IBM公司的中产阶级面临严峻挑战

Christine Roman: IBM, ending its long-time practice of giving solid, dependable pensions to its loyal workers, the pensions that help to build the American middle class.

Karen Friedman: There will be thousands of workers who are gonna lose, ur, thousands and thousands of dollars of benefits.

Christine Roman: The company says it's following, quote, "....a global strategy to move toward defined contribution retirement¹ plans for both existing employees and new hires." That means, freezing pensions and pushing employees into more unpredictable 401(k)s.

Karen Friedman: IBM is saying we are forgoing² our pension obligations to our workers and instead we're basically gonna tell people that they have to save for themselves.

Christine Roman: An IBM employee group that advocates unionizing denounced the benefit cuts. Quote, "...the next generation of workers will be in worse shape financially than this one. It is obvious that corporations of today do not value the work employees do."

Christine Roman: Indeed, IBM is the latest to jettison³ its pension plan. Nearly half of traditional pension plans have disappeared in the last decade. At IBM, 125,000 current retirees will not be affected⁴, 117,000 current employees will.

Christine Roman: Among the complaints from some IBM workers on a web log:
"Thanks, IBM. What are the executives sacrificing for the benefit of competitiveness?"
"That pension plan was the carrot that kept us from looking outside of IBM for opportunities. ...IBM, over the next 5 years, will see a healthy level of voluntary attrition of experienced and skilled professionals..."

Christine Roman: Pension experts say, defined benefits, good for employees, are giving way to defined contributions, good for companies.

Jack⁵ Vanderhei (Emplovee Benefit Research Institute): There are going to be those employees who do better under the defined contribution plan and those that don't do as well.

Christine Roman: He says IBM's new 401 (k) program appears generous, but the burden is now shifting to the American worker.

Christine Roman: Christine Roman, CNN, New York.

Note----------
jettison: to get rid of something or decide not to do something any longer.
attrition: when people leave a company or course of study and are not replaced.

1 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

2 forgoing   

v.没有也行，放弃( forgo的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Everything, in short, is produced at the expense of forgoing something else. 总之，每一种东西的生产，都得以牺牲放弃某些其他东西为代价。 来自互联网
• These aren't the only ones forgoing the morning repast, of course. 当然，他们并不是放弃早餐的唯一几个。 来自互联网

3 jettison   

n.投弃，投弃货物

参考例句：

• Sometimes you need to jettison unhealthy cargo.有时你必须抛弃不好的货物。
• We jettison an unworkable plan.我们放弃难实行的计划。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。