My parents’ recent struggles in our “new economy” have made clear the everyday, real-world impacts of outsourcing, diminished retirement expectations, and increased demands on productivity.
My parents’ recent struggles in our “new economy” have made clear the everyday, real-world impacts of outsourcing, diminished retirement expectations, and increased demands on productivity.
Dennis and Colleen - Dad and Mom - never before seemed prone to the brutal machinations of the modern workplace. Work was steady and life was good. Even during the initial shock of the Great Recession, my mom could rely on her job as a school bus driver to deliver health insurance for the two of them along with a decent hourly wage. These benefits are the result of her union membership.
But the school board of directors in her affluent Montgomery County, Penn., district appears hell-bent on closing a $2 million budget deficit by outsourcing 200 jobs, including bus drivers, janitors, classroom assistants, and other support staff members.
Officials at the Upper Dublin School District have cited mounting pension contributions for teachers and support staff, as well as rising healthcare costs as their motivation for seeking non-union, third-party labor.
Colleen, 56, has driven for the district for almost 10 years. Each Christmas, I look forward to receiving sugary treats and the Starbucks gift cards she receives from her young riders (she swears by Dunkin’ Donuts). The students often draw pictures in the holiday cards and thank her for driving them to school safely through the snow and rain. She likes her job - a far cry from earning $7.50 per hour as a cafeteria server, which she did for a few years in the 90s.
I am proud of how she has taken a leadership role in the union - distributing literature at meetings, calling the local press, and imploring union members to get involved. Through it all, prospects are not looking good for the S.O.S.S. (Save our Support Staff) campaign. The union’s contract expires June 30, so my mom has re-started her job search.
Dennis, who will turn 60 this year, is the type of person who will probably never retire. In our post-pension future, that is probably a good thing.
An independent carpenter for over 30 years, my dad started a new position with a residential builder last year. The business phone at the house had gone agonizingly quite, so instead of dipping into savings to pay the bills he decided to work for somebody else.
Dad tells me that he is doing much more than he was hired for. Instead of managing workmanship warranties for his customers and dealing with “punch list” items, he is actually running projects. Receiving new assignments before he clears existing ones off his plate, he says he feels overwhelmed. Always one to take work home with him, he complains of losing sleep.
He is a model employee; never complains to his bosses or calls out sick. For Christmas, my mom bought him two vocabulary-building workbooks. Dad sometimes gets frustrated when his college-educated supervisors use words he is unfamiliar with.
My main worry is that his body will begin to breakdown before he and mom are ready to receive Social Security income. They will have to find a way to survive on SSI, savings, and a modest individual retirement account (IRA). Sometimes Dennis and Colleen talk about selling their one-story house and living a mobile retirement with their 20-foot trailer, traveling from state-to-state and renting spaces at RV parks.
My parents, and millions of Baby Boomers like them, deserve much more than that. I don’t want to run into my dad one day at the entrance of a Walmart or in the hardware aisle at Home Depot. He has worked too hard for that.
The columnist, Mike D. Hays, is a freelance journalist from Montgomery County, Penn. He currently lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.