Plan to retire in a few weeks- Please advise if anything different

[Johney]

Here most people retire on the last working day of the month. I haven't heard of anyone having problems with the pensions over it.

I posted my story here when it happened years ago, but I'll tell it again.
So last day of work was Nov. 30th, received first pension check Dec. 1st. Supervisor cleared me on Dec. 1st (had to because I worked Nov. 30th) Around March of the following year I get a letter stating the pension people want their Dec payment back because to them I was still on the books Dec. 1st (work any part on a month even one day = no pension check for said month)Took me 3 months of phone calls and going back to my supervisor to finally get it cleared up. Luckily the guy I worked for my last six months was a really good guy and he made multiple phone calls. Couldn't get one ounce of help from the Union because our local president was part of the pension people and claimed it was a conflict of interest for him to help.

 

[UPSmechanicinblue]

I posted my story here when it happened years ago, but I'll tell it again.
So last day of work was Nov. 30th, received first pension check Dec. 1st. Supervisor cleared me on Dec. 1st (had to because I worked Nov. 30th) Around March of the following year I get a letter stating the pension people want their Dec payment back because to them I was still on the books Dec. 1st (work any part on a month even one day = no pension check for said month)Took me 3 months of phone calls and going back to my supervisor to finally get it cleared up. Luckily the guy I worked for my last six months was a really good guy and he made multiple phone calls. Couldn't get one ounce of help from the Union because our local president was part of the pension people and claimed it was a conflict of interest for him to help.

perfect I'm set for June 27th to be the last work day

 

[UPSmechanicinblue]

A wise old friend once told me "there will always be a carrot on the end of a stick to keep you working longer but don't fall for that BS". Get out as soon as you can. If you don't have a house or car payment or student loans then RUN LIKE THE WIND.

I have all paid off

 

[clean hairy]

She’s got her own pension
that 250k will go to remodel the house and pay for her and the pool boy to go to Monaco for a couple weeks

 

[UPSmechanicinblue]

good info!!!! LOL

 

[UPSmechanicinblue]

Had a brother die of a heart attack about 10 days ago. Retired about 11 months ago with about 34 years in.

did he have prior health issues? sorry for your loss This bothers me it's so common I even seen healthy people pass within a year of retirement

 

[oldngray]

I posted my story here when it happened years ago, but I'll tell it again.
So last day of work was Nov. 30th, received first pension check Dec. 1st. Supervisor cleared me on Dec. 1st (had to because I worked Nov. 30th) Around March of the following year I get a letter stating the pension people want their Dec payment back because to them I was still on the books Dec. 1st (work any part on a month even one day = no pension check for said month)Took me 3 months of phone calls and going back to my supervisor to finally get it cleared up. Luckily the guy I worked for my last six months was a really good guy and he made multiple phone calls. Couldn't get one ounce of help from the Union because our local president was part of the pension people and claimed it was a conflict of interest for him to help.

I never had any problems with my pension but the health insurance was tons of headaches. HR tried their hardest to avoid me and the union BA was a worthless POS. It took months to straighten out their mess. I had to go over the HR guy's head to his boss to get anything done.

 

[UPSmechanicinblue]

What a pain on the paper work, finding marriage license is like trying to locate a title when selling a car. It's there up until the day it's needed. Did find it!!!!
Need to have HR or sup sign my Resignation date form, I picked June 28th June 27th is my last work day
Wife signed up for life insurance through her work place-
The W4 with holding is complicated- if anyone can help? me and wife have always filed separate
no survivor benefits notarized
figuring out a past job hire date and address from 32 years ago thats been out of business that long is a pain
direct deposit info done

After my vaca week after next I am owed 6 weeks vaca I had planned for summer and fall

concerned I am not applying it at least 90 days in advance as recommended but waiting on pension checks isn't a issue I just want confirmation I am all good- I already did the online check for my retirement and it matched the contract


If anyone can please add stuff I am missing I would greatly appreciate it. Info should be sent this afternoon

 

[UPSmechanicinblue]

I never had any problems with my pension but the health insurance was tons of headaches. HR tried their hardest to avoid me and the union BA was a worthless POS. It took months to straighten out their mess. I had to go over the HR guy's head to his boss to get anything done.

I think HR is in India now if anything is left of them- A few years back they scheduled seasonal hire to come in on labor day, I drove by building 5 cars where out front. I think that was the holiday we where closed for.

 

[oldngray]

I think HR is in India now if anything is left of them- A few years back they scheduled seasonal hire to come in on labor day, I drove by building 5 cars where out front. I think that was the holiday we where closed for.

This was several years ago but even then insurance was handled by a third party vendor. I would get letters confirming everything was OK followed by others saying they never got the information they admitted they already had. 2 different departments not communicating with each other. The root cause was someone putting the wrong code in my file when I retired so it would come up as resigned instead of retired in some places. A normal search by them wouldn't show the mistake and it took someone else from HR (it wasn't even her job) to finally take the time to look into it and see the problem. She didn't have database access to fix it but forwarded the information to her boss and it was finally taken care of.

 

[UPSmechanicinblue]

This was several years ago but even then insurance was handled by a third party vendor. I would get letters confirming everything was OK followed by others saying they never got the information they admitted they already had. 2 different departments not communicating with each other. The root cause was someone putting the wrong code in my file when I retired so it would come up as resigned instead of retired in some places. A normal search by them wouldn't show the mistake and it took someone else from HR (it wasn't even her job) to finally take the time to look into it and see the problem. She didn't have database access to fix it but forwarded the information to her boss and it was finally taken care of.

My boss that hired me in 30 years ago told me if anything is going smooth here at UPS they will surely change it so its %^&* right up. This held true all those years

 

[Johney]

What a pain on the paper work, finding marriage license is like trying to locate a title when selling a car. It's there up until the day it's needed. Did find it!!!!
Need to have HR or sup sign my Resignation date form, I picked June 28th June 27th is my last work day
Wife signed up for life insurance through her work place-
The W4 with holding is complicated- if anyone can help? me and wife have always filed separate
no survivor benefits notarized
figuring out a past job hire date and address from 32 years ago thats been out of business that long is a pain
direct deposit info done

After my vaca week after next I am owed 6 weeks vaca I had planned for summer and fall

concerned I am not applying it at least 90 days in advance as recommended but waiting on pension checks isn't a issue I just want confirmation I am all good- I already did the online check for my retirement and it matched the contract


If anyone can please add stuff I am missing I would greatly appreciate it. Info should be sent this afternoon

Are you taking the vacations or just taking the money? I just took my 6 weeks in a lump sum check, hammered me in taxes but it was a nice little savings.

 

[UPSmechanicinblue]

Are you taking the vacations or just taking the money? I just took my 6 weeks in a lump sum check, hammered me in taxes but it was a nice little savings.

it would have to be a pay off being I'm retiring before I am able to use being I requested them last year for this year not planning on leaving- remember the taxes still equals out when you file end of the year. I confirmed this with my tax guy. When you get a large check it looks like your in a higher tax bracket for the total year. You just paid extra in on that check.

 

[UPSmechanicinblue]

NO YOU WON"T---I guarantee it. If you want to------ find a FUN JOB just to keep you busy enough. When I retired I helped a friend who owned a fishing tackle manufacturing business for a year or two. I then got a part time job with the DNR for a month or two in the spring. I would fly around all day in a little Cessna 172 looking for forest fires during our spring fire season. I then got a gig with the local township taking care of a township park , cemetery and town hall. That was a great job as I set my own hours and worked when I wanted to and it didn't hurt that it paid great----- I did that for 14 years. I retired in 2001 and now am FULLY RETIRED with more money than god and no bills.

Thanks to you and others with this kind of info, its so weird to me! exciting and scary at the same time I started working on a crop farm when when I was 13, then a dairy farm 7 days a week through middle and high school, day I graduated hired into a local dealership as a mechanic and at same time I took classes my associates degree in automotive Just after I graduated dealership was slow so friend got me into UPS at 20 years old and been here ever since. Only time off work was vacation all them years. Never a day in between jobs. This is such a huge change for me

 

[BadIdeaGuy]

Thanks to you and others with this kind of info, its so weird to me! exciting and scary at the same time I started working on a crop farm when when I was 13, then a dairy farm 7 days a week through middle and high school, day I graduated hired into a local dealership as a mechanic and at same time I took classes my associates degree in automotive Just after I graduated dealership was slow so friend got me into UPS at 20 years old and been here ever since. Only time off work was vacation all them years. Never a day in between jobs. This is such a huge change for me

Good luck brother. You've earned it.

 

[oldngray]

Thanks to you and others with this kind of info, its so weird to me! exciting and scary at the same time I started working on a crop farm when when I was 13, then a dairy farm 7 days a week through middle and high school, day I graduated hired into a local dealership as a mechanic and at same time I took classes my associates degree in automotive Just after I graduated dealership was slow so friend got me into UPS at 20 years old and been here ever since. Only time off work was vacation all them years. Never a day in between jobs. This is such a huge change for me

 

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

Good luck brother. You've earned it.

Another quitter!!

 

[oldngray]

Another quitter!!

Winners quit.

Quitters win.

 

[UPSmechanicinblue]

Winners quit.

Quitters win.

I will still continue on here until brown cafe is gone!!! I still remember I think it was teamster.net before this, I will still be going to union meetings, will be going to another local that has retire meetings that my parents go to on occasion. I have always been involved in the union. The strike of 97 sparked my interest in it. Been a active member ever since. Helped organize overnight freight before UPS took them over. Spent weeks and weeks before work on the picket line supporting them when Hoffa had them on strike. I maybe would like a job with the Union who knows

 

[DriverNerd]

...being wife will be working for another 8 years or so.

And she's ok with working almost a decade longer than you? Are you sure? My dad had the same type of plan with his wife - to retire six year later than him (she is six years younger than him). Two years into her six year work 'term' she got sick of going to work and watching him golf every day. Now they have to pay for insurance for her. Just an extra expense they weren't counting on.