ford14

Hello All: I took the 4 year education buyout almost 2 years ago, and for the first time I recently filled out the FAFSA to see if I would qualify for any financial aid. Even though the buyout pays up to $15k for my classes including $485 for books, my books are usually about $400 per semester so I usually pay about $400 out of my pocket for books each year. And my stipend is $27k before taxes , but I usually end up with $17k after taxes, my mortgage alone is almost $13k a year by itself. I'm head of household with a daughter who lives with me. If it weren't for savings I accumulated while working there's no way I would be able to pay all my bills and go to school full-time without having to get a job too. Well, after filing my FAFSA I found out that because of my income I qualify for and have been offered 2 grants, one is a federal grant and the other is a state grant, which is supposed to help with my total costs of attending college, not just tuition. What I have found is that when you fill out your voucher for ford to pay for your classes through the buyout they have a box on the form (online) that asks you to disclose the amounts of any financial aid that you will be recieving, if you do they will subtract that amount from what they will pay for your tuition, which means you won't actually be able to use any of the grant money for anything other than tuition, and ford will only have to pay the difference of what the grant money didn't cover for tuition. But if ford paid the full tuition they way they said they would, and did not subtract any grant money, then you would receive the grant money in the form of a check from the school and be able to use it to help with books, housing, transportation costs, etc. which is the way it should be. Through all the meetings I attended prior to taking the buyout, and all the literature I read about the education buyout, not once did they mention that any financial aid that you received during the buyout term would be subtracted from what they will pay for your tuition, they said they would pay up to $15k per year for tuition period. They don't care if you work during that time and don't subtract it from your tuition, so why should they care if you receive a grant? My classes usually only total about $5k per semester so they end up paying $10k per year for my tuition instead of the $15k, and now they want to subtract financial aid too so they can pay even less. For some people that financial aid may help them keep their bills paid till the next stipend (which only comes once a year), instead of them being overwhelmed with having to go and get a job on top of going to school full-time. I'm curious to know what other people who have taken the education buyout, or are thinking about taking it feel about this. I feel like if you are keeping up your part of the buyout agreement by taking a full load (min 12 credits) every semester, and keeping your GPA up to where they want it, then they should keep their part of the agreement and pay your "full tuition" up to $15k rather you receive financial aid or not, and that information should have been disclosed "prior" to the buyout, not after.

I haven't received my EDOPP check yet.

My release date was Jan 1st also, and I just got my unused personal time check in the mail yesterday.

My last day of work was Dec 22nd, release date Jan 1st. Started school Jan 8th, have not yet received my welcome packet, which contains the forms you need to get your tuition payments, stipend, book reimbursement, etc. Also, For some reason up until yesterday I was still listed in the system as an active employee. I had to put a v hold on my credit card to be able to start classes on time, my school said that if they haven't received the tution voucher within 30 days of me starting class that they will bill my credit card ($4,600 for this semester). I cannot print out the voucher till they update me as being an inactive employee. I faxed over the express interest form to edopp, but they won't update my file till they get verification from world headquaters that I took the buyout. I talked to labor relations and they said that they are behind updating people's files and just updated mine yesterday (friday). So I have been calling back and forth to make sure that this gets resolved in a timely manner, so I don't end up getting billed for the tuition on my credit card, I paid over $400 for books for this semester. The max they will reimburse for books is $485, so I'm already almost at the max for books. I have no idea as to when I will be getting my stipend payment, and reimbursement for my books, have to fill out the welcome packet first, whenever that finally shows up. The stipend is supposed to come 3 to 5 weeks after the release date, and as slow as the process seems to be going for me I wouldn't be surprised if it takes the whole 5 weeks before I get my stipend. Maybe it all depends on how fast the labor relations dept in your building submits the paperwork, changes your employment status, etc. as to whether or not the process is delayed or not.

This is part of the terms for one of the scholarships, some of it's wording is what is causing the confusion. A. He or she must have been represented by the UAW for at least five years, and those years must not have ended more than one year prior to his or her commencement of full-time studies; and B. He or she must be retired pursuant to the terms of any UAW-negotiated retirement plan or program; or My daughter may qualify for this scholarship I'm not sure. I was represented by the UAW for longer than 5 years, my employment ended less than a year ago, and I left through a UAW negotiated program. The word retire simply means to withdraw from one's occupation which is what I did. So I will definitely look into this, and post what I find out. Hopefully it will also clear up some things for other people who took the same buyout who will also be faced with seeking scholarships for their dependents soon. Far as me leaving without a job lined up, I sell items online and do resumes/job searches also, and have been doing both for several years even while I was employed at ford. So that will be my income while in college. Wouldn't make much sense to tie myself down to another job while attending college full time when I can work for myself, set my own times and wages. I also have savings that took me 10 years to save, that will help with bills including help pay for my daughter's college expenses. The yearly stipend will at least cover my mortgage. So we will be fine . If it's something you really want to do I say you have to be willing to take risks in life, nothing ventured is nothing gained.....

Did you take the buyout? If you did not then you would not understand. From day one since the buyout packages were introduced it was clear that quite a few things had not been considered and thought out, and several things were changed as people asked more questions. Since ford offering buyouts to all of it's employees is something new, and wasn't around when these scholarships were developed for it's workers then it makes sense that it would not specify the word buyout in the eligibility criteria, however that doesn't mean that it won't be added at a later date. Usually if you stop working there you most likely got fired, quit, or retired, but taking a buyout is taking a buyout. I still get healthcare, dental, vision, hearing, life insurance, a plan, for myself and my daughter for the next 4 years, but you say you don't understand why I don't know why I can't apply for a scholarship for former or current uaw members dependents, after spending 11 years with the company. Why shouldn't I be able to apply for those scholarships for my dependent? Ford offered the buyouts, I didn't do anything out of line accepting one, and left the company with a decent record with recall rights.

I took the education buyout and my release date is today, jan 1st. Just so happens this is also the month I have to apply for fafsa for my daughter who is a senior in high school and will be starting college in the fall. I have ran across several scholarships offered through different sources including the school she wants to attend, and it looks like I cannot apply for any union or uaw scholarships for her. Seems strange that after almost 12 years of employment with ford that now that my daughter is old enough to attend college that only 1 day after taking the buyout I no longer qualify to apply for these scholarships. I was told at the buyout meetings, several months ago, that I wouldn't be able to apply for the $1500 scholarship that most ford workers automatically get for their dependents college education, once I took the buyout. Which I didn't like to hear, but now I see that's not the only union scholarship she can't receive. I looked at the wording on another scholarship that is offered at the University that my daughter is applying to, The Ernie and Mary Lofton Endowed Scholarship Fund, it says that you have to be a uaw employee or retiree, or their dependent. So since I took the education and not the retirement buyout guess that means my daughter can't apply for it. Doesn't seem right. I saw some more scholarships offered by the union, ford, and uaw, that my daughter would have qualified for, but they had the same wording about being a dependent of a current employee or retiree. Seems buyout employee dependents should qualify, long as you weren't fired. I think the main thing that I don't get is how the wording on the education buyout says that people who take the education buyout don't sever ties with the company till the 4 years are up, and in the meantime still receiving benefits like an employee. So it seems that during that time we should have the same opportunity as an active employee or retiree to apply for scholarships that were intended for ford employee dependents or uaw dependents. Seems people who took the buyout would need those scholarships for their kids now more than ever.

In my opinion the best way to start a home business is build it yourself. That way you know it's legitimate, and can use your own creativity, and have complete control over how it is ran. Many people don't believe that they have what it takes to start a company on their own, and feel that you need an employer or someone else to back them up or guide them, which can keep you from really getting out their and seeing what you can achieve. I've tried many businesses, some before I started working at ford, some while I was working at ford, and will continue to do so now that I am no longer at ford. My first business was probably when I started catering from my home to local businesses at lunch time. I went to local businesses told them of my services. So then I would call them, find out how many lunches they needed, cook them (pork chops, fried chicken, etc.) and then deliver them. I also went to a local college and became a certified word processor and began offering resume and typing services. Then I got my home licensed to care for 6 kids. I went through all the paperwork, got an assumed named, attended the needed classes, inspections, got cpr certified, bought the necessary equipment, toys, printed flyers, ran ads, etc. on a shoestring budget. I did home daycare for 3 years prior to getting hired at ford. Even after I got at ford I still did the resumes on the side and In 1999 I turned my resume service into a full fledged business and began offering free job searches with every resume, which I still do to this day. I started selling on ebay in 2001, and still do. I am the type of person who likes to have at least 3 sources of income at all times. At least two of the things have to be things that are flexible. About 4 years ago I started a free e-newsletter giving people tips on how to set up a budget for their household, save money, get the best interest rates, make extra money, etc. this is something I have a passion for. With me doing so many different things and working fulltime at ford too I had to put some things aside for a while. Now that I am no longer working at ford I have more time to dedicate to doing the things I truly enjoy. I also created my own auction website 2 years ago, which consisted of my buying special auction software, getting a domain name, finding a hosting company, learning how to write scripts (css, php, JavaScript, html), hiring a web designer, etc. and I am still fine tuning the site. I am so glad that I can take the education buyout and pursue my dreams. My major in college is Finance/ Business Management, eventually I would like to become a certified financial consultant/advisor. Even if I make just half of what I was making at ford it would be well worth it to me, because I’ll be doing things I truly enjoy, and will have so much more to look forward to than I ever did working on the assembly line. Two good places to search for business ideas are: www.bizymoms.com (go to the business ideas link) on this site you can pull up articles about different businesses and people tell you how they got started in their Business, I even wrote an article on this site of how I started my Resume Business. Another good business idea site is www.wahm.com.

Have a nice life quitters? Wasn't that the whole purpose of ford offering the buyouts, because they WANT People to leave? In my opinion it takes a whole lot more courage to take a buyout and leave ford than to stay, especially for one's who don't qualify for the retirement packages. Though the one's staying aren't guaranteed that they will continue to have a job either......... Everyone just has to make the best decision for their own particular circumstances, I'm not saying that I think any one particular decision is any better than the other. Your post implies that you think you are somehow more dedicated and loyal to ford than those of us who took the buyout, but it's unlikely that you'd stick around if the good pay and benefits were gone. A lot of people's loyalty to their job stops at the size of their paycheck and the benefits they receive. That's why there is such a high turnover rate for people working at minimum wage and other low paying jobs. Has little to do with people actually caring about the company they work for and liking their job. Don't think you should be downing people who did the very thing ford wanted them to do, those leaving are saving the company money, those who are staying are not. Those leaving are increasing the chances that ford will be able to afford to save the jobs of those who want to stay. I doubt that those who stay will be having anything near a party. Big changes are in store so people need to be realistic about it, I think the only people who will be celebrating and partying about the new contract will be the owners of ford not it's employees.

Japanese- Japanese Auto Workers (JAWS), Mexican- National Union of Ford Workers (SNTF), which is affiliated with the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM).

Aren't you a former UAW Ford Worker, who recently took the buyout? If so, your post seems pretty hypocritical saying you wouldn't use a uaw credit card in public. And you have turned my post into something controversial when it was meant to hopefully help someone who may be able to use the information.

Union Plus is by Union Privilege which was established by the AFL-CIO (The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) and is the only credit card they endorse for union members. This is their website http://www.aflcio.org/ Fifty-four National and International unions make up the AFL-CIO, UAW is just one of them. Regardless of who their financial underwriter is their terms and benefits are more geared towards union members than other credit cards that I have seen. Now I didn't say that this was a magic credit card, so if somebody has a habit of not paying their credit card payments on time, or consistently go over their limit, then they may not get favorable terms nor good interest rates no matter what credit card company they go with. It's logical that you need to be in good standing to enjoy any benefits that any credit company offers. The Union plus credit card definitely offers more benefits for union workers than others, I have 3 major credit cards and union plus offers certain benefits and protection that my other ones don't, and it offers the best interest rate. Even if the only difference between this card and others was that someone could skip 3 payments if they were laid off or on strike I'm sure to someone in that situation that's the only difference they would need to prefer this card. I have been offered skipped payments but rarely do I use them. Not saying this credit card is perfect, none of them are, but switching to this credit card may be beneficial to someone who may be paying a much higher rate and anticipating a layoff.

lol, I hope that is not the case, cause if there ever was a time to look at logic and be realistic about whats going on with the uaw then this is the time.

I'd like to expand on the ing referral program. First of all when I first joined ING I had heard of their referral program, but did not see any mention of it on their website. I saw someone mention that they had the referral link on a discussion board, but I did not know this person and wanted to make sure it was legitimate, so I called ing directly and asked about it, and sure enough it was legitimate. The only people who have access to information about the referral program and referral links are the account holders. They can access it only if they login to their account. I make double sure that I verify this type of info because I often pass it along to my e-newsletter readers, so I need to be as accurate as possible with the facts. Once I found that it was legitimate I literally did a search online to find someone with the referral code, I could have opened an ing account without it but wouldn't have gotten the $25 bonus. Why signup for free when I can get extra $? When I did locate someone with the referral link all I did was tell the person my e-mail address first and last name, as a matter of fact I may have just given them my last initial, I don't think it matters. They logged into their ING account, e-mailed me the referral link, I signed up and got the bonus. That's it. He also got a $10 referral fee for sending me the link, which didn't bother me one bit, bottom line was that I got my bonus and the great rate ing offers, and if he got something out of it too from ing then I was glad for him. At the time when I opened my account several years ago a person could get the $25 bonus for simply opening up the account with $1, now in order to get the signup bonus the person must open the account with at least $250. Once you open up an ING account you can send up to 25 people referral links, and you will get a $10 bonus per person that you send the link to who signs up with at least $250. So if you decide to sign up, make sure you get the referral link be it from me, Duratec_Nick, or from someone else. If you want the $25 bonus you need the referral link from somebody. It's Free money. Too many people are getting ripped off letting their money sit in local bank accounts getting 1/2%-2% interest rates, online banking is the way to go. You can still keep your local bank account too, I have several bank accounts, some online, some local. But when it comes to putting my money in savings I go where I can get the most bang for my buck.

If you are looking to get a new or used auto loan, refinance your auto loan in order to get a lower interest rate, or are searching for a good home equity loan rate with no closing costs, you may want to check out this website: Pentagon Federal Credit Union. They have very competitive rates, I have gotten a car loan from them before, as well as other loans. They some of the best rates, especially for used car loans and equity loans. This credit union was designed for veterans and federal employees, however though I am a veteran you have to be a retired veteran, active duty, or a federal employee to automatically qualify to join. So I had to join one of their affiliates in order to get to join their credit union, the same way you would have to if you don't meet the qualifications to automatically qualify for membership. This is something that anybody can do, I simply signed up for the National Military Family Association (NMFA) through the pentagon federal credit unions website, which consists of paying $20 for their newsletter, which I did online and was immediately eligible to join the credit union after that. I think I just had to put $5 into my credit union account to open it up. I applied for and was approved for my auto loan the same day over the phone. They fed exd my check and I got it a couple of days later. Once it came time to renew the military newsletter a year later I didn't renew it, but it didn't change the fact that I was now already a member of the credit union, so I didn't have to renew it if I didn't want to. So if you want to join and don't already meet the criteria, or don't have membership with any of their affiliates then you can just pay the $20 for a year subscription to the military newsletter and get membership that way. They also have other affiliates whom you may already be a member of so make sure you look at their list of affiliates before signing up for the newsletter. You can also refinance your auto loan that you have with someone else through them at no extra charge. When I got my loan through them several years ago my car was used (a year old) and I got a 5.9% fixed interest rate, I don't know of many places giving that rate for a used vehichle. Right now you can get a 5.74% fixed interest rate for a new, used, or refinancing a vehicle. And before anyone asks (like the person who commented on the discussion I started about the union plus credit card) no I don't get any type of commision from somebody signing up, just trying to pass along info about great deals that I have used myself. The things that I like about the Pentagon Federal Credit Union are the reasonable interest rates, quick approval, quick delivery of the loan check (they do charge about $12.00 for delivery of the check but you get your check within like 2 days), the fact that they give you a couple of days grace period to pay your loan each month, you can pay your loan even on the last day due over the phone without paying any phone payment fees, you can pretty much speak with a rep or make your payment to a live rep 24 hours a day 7 days a week. With all the financial changes that we all will be facing with the buyouts that we can use all the info we can get to help us stretch our dollars and save where we can. You are immediately eligible to join the pentagon federal credit union if you answer yes to any of the following questions: *Do you have a family member or housemate who is a member of Pentagon Federal or is eligible to join? *Do you work at the Pentagon Building? *Are you active or retired from the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, or Coast Guard? *Are you Reserve, National Guard, or ROTC - Advanced Cadet with any of the above? *Are you a civilian employed by, or retired from: *Department of Defense? *Department of Homeland Security? *Department of the Army? *Department of the Air Force? *Are you a MEMBER of any eligible organization? *Are you EMPLOYED by any eligible companies or organizations? *Are you assigned to, work at, or receiving benefits from any military related installations? *Do you work at the TransPotomac Plaza or Canal Center Plaza in Alexandria, VA? *Would you be willing to join the National Military Family Association (NMFA) in order to become eligible to join Pentagon Federal Credit Union? This is a list of some of their affiliates, if you are a member of any of these organizations it would automatically qualify you to join the pentagon federal credit union: *Air Force Association (AFA) *members not eligible for another another defense credit union *Air Force Sergeants' Association (AFSA) *Air Force Security Police Association (AFSPA) *American Society of Military Comptrollers (ASMC) *Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association International (AFCEA) *Army Women's Professional Association *Association of Graduates (AOG) -- *U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York *Association of Military Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons (AMOPS) *Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS) *Association of Old Crows (AOC) *Association of the United States Army (AUSA) -- *Pikes Peak Chapter in Ft. Carson, CO *Fairfax Lee Chapter in Ft. Belvoir, VA *George Washington Chapter in Fairfax, VA *Alamo Chapter in San Antonio, TX *Hawaii Chapter in Wahiawa, HI *Chief Warrant and Warrant Officers Association, United States Coast Guard (CWOA), Voting Members *Civil Affairs Assocation *Combat Helicopter Pilots Association - Washington, DC, *In accordance with its charter and bylaws in effect on January 7, 2005 *Disabled American Veterans *Prince William County Chapter 48 in Dale City, VA *Dustoff Association *Fayetteville Area New Car Dealers Association and their employees - *Fayetteville, North Carolina *Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America, Inc. (JWV) *Military Coalition *National Association of Uniformed Services (NAUS) *members not eligible for another another defense credit union *National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) - Arlington, VA *National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) *National Military Family Association (NMFA) *National Military Intelligence Association (NMIA) *Non-Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. (NCOA) *members not eligible for another another defense credit union *Operations Security Professional Society *Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) *Reserve Officers Association (ROA) (including Public Health Officers) *Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) *Society of Cost Estimating and Analysis (SCEA) *Society of Military Widows *U.S. Army Warrant Officers Association (USAWOA) *U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary *Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) including Ladies Auxiliary *Vietnam Veterans of America