' at the precise time that most economists see the nation coming out of the recession.

The only thing that could kill the new GM is that it will be run by politicians.

[GatorDog]

My nephew graduated from UF Nursing school two years ago. He joined the "Traveling Nurse" program. He works 4 month contracts and has been to Idaho, Texas, Colorado and is currently in New Mexico. They pay for just about everything including housing.

He told me he makes over $100,000 a year.