The Milkman
Well-Known Member
Let me start by saying I retired 1-1-08 after a little over 25 yrs at age 55. At age 30 I was hired off the street friend/T. Worked 1 peak in 81, then was laid off then returned Sept of 82. I felt blessed as I was working 2 jobs prior to make ends meet. I never finished HS. At the time I did not look ahead so much to think about healthcare and pension matters. I remember early on hearing yelling and screaming and cussing going on in our office. What was going on? Well a shop steward and a mgr were hashing it out. I could not understand why someone would want to argue like that. I thought UPS was a great company to be working for and was grateful for a chance to work 1 job instead of 2 with great benefits. It is a long story but how I got into UPS, being fired twice before I made book (someone saying lies etc about me). At that time after peak there was maybe 3 openings and 12 fighting for a friend/T job. To make a long story short,do you remember BUD YARD? He was our District MGR back then, I went to his office in North Jersey and sat down and talked to him about how I felt I was railroaded out of a job. He said UPS always had an open door policy. He made some calls, then a couple days later I had breakfast with the District HR mgr and I had my job back. I had nothing to lose. I took a chance at UPS, quit my job as a United Steelworker for 7yrs, was going through a divorce, attorney fees , handicapped son, it looked bleak.
Bud Yard was eventually moved to I believe a region Mgr by Detroit, then was in Atlanta as I think US Operations Mgr, you may remember him, he had a nice full head of white hair. Whenever he was in North Jersey he always made a point to come and speak to me personally without the mgrs sticking their necks in to hear our conversation.
He gave me the break fo my life. As time went by over the yrs, and a couple of contracts. You see others retiring, You see UPS growing internationally, and you feel secure about your future. Looking back at my job at the steel mill, they had a pension and I remember saying to myself back in 75. If I work here 40 yrs i would have a $400 a month pension. That was mind blowing at the time. Now in my later 30's when the 401k plan started I signed up and it forced me to save. I did not have 2 nickels to rub together at the time. Little by little I increased my % so I built up a nice bundle by the time I hung it up. I was not a Momma's boy living at home rent free to save save save. I had my little bag of cash, enough to make a big difference when I became 55. Time flies folks.. The benefits I had back in 82 were 2nd to none. I did not think that far ahead at the time. When you are young your back and shoulders don't hurt etc. And the benefits back then were 2nd to none because of the efforts of those before me.. Now with this contract bearing down on everyone, I see some bashing the Union and some UPS. The bashers say stuff like " You should of saved, and did this and that blah blah" Well my friends someday when you retire how are your benefits going to be? Will you be a multi-millionaire? Do you have folks that will leave you a Huge inheritance? I did not have any of that, so I am on my own like many others. Some may say I am whining, I am not, I am happy were I am today, did not come into this world with any $$ and I certainly can't take it when it is Dirt nap time.
Benefits earned during your younger yrs should come into play in your older yrs, because that's when you will need them. I hope this contract fails, for myself and all the other retirees, especially the ones who took their time to help a rookie make book. I respected All senior Drivers. WE all made UPS what it is today, and I would expect all of us to continue to make it a success, and UPS should reward all of us for our efforts bringing them to where they are today as a global player. How does your future look today? Are you starting to think like I did well before I was 55? Are you close to retirement? Will you have 2-3 million saved by then? Do your have parents that are loaded and you are the only child? Think hard, Your time will come as it did for me, Us retirees should not have to worry about benefits being givin back at this stage of our lives. Just my thoughts on all this contract stuff. I know I will be blasted or maybe not, Just telling you a little about my time at UPS and how the benefits of working there got me to where I am today. I feel for the new hires. The job market is so tough and UPS knows that many are willing to work for peanuts the way things are going, knowing that most will never get to drive.
So the Question is to all of you, Young, Old, and in between.........What does your Future look Like..Peace
Bud Yard was eventually moved to I believe a region Mgr by Detroit, then was in Atlanta as I think US Operations Mgr, you may remember him, he had a nice full head of white hair. Whenever he was in North Jersey he always made a point to come and speak to me personally without the mgrs sticking their necks in to hear our conversation.
He gave me the break fo my life. As time went by over the yrs, and a couple of contracts. You see others retiring, You see UPS growing internationally, and you feel secure about your future. Looking back at my job at the steel mill, they had a pension and I remember saying to myself back in 75. If I work here 40 yrs i would have a $400 a month pension. That was mind blowing at the time. Now in my later 30's when the 401k plan started I signed up and it forced me to save. I did not have 2 nickels to rub together at the time. Little by little I increased my % so I built up a nice bundle by the time I hung it up. I was not a Momma's boy living at home rent free to save save save. I had my little bag of cash, enough to make a big difference when I became 55. Time flies folks.. The benefits I had back in 82 were 2nd to none. I did not think that far ahead at the time. When you are young your back and shoulders don't hurt etc. And the benefits back then were 2nd to none because of the efforts of those before me.. Now with this contract bearing down on everyone, I see some bashing the Union and some UPS. The bashers say stuff like " You should of saved, and did this and that blah blah" Well my friends someday when you retire how are your benefits going to be? Will you be a multi-millionaire? Do you have folks that will leave you a Huge inheritance? I did not have any of that, so I am on my own like many others. Some may say I am whining, I am not, I am happy were I am today, did not come into this world with any $$ and I certainly can't take it when it is Dirt nap time.
Benefits earned during your younger yrs should come into play in your older yrs, because that's when you will need them. I hope this contract fails, for myself and all the other retirees, especially the ones who took their time to help a rookie make book. I respected All senior Drivers. WE all made UPS what it is today, and I would expect all of us to continue to make it a success, and UPS should reward all of us for our efforts bringing them to where they are today as a global player. How does your future look today? Are you starting to think like I did well before I was 55? Are you close to retirement? Will you have 2-3 million saved by then? Do your have parents that are loaded and you are the only child? Think hard, Your time will come as it did for me, Us retirees should not have to worry about benefits being givin back at this stage of our lives. Just my thoughts on all this contract stuff. I know I will be blasted or maybe not, Just telling you a little about my time at UPS and how the benefits of working there got me to where I am today. I feel for the new hires. The job market is so tough and UPS knows that many are willing to work for peanuts the way things are going, knowing that most will never get to drive.
So the Question is to all of you, Young, Old, and in between.........What does your Future look Like..Peace
