Sorry
I'm so behind on LJ at the moment. I ahve no idea what's going on in anyone's life, and I'm really sorry about that, so if you have momentous news, need support ror a swift kick in the ass, please let me know. Otherwise, I'll try and get reading here soon-ish.
Show is going well, though I'm still losing my mind a bit with it. A good friend leant me an Ipod, so I've been cracking out to the songs, which is good, because I think the COG was going to choke me if he heard "Closed for Rennovation" one more time. Lines are still freaking me out, but I've been studying them like crazy and think I have my two icky monologues mostly down. Did some costume stuff last night. Can we say Call-Girl Chic? Oy. At least some of my trashy bar clothes from when I was 21 are being put to good use.
COG is still worried about contract negotiations. AT&T and IBEW have tentatively agreed on a contract, but the union has to approve it, and he's not sure they will since at least one section of guys is kind of getting a crummy deal, but it's still a better deal than they have now. . . so yeah. Strike is still a possibility, and the problem with this is
A) The last time it happened, the union caved and got a MUCH worse contract than what was originally offered. There is a good chance that if they strike again, the Lump-Sum payment option on his benefits would go the way of the dodo.
B) if the Lump-Sum goes away, it means he'll get a monthly stipend for the rest of his life. . . unless they pull something like United did and decide not to pay out benefits to the retirees any more. In any case, the stipend is quite possibly less than he would get should he choose the lump-sum option. It all depends on how long he lives, and unless he lived to be in his 90's, it's probably not as much.
He could always retire immediately and keep the lump-sum option from the contract that he has in place right now, but we're honestly not in a fabulous position for him to retire immediately. I'd like to pay off some more bills and such. I'd like to do some more home improvements. We both like our standard of living, and it would drop DRAMATICALLY if his salary went away. But we only have a few weeks to figure this out, because they vote on the contract at the end of the month, and
C) If they choose to strike, it goes into effect immediately, and NO ONE is allowed to retire while they are on strike.
Which means that if he retires now, he can keep the contract and we lose a lot of money from his salary until he can get another job at a lesser wage. . . or he can waut and see what the new contract will bring if they go on strike. Either way, it's like a $500K dollar gamble.
Show is going well, though I'm still losing my mind a bit with it. A good friend leant me an Ipod, so I've been cracking out to the songs, which is good, because I think the COG was going to choke me if he heard "Closed for Rennovation" one more time. Lines are still freaking me out, but I've been studying them like crazy and think I have my two icky monologues mostly down. Did some costume stuff last night. Can we say Call-Girl Chic? Oy. At least some of my trashy bar clothes from when I was 21 are being put to good use.
COG is still worried about contract negotiations. AT&T and IBEW have tentatively agreed on a contract, but the union has to approve it, and he's not sure they will since at least one section of guys is kind of getting a crummy deal, but it's still a better deal than they have now. . . so yeah. Strike is still a possibility, and the problem with this is
A) The last time it happened, the union caved and got a MUCH worse contract than what was originally offered. There is a good chance that if they strike again, the Lump-Sum payment option on his benefits would go the way of the dodo.
B) if the Lump-Sum goes away, it means he'll get a monthly stipend for the rest of his life. . . unless they pull something like United did and decide not to pay out benefits to the retirees any more. In any case, the stipend is quite possibly less than he would get should he choose the lump-sum option. It all depends on how long he lives, and unless he lived to be in his 90's, it's probably not as much.
He could always retire immediately and keep the lump-sum option from the contract that he has in place right now, but we're honestly not in a fabulous position for him to retire immediately. I'd like to pay off some more bills and such. I'd like to do some more home improvements. We both like our standard of living, and it would drop DRAMATICALLY if his salary went away. But we only have a few weeks to figure this out, because they vote on the contract at the end of the month, and
C) If they choose to strike, it goes into effect immediately, and NO ONE is allowed to retire while they are on strike.
Which means that if he retires now, he can keep the contract and we lose a lot of money from his salary until he can get another job at a lesser wage. . . or he can waut and see what the new contract will bring if they go on strike. Either way, it's like a $500K dollar gamble.