UAL Pilot Earned Every Dime of His Pension

I take exception to comments by letter writer John Booterbaugh regarding retirement benefits to a retired United pilot, Bob McGowan (“Other United Retirees Worse Off,” Letters, June 12).

This gentleman worked hard for more than 30 years and earned every dime in his pension. He contributed money he earned to this pension over a decades-long career, and every dime in that pension is money already earned by that man. He deserves the full amount of it, whatever the amount, and taking it away is criminal.

To address Booterbaugh’s claims of UAL pilots “taking the company down the tubes in 2000,” I’d like to point out that this pilot was retired and had nothing to do with it. Now, the pilots at UAL Corp. will be losing 50% of their hard-earned pensions while other employees lose much less.

If Booterbaugh is having problems making ends meet, maybe he should have earned his pilot’s license instead, and he would have had a better pension to retire on.

Ed Price

Santa Clarita