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a very good retirement pension

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Sugarcubesea

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LOL! Some patients at another job I had said I was a "Diamond" and the doctor had better appreciate me!

I have been through plenty of takeovers, layoffs and so forth and always survived. I always was a very good interviewer and was always able to get another job very quickly. I am tired of it all now.

Anyway-The power of Facebook- I was on at 7 am this morning and also did some research on line and managed to get someone to our home to sand and salt in time to leave for work. (We normally never have the driveway sanded and salted- this was really bad).Between the plow guy yesterday and the sand and salt today cost us $175. I guess that is what the cost of keeping a PTO Day is for me this time!

My husband thankfully is able to work from home when the weather is bad. He took a picture of our driveway and sent it to his boss because the roads where he works (and even where I work) are fine and he didn't want him to think he was making it up. I took pics also for the 1/17 storm and my boss's response was- "yeah- the same here"! SMH....

My husband's company allows them to purchase extra PTO Days during open enrollment. He doesn't buy more because he doesn't feel he needs them and the cost is higher than what his daily salary is. Would be great if our company let us because despite the cost- which is high- I would definitely buy as many as I could! Ha! Ha!

I think if one can afford it working per diem is the best because you tell the employer when you can work and he decides whether or not to have you come in. Or maybe being contracted to do a job exclusive of hours and so forth-like a consultant- maybe have some benefits written into the contract.

All other jobs- you are an indentured servant.
I feel so blessed reading all of these comments. We had an employee last year who was diagnosed with Cancer and the president said do whatever she needs and make sure she’s taken care of. A year ago, I was in a roll over accident and the President insisted that I take a few days off to recover and told me not to use vacation days just work from home. I get 6 weeks of PTO per year and I can carry 5 unused days over to the next year if I need them in the next year. My only negative is the manager I report to is an egotistical jerk who believes that all information or training of new tasks should just be horded by him. He’s 63, so I’m hoping he will retire soon
 

Patri

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Look around at the people working in Starbucks. You all do realize that Starbucks only hire the young people as health insurance rates for the young is much lower. They do not hire old folks like us...
My BIL was hired in his 50s.
 

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<<I am a bit concerned that I am just barely on the edge and something could push me off. I tell myself the worst that could happen is I quit or I get fired. Never been fired in my life ever so quitting would be the better option if push comes to shove. I try to have a sense of humor about the whole thing. Some weekend wine helps me cope with it all. My coworker says we need to get us some magic mushrooms...;)>>

I have never felt like the worst that could happen is being fired. I can always find a job, or several. I don't generally stick around where I don't want to be, or they don't want me. The issue is having a job I like doing work I find acceptable for pay/benefits that suit me. I am probably too much of a free spirit, but had I not been, I might not have left so many stress mills or con men nor had so many fun careers before I found one that hit on all cylinders. And now I'm tired of it, but it's eye-opening how many of us are so Over It, annoyed with years of low/no raises while the top does quite well. I had this discussion with my boss about a year ago and she told me the kind of bonuses directors and above were getting, plus their allowable increase range was larger than the bottom folks, too. Rarely do the fruits of labors flow to the people that do the real work. This is partially why I invest, too, for a piece of the pie.
 

Luanne

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Is he still there? Can he confirm benefits for part-timers? and, ... does he like it??
You can verify what Starbucks offers by checking their website. (I like everything about Starbucks except their coffee)

Benefits
At Starbucks, our Total Pay package is called “Your Special Blend.” It’s a benefits package that is tailored to the needs of our partners. And it’s designed just for you.

Benefits-eligible partners (those working 20 or more hours a week) can get a wide range of perks, benefits and assistance. Your Special Blend might include bonuses, 401(k) matching and discounted stock purchase options. We offer adoption assistance and health coverage for you and your dependents, including domestic partners.

Starbucks College Achievement Plan is an opportunity for all benefits eligible U.S. partners (all brands) to complete a bachelor’s degree with full-tuition coverage for every year of college through Arizona State University’s top-ranked degree programs, delivered online. In addition, to show our gratitude for our partners who are military service members and veterans, they may extend an additional SCAP benefit to their spouse or child. Learn more.

Partners also appreciate our recognition programs, career sabbaticals and other time-off programs. Plus, you can take advantage of partner perks such as 30% in-store and online discounts, one free pound of coffee, box of K-Cup® Packs or tea a week.
 

am1

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You can verify what Starbucks offers by checking their website. (I like everything about Starbucks except their coffee)

Benefits
At Starbucks, our Total Pay package is called “Your Special Blend.” It’s a benefits package that is tailored to the needs of our partners. And it’s designed just for you.

Benefits-eligible partners (those working 20 or more hours a week) can get a wide range of perks, benefits and assistance. Your Special Blend might include bonuses, 401(k) matching and discounted stock purchase options. We offer adoption assistance and health coverage for you and your dependents, including domestic partners.

Starbucks College Achievement Plan is an opportunity for all benefits eligible U.S. partners (all brands) to complete a bachelor’s degree with full-tuition coverage for every year of college through Arizona State University’s top-ranked degree programs, delivered online. In addition, to show our gratitude for our partners who are military service members and veterans, they may extend an additional SCAP benefit to their spouse or child. Learn more.

Partners also appreciate our recognition programs, career sabbaticals and other time-off programs. Plus, you can take advantage of partner perks such as 30% in-store and online discounts, one free pound of coffee, box of K-Cup® Packs or tea a week.

K cup packs are getting banned all over. If Starbucks actually cared about us they would stop selling them. I have never liked starbucks except for the free wifi when that was a thing and their washroom.

I am not going to support or work for a company who is ruining the planet for my kids.
 

WinniWoman

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<<I am a bit concerned that I am just barely on the edge and something could push me off. I tell myself the worst that could happen is I quit or I get fired. Never been fired in my life ever so quitting would be the better option if push comes to shove. I try to have a sense of humor about the whole thing. Some weekend wine helps me cope with it all. My coworker says we need to get us some magic mushrooms...;)>>

I have never felt like the worst that could happen is being fired. I can always find a job, or several. I don't generally stick around where I don't want to be, or they don't want me. The issue is having a job I like doing work I find acceptable for pay/benefits that suit me. I am probably too much of a free spirit, but had I not been, I might not have left so many stress mills or con men nor had so many fun careers before I found one that hit on all cylinders. And now I'm tired of it, but it's eye-opening how many of us are so Over It, annoyed with years of low/no raises while the top does quite well. I had this discussion with my boss about a year ago and she told me the kind of bonuses directors and above were getting, plus their allowable increase range was larger than the bottom folks, too. Rarely do the fruits of labors flow to the people that do the real work. This is partially why I invest, too, for a piece of the pie.

When I say the worst that could happen is getting fired from the job I mean it will not be a catastrophe- it will not be so bad- even if I cannot find another job. I, like you, am also very independent and need to work with freedom. I, too, always was able to get another job very quickly. When younger, I continually looked for jobs/other opportunities while employed. Now I am older and problem is, where we live, jobs are few and far between especially for freedom loving individuals who are not cubicle robots. And, as you said, hard to get the decent salary as well. That is why I have stuck this job out.

This said, I am the perfect candidate for a work at home job. The work at home jobs (with some field work) I had in the past were my favorite. I love being home and I am very disciplined. Great work/life balance. I would not consider any jobs I had "fun", though.
 

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<<I am not going to support or work for a company who is ruining the planet for my kids. >>

good luck with that, it's going to be a large boycott list. Plenty of companies spewing yuck into the air, dumping chemicals into the water, adding disposable diapers, etc., to landfills before Starbucks was ever formed. I first read about SuperFund eons ago in my parents home, it was in a Reader's Digest. Ruining the planet isn't new, humans have been doing it for centuries.

Who are the top offenders on your list (aside from SBUX)?
 

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When I say the worst that could happen is getting fired from the job I mean it will not be a catastrophe- it will not be so bad- even if I cannot find another job. I, like you, am also very independent and need to work with freedom. I, too, always was able to get another job very quickly. When younger, I continually looked for jobs/other opportunities while employed. Now I am older and problem is, where we live, jobs are few and far between especially for freedom loving individuals who are not cubicle robots. And, as you said, hard to get the decent salary as well. That is why I have stuck this job out.

This said, I am the perfect candidate for a work at home job. The work at home jobs (with some field work) I had in the past were my favorite. I love being home and I am very disciplined. Great work/life balance. I would not consider any jobs I had "fun", though.
I did hear you about being on the edge, tho. The job I am on leave from pushed me badly, such a crazy making stress pot. I was getting quite crispy and not afraid to point out what the problems were and keep trying to make it better, that is who I am, right before I give up and hit the exit. Stress by itself is bad for us, really bad, but I know how to handle that. It's the crazy I don't do well with. I was lucky in that previous mgr encouraged unloading, and the place itself always encouraged feedback, and was starting to carve out some incompetent folks that were part of manufacturing the crazy. I don't mind not being there while another re-org happens. You know a place has big problems when the answer, year after year, is to re-org.

Like you, I am best off staying the course, keeping this seniority (my fingers are crossed for you on that with new owner; I'm not quite to 4 years on this one), and making use of the generous benefits I have. the 401k is vested, 100% match to 6%, I can work from home a lot, they do some nice things for us, just not for the wallet. But there are some internal customers that refuse to take responsibility and continue to try to blame others for what they were to manage and I had had enough. I guess some people monitor their email while on sick leave. Not me. I know I can't handle it, I'm saying no to more stress. it can all go on without me. My priority is Me, not the job, not ever the job first.
 

Patri

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Is he still there? Can he confirm benefits for part-timers? and, ... does he like it??
He did like it. He was there for maybe a year. Then he found a FT job in his field. He was on my sister's healthcare plan.
 

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We had an employee last year who was diagnosed with Cancer and the president said do whatever she needs and make sure she’s taken care of.

Some 30+ years ago our Bank had two instances in one year where we handled "tough cases" way above what our Benefit Plans provided. One was an employee who had bone marrow cancer and had to go out of town weekly for treatment. We covered all his air fares, hotel rooms, etc. He ultimately recovered.

In another instance we had an employee with Aids long before decent treatment for it was known. We accelerated the benefits of his Life Insurance Policy and covered all his expenses (many were not medical) after he exhausted this money. Unfortunately he died but we did everything we could do. Today most companies don't exercise this kind of flexibility.

George
 

WinniWoman

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Some 30+ years ago our Bank had two instances in one year where we handled "tough cases" way above what our Benefit Plans provided. One was an employee who had bone marrow cancer and had to go out of town weekly for treatment. We covered all his air fares, hotel rooms, etc. He ultimately recovered.

In another instance we had an employee with Aids long before decent treatment for it was known. We accelerated the benefits of his Life Insurance Policy and covered all his expenses (many were not medical) after he exhausted this money. Unfortunately he died but we did everything we could do. Today most companies don't exercise this kind of flexibility.

George


Teh companies I worked for would have sent a pink slip and refilled your position as soon as you called out.
 

bogey21

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The companies I worked for would have sent a pink slip and refilled your position as soon as you called out.

We had an edge here as I was the President of the Bank and was the one who authorized these accommodations. It was worth every penny it cost as we got it back in spades with increased employee morale, loyalty and productivity. Bean counters don't understand this.

George
 

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My issue is old farts like me value vacation time. If I go to a new job- full or part time- and tell them I take 5 weeks vacation each year (paid or unpaid- I don't care), plus want some sick days and personal days - forget it. In fact, I might soon be quitting my job on this point. This winter- I have already had to call out once because I could not make it in in a snow storm. First time I have ever done that when the office was not closed. They took a PTO day even though I told them I would take it without pay. They do not give you days without pay unless- THEY close the office. Then you have a choice of a PTO day or an unpaid day. They closed the office early another day so I took the 2 hours without pay- no biggie. But they rarely, if ever, close the office.

This morning- I do not know if I can make it down our nightmare driveway which is a sheet of ice. Believe me, I do not want to waste a day at home because of an icy driveway. One more bad road/weather day and I am short PTO time (and they are again predicting snow on Friday) but have my vacations booked and refuse to give them up as it is the only thing I look forward to. I have no social life and also the vacations are the times we see our son. But the company will not let you take unpaid days if you are short PTO time. That is my big issue. I can put up with a lot of BS but not that. As it is when I took this job we were supposed to be able accrue 32 PTO days per year over a period of so many years. Then they decided to decrease it to 28- just around the time I had hit around 26 and then they capped it at 28 and that was the end of it.By now, I would have had the 32. My husband right now gets 39 I believe. This works good for him allowing him an extra week for his hunting trip plus some extra days for whatever comes up.

And heaven forbid if I did get sick or did need a day to take care of something. I never call out sick or anything like that. I am always there. I also have a non critical type job (no patient care) in marketing. I am prepared to resign if I am denied my time off. I already warned my husband. They say no, I give them my notice. Heck- I might just walk out.

Now with the new company taking over I don't even know what they will do down the line but right now the old company's policies stand. Comes a time in life when you just can't tolerate this bull crap anymore. I am not waiting until I retire- close to 70 years old- to enjoy my life.

Crazy thing is- I drive for a living. When the roads are bad I stay in the office with literally nothing to do. I practically kill myself to get in only to just sit there. Why the hell I just cant stay home without pay is beyond me.

Mind you- I do not get a company car nor do they pay auto insurance on my car. I have been through 3 cars on this job. They do not pay my commuting miles- fair enough. I do not take health insurance with them. No pensions here. I do get an employer match on the 401k, though now I do not know what will be with the new company. No raises for most years. Incentive bonus plan was stopped after my first 3 years there. (Lunch hour was even decreased from one hour to a half hour for all employees.) Heck- why not have us just work for free? I am a cheap employee for them. The only benefit I have is vacation time (which I am even willing to take unpaid) and a paycheck, which I work for. SMH....

My mother was right. I should have been a teacher....

My dad tried for years to get me to go "into computers" (back in the 80's)....nope, I wanted to be a teacher! And I was a teacher for 31 years. Loved it! Now, I'm retired, have been for 2 years, and I'm only 53. My dad was a teacher and said, on many occasions, that teachers don't make enough to live on. Well, we lived off of it all during my childhood and all during my adult life too. Now, I'm enjoying living off of my pension....
 

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I think its possible to be good parents and both parents work.. This is a personal choice, but we can no longer subsidize our daughter's choice.
About 2 years before I was planning to retire, my youngest son was home from college and said that he really didn't think college "was for him" and he was thinking of not returning for the next semester. I told him that was his choice, but I needed him to make the decision with full knowledge of my choice, as well. I told him that while I was still working, I was willing to continue paying for his college. But once I retire, I'm not paying for college anymore. So, he could choose to quit school, but if he decided to go back later, that would be on his own dime, (actually thousands of dimes!). I wanted him to know that he indeed had choices, but so did I.

I bet you know: he decided to stay in and finish school. Now he's teaching, with no college debt, and I'm retired! :)
 

pedro47

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Sounds liked you have excellent parenting skills. Tough Love is very hard, but a good child will follow, excellent parents advice.:thumbup:

Good for him. He has no college debts.
 

pedro47

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Brett, the state of Oregon have one outstanding pension plan. Oregon must have a small number of state employees retired or the life span of an Oregon state employee must be low.
Their retirement board must be doing an awesome job in investment.:ponder:
Sound liked they are following Warren Buffet retirement strategy.
That is my opinion only.
 

Brett

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Brett, the state of Oregon have one outstanding pension plan. Oregon must have a small number of state employees retired or the life span of an Oregon state employee must be low.
Their retirement board must be doing an awesome job in investment.:ponder:
Sound liked they are following Warren Buffet retirement strategy.
That is my opinion only.

yeah, supposedly Warren Buffet's company Berkshire Hathaway has a good retirement pension plan (matching 401k ? !)
 

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I feel so blessed reading all of these comments. We had an employee last year who was diagnosed with Cancer and the president said do whatever she needs and make sure she’s taken care of.

As I mentioned in another post I was President of a large Bank and we handled all such legitimate tough situations the same way. The dollars we spent in such situations were well in excess of what was provided for by out Benefit Plans. When challenged on this by my Board of Directors I was able to convince them that the dollars spent were returned many times over with higher morale, higher productivity, better retention and the ability to keep base salaries at the low end of market. And you know what? I was right.

George
 

pedro47

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bogey21 / George, “Thank” for caring about your employees. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:
 

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The old CSRS government retirement system was eliminated in the early 1980's by Reagan, a republican who thought the system was way to generous. Not the late 80's. FERS took it's place; not as generous, but still better than most private sector plans. We did not pay into social security, but we paid 7% (no annual limit like SS) of our salary for retirements benefits. We also paid 1.3% for medicare. We paid for health care, life insurance and dental insurance.

I am under the old system and get a really good retirement, as I retired as an SES (senior executive). You're never going to get rich working for the government. You can get up to 80% retirement pay or so with 42 years and using unused sick leave can go a little higher (I think). For most part though, most federal government workers never made as much as private sector. Our benefits made up for the difference. 26 days of paid vacation after 15 years of service, Ten days of sick leave and a pretty good health insurance program that the government paid about 60-70%.

I'm also happy to say that I collect social security also (offset/reduction of 40%). Not only do I have 33 years with Uncle Sam, I have 71 social security quarters. I am not one bit sorry for what I'm collecting. I followed the rules and am getting what I earned.
 

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I'm one of the lucky ones with both a 401k and a pension from a major insurance company. I'm trying to hold my job as the company consolidates offices and shifts a lot of jobs to different parts of the country. If I get to 15 years with the company and age 55 which is 2 years away I get an "enhanced severance package of 1 year salary if I'm asked to relocate and don't do it. Now I would get about 30 weeks. It sounds like a lot but after that money runs out it what then? I assume it is harder to get a job after 55 so you need all the money you can get. I really don't think I'll make 55 before they ask me to move so I'll be faced with a tough spot at some point soon I believe. If I can have 4 more good years like I've been lucky to have then I could take a lower wage, lower stress job but until then I have to deal with a lot of the same corp BS everyone does to some degree or another. If I lose my job and can't get something similar I start to bleed money with all my expenses and I'd be forced to change my game plan before I would blow through the savings we've worked so hard to accumulate to this point. I have one bird about to fly the coop so some expenses will lower but still have one big expense kid left. That is a step in the right direction but until I get him through its a battle to pay all the bills and plan for your retirement years properly.
 

rapmarks

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I hear many complaints about teacher pensions. A friend sent me an article which analyzed our pension system. If you take a pension after 26 years, you are getting back your own money plus interest. If you taught over 26 years, that extra money is from the pension system, but should be covered by those that gave up the job before vesting in the system. This analysis was based on the state of Illinois, where teachers pay in, but the state never met their obligation and also borrowed thirty billion.
 
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