Because they already started the process as reported here to give people the choice of an enhanced 401k or staying in the Portable pension. Giving employees a choice was exactly what they did with the traditional pension. Only it wasn't a choice. They got as many as possible to voluntarily go with the new pension. Then when they forced the rest of us into the portable they gave us extra money to ease the transition. Those who voluntarily went into it a year or so earlier didn't get the extra money. Cost them thousands in retirement money. If you don't know by now you need to realize that when FedEx tells you how wonderful something is, how you should switch over, it's most likely wonderful for them, not you. You may not be aware but those who retired by the late 80's had a COLA attached to their pension. That's right, all these years since then they've been getting annual adjustments. I was about a two year employee at the time but I remember FedEx saying how ending the COLA was a good thing. For those with a traditional pension, a fixed monthly payment, watching it's value erode over time because it has no cost of living adjustment, they're aware, very aware, of how important a COLA is. Something that government employees take for granted with their pensions.