Retiring from the Chrysler Kenosha Engine Plant after 30 years has not carried all the guarantees that Richard Schneider had expected.

The Burlington resident, who left the company three decades ago, was not happy Thursday after listening to discussions about retiree members of United Auto Workers Local 72 and others across the nation losing vision and dental insurance.

His major concern, however, was keeping health care.

“Once we lose something, we’ll never get it back,” he said of concessions in the renegotiated national contract between the union and automaker. “I’m willing to make changes if it would keep the plant in Kenosha open, but I’m upset because they’re closing it and keeping the one in Mexico open.”

Schneider was among the unusually large crowd, with estimates of several hundred, attending the regular Local 72 retirees’ meeting Thursday at the union’s headquarters, 3615 Washington Road Thursday, to hear details about the contract changes.

Loss of the retirees’ insurance plans is effective July 1.

UAW members nationally, and 89 percent of Local 72 members, approved the changes last month so Chrysler could receive additional federal money to stay in business.

However, Chrysler’s creditors failed to make changes required by the federal government to their agreements with the automaker. That led to the company to file for bankruptcy on April 30.

Kenosha resident Dave Dickey, who retired from Chrysler nine years ago, agreed that the changes would be acceptable if the company remained solvent. He said he wanted to help Chrysler.

“But I served my time with them,” he said. “Now they owe me.”

He, too, was upset because of the company’s plans to close the Kenosha Engine Plant while keeping a factory in Mexico open.

“Everyone in the country should be upset about companies that have businesses in Mexico or South American countries,” he said. “This could happen to everyone.”

The concessions probably will continue, said Kenosha resident Lilly Lawrence, who retired from Chrysler in 2007 after 33 years.

“We have to deal with it now and hope we don’t have to give back more next year, like paying more for insurance or losing some benefits,” she said. “We were happy to do it this time because we wanted the Kenosha plant to stay.

“But with it closing, it’s sad, it makes you angry and disappointed, and we have a right to be.”