Welcome to AAC Retirees Club

MrChips

Joined Oct 2, 2009
30,709
Ham radio operator slang for wife (X Young Lady). I had to Google it. Apparently all men are called Old Man.
There are some cute jargon in ham radio.
YL - Young Lady
XYL - ex young lady
OM - old man
Offsprings are known as harmonics.:)
 

Thread Starter

Reloadron

Joined Jan 15, 2015
7,501
You guys all seem to have retired willingly. Not my case. The company pretty much shut down and moved most production to China. Was given the choice to take my pension and leave or stay and work for half the wage and loose the pension completely. That through me into a deep depression. Just now in the last few years getting back into doing the hobbies I didn't have time for before. Now don't have the money.:(
Something I have seen all too often. You work for a company during your most productive years only to see the company fail or similar and end up settling for less than you ever planned on.

My dad worked for a company for about 30 years and decided to retire. He did and took his pension option. The founders of the company were old and started to die off leaving wives owning the business. When my dad retired many of his co-workers encouraged him to stay on but my dad took the out. Those who stayed lost everything. The wives sold the company and the buyers embezzled the new pension fund. While my dad was safe and getting his checks which my mom continued to get after dad's passing those who stayed got nothing. Their money was gone. I told my dad they could sue. Dad looked at me and told me they would all be dead before it got through the courts. He was right. The company was raped and then closed the doors. I think about those guys when I look at my dad's retirement watch, damn shame.

Anyway some are forced into retirement which is difficult when turning 50 or more making it more and more difficult to find work again. Regardless of US laws age discrimination is very much alive and well in the US.

Ron
 

AlbertHall

Joined Jun 4, 2014
12,345
Anyway some are forced into retirement which is difficult when turning 50 or more making it more and more difficult to find work again. Regardless of US laws age discrimination is very much alive and well in the US.
You can put UK in there as well. Same applies here.
 

Thread Starter

Reloadron

Joined Jan 15, 2015
7,501
You can put UK in there as well. Same applies here.
Go figure, I had no clue how much age discrimination existed until I saw older friends with great qualifications looking for work. It seems the larger corporations look to the young and those willing to start for lower wages. I also see greatly reduced benefit packages. Looking back I am greatful for how things went for myself and my wife.

Ron
 

dl324

Joined Mar 30, 2015
16,845
It seems the larger corporations look to the young and those willing to start for lower wages.
Investors like layoffs and early retirement offers.

The company I worked for has reduced their workforce by 10's of thousands in the last 5 years. Older workers were about twice more likely to be impacted and many took the early retirement option.

I knew when I retired that I would never be gainfully employed again.
 
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Thread Starter

Reloadron

Joined Jan 15, 2015
7,501
I knew when I retired that I would never be gainfully employed again.
Yeah and through no fault of your own as you had medical issues as a result of someone else being negligent. Today, as you mentioned, you live in pain which has to suck. Like you said, the decision to retire was made for you.

Ron
 

ericgibbs

Joined Jan 29, 2010
18,766
Ericgibbs do you mean to say you have 31 first degree descendants:eek:? Cuz if so all I can say is you've defiantly done your part perpetuating our specieso_O:)!
hi @Aleph(0),
I wish ... o_O, I hung up my spurs a long time ago, :rolleyes:

The Gene pool count is across a few generations.
2, children.
6, grand children
19, great grand children
4, great great grand children.

Eric
 
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shortbus

Joined Sep 30, 2009
10,045
Anyway some are forced into retirement which is difficult when turning 50 or more making it more and more difficult to find work again. Regardless of US laws age discrimination is very much alive and well in the US.
I was 58 at the time. But had some health issues, that didn't keep me from doing the job, just made it harder to get someone to hire me. Plus my trade, die maker/machinist, had gone on to CNC and I was/am not trained in that, a manual machinist. Now that I'll soon be 71, there are places advertising for "manual" machinists, seems like they are finding for one time parts making it can be done manually way faster than by CNC.
 
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Thread Starter

Reloadron

Joined Jan 15, 2015
7,501
I've said this before but I was not ready to retire , It is too soon to tell what I will be able to do after this stroke. but I intend to keep busy until the end.
More power to you! :) I watched too many die on the job. One co-worker in the IS department developed cancer. The policy was you had to retire effective on the 1st of the month. Pushed through the papers and he just made it passing at 12:20 AM. This allowed his surviving wife to receive his benefits. I wanted the time and health to enjoy a few years before I check out. I also watched a 3rd shift supervisor in my own department develop and die of cancer before he made it to retirement. Really sucks.

Wendy, you have been doing very well. Should you wish to continue working once you are well, I wish you all the best.

Ron
 

atferrari

Joined Jan 6, 2004
4,764
I am 71++, still working as independent marine surveyor, focused mostly on handling of heavy load / high value cargoes discharge / loading, albeit with many other variations.

As far as I know, in many countries, surveyors are not in the payroll (thus no salary compromise) of the companies providing that service. In my case, the three (eventually four) colleagues working with me (really not "for me"), they invoice me for their services. The relationship is stable in the knowledge that they are the first in my list for whatever job they could do to attend what I can't for any reason.

Along the last 15 years, the most recurrent difficulty with people say above 40 yo, is the lack of flexibility to adapt themselves and accept that besides being a very "physical" activity, you need to wear coverall (forget casual :)), wear safety equipment and be ready to go, up or down, wherever you are required on board or at the pier. Worth to point out that in the bigger ones, to reach the tanktop (bottom of the lower hold) you could need to go down the stairs up to 18 meters... and then climb up. :p

In many cases, you need to deal with the ship's staff, not always willing to provide more than what is strictly required from them, with the additional bonus than in many cases you work overnight and / or in varied weather conditions.

Many years ago, I asked someone (my former Captain in a bulk carrier where I was Ch. Officer) to attend the stuffing of project cargo into standard box containers dealing with all parties involved. Not a complicate job at all.

Some 90 minutes after starting he was on the phone complaining that nobody was doing right, that everybody ignored what to do...a long list of complaints. I felt rather bad telling him "We are there to avoid, precisely that, to occur.

I suspect that some of them, having been actual captains in the past (like myself), do not feel well with all the above.

Age barrier? Well, in my case, it is a valid concern.
 

Thread Starter

Reloadron

Joined Jan 15, 2015
7,501
Enter the world of physically demanding work and when to call it. Years ago following some shoulder surgery I was discussing with my doctor a return to work. Doctor asked me if my work required any heavy lifting and I confessed I lifted a pencil on a frequent basis. I have friends who have worked the construction trades their entire life and by 55 many of them are physically destroyed, most with a bad back.

Marine surveyor is pretty cool. I also always wondered about the harbor pilots which seems cool.

Ron
 
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