"Taking a second job can ease the worry" by Geoff Edgers, Globe Staff | February 11, 2009
I would take a first one.
In this downturn, we're not just losing jobs. We're working longer hours for the same money, having our wages frozen, or, most frustrating of all, taking pay cuts for the "greater good" of the company.
Whose we?
In this crunch, sometimes the only way to balance the budget is by taking on a second job. And technically, I could use one to help pay our bills. But a night shift isn't feasible. My wife works full time and we have a child and needy dog. We're also not actually in crisis. We both work, our mortgage is reasonable, and we drive old cars.
Oh, we'll ducky for you!
Of course, I could play the role of part-time worker for a few days, as sort of a labor experiment. But let's be straight. Pretending to moonlight is nothing like what Beth Goncalo goes through. The Fall River mother starts her day at a hospital at 5:30 a.m. and gets off work at 4 p.m. That's a full day (and then some) for most. But then she works her shift at Blount Fine Foods, known for its soups and clam chowder. She works most Saturdays and Sundays to help her son afford tuition at Westfield State College.
"I am exhausted," says Goncalo, who is 43. "But you have to do what you have to do. I would work three jobs if I had no choice."
For myself, being a reporter pretending to take on a part-time job did give me one distinct advantage. I could get a job pretty easily once I explained myself. As job cuts pile up, others won't be so lucky.
I guess the Globe is keeping you, huh, buddy? Not what I heard.
"I've got so many resumes on file, I haven't even looked at them yet," said Gary Carlow, director of operations for the Boston's Preferred Temporaries Inc.
I've even stopped looking at the want ads. There is nothing there. Nothing to live on.
Seasonal jobs may be one exception.
Didn't you just here? Xmas was crappy!!! Worst in 40 years!!
They depend on an influx of outsiders for a few weeks every year.
Yeah, mostly illegals!
That's why I decided on United Parcel Service for my first experiment, since it hires "helpers" in the weeks before Christmas. The idea is to help a veteran blow through the holiday gift boom. Before throwing me out there, UPS made me take a training session, which included safety tips, and a series of quizzes on package delivery. (Tip: Don't leave a giant box out front of a busy street where it can be clipped easily.)
Idiot!
Just after 8 a.m. on a Thursday, I showed up for work at the Watertown UPS headquarters. I'd been issued brown pants and a matching jacket and told not to wear it out socially. (Apparently UPS doesn't want its workers clubbing in its easily-identifiable threads.)
Ha, ha.... ha.
****************
In this economy, they understood why a seemingly fast-thinking, clean-cut adult might want to sign on for a $9 an hour burger job. Probably for the same reason they were there: the paycheck.
--more--"
Yeah, welcome to the real world, stink!
Really don't have much choice.
Old cars have soul. They have character.
Rusted out floor panels.
They get us where we're going without forcing us to spend money we should not be spending or should be spending on something important.
Yeah, I agree. No need to pay more gas taxes or any other taxes.
Tough times demand tough choices. That means thinking about some basic facts. Even before the recession hit, Americans proved they were willing to spend foolishly beyond their means....
Yeah, only bankers, war-maker, and politicians are allowed to do that.
--more--"
Related: The Boston Globe Says Eat S***!
