need good thoughts (possible job loss)

[KellyHabersham]

*trying not to be paranoid here, but a lot of it is from how things went when I got laid off from Macy's*

To keep it short, the city of Phoenix released a trial budget this afternoon, and for the Library Department, six branches are slated for potential closure. Unfortunately, one of them is the library where I work, and while it's not for certain that everything in the budget will remain as is, I'm still really worried about what's going to happen as far as my job status. I do have more seniority at my job level than most everyone else in the system, but unfortunately that doesn't guarantee that I'll be placed in another position if my library does end up closing.....there are positions being cut, and if I can't work where our personnel people want to put me, I'm out of a job.

So.......I'm definitely updating my resume just in case, and keeping my fingers crossed that either my library doesn't end up closed, or I get moved to the other one I can work at. And hopefully I'd be able to file for unemployment if worse comes to worse....I'm not sure how that works for part-timers.

[TTAZ]

Part time or full time, you can get unemployment. Do it online as much as possible, and if you must call them for whatever reason, then try and do it on a Thursday about 10 am. I did that today and got right through. I tried calling last Monday and I was on hold for about 30 minutes.

Here's hoping you don't need it, but just in case rest assured if you get laid off then you DO qualify for unemployment here in good ol' AZ.

[KellyHabersham]

I think I'd only be able to qualify for partial unemployment though, because I've still got the secretary job.........definitely I'm going to look into what my options would be so I'm prepared if I do end up getting laid off.

Mostly what I'm concerned about with the possible closure is that part-timers don't get the same guarantee of being placed into other positions.......that's up to the individual city departments. And while I do have more seniority than nearly everyone else in my particular job category, that unfortunately doesn't mean I'll get a choice in which other library I would get sent to. (and unfortunately, that is really limited for me because of transportation issues.....there's only three other libraries in the system I can easily get to by bus)

[KellyHabersham]

A minor update - staff has had to fill out "work preference/availability" forms this week, but since this is apparently something everyone in the system has to do, I'm hoping that Personnel will give "transfer requests" from displaced employees priority over those whose libraries are NOT proposed for closing. Also, that my availbility isn't considered too limited for placement elsewhere.......this being because of my other job and not being able to drive.