Another day another commute to work. I saw two, count em, two sneakers on the highway. Looked to be a pair. Just lying 20 feet apart along the side of the road. I guess they must have fallen off or been thrown out. Hard to know. They looked usable. It was an odd sighting for me as I usually only seem to see one.
It must be a sign. Yes it must have some meaning.

As arrive at office it had a different air. Obviously the two sneaker sighting was an omen. An unscheduled meeting of urgency was proclaimed, not a good sign.
Well the axe has dropped. The IT account will be shipped to India. Time to pack. Our computer programming jobs have finally fallen prey to Corporate cost cutting. You know, everyone else is doing it. Well who can really fault that logic. I know the CEO had a tuff time making that decision.

We need to roll with the punches and re-tool our skills. then we can be re-deployed in the work force.
Redeployed? Did I miss some other corporate meeting? Are we in the military now ? Good greif who comes up with this corporate speak ? Whats next ?
If you complain about outsourceing you are siding with the terrorists?

But it does get better. In order to transition our work smoothly to our fellow global partners, please document everything you do to assist the transition.
So I have to train my replacement prior to un-employment ? Hmmm? how will they motivate us in that regard ?

Good news the former CEO will recieve $300,000 on his 401k. Apparently he left it in the fund after 9 years of hard work to avoid any tax burden. Hmm? He left several years ago and is now on the board of yet another fortune 500 company.

The limit is supposed to be $12,000 for our 401 k, you know to stay competative.
So, you are telling me after I work 9 years and still dont have near $300,000 in my 401k I could only get $12K ? Yet a guy who hasn't worked here in 4 years gets a bit more ?

Then again my pension plan did convert to a new cash balance plan , again to help the company stay competitive. Which results in a loss of about 33%, if I stay with them another 20 years. Which obviously is not going to happen. So I may lose out even more.

Interesting note, the prior CEO ruled when the pension was fully funded, self sufficient and sustained all future obligations. As in me getting the pension promised. But the company had some losses, a few misteps by the leadership perhaps? Just an unpredictable economy? Guess we all need to take one for the gipper as any loyal worker would do. After all we need to save the company to keep our jobs. I guess I should not be selfish and help out my employer in time of need.

Then there is the health care issue, yep the previous CEO fully funded, me and my co-workers not so fully funded.

I would love to tell you the name of this great American company, but free speech is rather expensive of late. I still need my paycheck while I create the training manuals. The ones that never existed, just OTJT, had when I started.

But do not cry for me Argentina. I have met those who have gone before me.
One in Home Depot, who took the job temporarily after being laid off. You know the type, wont take un-employment got some pride. Still able to work. Yeah he has had that job for over two years while sending out resumes. I was
shocked. He had some newer skills than I.

As an old mainframe-r I knew my time was short. For the last 10 years I ws told COBOL was dead and to learn something new. The new language Pascal . And then after that is was AIDA. Then C, no wait Turbo C, no C++ and then JAVA ! I never got to learn them as they seemed to be replaced before the time and training budget got approved.

I still had to work and 'keep the lights on' at the old data center programming in COBOL. COBOL the dead language like Latin. No new skills for this boy.
Boy? I just turned 50, a boy no longer. The past 10 years? Come to think of it it has been 25 years.

Time to really learn the new skill set. But to do that I have to reduce my income a bit. My CEO likes the lower wage of workers who will share an apartment with three other workers. Four guys sharing one car or taxi to work. Four people who will pool there income to survive in America. Only to lose out to that job going off shore. Even green card holders are not safe from offshoring!!!

Even new skills may not get me as much as I earn now.

Time to start over for me. Relearn and re-earn my salary, pension, health benefits. Another 25 years should do it. That would be 9 CEO years, kinda like dog years to humans. I think there is hope, Home Depot is full but Walmart is hiring.

Now thats a global company going somewhere. China and Walmart the new economic power house of the world! Only in America could they come together and be so successful.
But I have too much prie to shop at Walmart,,, well that and too little money. I shope the 99 cent store now.

After work I will be crusing the highways looking for some new shoes.