Treebeard the Ent's Journal: What to do when work keeps getting worse...

Can someone give some advice here? I am in a job right now, where the health benefits are already expensive, and the company (not the insurance company) is lowering how much they will contribute towards the cost of health care. When I started (Dec. 2, 2002), insurance was quoted to me as $175 per pay period (2x per month) for my wife and my self. In Feb, when I became eligable for coverage, they dropped all contributions for dependants (ie. my wife) and would only contribute 60% toward an employee's benefits(that puts me paying $278 per pay period).

April, the company announces that the insurance company has decided to raise our insurance rates... (now I am paying $298 per pay period)

The company has dropped all matching for 401K.

The company just put out a memo stating that starting July 1 they will only contribute 50% towards employee benefits (0% toward dependants), they will pay 0% for any dental/vision (in which we were paying 50% of before).

All said and done, I am looking at $300 per pay period for health insurance, and about $50 per month for vision/dental.

What should I do? I really enjoy the job, but I am afraid I am going to end up paying them to aloow me to work for them.

(BTW: after all the insurance hikes, I am now making about$6000/yr less than I was at my old job (which I cannot go back to because they no longer have any programming staff)

Oh Also, when the baby arrives (late December/early January) I will be paying $425 per pay period for family...

Don't forget

[FortKnox]

A baby means a new deductible (to pay right away) and paying to have TWO people in the hospital for a few days.

Well, my only advice is to consider what you have ahead of you. A wife and a newborn that will need regular doctors visits, shots, will get sick a bunch, etc...
Hate to say this, but you'll have to get things straightened at work or move on. Just be sure to have a new job before quitting the current job. A little is better than none.

Re:Don't forget

[Treebeard the Ent]

I couldn't agree more with the a little is better than none... that's been my motto since I was 15 and had my first job and I am 26 now.

So how does one get out of thier specialty and move on to a new technology. My skill set currently lies in VB & SQL. While SQL is a good skill, VB is becoming old and doesn't pay as well as say Java, or C (and other variations of C).

Hear of anything close to Indianapolis, let me know :). Would even drive a little east, but not quite to Cincy...