A job, but there's a catch: a 1,000-mile commute

[tonysam]

In the early dawn, after another week building cars, Michael Hanley leaves his job in Kansas. He quickly zips into Missouri, then heads up a ribbon of highway past grain silos and grazing deer, across the frozen fields of Iowa, over the Mississippi River and into the rolling hills of Wisconsin. Finally, he pulls into his driveway — 530 miles later.

It's one heck of a haul: more than 1,000 miles roundtrip, 16-plus hours of driving, every week.

"I like to say I gave up an eight-minute commute for an eight-hour commute," he says wearily, running a hand though salt-and-pepper hair as he watches his two sons play basketball for the first time this season.

After the aging General Motors plant where he worked for 23 years was idled about a year ago, Hanley faced a Hobson's choice: Stay with his family and search for an autoworker's salary ($28 an hour) in a county where more than 40 percent of its manufacturing jobs disappeared from 2006 to 2009. Or hang on to his GM paycheck and health insurance and follow the job, no matter where it leads.

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[XemaSab]

1. This guy is silly

Why doesn't he just move his family?

Yes, his wife and kids have lives that they would be leaving behind, but necessity is necessity.

[tkmorris]

2. Did you RTA?

He has his reasons, as I assumed he would. It might not be the same choice you or I would make, but I can see where he is coming from.

[XemaSab]

3. I did RTA

And it sucks that his family would have to move, but as I said, necessity is necessity.

$1150 a month plus maintaining another whole house just doesn't make sense for anyone.

[SmileyRose]

4. His wife is in the middle of Chemo and it's in the middle of the school year

plus it's not easy to sell a house.

he likely will move eventually, but now is not the right time. A lot of guys that transferred to the Atlanta Ford Assembly plant in the mid 80's did likewise. Stayed with another worker, or went in with each other to rent a cheap apartment during the week and go home on the weekends.

A wife on chemo - seriously, the guy had a choice to lose the insurance or take the transfer and leave his wife to battle through without him all week. Hell ass of a choice..............

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. He spoke at a rally I went to

He said it was more expensive to move his family here.

Like many other divided GM families, the Hanleys decided even though the job was important, there were reasons not to uproot everyone: Laura works at their sons' Catholic school, the boys are immersed in band, Scouts, basketball and church, and the sale of a house was an iffy and perhaps money-losing proposition.

[dysfunctional press]

6. maybe he can't sell his house...?

there's a lot of that going around.

and- maybe he's close enough to retirement and likes where he lives.

[XemaSab]

9. I would be truly surprised if he couldn't keep the house (even empty) and rent something

for the $1150 a month that he currently spends living away from home and commuting.

[dysfunctional press]

10. where did you get the $1150/month figure..?

btw- he's rooming with his brother& brother-in-law in kansas during the week.

[XemaSab]

11. Ooops... I think I confused two different guys in the article

Morrison refinanced his house to free up more money for monthly expenses that include gas — $720 when he drives alone — and $425 in rent and utilities for an apartment he shares with another Janesville transplant.

[taught_me_patience]

7. Why doesn't he fly?

At some point, you have to ask yourself what 16 hours/week is worth to you.

[kentauros]

8. That was my first thought.

My father spent two years in Louisiana as project engineer on a startup project, rented an apartment and flew home (Houston) on the weekends. No need for the family to move there when he could just catch a small plane back and forth.

Safer. Cheaper. Easier.

[dysfunctional press]

12. maybe he likes to drive...?

[kentauros]

13. I'd say he doesn't and simply hasn't considered flying or looked into it deeper.

"I like to say I gave up an eight-minute commute for an eight-hour commute," he says wearily...

;)