Kodak Retirees Protest Benefit Cuts

Retired Kodak Person

After 34 years with Kndak I was forced to retire. The people running Kodak had changed to the point I could no longer stand it. Now they tell me my insurance will be going from $345.69 a Mo. to $1113.92 a Mo. This is just one more way of getting rid of the old folks. Sort of like Wasington.

Les of CO @ Oct 31, 2009 14:23:33 PM

iEastman Kodak company

I would like to start off with, is Kodak better off in 2009 by cutting it's retirees and dependents Health care and Life Insurance. My answer is no. Kodak along with many Americans companies got greedy and not sticking to what they do best. Buying companies they should have stayed away from. Kodak not being agressive like they did in the 60's 70's and 80's. Retireing older employess who had a handle on make quality products, not just putting out products with the Kodak name, thinking as in the past the Kodak name would sale Kodak products with low quality and problems. Kodak top Mmanagement and Middle Managementr stop listing to their field people who tried to tell them our customer basic is changing. We need to get back to the basic of taking care of out customers better than Fuji.

Now a large number of Kodak retires are pist off with Kodak cutting or doing away with some of the benfits. many of these retiress are not buying Kodak products as a result of the benifit downsizing. Many have to shift their dollards to help pay for life insurance and the increase in their medical premiums.

Ismar Jones of NY @ Jul 28, 2009 15:42:18 PM

Failed promises

Isn't it nice that Kodak has the ability to choose what they do with their money. Should hard-working, loyal employees and retirees get health coverage and retirements they were promised? Or perhaps Kodak would like to look nice and give their money for lavish expenses.

For example, Kodak is happy to contribute a million dollars to The PGA Golf Tournament, and also happy to contribute 50 million dollars annually to NASCAR.

Cutting retirees and CURRENT employees health care benefits to dependents is NOT the correct answer. C'mon Kodak, you must have some intelligent people still employed after years of cutbacks. Even though you are cutting corners at every small Kodak plant in the country, someone must be educated and capable enough to make smart and fair decisions.

In my early twenties I now have the burden of taking on Kodak's responsibilities and failed promises. I will be adding my parents to my own health insurance. One of my parents, a cancer survivor (and current Kodak employee of over 31 years), and the other fighting a terminal cancer diagnosis, will hopefully find fairness and learn to trust another company when they make a "promise."

Thank you Kodak for being so loyal to your employees. I think I will buy Polaroid from now on.

of MA @ Oct 17, 2008 18:20:11 PM

Retirement benefits

We were told, for many years, to plan for our retirement, to save, to keep healthy and Kodak would provide Retirement Benefits and Spousal Benefits in our retirement years. I did as they advised and thought that my wife and I would be ok in our retirement years. Now, Kodak wants to pull the plug on its benefits plan for the people who gave many years of service to Kodak. Benefits is one key reason people work for a company. Salaries are only a part of compensation, but if the benefits plan is good you accept a slightly lower salary. Kodak is taking unfair advantage of its retirees in enacting these changes. Once a person is retired, their benefits and retirement income from the company should be set in stone. If Kodak wanted to change these benefits then some compensation should be given to account for putting us into the poor farm. I know I'm not alone in these feelings!

Joe Piotrowski of NY @ Oct 16, 2008 13:59:24 PM