I had 16 years in with the state of AZ and was laid off. Those who say that once you are with the gov’t you have a job forever lie.
I tried to get reinstated but because I had been making around 20 grand a year more than most of the jobs I was interviewing for at minimum pay wasn’t hired. Law required I keep my pay. Agencies weren’t willing to hire me because they couldn’t afford me in their budget.
I now work as a Direct Care Worker taking care of my husband.
The killer is: I pay for health insurance on my own. My plan is the cheapest that non medicare retirees with the state of Arizona offers and it is 800 a month.
My saving grace is my mother is well off and supports me. Do I like it, no but she understands.
Very sorry to hear that. I sincerely hope things improve for you.
I’m sorry to hear about your predicament; happened in the private sector as well. Unfortunately, you might have been picked up by another agency if they weren’t required to pay your former salary. Older public-school teachers (who make 6 figures here in NJ for 180 part-time days of work) have described problems with their principals because the schools could hire two new teachers (at least) for that cost; not only is the pay inflated several times that of a private-school teacher, but it creates a situation in which the teachers themselves would face significant pay cuts if they took other jobs. They are tied to those union jobs, even to specific districts, because no other employer would pay them even half of what they rake in.
You describe being laid off; people in government jobs that aren’t laid off often keep those jobs forever (for reasons described above).