Joel Kolstad wrote:

Thanks Michael, that's a very colorful career you've had.

I was
laid off when my health no longer let me work overtime, even though I
did more in an eight hour shift than any two other people on the line.

If you still had some supervisors "on your side" who were willing to go to bat
for you, you might have had very good prospects with a lawsuit based on the
ADA? I'm sorry to hear your company ended up being run by folks who couldn't
see the forest for the trees (or even the broad side of a barn for their
sitting in the outhouse); it's an unfortunate trend in many companies
(especially as they become larger), and I tend to agree with people who
suggest it's often due to technical companies being run by business school
majors (without any engineering experience whatsoever).

---Joel


I wasn't legally declared disabled until January of this year, so I
couldn't sue under the ADA. It doesn't matter now, because the company
doesn't exist. It was adsorbed wholly by L-3Com. Several hundred
people lot their jobs, they dropped all but the RCB from the product
line and took less than a dozen people to their new plant up north.

I've also worked as a broadcast engineer, CATV engineering, and owned
an industrial electronics company that did commercial sound, CCTV, MATV,
and oddball systems used by local schools and factories. I built Ch 58
TV in Destin Florida from scratch, starting with a 1952 built TTU-25B
UHF transmitter. I'm in my 50s, and I never planned to retire, but its
being forced on me in several ways.

Still, I find ways to keep busy. I have a couple hundred databooks
in my library. I repair oddball equipment that strike my fancy. Two
current projects are a TS-382 audio generator and a National NC-183R
rack mount receiver. You can check out my personal web site from time
to time to see what I'm working on, and maybe find a manual or oddball
part you need. The link is on the "Organization" line of the message
headers. I am designing a receiver from scratch, but its slow going
because I have to budget carefully for the parts I don't have in stock.
The VA service office told me I'm allowed to make a little money from a
hobby, but they haven't been able to give me a dollar amount, so I'm
holding off trying to make a little extra money till I get their answer
in written form.

--
Former professional electron wrangler.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida