JUST BECAUSE….

I am a retiree from AT&T.  I took an early retirement in ’82, with a vested pension to be collected when I turned 65. I turned 65 and am collecting my monthly pension (for quite awhile now). I have now decided my pension isn’t enough for stuff I want, but don’t choose to afford. Somebody needs to give me extra money so I can do what I want. Maybe I can use extra money to take a cruise or buy Metamucil in bulk at Costco. So, I’m going to carry a handmade sign stating AT&T estafadores (and any other Hispanic words I can fit on the sign) and strut around the local AT&T office protesting for $400 more per month.

That $400 number is arbitrary, there is nothing I have done, or will do, to deserve the increase, but I feel I need it to live a more comfortable retirement than I am living and, after all, AT&T recorded  $3.8 billion in earnings last quarter. The CEO makes $22 million, what could they care about giving me an extra $400? Also, they should understand that it’s not fair that they earn so much more than they are giving me.  They got it, and I want it.

When telling friends about my plan, they were skeptical about the potential success of the protest.  They wanted to know why I picked $400, why not $1000?   What was I going to do for AT&T more than I’m doing now to warrant any increase?  Those were good questions and ones for which I didn’t have any reasonable answer. 

I was beginning to have doubts about my strategy until I turned on the TV to see my fellow 99%ers protesting the fast food restaurants for an arbitrary $15.00 minimum wage. That number, like mine, has nothing to with any financial reality or any promised increase in productivity. Their reason was also like mine, they wanted it and somebody else has it. We protesters believe our income should be based upon fairness and equality. Our income should be determined by what we need to live the “American Dream” to its fullest. After all other people are living the dream, why not us?  Now, those righties believe wages should be determined according to the worker’s value, productivity, skill, and importance to the organization. How does a person even address such antiquated thinking?

I’m going to keep a close watch on how the folks, with little or no demonstrated skills and in their positions less than six months on average, are doing getting double their salary simply because they want it. Of course, they have the union. It will help these trainees to have a union that’s interested in their welfare (and maybe coincidentally increasing union membership/dues significantly).

 If entry level workers can put their scam across on the public I feel I have a good chance to improve my retirement life style. Wish me luck.