Some of the previous actions were settle in favor of the dismissed employees. Ford may or may not have learned from that situation. There are a lot of parallels with what happened this week, especially for people just short of the retirement thresholds. Are there any others out there consulting lawyers on the potential of not signing the waivers so that formation actions can be pursued? If so, have you found a group of former employees for jo--t action?
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General question here regarding the 8/31 last day of pay and benefits as it relates to the Early retirement criteria. My 55th is this Friday 8/26 and I have much more than the required 10+ years needed for the "Early Retirement". As I interpret this, since my 55th is on 8/26 I will qualify since the last day of formal employment is 8/31....does this make sense? Thank you.
Of course suing them! It shouldn't even be a question
You bet! They cut me loose close to my pension milestone date for no good or any reason at all- losing 100's of k. There was no reason to believe I would not have been able to maintain good employment standing to retirement.
I heard they got 72 million, how would they only end up with 30k? Not possible!
We don't want to speculate on this, given this is all sealed. How do you know the $30k figure? So you're suggesting or outright saying that group of 9 recovered a total of $30k/each after it all, having foregone 9 mos? I don't think so.
You don't know the extent of the punitive damages on top of the loss in salary, pension benefits, etc. I suspect the total award is SIGNIFICANTLY higher than what you're quoting, and I hope you're not a Ford drone who is posting this to maliciously dissuade people from talking to an attorney. SMH.
Do you mean that the previous lawsuit settled in late 2021 only awarded those ppl 30K after all the fees?
Requiring a signed waiver in order to qualify for continued health insurance is the type of coercive tactic I would expect from a crime syndicate. Perhaps it's time to start referring to Choo-Choo Billy and his kin as the Ford Crime Family.
Please do your homework before making a final decision. Those of us SRDd didn't have a lot of time to contemplate our next steps. Yes, a few did the knee jerk reaction gave up their severance / pension, and pursued other actions, and ultimately did "win", but I question did they really win...? The final awarded amount had to be split amongst the nine winners. Then the bills have to be paid like taxes, attorney fees, filing fees, court costs, service fees, etc. After bills -they walked away with roughly $30k to support family, all future living, medical, etc for the rest of their lives. Not a lot of money considering the age of most of the SRDs who won. I figure they may have won a battle, but long term it appears they may have lost the war.
Consult with a lawyer, this is not legal advice.
If there is an actionable reason for a case(discrimination based on a protected class like race, age, s-x, religion, disability, etc.), then whatever they want you to sign wouldn't be binding. They can't violate the law and cover it with a contract to keep you quiet. Imagine the shenanigans if they could.
Prior to working at Ford I worked at another company that did the same thing to prevent workers from getting their pensions. One of my friends and long time coworkers was let go and his lawyer told him that the company could not replace him for a specific period of time (I forget the timeline). Since I still worked there I watched internal postings and sent him copies of all postings that he was qualified to fill, including one that sounded like the job he just lost. It’s disgusting how companies don’t even try to hide what they’re doing. He won that battle and received his full pension along with a settlement. It’s worth a conversation with a lawyer.
I am not. I reviewed the document thoroughly, signed it and sent it back the same day. I'l take my 9 months and move on with life. I am over 55 and had 25+ years. Was mulling retirement anyway. People who were close to 55 got boned. So, if I was in that boat, I might have proceeded differently.
US local legal system typically protects the weaker side, regardless what else are being considered. "local" is the keyword.
Some folks should. If you are within a year of turning 55 and have a pension, Ford she have offered early retirement to you. I know several that were in that it similar situations. I'd here a lawyer and demand better treatment than the "package".
How do you prove your job was not eliminated, which is the common excuse they use for termination?