Ed, my brother, who is 38 and a hardworking certified mechanic, was laid off recently, and he’s having a hard time getting by on $253 a week in unemployment. That’s not enough to pay the bills. His wife was born with PKU and she’s been getting $600 a month from disability for the past four years. and she’s scared of being homeless. They have two sons, and one is autistic. We tried eight different places and nobody’s hiring. Ed, please, if you know anybody who’s hiring, he’s a certified mechanic. but he’s willing to do other work outside the car business. He was a machinist, too.

Job Hunter

If anyone can help you, it’s the BackTalkers. But sadly, being a hardworking and talented employee no longer guarantees you a job.—Ed. Note