Story Bank

Janice Winston

Philadelphia, PA

But my concern is that healthcare is not protected as pensions are. We have ERISA law that protects pensions.  We don’t have anything that protects our healthcare.  And my concern is that, when I came to work for Verizon, which was Bell Pennsylvania in 1973, I was given a salary and a compensation package.  And I was told that these were going to be my benefits and that I would have benefits at retirement, which would include...

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Jim Casey

Summerduck, VA

We gave up our pay.  Most everybody would agree that we gave up a bunch of pay to get this benefit.  And that benefit…you know, was written.  Every year you got a piece of paper – and this is not just one corporation but all corporations made sure that you knew that these healthcare benefits in retirement and other aspects of your retirement benefits were definitely yours, and you would be able to have them for as long as you...

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Rob Rosenblatt

Annville, PA

I was in a position with the company, where I had employees working under me. And, you know, we were told by senior management that these were benefits that we’d have for the rest of our lives, if we put in X amount of years and retired under the guidelines set forth by the company.  So, yeah, as a matter of fact, it’s put us all in a position where…of…well, I guess the word is – I don’t want to say “distrust” – but, for sure,...

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C. William Jones

It sort of gives you the feeling that maybe it was a gift given by a generous employer and that it didn’t necessarily have to be continued or made good on.  So we consider our benefits more as being deferred compensation.  We worked for it during our working years, we earned it, and we expect to have it when we retire.  And I think that everyone, including the officers in the business in those days, believed that too. ...

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Dave Simmonds

Avenel, NJ

I received a retirement package.  I got 5 years added on to my service and my age. And part of that package was also a promise that, for every year of service that I had with the company or combined companies, I would get three percent of my health insurance paid up to a maximum of 90 percent.   Well, I had 35 years service, they gave me 5 years service.  That maxed me out at 90 percent of my health care being paid for by...

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