What shall I do? Company is in Ch-11, and pension is terminated. Woe!

[DemoTex]

Here is my new plan. I need critical, outside analysis. Again, remember that I am 56.5 years old. Also remember that I am an airline captain. That was not an easy achievement, if you know what I mean.

1. The goal: Change my professional career from aviation and aviation journalism to landscape architecture and landscape journalism.

2. The method: Clemson's L/A program.

3. The means: I have the time and the money.

4. The motivation: I need a job that will take me to 80 or so. My pension was terminated and the PBGC is in dire straights. I'm as serious as a heart attack. I'd be a great landscape architect!

5. I might need academic recommendations, so stand by!

[Lucky Luciano]

1. I admire your tenacity...

sucks about your pension though...sorry to hear.

[greatauntoftriplets]

2. What's a pension????

Just joking.

Learn CAD well (computer assisted design), although I am certain you know what it is already. I work with land planners and it is a good field in this day and age of "green" and environmental design.

Good luck and :hi:

[DemoTex]

6. Pension = Big Lie

Never swallow the lie. Always spit. Get my drift!

[greatauntoftriplets]

7. Oh I do.....

But it is making life a shitload more difficult for you.

Best of luck.

[mhr]

3. I Wish I Had Your Resources At The Age Of 47

I have lost all hope of surviving on Bush's America.

Unemployed 54 months now.

My aviation aspirations were squashed by 9/11. I do miss flying a tricky approach from time to time.

[short bus president]

4. Mac, if you're looking to go 'til 80,

and if landscape architecture floats yer boat, then go for it. Can you get online classes from Clemson, or will they make you commute? And if you get basketball tickets, lemme know if you don't wanna go to the home game against Duke. I'll buy those from ya. ;-)

Best of luck to you. You got fucked over, and you're making it work for you. That's cool.

[DemoTex]

8. Thanks Bus Driver

Naw. I am 44 miles from Clemson. My little '99 Outback is perfect for the commute. L/A floats my boat. But they might not accept me . We shall see. Christ, I am 56 years old!

[greatauntoftriplets]

10. My computer systems engineer brotherin-law....

got laid off 3 years ago. After trying to start his own internet security consulting company (worked cheap, but with few results), last May he started driving a truck over the road. This man has an MBA but loves driving.

It IS possible to reinvent yourself career-wise....and he was 63 at the time. You are a kid in comparison.

[short bus president]

11. Tell you what...

you go through the program at Clemson, and I'll go through the one at NC State, and when we're done we'll partner up and take over the Carolinas. I'll drive the company's luxury RV for site tours. ;-)

[4morewars]

5. That's your money !!!

This same thing recently happened to the coal miners. They are suing to get THEIR money back. Coal is in a boom right now, yet these scumbags are claiming they are broke, WTF? Are you in a labor union? Can the union fight for you? Can you fight for the union? It may be worth looking into.

[DemoTex]

9. I sent a querier to ALPA today.

I'm union. ALPA. Air Line Pilots Association. Weak as watered-down grits.

[4morewars]

13. All is not lost !

I found this, from your union's web site:

---snip---
"First and foremost, it is a win for workers, who will have a greater likelihood of actually receiving the benefits they have already earned under their pension plans. After all, over the course of their careers, employees have given up direct wage compensation in exchange for the promise of deferred retirement benefits."
---snip---
http://www.alpa.org/DesktopModules/ALPA_Documents/ALPA_DocumentsView.aspx?itemid=626&ModuleId=1073&Tabid=206

I didn't read the entire statement, but if you have the time I would suggest fighting for it ! Definetly get with your union people, get all your union brothers together and make your union officers fight !! Make them do it, make noise !!!! Go for it !! What do you have to lose ? What are they going to do, send you to nam again ?
Labor has been in a downward spiral since that POS reagan fired all the PATCO workers. We need to stand up to these bullies, or they will leave us with NOTHING.

On a lighter note, gardening is not as stressful as approaching O'Hare in freezing rain and fog !!! as I'm sure you know !

Struggle on bro !


Edited to fix link

[CanuckAmok]

12. Yeah, that's BULLSHIT!

The first thing that should be "protected" in "bankruptcy protection" is the workers' pension funds/outstanding payroll.

Fuck the company's 'right' to be protected. No doubt this kind of 'protection' legislature was written by the kind of people who also say that Amerioca is the Land of Opportunity, and your company's success or failurte is all a matter of your will to succeed, or some similar bullshit.

Get together with your union. Sue for a restraint of the company's assets. That way they can't liquidate anything without settling with any plaintiffs.

Good luck, DemoTex.

Do the L/A thing... sounds cool.

[Aristus]

14. Write a book, Mac.

I'm reading "The Unfriendly Skies" by 'Captain X'. Fascinating stuff. An industry can never have too many exposes written about it.

Write it, publish it, then PM me with the title so I can buy it! :-)

[SheilaT]

15. Hey Mac,

don't worry about your age. Lucky me, my pension from the same company is significantly less than yours has been, so I have less to miss. But I'm now enrolled in a paralegal program at my local junior college, which will take me only a year to complete. And that's a nice, indoor job that I can stick to until I'm too senile to figure out the business end of a keyboard!

(Did you know I ran for office and lost?)