DW and BC introduced and explained the VEBA Trust as a way to fix
their own retirement medical coverage costs.
They didn't even try to hide the fact that many of the rest of us might never see the same benefit. I had more than one "debate" at Union Roadshows with BC about why we (the Membership) should vote to take care of the 2 of them.
I opposed the TA for that and other reasons. But ... silly me, I also opposed AGE 65 because it was VERY BAD for me and everyone else who always planned to retire at 60. We ALL lost 5 years seniority that day (Imagine what different seat you might be in if 750 folks retired in those 5 years; how about what better training and vacation periods you might have been able to hold, better monthly bid awards? All for a few folks who didn't properly plan for retirement and don't have any hobbies they'd rather be doing instead hub-turning at night! That's sad and kind of pathetic
).
We gave the guys who were 53 when we signed that contract a bonus just because they were 53. It's a benefit that SHOULD have been negotiated for ALL of us!*?
As our Union leadership said at the time, "This one's for us and ... clink, clink ... Geesh, I love Union Politics
