Conference 7.286::digital

With all the recent talk about breaking up and selling DIGITAL in pieces, 
I was wondering if someone could give some insight into what might happen 
to retirement benefits. Maybe if someone knows what happened in the pieces 
that have already been sold-off they maybe able to give some ideas although 
I know there is no guarantee the next sell-off would be the same.

I assume retirement money would be simply turned-over to the employee to
do as they wish? (Hopefully converted to a 401K or appropriate plan.)

But what about medical benefits? Do other companies have plan like ours of
10yrs after age 45 to qualify? would we be starting as new employees 
or would we be given credit for existing years of service (e.g. if I 
am 50 and I've been here 5 yrs I have 5 more years to go - or is it 
that I need 10 more years). Or if they have another type plan, would we
receive credit for years already worked or would we be new employees?

Also what happens to people who have already retired from DIGITAL?
Are their benefits guaranteed/funded in some way or if the company
is broken up, are they on there own? (this break-up could happen in the
future when I am in the "retired situation" and I like to know what 
might happen so I can plan appropriately.)

Some of this information may help us decide if we should vote our shares
at the next annual meeting. I would hate to see some proposal pass by a 
few votes that might adversely affect us "near retirement" people.

Thanks
George Mc

	You really LIKE living on speculation and getting all worked
	up about something that is casually bantered about? You should
	work on Wall St! :)

	Unless or until something happens, it would be all speculation
	by a bunch of armchair quarterbacks. Vote with your heart and
	your head at the next stockholders meeting, but don't vote 
	based on someone like me or anyone else in this notesfile 
	saying life will be grand with/without a breakup. You'd have
	more fun at the track.

							mike

Your retirement money has already been moved into an independent 
fund, and you have the right to take it with you when you leave DEC. 

I ASSUME this means if the company is sold we still have this right. 
I really hope it is true. 

The medical plan is totally up to the new owners. Same with past 
retirees- their benefit is at the whim of management. Note this is 
true even if the current Digital stays around- if some bean counter 
shows Palmer how much can be saved by stopping retiree medical 
benfits, they oculd be gone tomorrow. There is no law they must be 
retained. The company would look like a real poor place to work, and 
would probably get some bad press for it, but nothning prevents it.

Dont put alot of faith in the medical benefit at retirement.

  To answer one question, with all or most of the spinoffs that have occurred
so far, employees moving to the new company were able to take their seniority
with them.
  If Digital breaks up into pieces, such that Digital ceases to exist as a
company, I have no idea what will happen to medical benefits for people who
retired before the breakup. But as the last reply says, these benefits can
be canceled at any time, whether Digital breaks up or not.

    Re: To answer one question, with all or most of the spinoffs that have
    occurred so far, employees moving to the new company were able to take
    their  seniority with them.
    
    What happened to their pensions, do you know?  Are they still
    administered by Dec?  Did thy have the option of rolling out their
    lump sums into an outside IRA at spinoff time?  Etc.?
    

>    What happened to their pensions, do you know?  

Those that transitioned to the cash pension plan most likely had the option of
leaving the pension under the control of BE/Digital or taking it with them.  Not
being overly impressed with BE's ability to manage things (they sent me my 401K
money 3 times, not realizing it until I pointed it out), I took my pension with
me.

However, I was lead to believe that my control over my pension money was
something that was negotiated in the contract with EDS, as EDS wanted the
pension money transfered directly into their pension plan.  So, other
outsourcing situations may be different.

--Scott