Local Voices: The Little Man and Pension

I attended the funeral of my wife's great grandmother this past week.  She grew up as a farm worker.  Later, she got a job with Rockwell doing assembly on the space shuttle program. 

She was with Rockwell for more than 30 years and was even flown to Florida to work on the cockpit of a shuttle just prior to launch.

Rockwell provided stable employment for she and her husband.  Both made it their career and received pensions that have supported them in the later years.

So why do I share this?  It is difficult to be with the same employer for three years let alone over 30.  Most private employers don't provide pensions.  Employees squirrel away money in a 401K with employer matching at best.

There are some exceptions.  UPS has a large facility in Aliso Viejo and they are known for providing their people long careers with great benefits.  I'm sure there are others but they are no longer the norm.

I know a number of people from their late 40s to late 50s, many with advanced degrees, who have lost good paying jobs.  They don't expect to reenter the workforce in any meaningful way.

Blue collar and white collar workers are all the little man now.

The global marketplace has pushed us to compete with third world nations for manufacturing type jobs.  I fear this might not be an American story that ends well.  Costs have to be cut. We are even buying replacement parts for military vehicles from China.  It's enough to make me grab a drink in a cup made in China coated in lead based paint.

Adam Smith's invisible hand saves us a lot of money.  It can even be argued that all the gadgets we have around us from iPhones to things that make us go Wii, wouldn't be ubiquitous it they were made here.

I guess I just miss my pager and that lack of opportunity for the little man.