Posted on 04/23/2006 7:49:45 AM PDT by SmithL
One of my readers is an underemployed 59-year-old man from among us here in the South Suburbs. Call him Harry. He works in information technology. Slowly and wearily, he says: "Once you get past 50, I swear, it gets tough, it gets really tough."
For instance, Harry applied for a job with a city of Chicago department that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He got an offer for some contract work. There were no benefits, but it was a paying job.
A woman from the city called him one Monday morning and wanted to know if he could start at midnight. Harry said he'd like to give his current employer a week's notice. That wasn't good enough. The job was gone. The caller told him: "This is a brave new world. Learn to live with it."
(Excerpt) Read more at starnewspapers.com ...
I left California in 1973. I presently live on Mobile Bay instead of SF Bay. I drive an old Buick and a Ford Ranger, nothing too fancy but, comfortable.
"He got an offer for some contract work. There were no benefits, but it was a paying job.
That is the point. No employer is going to be liable for benefits to an older person."
The two companies that I work for have eliminated medical benefits for all new hires, but allow the new hires to buy health insurance at reduced rates. Age isn't a factor. Their new retirement plan for these new hires is "we will put some of your earned money in an account if you want us to."
That is very presumptive of you. How do you know he did not go thru a bankruptcy due to a medical crisis in the family? Could happen to any one of us insured or not.
My problem is I don't know how much cash we will need coming in. I don't need to be rich but I darn sure don't want to be poor. Just comfortable. Food. Gas. Utilities. Taxes. My husband is older and I'm trying to get him to retire first. We can go from there.
I know, I know of a few such instances myself, but they are few and far between. There are other instances, where there is a "captive" contractor doing such work, and in such cases they can often do such mods and even major overhauls much more cheaply. It's not so much that the other contractors are raping you, as the system is raping you and the rest of us taxpayers as well. The on again, off again nature of the budgeting and contracting process makes taking on such small tasks not really worth the candle, unless there is a significant prospect of follow on work. The cost to bid on such projects is more than they are worth by themselves. Smaller contractors often will do so anyway, because they are hungrier, and because it doesn't cost them so much to bid.
indeed. and this is what the FR economic bots don't seem to understand about the economy, and why americans have a 39% approval rating on the economy in spite of good macro numbers.
I'm on the cheap side of the bay, west...down near Fowl River.
In fact, the tensions between soulless capitalism and the society are there, will be there, and the denial of such realities will only lead to such absurdities and the UAW and the GM deals. Dog eat dog leads to stringent dog leash laws. I sympathize with the laid off workers,whatever their circumstances and whatever their past mistakes. A modern business that thinks that it doesn't owe anything to its employees or to the community which supports it, doesn't deserve to exist. Run it down with government regulations, for all I care...
The babyboomers are living longer than their parents, and unlike generations from the past, they won't be retiring at 50.
Nah. 50 is a good time for the second career. We are healthy and can work. Why should we take to the rocking chair unless we want to?
I owe my company 100% while there. All they owe me is a pay check. If they don't need my services any more or if I don't want to work any longer with them we are both free to call it quits.
Right on. There are certain things only a large corporation can do well. Plus large US owned businesses and corporations on US soil employ Americans and the profits stay here. This entrepreneur stuff is overrated and can only take a nation so far
Just how is that going to help anyone, unless you want to hold that horror story up to scare a few children.
I am retired so I don't need your lesson, the poor guy couldhave used some useful suggestions, but......
Who among you would give their son a stone, when he asks for water.
Well said!
Thank you for sharing your experiences in dealing with your past mental illness. May I wish you success in your future endeavors.
Uh-oh... :)
This thread is really amazing, in that everyone is giving advice as if it's gospel, when no one knows for sure how they'll react when facing age discrimination and termination as an older worker.
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