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• Washington Post: Health-Care Trends You Dare Not Forget. By Martha M. Hamilton. Excerpts: How do you envision retirement? Rock-climbing on weekdays, minus the weekend crowds? Sitting on the back porch knocking off the great books one by one? Or struggling to pay medical bills? That last one may not rank high among retirement fantasies, but it's becoming a reality for more people as health-care costs rise and private-sector employers reduce spending on retiree health care.
  If you retire before Medicare eligibility at age 65, with limited or no retiree health-care coverage, your options aren't great: You can buy a higher-priced individual policy or take your chances paying those doctors' bills. Even when Medicare kicks in, it doesn't mean your medical costs will be fully covered. The Employee Benefit Research Institute estimates that Medicare covers only 51 percent of expenses associated with health-care services for most individuals.
  An unexpected health crisis can take an even bigger bite out of retirement savings. Take the case of Pamela Votava. In her 50s, she developed post-polio syndrome, a progressive weakening of the muscles. On the advice of her doctor, she decided to retire in July 2004 at age 61 to help slow the disease's progress. Her husband was covered by Medicare, and Votava figured she could find private insurance to cover her costs. But the insurance companies she initially applied to turned her down. [...]
  She was able to extend her employer health insurance temporarily for $675 a month, but her employer was too small to be covered by COBRA, a federal law that extends insurance coverage for many retiring workers. She was approved for Social Security Disability Insurance in January 2005, which also made her eligible for Medicare to cover her health costs. But there was a two-year waiting period between SSDI coverage and the beginning of Medicare payments. During that period she needed insurance to help pay for frequent doctors' appointments and for leg braces, which cost about $1,000.
  Votava eventually was able to obtain coverage, but at a high price. Her premiums for the first year were $1,533 a month, rising the next year to more than $2,300. Although her family helped, most of the money came out of the couple's retirement savings -- money they had hoped to spend on travel or a bigger house. "It certainly had an impact on our retirement," she said.
• Los Angeles Times: Brand-name Medicare drug needs are going unmet. The private sector was supposed to help bridge a $3,000 coverage gap. But beneficiaries' options are few -- and dwindling. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar. Excerpts: From the day the new Medicare drug plan was introduced, critics warned that it had a big loophole — the "doughnut hole" — a coverage gap that leaves some recipients with $3,000 in costs to pick up themselves. The private sector was supposed to help. And last year, Sierra Health Services, an insurer based in Las Vegas, announced it would do so. In exchange for higher monthly premiums, Sierra offered comprehensive coverage of brand-name medications for patients who had to fill the cost gap.
  But the Sierra Rx Plus plan lost $3 million in January, its first month of operation. Faced with that red ink, the company announced in late February that next year it would no longer offer a plan that covers brand-name drugs in the gap.
• Congressman John F. Tierney: Tierney Fights to Protect Retiree Health Benefits. Files Legislation Preventing Post-Retirement Corporate Cutbacks. Excerpts: In the face of mounting evidence of a crisis in retiree health care, Congressman John Tierney (D-Salem) has reintroduced the Emergency Retiree Health Benefits Protection Act (H.R.1322). This legislation would prohibit employers from making post-retirement cancellations or reductions of health benefits that retirees were entitled to when they retired. In addition, unless the employer can demonstrate substantial business hardship, the bill would obligate employers to restore benefits taken away after retirement.
  "Corporate cutbacks on retiree health care have reached intolerable proportions," Tierney said. "Many retirees have had to absorb a steep decline in their standard of living to pay the out-of-pocket costs of obtaining individual health insurance coverage. Even worse, retirees with pre-existing medical conditions may not be able to obtain, or afford, any new coverage at all." [...]
  "Retirees who have devoted years of hard work to their employer shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not they will receive their promised health benefits upon retirement, and no company should be reaping profits at the expense of loyal workers. This bill will protect and strengthen our middle class by helping employers make good on their promises to workers, and ensuring that retirees and their families receive their hard-earned health benefits," Congressman Miller continued.

New on the Alliance@IBM Site:

• Society for Human Resource Management, courtesy of the Alliance@IBM: IBM's HR Takes a Risk With a $100 million restructuring effort, HR at IBM has a lot to prove—and it relishes the challenge. By Robert J. Grossman. Editor's note: This article is a must read for IBM employees if you wish to understand what's truly behind all the vague e-mails you receive from corporate concerning skills, PDF, and assessments. Don't miss it!
• From the Job Cuts Status & Comments page
  • Comment 03/31/07: The price of bad leadership and unsteady management is loss of loyalty and confidence. Get accustomed to these types of posts. When you display no loyalty and respect from above, you'll get none from below. Our SO clients should be made aware of this exposure. Outsourcing to an organization with employees whose loyalty and trust has been shattered by poor management and immoral leadership is very risky business indeed. Once you are thrown out of IBM the BCG is meaningless and much harder to enforce, even assuming that the employee even signed anything that could be used against them in court. -Stupid to be still at IBM-
  • Comment 04/2/07: The word in Boulder is SSO will be cutting 40% of all jobs across 70% of all accounts - either in one wave or two (I'd bet on two, as is IBM practice of letting larger actions dribble out, rather than give fodder for press stories). -Anonymous-
  • Comment 04/2/07: My boss makes sure to let me know every month, like clockwork, that I am only 30 days notice away from losing my job. Great place to work (not). -Anonymous-
  • Comment 04/3/07: To IBMSUKS: Dragging your feet on installing those tools isn't going to help. I was on a team of 30 admins. Once it was leaked out that our jobs were going to India, most of the admins left or found other jobs. Within a month, it was down to me and 2 contractors. We installed the software on a handful of servers, but that didn't keep them from firing the 2 contractors before the India team was ever even put in place. I am now the head button-pusher and supposedly all SA work is now done in India. The India team is poorly trained and cannot seem to fix even the simplest of problems. To say the least, our customers are extremely upset at the quality of work, we will likely fail any future audits, and we have been turning down all new work for the past 6 months, with no plans on accepting any new work in the near future. So the outsourcing will continue, even if it breaks everything. And you probably don't want to stick around long enough to become the departmental button-pusher like me. -SeniorButtonPusher-
  • Comment 04/3/07: To SeniorButtonPusher - that's exactly what we're running into except our disaster is coming in the next few weeks. Yes, our customers are pissed. Yes, the cuts of US resources will continue regardless of impact to the business or the customer. -Anonymous-
  • Comment 04/5/07: We just had our LEAN Wave-3 meeting today where we were told that selected members would be going to Poughkeepsie for five weeks for the test. During that time, we would be expected to keep our accounts running as well as participating in the training/test. They hinted strongly that when this is over all Mainframe Storage Management personnel would be required to relocate to NY and work in an operations center. The clients don't know yet how IBM is getting ready to screw the hell out of them. I'm sure they know that many people will NOT be moving to NY to work, I know I won't. I think this is a way to get rid of employees, particularly the older ones, and consolidate prior to moving the accounts overseas (some for the second time). This exercise will be a mass of confusion and will result in fewer employees, working under sweatshop conditions, for longer hours. Welcome to the third world. -Anonymous-
  • Comment 04/5/07: LEAN has a target of increasing revenues 30% by May31st. This can happen from streamlining practices, Reduction in Forces or creating additional revenue. Part is LEAN is relocating people to a "Center of Competency". These people will be required to be at the "Center" Monday to Friday and can go home on the weekends.The Center of Competency stuff is geared towards cutting staff in a way that it forces them to quit. This way IBM does not have to tell anyone about the Resource Action and they don't have to pay any compensation. One thing for sure is all accounts in the pilot will be required to show additional 30% profit by May 31st. There will also be 5 different teams of people, and no person will be dedicated to a specific account anymore. -Anonymous-
• From the General Visitor's Comment page:
  • Comment 03/31/07: I've just left IBM.. I was a Band 9, in the WebSphere SWG, and paid 20% below market value. After 5 years of poor product, zero leadership, and low pay, it was time to go. For those of you that are disheartened, find something else. There are companies out there that respect their employees. You will NOT be disappointed. -exIBMer-
  • Comment 04/1/07: "I've just left IBM.. I was a Band 9, in the WebSphere SWG, and paid 20% below market value. After 5 years of poor product, zero leadership, and low pay, it was time to go. For those of you that are disheartened, find something else. There are companies out there that respect their employees. You will NOT be disappointed. "Congratulations. This is what IBM management needs to see more of to fix the problems in the company. There are lots of good jobs out there and IBM needs to learn the hard way that they are not the best employer anymore. From my experience and research IBM management is on the bottom of this list. -Anonymous-
  • Comment 04/1/07: I'm tired of the 70-80 hr work week and have given my "manager" notice that I'm leaving in 30 days. I've been asked to reconsider but have not been given any incentive to stay. Does anyone have any recommendations for dealing for the rotten company that IBM has become? -RTP Engineer-
  • Comment 04/2/07: To RTP Engineer I have just one message: Carry away as much money as you can (honestly, of course!). Never mind about all the other high-falutin' stuff. -Alley Oop-
  • Comment 04/4/07: Today at IBM East Fishkill I thought I'd call our internal operator regarding the phone number for our shipping department. Well to may surprise a operator would you believe answered my call from India and asked if he could help me and wanted to know where IBM E. Fishkill NY was ?? It that point I'd told him he was wasting my time and hung the phone up !! What are these people thinking! Outsourcing an operator what a joke ! The man didn't even know where our building was located in the United States ! A real communication breakdown! God forbid if we had a real emergency!! Help us CWA! .... -Anonymous-
• Pension Comments page
• Raise and Salary Comments
  • Comment 04/1/07: Salary = 172K; Band Level = 10; Job Title = Exec IT Architect' Years Service = 34; Hours/Week = 60; Div Name = GTS; Location = RTP; Message = Very happy to be leaving the blue pig for HP. They have offered me a 15K signing bonus and a base of 221K. IBM's gone downhill even for top performers. -Happy GTS Grunt-
  • Comment 04/2/07: Salary = 31,968; Band Level = 4; Job Title = BCS; Years Service = 9; Hours/Week = 40+; Message = I am so disappointed at all these people band 6+ complaining about their 40+ thousand dollar jobs. When people like me who been with the company can barely scrape 32 thousand out of the pot. I am sick of IBM their management, and the unfair pay they give for over 9 years of service. -YUM84-
  • Comment 04/3/07: Salary = 75,000 (without bonus); Band Level = 7; Job Title = IT Specialist; Years Service = 12; Hours/Week = 50-60 (plus 24x7x365 hotpager); Div Name = 07; Location = Colorado; Message = I have always been a 1 or 2+ performer, except for one year that I received a 2. I don't expect to ever receive another pay raise (unless we can get a union contract!) -SeniorButtonPusher-
  • Comment 04/4/07: Salary = 70000; Band Level = 7; Job Title = Engineer; Years Service = 2; Hours/Week = 60; Div Name = STG; Location = Hopewell Junction; Message = I know I'm only repeating what many others have said on this board..... but it's true. You can do a LOT better with opportunities outside of IBM. I joined the semiconductor division (fishkill fab) straight out of school, fresh, excited and naive. Didn't know much about IBM at the time, but the company seemed to have a good name (or at least I didn't know any better). Within 2-3 months at this place, I began wondering whether this workplace was really this bad or was it the same at all companies or if I was just whining unnecessarily.
    After I got to know my coworkers well, I found out none of them really liked being here or felt valued. Most of them were just hanging on in quiet desperation, either because they had been here for too many years and would find it difficult to move, or were stuck to mortgages, or to a high-spending wife or children's college to pay for or something like that.
    After I got 4-5 months into my job, I decided I would quit, but after 1-2 years, so it wouldn't look funny on my employment history. Enduring the time here was exhausting, causing many stress-related health problems. The management is so ruthless and cold blooded it makes you lose faith in the human species. Its only once you work here that you realise how disposable and commoditized you are. Seriously, I have never felt so worthless despite working so hard and doing fairly decent work.
    There are several layers of management that do nothing but cook up meaningless work for the underclass to do. I have rarely heard genuine appreciation either for myself or my coworkers from management. The paperwork you need to do and hoops you need to jump through to get simple HR-related things done is astounding.
    If you're not a member of the managerial clique, then you are to IBM what a chicken is to a meat company. Anyway I endured 22 months there and quit to join another semiconductor fab in europe. It is a completely different atmosphere here, I now feel valued and finally have work-life balance that I didn't even dream of. I am much more productive and actually happy to come to work. Gone is the IBM work culture of backstabbing and undermining others and unhealthy competition with your team members. Here there is camaraderie and the synergy or true teamwork.
    I wish someone had warned me in college not to join that place. If you want to do some good deed in your life, spread the word about IBM to as many as you can. Eventually, the truth will get around. Too many people join IBM just for the big-name reputation, not knowing what it really is. -doobya-
  • Comment 04/6/07: Salary = 80,000; Band Level = 8; Job Title = Staff Software Developer; Years Service = 6; Hours/Week = 40; Div Name = ADTC; Location = Toronto; Message = Left IBM to consult and make way more than I ever could staying. -Anonymous-
  • Comment 04/6/07: Salary = 151000; Band Level = 10; Job Title = Exec IT Architect; Years Service = 33; Hours/Week = 60+; Div Name = 23; Location = RTP; Message = doobya, The most important thing you can do for your alma mater and fellow colleagues is to report your IBM experience back to your college. Many college placement offices and professors have no idea of the extent of IBM's change for the worse. If every graduate that had recently joined IBM would send a letter back to their college describing their experiences at IBM, most management would have been fired, the company unionized and this terrible environment gone forever. I encourage you to write to your professors, open their eyes as well as your college placement about the truth of why IBM really stands for "Immoral Brand and Management". -Old IBMer-
• PBC Comments
  • Comment 03/29/07: If you are a USA employee and close to your midpoint for pay in band and got a PBC "2" your raise will probably be 0% on June 1st. -Anonymous-

Vault's IBM Business Consulting Services message board is a popular hangout for IBM BCS employees, including many employees acquired from PwC. A few sample posts follow:

• "How to get an Interview with IBM Business Consulting" by "mike0913". Full excerpt: I have submitted my resume on their career website so many times already and have not heard back. My background is 1 year and 3 months with Accenture, and 6 months with a major investment firm. I have a BS in I.T. and graduated cum laude. I applied to their entry level positions and have not heard back. Can any one give me an idea as to how can I get an interview with IBM? Thanks all!
• "You are overqualified" by "Dose of reality". Full excerpt: We only take applicants that have no place else to go. Just doctor your resume - change the Accenture paragraph to Ace Hardware, change the investment bank to a retail bank position as a teller (using 1980s vintage IBM banking machines), and change your name to Ravi Gupta III. Don't forget to mention that you speak fluent Hindi. You will get a callback in a day!
• "Ignore the negativity" by "ibmsupporter". Excerpts: am amazed at the amount of negativity on this message board. IBM BCS is not half as bad as it is made out to be by DOR and others. I suspect they are disgruntled employees who did not get the raise or promotion they were seeking and want to blame everyone and everything for their failure and frustration, except themselves and their woeful job performance. Shame on you!
  IBM BCS is a good place to work. I am not saying there is no room for improvement, but I would consider it one of the premier consulting firms in the world.
  So for everyone out there interested in applying, I say send in your resume, go for the interviews and, once you get the job, I assure you that you will enjoy a successful and challenging career at one of the world's truly great firms
• "Ignore the negativity - at your peril" by "civilliberty". Full excerpt: Just when I thought it was getting boring we now have someone to play our experience off. Well sir, I'm no longer with IBM. I spent 2 1/2 years on the back of 1 1/2 years at PWC. IBM was all down hill from my experience:
  • Took away PWC perks
  • Made promotion almost unattainable
  • Skimped on education (I wonder if they have anyone qualified now to clean the toilets)
  • Rigged appraisal system
  Contrast that with a contracting career outside of big blue where I have had more chance to develop and do more interesting work. Yep - things sure a better on the outside.