Retiree's widow worries after Chrysler bankruptcy

Chrysler's bankruptcy filing may not mean much to some Americans. But for my 77-year-old mother, Shirley Kozer, it's possible she'll lose my dad's pension money.

My father put bumpers and seats on Chrysler vehicles for 30 years before retiring at 48 in 1980. He died in 1995, leaving my mother, who lives in Dearborn Heights, Mich., to collect his pension.

My parents lived through Chrysler's troubles and survived. But it's different this time. The last time Chrysler struggled, in the late 1970s, it wasn't forced into bankruptcy. At the time, General Motors, auto suppliers and financial institutions weren't fighting for survival. When the automaker had troubles before, my parents were young enough to work elsewhere if needed.

My mother learned through news reports on Thursday she is slated to lose her dental and vision insurance based on the UAW agreement reached with Chrysler this week. She hasn't received any official communication from Chrysler or the United Auto Workers on what she might lose after the bankruptcy filing.

She said she hopes she will receive the entire pension until her death. If she doesn't, she's confident that she'll receive something and that with Social Security she will be able to make ends meet without relying on others. Nevertheless, my siblings and I will provide mom with financial, emotional and physical help for the rest of her life.

She grew up during the Great Depression. She knows what it means to do without.

"I feel for the employees who have children and have to worry about how they are going to pay their bills," she told me Friday. "Your father and I would have been devastated had this happened when we were raising you kids."

She has faith that Chrysler will emerge and be viable. I share it. I hope the country does, too, and will continue to buy Chrysler again.