Hi, I'm Cliffster51

[cliffster51]

Ford retiree 7-1-2005, at 54 years old. Don't miss it a bit. 31 years in Ford Powertrain. They made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Lucky I sold all my Ford stock at $31.

Feeling targeted by retiree Health Care cost increases and cuts. Bad way to go for what used to be such a good company. I write songs about my Ford experiences as a hobby and therapy . Contact me if you'd like to hear some examples.

Cliffster51

 

[Coach]

Cliffster, welcome to the forum!

Coach

 

[Westernskies]

Welcome to the forum! It will be interesting to get some first-hand perspective from someone who spent their career in manufacturing with an old-line US automaker- and whose long term health care benefits and retirement benefits are tied to their long-term survival in the face of imports.

I have been a Ford man my whole life, even the imports I bought when I was younger and less enlightened were tied to Ford (Mercury Capri and a Mazda Pickup)

Good luck with your retirement.

 

[cliffster51]

BWW,
Here's my take on some Ford items.
http://cliffster51.nfshost.com/ANewJobForAlanMulally.mp3

http://cliffster51.nfshost.com/TheWayForward.mp3

http://cliffster51.nfshost.com/HealthCarePrisonBlues.mp3

 

[Tom52]

Ford retiree 7-1-2005, at 54 years old. Don't miss it a bit. 31 years in Ford Powertrain. They made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Lucky I sold all my Ford stock at $31.

Feeling targeted by retiree Health Care cost increases and cuts. Bad way to go for what used to be such a good company. I write songs about my Ford experiences as a hobby and therapy . Contact me if you'd like to hear some examples.

Cliffster51

First of all Welcome to the forum. I listened to your sound clips and got a chuckle. When you say, "They made me an offer I couldn't refuse", does that mean they threw you out, or they offered an attractive severance package to entice you out?

It is a little hard for me to commiserate with you on frozen pensions or reduced health care coverage when I will get neither. You are likely still better off with a pension at such a young age and some health care coverage, compared to most people in this country. Sometimes we have to look at the positives as well as the negatives.

I of course, hope everything works out for you in the future.

 

[cliffster51]

Tom52,
They made an attractive offer for me to leave and since I had 31 years, the pension is fully vested, so it was a matter of determining whether or not there were enough assets to not have to work. I really liked my final position at Ford as a powertrain planner. I had a great overview of what the company was doing and some actual input.
However, it turns out I REALLY don't miss it at all. My first post-retirement physical was 18 months after I retired and my doctor asked me how/why the numbers (BP, Chol, A1C) had improved so much........not working is good for you, if you can do it financially.
Lastly, while I understand I will be better off than most, I worked every day for 31 years, including considerable unpaid OT, with the understanding that some of these retirement benefits were guaranteed as an incentive/reward/contract to stay there, etc. Now, since the salaried retirees have absolutely no recourse, our benefits are cut as part of some HR person's yearly objectives so he can get a raise/bonus.
My basic feeling is that if the company needs to reduce benefits, do it to the people still working so that they have a chance to plan for it and the retirees should be maintained at the level of benefits they retired under. We'll all leave the system at some point...............
Glad you liked the clips. The rest are here Index of /
I am working on a new one and hope to post it in a week or so.