Retirees Protest Pension Cuts (From a union hall!)

The Indy Channel ^ | June 1, 2006 | AP

[Abathar]

ANDERSON, Ind. -- Two retirees from United Auto Workers Local 662 picketed its office for cutting off their pension.

The UAW local, which represents workers at Delphi Corp., cut off benefits and pension supplements for its 10 retired maintenance men and secretaries Wednesday. Only one part-time maintenance person still works at the union hall.

Two of the retirees -- Bob Harris, 59, and Rubion Isbell, 67, began picketing outside the union hall Wednesday.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," said Harris, who lost his health insurance and half his $1,500-a-month pension.

The union hall employees are unionized with Local 357 of the AFL-CIO.

"When the UAW treats you like this, what are you going to do?" said Isbell, who lost half of his $800-a-month pension.

UAW local president Rick Zachary said rising health care costs and declining membership made the cuts necessary. The local had as many as 17,000 members in the 1950s but plant layoffs have reduced that to 700, with 300 set to retire this summer.

"If we were a business, we'd be out of business a long time ago," Zachary said.

The local is selling the union hall and plans to use the money to reach a settlement with the workers.

Still, Harris, who worked at the hall for 26 years, said he believes in the union.

"There are a lot of members still there who do," he said.

[Abathar]

I really feel for these people, but there is just so much irony here...

[lonedawg]

Look for ,the union label!!!

[butternut_squash_bisque]

"I don't know what I'm going to do," said Harris, who lost his health insurance and half his $1,500-a-month pension..."

Get a job, bub. Feeding at the union trough can be hazardous to one's long-term health.

[CertainInalienableRights]

"If we were a business, we'd be out of business a long time ago," Zachary said.

Talk about irony...

[lonedawg]

Maybe if the union had not put the employer out of business or at least out of bankruptcy court the pension fund would not be depleted. I can't help but to feel sorry for anyone in retirement to have to face this sort of thing. I'm closing in on that stage of my life and things start to get a little scary even when your plans are all in place.

[Drango]

Still, Harris, who worked at the hall for 26 years, said he believes in the union.

Sheeple

[butternut_squash_bisque]

Unions should be dissolved and banned. They serve no useful purpose, except for the corrupt, criminal demokkkRAT party election campaign contributions.

[Abathar]

""There are a lot of members still there who do," he said."

If that was the case then he wouldn't be losing his pension, a lot was maybe back in the 50's.

How these people can still not understand what they have done to put themselves into this position is beyond me.

[gas0linealley]

"Maybe if the union had not put the employer out of business or at least out of bankruptcy court the pension fund would not be depleted. I can't help but to feel sorry for anyone in retirement to have to face this sort of thing. I'm closing in on that stage of my life and things start to get a little scary even when your plans are all in place."

You are evidently thoughtful but don't you think that the causes of worker's problems today is much more complicated than that?

[Tribune7]

How much of a pay cut has the UAW leadership suffered? Think Michael Moore might make a movie?

[gas0linealley]

"How these people can still not understand what they have done to put themselves into this position is beyond me."

The very same thing might have been said by an onlooker at an execution during the French Revolution.

[lonedawg]

The thread is about one union and their members ,of course things are more complicated than this, put how many businesses do the unions have to bankrupt before they wise up.

[gas0linealley]

Ahhh, yes, management is never to blame, it is always labor's fault.

[lonedawg]

Although I agree with you! I do think if the unions were not so partisan and obstinate they could serve a useful purpose. unfortunately I don't see this happening.

[butternut_squash_bisque]

Me neither. They've become too corrupted and criminal by all the money and power, like the pols. Time to clean house and get rid of all of them.

[Wolfie]

I wouldn't sweat it. Plenty of taxpayer funded social programs to make up for the company's abandoned obligations.

[lonedawg]

Who the hell said that, Maybe you should reread what I wrote. Do you really think union contracts aren,t to blame for GMs problems.GM management is just as much to blame but that doesn't relieve the unions of their responsibility.

[Abathar]

I think there is plenty of blame to spread around if you are talking about the auto industry. The fact that our companies can't do what is necessary to change and adapt because they are tied in with labor doesn't help. We can make money and be successful just like Toyota and Honda are, there isn't any magical spell that is keeping us from doing it. Just watch the union leaders response to any changes for their workers other than an increase, no matter what the economy or competition is doing. Busting the unions would be the best thing this country could do to increase our market share again here and abroad.

[mikeybaby]

Sad.
But the fact is that (many) mangements at Union employers traded pay (current obligation) restrictions today for lucrative pensions (future obligations) tommorow.
And they didn't even do that very well.
Now it is coming home to roost.

[lonedawg]

You're exactly right! Company and union management took the easy way out for their benefit and left the employees to bask in their own ignorance. No one involved in GM negotiations could have been so stupid as to think paying someone nearly a years pay after laying them off was a smart thing to do for the company in the long term.