Paycheck

There are certain things I will not post here, but for those of you following to see how long it takes to be paid by Michigan Unemployment, know that I have not been paid. It has been 5 weeks since my last "paycheck". Sounds almost like a confession, right? "Forgive me, Father, it has been 5 weeks since my last paycheck..." Most people are saying that it takes 6 weeks to get your first Unemployment check in Michigan. Since it has been 24 years since I have gone through this process, waiting that long sounded unimaginable, especially knowing that most people live paycheck to paycheck (if even) in this state.

My last employer left a voice message for me saying that they would have to oppose my filing due to the wording, but those are not my words. Rather than end up losing all of my rights or compromising my position in any way, I decided not to call him back. What would I say to him? "Those are not my words." "It would be in your best interest to simply put it through so you can avoid investigation." "I told them the truth, they fashioned the words." "You stopped paying me!" No, it is best left alone. If I am hauled into court or arbitration or whatever it is, I will post the correct name of the process here and also my experiences.

I really hate confrontation. I am one of those people who could go through life fairly happy by simply using the art of compromise. Happily, I have a secret weapon on my side and if I am brought into a situation with my last employer, I will likely win. I always win in court.

In one week, I will call in to the state again. This will be my 2nd "scheduled" call in which is done every other week. I filed on 1-15-09 and today is 2-18-09. If you live in Michigan and have a job in an "iffy" industry (or not), I suggest you seriously start to save money for emergency backup. Suze Orman, www.SuzeOrman.com, suggests 6-8 months emergency fund. If that sounds like a lot, it probably is, but consider what it represents; 6-8 months of having no paycheck coming in. Now it may sound more important. At LEAST make sure you have 6 weeks saved-and that is so far. I know it's hard. Read my previous posts to see what industry I was working in and what happened.