Fedex Denies Pension Benefits To Gay Spouse

[MrFedEx]

No. That is an incorrect reading.
Please see the posts from the original thread last year. It includes the filed complaint. It also shows that I knew her personally.

She elected not to RETIRE based on the recommendation and information from FedEx. She had been sick for years and continued to work while getting treatment as long as she could. By her wife's account FedEx was good to her in 2010 when it first started and in 2012-2013 when her cancer returned and ultimately took her life. She would get chemo on Friday and come back to work on Monday or Tuesday. She was very concerned for the welfare of her family and attempted to schedule chemo so that she missed the least amount of work possible. Her wife was a stay-at-home mother and small time artist. Basically, LT was the sole bread-winner and she knew her wife and children counted on her income. She had a rural route near the west coast of Sonoma county that was not very physically demanding that made this easier.

I left the location before LT became too ill to continue working so what follows is information from the complaint. Everything else I know to be true, so I am accepting this information at face value.

Once she could no longer work and was placed on leave she came under the management of the district HCMP. She could have retired and she asked to start hat process so her family could collect her fully vested traditional pension and PPP. She was advised that retiree medical costs would be very expensive for her treatments and that she should wait. To be fair I knew the HCMP and I do think this was given with good intentions, but it turned out to be a mistake because FedEx did not provide any protection for spousal survivor benefits until it was forced to do so in Windsor. On this point you are correct. Had she just retired and then died the cost of medical would not have mattered. Like I said before, she died 6 days too soon. Her family just wants what they would have received.

But, but...FedEx is a people company. FedEx cares!! Do you think the HCMP Advisor acted on their own or was advised to intentionally misinform from above? To not follow the dictates of the HCMP Manager would be the end of their career. Screwing this couple out of a hard-earned pension seems well within what this company would be willing to do in order to save money.

Note to all of you Purple People. This is how FedEx will treat you if you get sick and/or injured. You might want to remember it.

 

[MrFedEx]

"Lesbian widow". I don't know whether to laugh or throw up.

How about we throw-up on you for being such a jerk?

 

[fedupforsure]

"Lesbian widow". I don't know whether to laugh or throw up.

you eff off

 

[!Retired!]

"Lesbian widow". I don't know whether to laugh or throw up.

I must have missed what's so funny about this.

 

[MrFedEx]

I must have missed what's so funny about this.

Read Maui's post. These sound like some very nice people who were screwed over. My guess is that FedEx won't budge an inch. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[FedGT]

"Lesbian widow". I don't know whether to laugh or throw up.

Whether you support it or not is up to you and everyone's personal decision. That being said, live and let live as$hole don't need to bring in that level of disrespect especially with the context going on here.

 

[Thegameisrigged]

Hm. Something how people will go to great lengths to prove right over something so terribly wrong. Man and woman, not woman and woman. This world is doomed. It sickens me.

 

[Route 66]

I'm guessin' EffOff is likely closetly gay and he's just "throwing up" a smoke screen.

 

[It will be fine]

Hm. Something how people will go to great lengths to prove right over something so terribly wrong. Man and woman, not woman and woman. This world is doomed. It sickens me.

Feel free to leave the world then, you won't be missed.

 

[Thegameisrigged]

Don't worry. When I go, we all go.

 

[l22]

"Lesbian widow". I don't know whether to laugh or throw up.

eat , you idiot

 

[!Retired!]

Read Maui's post. These sound like some very nice people who were screwed over. My guess is that FedEx won't budge an inch. I hope I'm wrong.

I was quoting EffOff's comment about whether to laugh or throw up. Seems he/she has a problem with either the 'Lesbian widow' name or the lifestyle they chose to live.

 

[bacha29]

The issue is not about the woman's sexual orientation. The real issue is whether or not it will create a new opportunity for X to further devalue your pension plan. There isn't a Fortune 500 company out there that hasn't already or is currently trying to divest itself of any and all legacy costs and X you know the people company is not any different. When I left G a TM we once had and the guy wasn't bad called me on the final morning to wish me a happy "retirement". I said to him," Jeff I didn't retire I quit. Futhermore, there's no defined benefit pension waiting for me like it is for you. Contractors are not retired they're disposed of". Total silence at the end the other end. So X guys your company looks at G and sees that there are no continuing obligations when people leave and they love it and are trying to create the same effect at Xpress.

 

[vantexan]

The issue is not about the woman's sexual orientation. The real issue is whether or not it will create a new opportunity for X to further devalue your pension plan. There isn't a Fortune 500 company out there that hasn't already or is currently trying to divest itself of any and all legacy costs and X you know the people company is not any different. When I left G a TM we once had and the guy wasn't bad called me on the final morning to wish me a happy "retirement". I said to him," Jeff I didn't retire I quit. Futhermore, there's no defined benefit pension waiting for me like it is for you. Contractors are not retired they're disposed of". Total silence at the end the other end. So X guys your company looks at G and sees that there are no continuing obligations when people leave and they love it and are trying to create the same effect at Xpress.

On what do you base that assumption?

 

[bacha29]

The woman's sexual orientation is a private matter. You and other employees have commented numerous times on the very modest benefit package your plan has. Doesn't even begin to approach what UPS or retired federal employees are getting and that's not fair. At the same time at least you will have something coming in. For G contractors like myself and I'm not complainig here your retirement for the most part is whatever you can save and invest.

 

[vantexan]

The woman's sexual orientation is a private matter. You and other employees have commented numerous times on the very modest benefit package your plan has. Doesn't even begin to approach what UPS or retired federal employees are getting and that's not fair. At the same time at least you will have something coming in. For G contractors like myself and I'm not complainig here your retirement for the most part is whatever you can save and invest.

But you are saying FedEx is moving towards getting rid of the current pension plan. On what do you base that? By the way, FedEx got rid of the defined benefit pension in 2008. What we have now is a cash balance pension.

 

[bacha29]

What I'm say is: Could a favorable ruling in this case give X the grounds to place greater restrictions on a pension plan participants right to grant survivorship rights to another person? In the case of a defined benefit plan, there is nothing X would love more than to limit the payment of benefits to just one beneficiary and end at the time of his or her death. I'm just floored at the news that X ended your defined benefit plan and went to a defined contribution given that it's "people" company. But did they end the plan for management group employees as well?

 

[vantexan]

What I'm say is: Could a favorable ruling in this case give X the grounds to place greater restrictions on a pension plan participants right to grant survivorship rights to another person? In the case of a defined benefit plan, there is nothing X would love more than to limit the payment of benefits to just one beneficiary and end at the time of his or her death. I'm just floored at the news that X ended your defined benefit plan and went to a defined contribution given that it's "people" company. But did they end the plan for management group employees as well?

As far as I know the traditional pension ended for everyone, management included. Wouldn't shock me if managers still get a traditional pension, but there's never been anything public that would suggest that that I've seen. But if FedEx somehow got the gov't to limit retirement benefits to only the retiree it would have to be to every retiree in every company, not just FedEx. The resulting firestorm would effectively bring down the current administration, just as trying to eliminate Social Security would. That's why when FedEx eliminated the previous pension plan they replaced it with another, albeit not as good a one. In effect FedEx was already limiting retirement benefits by holding down pay. Not only were midrange employees having to live with much less income, but their lower pay was also stunting their future retirement. It's a catch-22 for employees. We're having the burden of retirement placed more on us, but we aren't getting paid enough to fund our retirement. A courier with a decent retirement will only have one by sacrificing as much as possible and probably working a second job too. Most in their earlier years don't seem to get what's going to happen down the road, but maybe distrust of the Social Security system will spur them to save more. There's always the alternative to live overseas in a much cheaper country, but given the news these days I doubt many will move abroad.

 

[bacha29]

Now I understand this matter much more clearly.Thank you. it is such an outrage that a person would dedicate their peak earning years to a company then like everyone else they become too old and too frail to continue , they are simply disposed of. I can see now why your plans are to leave. I hope it works out for you but always maintain the right to return to the states. I'msure that you too see the growing generational conflict. Boomers trying to continue to work while the next generations are angry wanting them to get out of the work force.

 

[vantexan]

Now I understand this matter much more clearly.Thank you. it is such an outrage that a person would dedicate their peak earning years to a company then like everyone else they become too old and too frail to continue , they are simply disposed of. I can see now why your plans are to leave. I hope it works out for you but always maintain the right to return to the states. I'msure that you too see the growing generational conflict. Boomers trying to continue to work while the next generations are angry wanting them to get out of the work force.

Unless I renounce my citizenship I will always be a U.S. citizen no matter where I live. And subject to applicable taxes as the U.S. is one of the few countries that taxes you no matter where you live. I read years ago that as Boomers age job prospects for following generations will get much better as there are fewer people in those generations.