Woman says people shouldn't be loyal to companies after her dad was cast aside despite 30 yrs of service

When someone invests their days into something, there is a natural expectation of some return. Be it a relationship or a job, it is inevitable to have expectations especially when you have given it your all for decades. A frustrated daughter found her dad in a similar situation and turned to the internet for support. u/war_n_daisies shared her father’s experience in the organization where he spent 30 years. 

She shared that her father worked with heavy machinery in his company for 30+ years and once he hit the “30-year mark,” he started to contemplate his retirement. She shared, “He’s much older now and he understands his body isn’t the same.” She continued that a couple of years back, the company’s ownership changed and “everything the original company had promised him had been wiped out” leaving her father feeling unsure about his retirement “for fear of losing his insurance.”

She added that her father recently fell at work and injured his arm and ankle. She said, “They had to put his arm in a cast and he has a slight limp. After a few days of being out, he started getting messages asking when he plans on returning. He struggles to stand up from his seat. I can see him stressing about this.” She then vented out about this being the way his father is rewarded for his 30+ years of loyalty. She said, “30+ years for what? For a pat on the back and a handshake? For a “Great job!”? She also revealed that when her father completed 30 years, he was given “a paper certificate” as a recognition for his loyalty. It didn’t go down well with the user’s mother, who then “ordered him a plaque instead, with a photo of him posing with the company logo.”

The Reddit community jumped to her father’s side and gave recommendations about policies in place that ensure that employees get their due share upon retirement. User u/Living-Wall9863 shared, “If the previous company promised him a pension or other type of retirement plan, the new company has to honor it. It’s an ERISA violation if they don’t.” Another user, u/iamwhatswrongwithusa, recommended that they consult a lawyer, to which user u/kr4ckenm3fortune replied, “Yes, this. The employment lawyer may know more and it does vary from state to state. An employment lawyer may also know if it is feasible and winnable in court.”

More comments seeped in about the different laws in place in different states. Some users recommended that the father should quit, but another user, u/Jboycjf05, said, “He should definitely not quit. This is terrible advice. If he quits, he makes it way harder for a competent lawyer to represent him against the company. If he is fired, he is looking at a much higher settlement from the company. Jesus, dude. This is such bad advice.” 

While it is the easier choice to quit, the hardships that can come along with quitting a job can be as frustrating as working in a toxic environment. The internet is split about what the father should do, but by the looks of it, one thing is clear - he must fight for what he deserves.