Ford did not let employees know when they took packages that our company medical would be dropped and costs could triple. Ford led all of us who hired in before 2001 to believe we would have company retirement pre-Medicare medical benefits.
We need to organize and picket WHQ. Who is with me!
Non competes are notoriously hard to enforce unless of course you steal vehicle designs or something. The courts have ruled most of them are illegal, like saying someone in IT can not go to another shop to do IT, or an accountant can’t go to another shop and do accounting, a whole lot of nonsense given the people had the skills before they arrived at Ford.
The kicker is that everyone in the VIP signed a non-compete clause. No going back to work.
@3qig+1dNqTrhS agree on adjusting work output to match employer treatment.
I should of done that years ago as the slackers seem to have a Teflon coat and slack their entire career and get full retirement.
Instead now family drives non-Ford vehicles and we use all the Ford advertisements as fire starters. I remember seeing a presentation showing large percentage of sales was to Ford retirees and employees. I expect that will change. No more Ford brand loyalty.
Good post, and thus why after this stunt Ford pulled I am becoming more unproductive by the day. My morale is in the dump, but on the plus side, being more unproductive will ensure job protection and lower job stress.
I sort of agree with the last poster. I remember when our team faced some bad behavior by Elena Ford and we were parting ways the oldest guy
on the team growled the Bruce Willis line, "Yippee Kiy Yay Mother F*ckers". Just hearing that from an extremely intelligent, experienced guy made it a little better.
Here's the scene if interested -- https://youtu.be/BSRrzrQtmto
There's nothing we can do as retirees other than spend a bunch of money and try to sue, which is a losing battle with the army of lawyers Ford has hired. Not the retirement I planned on. Boycott the products and let everyone you know what they have done. Their quality is p-o-p-o anymore so should not be hard to sell.
@3coh+1dNqTrhS Being one of those long time hard workers. I can tell you that only once in 25 years was I allowed to take out the trash ( fire unproductive worker). It took three years of diligent documentation and failed attempts to rehabilitate the unproductive worker, before the firing.
What usually happens with unproductive workers is the LL5/LL4 or above protects them and then claims that the LL6 who was attempting to take out the trash is an incompetent leader and works to fire them.
Stick around awhile at Ford and you will see this for yourself.
In addition LL6 are told to liquidate the GSR who complain about their unproductive coworkers, as they are “trouble-makers”.
No matter what BS HR and managers are feeding the younger generations about boomers being the problem, the problem is the toxic Ford culture and the “leadership” chain that has a vested interest in preserving the system that they have learned to exploit for their own benefit and the benefit of their friends and family.
25 years ago, the youth at that time had the same sentiments as you do now. Bumps, Bruises, Scars acquired from attempting to change the Toxic Ford Culture had no impact. Except for learning how to pick a decent employer post Ford, and learning how NOT to treat your employees.
From a 2017 retiree: Take a buy-out and do not rely on Ford for pension payments. Get a financial planner, invest, or buy your own annuity.
For all the talkers about boo hoo to retirees and it is somehow our fault by trusting Ford, is an unsound argument. We worked hard and believed Ford and the promises made when considering packages and it is apparent now on the first pages of the Via Benefits presentation " Our retirees are our extremely valuable and built this Company...so now you have more choices for you ... " or words to that effect, are simply false. There may be retribution for pushing back after Ford ( ie pensions and remaining tiny benefits and things stripped) as Ford is known to be generous and punitive at the same time. Retirees have no leverage as we are forgotten. I gave all available when I worked at Ford and decided to leave when I no longer could keep the pace.
My costs will triple or I can accept bare bones care. Promise broken. Retirees are a burden to the company, and I hope the executives enjoy premium health care they have kept for themselves. Yes the world is unfair, I just didn't need Ford to prove that to me.
I worked for Ford for over 35 years. In those days a pension and health care in retirement was a benefit for staying 30 years with the company. There are two numbers to the pension. One before 30 years and another much larger sum after. Ford let go employees before they reached 30 so they couldn’t collect the larger sum. Sometimes just months away. There is Free Press articles about it. That is what is not right. Not letting people know that under 65 healthcare was being cut before the VSSP was closed was not right either.
Some of you retiring have done nothing but skate the last 10-15 of your 30 years of service. Such is life. You will rob our Soc Sec and Medicare next when you finally hit that date.
Those that really worked and gave it everything you had, each and every year, I really hate that you are being hosed. You hard workers should have really spoke up and encouraged Ford to take out the trash before they made it to their cash out date. They are the reason your benefits are being slashed after leaving.
Farley is fretting about Tesla which is now the number one selling vehicle in Europe and California. Tesla margins are higher than Ford's, earnings last quarter were greater than Ford's. Lot of press on how Ford is way behind Tesla in manufacturing which is shaking up the leadership team. Here is an example -- https://youtu.be/wLNr3AgekSw
Anyhow he's probably not in a generous mood ...
@2gjn+1 ... man, even when you work there, there don't care so much what the employees say. "do it our way, or else" was how it ended up. wasn't that way before, but eventually...
although i did see one of those electric f150s rolling around. good job, guys! that aluminum body is finally paying off. whether you like EVs or not, you gotta admit, that is some serious real work to get that out.
It could be bad press for Ford
Ford hears their retirees’ concerns, BUT DOESN’T CARE.
Once you retire, you are no longer of any value.
Some really good thoughts here but I fear that Ford salaried retirees may be too proud to take action. They certainly feel the injustice but will suffer in silence.
They have been trimming retirement benefits for years now. Three years ago they capped pension benefits at 35 years. They want the high cost labor out and zero liability after you retire no matter what your contribution was when you were a dedicated employee.
Is it time for the salaried employees to unionize? United we stand, divided we fall.
Wow! People, be nice. This is not Facebook. Reading this thread is just sad.
To poster @fxo+1dNqTrhS
And the counter response to you is why don't you have a discussion with some Visteon employees to determine how many tears should be shed for you. Or perhaps discuss with some Delphi employees on what happened to their retirement benefits. The truth is that none of this should be a shock to any of you. Visteon employees were promised the same benefits as Ford employees then Visteon went bankrupted and the retirees lost all benefits despite going to court. However now you want to act shocked with disbelief when the pattern was laid out to everyone as clear as day. So if you truly cared about yourself you should have tried to prepare yourself for this and not just believe Ford just because they told you that you are "family". Ford has shown who they really since CY 2000
You can down vote, complain and curse my comments all you want but the reality is that you are now only caring about all of this now because it is happening to YOU!! So welcome to the club.
Are you suggesting Critical Class Theory?
At ford?
every plant is built next to a river.
The writing was on the wall when they moved Open Enrollment for Ford benefits to coincide with the ACA Healthcare Open Enrollment window.
Ford needs to undergo a rust inspection.
The new capitalist boys are more ruthless than the originals.
Publicize the henry out of this - the former dream of Ford America.
Get the word out.
Whatever little time you've got left that they are trying to minimize.
Ford is and has been always evil.
30 years ford - drive a Toyota for 25 of those.
To the poster that stated: An employer is always permitted to terminate pre-retirement and retiree medical benefits.
My response is wait till it happens to you just a few years after you retired with assumption of retirement medical that they backed up and reinforced upon retiring. This really hurts a LOT of people.
Contract and PS people are saying.. "Welcome to our world". The only retirement plan we have is walking though the pearly gates. This just hurts everyone... more retires are forced back into the workplace and this leads to a tighter job market.
@fmy+1dNqTrhS. Yep let’s just all be thankful that we were deceived and betrayed. Ford can afford to continue to offer this. Oh and People is one of the Ford truths. You must work in HR!
An employer is always permitted to terminate pre-retirement and retiree medical benefits. Be thankful you had the coverage you did and that they are still offering HRA payments. Most employers do not do that.