Before You Write Your Letter of Resignation is a practical and legal guide on how to move on to a better job without being cheated out of back pay, benefits, or having your current employer ruin your job prospects.

We have been sweated ... hard. Not since perhaps the 1920s have American businesses treated workers so badly. For the last few years we put up with it, because there were almost no jobs to be found.

2004 started to change that. Now independent recruiters and human resources authorities estimate that over the next year some companies will lose over 50% of their employees. In areas that were particularly hard hit, where the workforce has been doing double work since 2000, like New York City and San Francisco, the ratio could be much higher.

If you're one of the millions of people ready to jump ship as soon as you can, this guide is for you, because there's a big difference between 2008 and the 1920s: there are now hundreds of government agencies and thousands more laws protecting workers. Nobody loves a bureaucrat, they say – but with unions almost gone, government agencies can be a beaten worker's best friend.

The guide is about making the most of those resources, along with using practical exit strategies, to leave a lousy job in the best possible financial, physical, and mental health.

Because bad employers are not going to start being nice to you after you quit, the time to start your exit strategy is now. Also, your office "friends" will stop giving you information once you leave. When you're gone, you're outside the loop, and so is your chance to collect evidence.

The guide is applicable in all 50 states. (There are variations in state laws and regulations. However, the general rules are similar, and medical plans like COBRA are nationwide..)