Greetings, Fishn here, need a little guidance

Sorry OP but you have lots of reasons why you can't do stuff. I understand physical limitations but not all the other stuff you bring into the discussion.

No one said you had to wear out your car driving Uber, it's a stop gap to raise your SS money. The valet, you're still "considering" why wouldn't you just do it for a short time and see how the tips work out.

If you don't really want to go back to work, I guess no job will fit the bill, that's your decision.
 
Fishn said:
Right on that, I do want to go back to work because I'll need it. Appreciate your feedback even though you think I'm making excuses and whining. I'll get it done and thanks for the response.
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Never said whining, in fact maybe you are just worn out and really don't want to go back to work. But I'm not sure waiting for perfect job will help you. I understand feeling stuck and not in control of things. Perhaps you could just take your SS for cash flow and giving you some breathing room. That's for you to decide.
 
Self examination is good for everybody...hope things work out for you...like I said it's your decision....glad you no longer feel worn out and good luck...
 
Fishn said:
... I'm 62 ... I was let go from a good job with full benefits and lots of perks back in early March without an explanation (at will employment). ...
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Tough position. Sorry to hear.

Employment is not, however, totally at will. You are in what is called a "protected class" due to your age, so you may be (legally speaking) a victim of age discrimination if you were let go under circumstances where other, younger, employees in similar circumstances were not. It is possible that your employer could be forced to reinstate you and be liable for back pay since you were let go.

I am no lawyer, but as a former employer I know the gist of it and know, too, that an age discrimination claim can be very difficult and expensive for an employer to fight. The fact that you were not given a reason for being let go is IMO a red flag indicating that your former employer is worried about this.

I strongly suggest that you contact your state department of labor or whatever the equivalent might be. Their web site should provide contact information and also general information on age discrimination. The feds are probably not the place to start, but the EEOC has information that you can review. For example, https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/age.cfm and https://www.eeoc.gov/employees/timeliness.cfm Note the time limitations on that second linked page.
 
A close friend drives school bus during the school year.... a couple hours in the morning and the same thing in the afternoon. Before that, for many years he drove for businessto that would provide bus/shuttle/limo services. Also, around our area, bus drivers are in demand... I hear ads for them all the time.
 
Many states don't tax SS, and the Feds will only tax 85% of it, max. Depending upon your taxable income, they may tax even less of it than that.
What state are you in? ( I apologize if it was mentioned and I missed it).
 
Another idea... around here in the winter, some ice fishermen catch yellow perch and sell them to some of the small local mom & pop stores who then sell them to the public. No idea how much those ice fishermen make but if you're out there anyway.
 
There are lots of ways to drive for a living that don't involve lifting or your own vehicle.

- Local small buses for disabled or elderly (Called DART or Metro Mobility in my area)
- Nursing homes
- Park and ride to airport
- Hotel shuttles
- Car dealer transfers
- Metro bus
- Limo driver

Heck, I know FedEx in my area is begging for drivers but they may require some lifting.

Good luck!
 
Thanks for the input guys, I'm in Pa. Appreciate your suggestions which I'm looking into.
 
Thanks for the input and link. Unfortunately when I was hired at the last company they had me sign an at will contract, which meant they could terminate me at any time for any reason and not have to disclose why. I've looked it up in Pa and it's legal, no disclosure needed for them to boot you out the door on the same day that they cut you out, which is what happened to me. Also on that same day, in order to get severance pay to tide me over until I could find out whether I was approved for unemployment, I signed a waiver that in effect I could not come back at them for any reason including age discrimination. If I had been in better financial standing, then not signing might have meant I could have had a case against them. In my 5 years with the company, I saw more than a few other employees fired on a walk in and find your job gone basis like me the same day they came into work. Here today, gone tomorrow, and it was such a hush hush process they had in place. The ones at the top were calculating and had these rules in place, but the other employees like me never knew why or what happened, they were just gone. It was quite a shock to find my job gone when I came into work, had to give them my parking placard, and keys to the van I drove, and that morning I was out the door. So back to the focus in hand, I appreciate again all your input. I'm on the lookout.
 
@Fishn, those agreements you signed may not be valid. For example, you probably cannot waive your rights and agree to be discriminated against. There is a doctrine in the law that generally protects people who effectively do not have bargaining power when asked to sign a contract. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inequality_of_bargaining_power) Many of the employment laws also have sections that trump contracts like you signed.

I suggest at least an initial interview (should be free) with an employment lawyer or that you contact your local pro bono legal aid resource. The PA bar assn is a resource: PBA Pro Bono You may not be as powerless as you have been led to believe.

One thing an attorney can do is to check for employment-related lawsuits against your former employer. That could be very interesting. It sounds to me like a sleazy outfit.
 
OldShooter said:
I suggest at least an initial interview (should be free) with an employment lawyer or that you contact your local pro bono legal aid resource. The PA bar assn is a resource: PBA Pro Bono You may not be as powerless as you have been led to believe.
Click to expand...

By all means do this. Many if not most attorneys charge little if anything for the initial consultation, but ask first of course.
 
Fishn said:
Thanks for the input and link. Unfortunately when I was hired at the last company they had me sign an at will contract, which meant they could terminate me at any time for any reason and not have to disclose why. I've looked it up in Pa and it's legal, no disclosure needed for them to boot you out the door on the same day that they cut you out, which is what happened to me. Also on that same day, in order to get severance pay to tide me over until I could find out whether I was approved for unemployment, I signed a waiver that in effect I could not come back at them for any reason including age discrimination. If I had been in better financial standing, then not signing might have meant I could have had a case against them. In my 5 years with the company, I saw more than a few other employees fired on a walk in and find your job gone basis like me the same day they came into work. Here today, gone tomorrow, and it was such a hush hush process they had in place. The ones at the top were calculating and had these rules in place, but the other employees like me never knew why or what happened, they were just gone. It was quite a shock to find my job gone when I came into work, had to give them my parking placard, and keys to the van I drove, and that morning I was out the door. So back to the focus in hand, I appreciate again all your input. I'm on the lookout.
Click to expand...


it would be interesting to know if the company that fired you is actively hiring.
 
They keep most of their employees, they give you a lot of perks but it's understood that no one's job is safe. No praise for what you do, but with what you get, you are part of the "team". I have no way of knowing but I think this was set up before I was let go, and they already had their new job candidate waiting in the wings. There were so many rules and regulations and paperwork to be followed to the t, and any one thing could have been used as a justification, though I'll probably never know the real reason. In a way it's just as well, because I often wondered how one guy could deliver boxes in 3 counties all morning, and then come back and cram in all the pharmaceutical deliveries that had piled up all day. I could bitch on and on, and that's not good. In a way I know it's not what the pharmacist wanted, because he was just about crying on my shoulder when he said goodbye. Told me I was "his guy". Mixed blessing I guess. Well, still on to the next phase and maybe it wouldn't hurt to check out the lawyer advice, but I don't know what I'd get out of it if they thought I had a case. Maybe I'm a little naïve. Forward, forward...
 
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