Comments

1
It was Boeing's fucked up labor relations that drove the decision to outsource the 787 to every corner of the globe. Boeing needs to make a choice: repair its relations with its workforce, invest in skilled, creative, problem solvers and build better products or continue to be yet another defense contractor relying on the fucked up defense procurement system for its survival. Basically old Boeing vs. McDonnell Douglas. Smart money is on McDonnell Douglas, I'm afraid.
2
Hey, what's wrong with outsourcing, so long as you don't mind your planes catching on fire, engines falling off, or wings being no longer attached?
3
As a 20-something year old with a pension, I'd much rather have a 401K with the same level of matching.
4
@3, enjoy the cat food when you retire in 55 years. I'm working on a cat food cookbook for the elderly set. Seriously, the 401K is a Ponzi scheme of bibical proportions. It's not designed for you little people; it's designed for the fund managers to make a killing on it.

Oh..and it comes from the mind of the Reagan Administration.

5
@3, get/keep educated on ALL your options, and don't be swept up in cheerleading from your HR department or family/friends/co-workers. Cato's skepticism @4 is far from unfounded.

Ten years ago or so, there was heavy pressure on me and my colleagues to switch our 401Ks from one type to a slightly different type that, at the time, paid a slightly higher rate of return.

I didn't switch. Today that portion of my savings earns a steady (and safe) 5.5% annual yield. The other plan is getting 0.25% or less, and has been for years.
6
The most significant factor in current day considerations of all-things Boeing is the relatively new bean-counting culture that entered when McDonnell Douglas bought Boeing (yes i meant to write "bought"). out 'flew' the old pride of engineering, in oozed the pennywise and pound foolish out-sourcing. So... think how some short-sighted-suit will likely respond to a union threat and you will out-predict 7 outta 10 industry reporters.
7
Good Lord! Surely these math-loving fools can't expect to avoid poverty in their old age merely because they devoted their lives to making our products operate safely?

We'll crash a HUNDRED burning planes if that's what it takes to replace them all with unintelligible Chinese PhDs!

8
@4: Damn straight. I left a company with a 401(K) plan in 1992 to move to the state of MN with a pension program (which accrues benefits at 5% annually), then left that in 1995 for grad school. Ever since, I have followed the two approximately equivalent (small) amounts of money rather bemusedly, to see which would perform more favorably. The state pension program has far outperformed the 401(k), even before you factor in the annual costs to administer the useless thing.
9
the pension plan doesn't accrue anything. you're employer is supposed to guarantee it, but they don't have to keep their word. see: every state with a republican governor that runs into financial problems. With a 401K it's your money, you can buy an index fund that'll be the same thing the pension fund is invested in.
10
@3: You are the stupidest fucking fool alive.

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