Replies

I've been doing contracts and consulting for quite a while, so don't take this the wrong way.

You're not a contractor, you're an employee. Or at best, a consultant. You have no rights.

To be a "contractor" requires that you have a written contract, stating all terms that both parties will agree to. That's the first thing you did wrong. Verbal contracts are supposed to be binding; however, good luck getting one enforced.

The second thing you did wrong was not getting your supervisor or manager that you work under to state that the week of lost time (due to circumstances that were someone else's responsibility) were not your fault and that it should not be counted as vacation time because the entire department was sent home, etc., etc. Never, ever, ever, trust an employer to *not* screw you out of vacation or sick time, even if you aren't a contractor. If you're getting the impression that all important communication and documentation needs to be in some recorded format, you're getting the idea. Especially documentation of time spent - that's invaluable when dealing with contract disputes.

Unless you are carried on the books of the company as an employee (I bet you're not), you can't get COBRA. You should look into your own health insurance for now and for next time around - it's not as expensive as one would think. When you negotiate your next contract, make the client pay for your insurance as a separate rider or by settling for an amount adequate to pay for it in addition to what you see as your "normal" rate.

After the child comes and you've taken care of immediate expeditures through their insurance, (assuming you're still there and you've lined up your own insurance), it will have been at least a year, from what you are telling us. I'd say that it's time to renegotiate your contract, this time with one in writing. It is the industry standard for contracts to run 3, 6, or 12 months (at least around here), so it is not unusual to renegotiate when the contract period is up. If they don't want to play, walk. If you are as indispensable as you say, they'll be calling you back and offering to pay you *anything* if you'll come back and fix whatever. That's when you trot out a written contract and nail them for an obscene rate for a six month term (that starts with a vacation in the first month). Don't count on them renewing you after that six months, but you'll make enough money that it'll be worth it.

I've been there, I've done that (except for the child part) and I've got the scars AND the stupid T-shirt.