Dear Dave,
My husband is a union member and works at a paint factory near our home. His union’s current contract will expire in nine months. We have about $27,000 of debt left to pay off, and he makes a little over $80,000 a year. I’m nervous because his slow season is coming up between now and then. During this time, he usually gets about half the hours—and, of course, less money—than he does during the rest of the year. I’m a little scared, even though there hasn’t been a strike in the last six years. Do you think we should go ahead and pay off our remaining debt or hold onto every penny in case they walk out?
