Other United Retirees Worse Off

Does The Times really think the public worries about a retired United Airlines pilot who has to “scrape by” on $85,000 per year (“Ex-Pilots Face Financial Turbulence,” May 28)?

The article did a huge disservice to the thousands of United workers who slog every day making one-third to one-half of what the retired pilot receives for sitting at home.

And what about their paltry pensions? As a retired United employee (one of the little guys) who was promised a decent pension and now must worry about making ends meet, I watched as our pilots helped take the company down the tubes beginning way back in 2000, when their greed led to slowdowns and sickouts during contract negotiations, which led to massive flight cancellations and delays.

So while Bob McGowan is worried about his trip to Yellowstone and John Rains has to sell a 4,000-square-foot house and move into a 2,000-square-foot model, the rest of us are worried about feeding our kids and paying the utilities.

Let’s start talking about the real workers’ problems, not the prima donnas of the industry.

John Booterbaugh

El Segundo

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Retired pilot Bob McGowan may face a big reduction in his $85,000-a-year pension.

I hope he had the foresight to save some of his six-figure annual salary. His savings (if any), Social Security benefits, other taxable income and reduced pension are more than most retirees could hope for.

Joe Chavez

Mission Viejo