[speaker001:] about how many calls have you made on this system
[speaker002:] uh I've originated only a a few
[speaker001:] oh okay yeah
[speaker002:] but I've received quite a few
[speaker001:] I uh I only started doing it after uh I started getting calls and said oh heck that's right I'm supposed to make a few calls so I started about month ago and I this is getting close to twenty here which I think is about all
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] uh our little gift book goes up to but I don't really know
[speaker002:] oh yeah
[speaker001:] I've got about twelve tickets in the mail do you have you've a few
[speaker002:] yeah I've been getting mine
[speaker001:] okay uh medical go ahead I'm I'm medical that's mine
[speaker002:] uh you pushed the record button we're supposed to be discussing the subject
[speaker001:] yeah I I'm benefits go ahead you first
[speaker002:] yeah uh well I'll tell you I've been around for quite a few years and worked for a lot of different companies and uh it's hard to beat any of the benefits that or salaries either
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] that we get from TI I'm quite pleased with it course there's a few things that uh I think I could do better if I was sitting up in the CEO's seat but um
[speaker001:] oh yeah
[speaker002:] I think Jerry's doing a pretty good job as it goes
[speaker001:] the one it's kind of like uh automobile insurance the ones uh that I think are the highest and important to me uh I hope I never have to use them really per se although I've used medical a little bit uh
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] that well that one certainly is high I I worry that it's weakening rather than strengthening so I like to reverse that trend and say I'd like to get those to strengthen you know be better and better then salary salary salary continuance I've never used that one I hope I never will but that's kind of like an insurance thing I sure like that one
[speaker002:] well ah yes
[speaker001:] that's like automobile insurance you never want to get in an accident but it you like to have it there
[speaker002:] um-hum well uh like I say I worked for several different companies and there's nothing to compare with uh TI here
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] now I really got caught up back in eighty five I got caught up in the oil layoff uh I wasn't with GSI but I was connected with uh uh oil uh exploration
[speaker001:] right with TI or somebody else
[speaker002:] no with TI
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] but I say I wasn't connected with GSI
[speaker001:] oh right yeah
[speaker002:] and I got caught up in a layoff now
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] uh course you get six months uh unemployment from the state
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] but what TI did for us is is uh I I've never heard of it before they fixed us up with an office with uh telephones access to long distance uh computers a secretary to take messages for us or type uh letters for us
[speaker001:] right
[speaker002:] uh they had out of town newspapers and then the company
[speaker001:] and outside consultants didn't they have an outside consultant too
[speaker002:] I beg your pardon
[speaker001:] did they have an outside consultant like a
[speaker002:] uh yes they they did have uh seminars every once in a while
[speaker001:] the employee yeah
[speaker002:] uh cause that was not uh restricted just to just us
[speaker001:] right
[speaker002:] but the most important thing was that uh they had made up the difference between uh unemployment pay and seventy five percent of my net pay and they then TI paid me that
[speaker001:] oh really
[speaker002:] so uh I was able to uh not just exist I mean I I lived just as comfortably as I did before I was laid off
[speaker001:] yeah they seem to be doing doing a good job of that I'm in facilities and and our organization built builds those facilities over in Park Central now
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] and I guess they've been using them for six months now and I've known several engineers that got laid off and they said it's like getting a PhD almost they the much they learn over there you know after they've been laid off uh one engineer said it was really an education he he just learned like you he said he learned a tremendous amount that he never would have able to pick up on his own he was very thankful for that too
[speaker002:] well this was not a learning thing by any means it was just a uh uh an assistance trying to find another job
[speaker001:] to have an office yeah yeah well he said he learned so much and how he thought he thought he had a PhD in how to get a job after he was through the whole process for for several months he did eventually get a job
[speaker002:] oh uh-huh well course I went through this uh what about five years ago they may have improved it considerably
[speaker001:] yeah apparently it's very sophisticated and I guess it may be one of the best uh that anyone's doing
[speaker002:] well that's one of those little uh uh little extras that you don't see in the uh the the the handbook you know
[speaker001:] right you're absolutely right that's a good one
[speaker002:] it
[speaker001:] what do you think about pensions anything on that or
[speaker002:] well now I have uh uh I'm getting close to retirement
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] and of course I've been looking into it but uh since I'm only a yellow badger I won't be getting a whole heck of a lot from TI as far as retirement is concerned
[speaker001:] um-hum right what do you think of a pension that goes from one company to the other like an account like a 401K account I I've been thinking about that for years uh
[speaker002:] I've never heard of such a thing
[speaker001:] I know that's what I'm saying that that pensions you see just like you were you're saying you've only got uh so many years say you work for two three companies if you take your pension with you after you're vested
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] and then just add the money together like you do with a 401K account you know
[speaker002:] uh yeah
[speaker001:] uh it's your account period it doesn't matter where you go or anything that's your account to roll over
[speaker002:] I that that sounds like a hell of an idea I didn't know there was such a thing
[speaker001:] no no there isn't I I'm saying that's the question what do you think could be better and I'm saying that pensions say in the year two thousand or more when social security goes away which it probably will I think they ought to have a pension at least that you'd never lose you work for a company seven years
[speaker002:] yes by all means well what would be the difference between that and social security
[speaker001:] uh well social security's going to go to way I think and you can or you can invest your own money you have no control over your social security and it's not paid for by the current like when say we retire after the year two thousand social security's paid for by the twenty five year olds you know they may rebel and you won't have any social security where if your money was in your account I mean you can never lose it it's there you don't have to depend on anybody to be putting that money in for you you know
[speaker002:] yeah yeah
[speaker001:] that's just a thought I mean I
[speaker002:] uh-huh no I I like the idea course that's that's some something like an IRA
[speaker001:] if they say which yeah yeah and instead of having a a socialized pension it just would be really money that you and your company maybe you had to put some money in it too I don't really know
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] but I I can see where they'd need to do something on that because the statistics are you don't work for a company twenty years through no fault of your own you know you work for five six seven and you you a lot of people I know guys
[speaker002:] yeah that that's what I've done I I've bounced around about every ten years I change
[speaker001:] yeah I have too but not not quite that often but uh yeah I've only got uh I've got fourteen now here at TI and I hope to make twenty five but say if something happened to me I mean you know they lay me off uh you have a pension but then you'd have to try to get a pension in another one it would be nice if they could get them together
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] I do worry about medical though again knock wood that uh I haven't used it I guess you I'm sorry you really do use it throughout the year because you get your teeth fixed and all that I mean I but I'm not I'm talking about major items I haven't used it for anything major
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] I'm glad it's there though
[speaker002:] well knock wood I haven't used mine anything for anything major just doctor visits and well I I have the uh the Homa I use Homa
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] and I like that uh a lot better than Aetna
[speaker001:] I have the regular I again I just I haven't I can't complain about it because I haven't used it and every time I needed it it it it's uh you know
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] fallen right in line for the the minor things I guess I'm the one just supporting most of the others
[speaker002:] well doesn't it work you don't see uh uh anything until you spend the minimum don't you have to spend the minimum of two three hundred
[speaker001:] uh yeah yeah I think it's two seventy five for a family but the dental is right away if you exams uh
[speaker002:] yeah well now I have the same dental you have
[speaker001:] okay yeah the medical you have to have a deductible
[speaker002:] uh-huh now see I don't have a deductible
[speaker001:] yeah right
[speaker002:] I pay a straight five dollars for anything a doctor visit or drugs
[speaker001:] well drugs are okay now I'm on that uh plan where I take blood pressure medicine if you take an allergy medicine so anything you need a prescription for for more than six months you get it for used to be six bucks they just raised it to twelve
[speaker002:] oh that one I haven't heard about
[speaker001:] yeah that's a typical that's a typical one that's in there the forms are right in personnel
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] fact you may be able to take care of take advantage of that it's through Baxter Labs uh
[speaker002:] yeah I have high blood pressure problems myself
[speaker001:] well maybe you still can do that do you do you buy your pills one at a time
[speaker002:] every thirty days at a time
[speaker001:] well turn turn in your forms go right to personnel I don't know whether you have to about an HMO I don't think so you turn you get your doctor to give you a more than six months prescription and uh they're twelve dollars again they just were six they just raised them to twelve this year twelve dollars for a three months supply
[speaker002:] hum
[speaker001:] or whatever whatever the the amount is uh I don't want to say three months but
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] it's a lot cheaper allergy medicine's really uh expensive and that blood pressure medicine is fairly expensive I take two go right to personnel they got the forms in personnel and maybe I maybe I've told you go something you didn't know about in benefits there
[speaker002:] um yeah yeah I just might do that
[speaker001:] I do it yeah I you know it's a very common thing it's through Baxter Labs tell yeah
[speaker002:] well thanks thanks for the tip Jim I I shall look into it
[speaker001:] yeah what else I'm sure we're getting close to our five minutes whatever here
[speaker002:] yeah uh let's see we discussed uh uh medical and dental
[speaker001:] what other benefits
[speaker002:] uh retirement
[speaker001:] yeah the salary continuation I think that's a great one but again a hope I never use that one that means you're really sick if you have to use that one
[speaker002:] uh-huh what about vacation
[speaker001:] I'm satisfied with the vacation I don't know what else you know you nice to say you get another week
[speaker002:] uh
[speaker001:] and when I'm well I only got fourteen years so I'll get another week when I hit fifteen
[speaker002:] uh yeah that's right
[speaker001:] so that's that's fair I mean it's reasonable if four weeks is a lot I think I know some people who have twenty five years and thirty and they want more but uh you know
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] uh
[speaker002:] well I'm uh I'm here I've got just eleven years and I don't think I'll ever see a a silver badge I won't I won't be around that long
[speaker001:] um-hum well the way things go I think I'm going to have to work till I'm seventy five whether I quit and uh uh or when I retire get a part-time job