Group Helps Aerospace Workers Cope With Layoffs : Economy: Therapists show victims of defense industry cuts how to deal with feelings of displacement, bolster self-esteem and restore hope.
Joy Crugnale sold her engagement ring to pay off credit card bills. Lowell Howard can’t afford to buy Christmas gifts for his grandchildren this year. And Bob Feldman is tired of facing interviewers who are his daughter’s age.
All three are unemployed South Bay aerospace workers who never thought the once-thriving defense industry would leave them vulnerable to a weakened economy. And none ever expected to be sharing these personal frustrations in a support group formed for laid-off aerospace employees.
“I didn’t want to go at first,” said Crugnale, who worked for seven years as a general parts assembler at TRW in Redondo Beach until she was let go earlier this month. “It seemed like a weak move--that someone had to depend on someone for help. I just thought it was weak.”
Experts say Crugnale’s hesitance is common among aerospace workers who have joined support groups in the past year to cope with the psychological fallout of losing their jobs. As with most victims of layoffs, pink-slipped aerospace workers are often overcome by depression and shame. Several members of a support group that recently met in Redondo Beach quietly requested their names not be used.
“Nobody really anticipated the anguish that these layoffs caused,” said David Britton, a Hermosa Beach therapist who facilitates one of the support groups. “It’s really been emotionally overwhelming.”
It can also be financially overwhelming, and paying the cost of a therapist-run support group can seem like an undue expense. A group Britton runs costs $350 for 10 meetings. But most aerospace employees are covered by their insurance companies as part of their departure package, and for those who are not, Britton offers a sliding scale.
Being in a group with others in a similar situation helps heal feelings of displacement, bolster self-esteem and restore hope, say therapists. Venting their frustrations rather than bottling them up can strengthen a laid-off worker’s spirits, which counselors say is essential in finding new employment.
“The depression of being unemployed pulls so much from you,” said Gerry Sweeney, an employment analyst with the City of Redondo Beach, who spoke to a support group about career alternatives. “You don’t have the energy to go through the job search process at precisely the time you need it most.”
A key to conquering depressive feelings, mental health professionals say, is communicating. But getting aerospace workers, many of whom were relied upon to be silent about their classified jobs, to open up can be a formidable task, said therapist Cheryl Renkow. Renkow runs a group with Britton.
“They’ve spent years not talking,” Renkow said. “And then you put a group of non-talkers into a group and it’s very strange. It’s a big challenge.”
Talk at a recent meeting was indeed slow, but with prompting from the group facilitators, it picked up considerably. Much of the discussion centered on changing careers, a daunting prospect for many who counted on retiring from the aerospace industry.
“If you spend your life becoming a left-hand bomb bay door handler, and then the world doesn’t need them anymore . . . then what the hell do you do?” said Fred Schwartz, a Manhattan Beach business consultant who briefly spoke to the group.
Many in the group complained about the stress of meeting mortgage payments and other pressing bills with only unemployment insurance and what they thought would be their retirement savings. Members also shared tips on how to save money, which included negotiating a doctor’s or plumber’s fee and buying only bargain matinee movie tickets.
Most are dreading the upcoming holidays.
“I have two small boys and they’ve got a Christmas list,” Crugnale said, whose sons are 8 and 5. “I’m already preparing them: ‘The tree is going to be smaller this year.’ I’m preparing them for the blow.”
Crugnale said the layoffs have placed an extra strain on her marriage. And, added the Lawndale resident, there’s a chance her husband, also with TRW, could be laid off in mid-January.
“I’ve always been a real spirited person for the holidays, but this year I wish it would go away,” she said.
Therapists note that the layoffs are particularly difficult for men over 50. Many of these men are burdened by the traditional view that they are supposed to be the sole breadwinner--and anything less is tantamount to failure.
For example, Howard, laid off in August after nearly 30 years as a systems engineer for a number of South Bay aerospace companies, has found a night out with his girlfriend can be a stinging reminder of his predicament.
“I still go out to eat, but once a week and at less expensive restaurants, and she pays her own way,” Howard said. “I feel bad about that, let me tell you. I argued with her about it, but she says when I start working again I can pay for us both.”
Feldman, an electrical engineer and business manager for Hughes Corp. for 33 years, echoes a similar tension between what he sees as his role as a man and his current economic reality.
“It’s tough on guys because I grew up thinking that was my job, being the provider. And I can’t do it,” said Feldman, who while free-lancing his computer and managing skills hasn’t had a full-time job in three years. “I was getting pretty comfortable and that was all blown to hell.”
Obviously though, the layoffs are damaging to everyone, say therapists. And with more aerospace layoffs looming over the South Bay, Renkow and Britton anticipate the need for support groups will increase before it diminishes.
