
HAPPY
NEW YEAR from RMO President, Leighton Timm
We
are starting a new year and with it new leadership for our RMO.
Serving for the next term will be Leighton Timm-Local 4603 RMO
President, Bonnie Murphy-Vice President and Erich Stapelfeldt-Secretary/
Treasurer.
We
certainly want to acknowledge the leadership of Julian Modjeski and Bonnie who
have been the catalysts of our RMO’s success thus far.
They are known throughout CWA and the State of Wisconsin for their
dedicated work for senior citizens and retired workers.
Julian is no-longer able to lead us.
Our prayers are with him and Bonnie as his illness progresses.
Our
goal is to continue their successful programs and work hard to make our RMO
stronger. We need to step-up our
membership efforts. We will stay
involved with the groups that speak for seniors and retired people.
We will try to get more people involved in those efforts.
We will actively pursue a stronger unity with other RMOs in Wisconsin
and work with our District 4 and national retired member groups.
We want to continue our community service efforts by again
participating with Channel 10/36 Auction, Ronald McDonald House and food
pantries and homeless shelters. Our
50/50 drawings have paid for food for Ronald McDonald meals and supported the
GED Program at Hope House. Local
4603 Stewards have led efforts at their work-places, which
have contributed much food and money to food pantries.
I will be looking for volunteers for those projects again.
We
are also in the process of revamping our record keeping by putting all of our
RMO records on a computer owned by you. In
the past, the records were on our personal computers which then became
cumbersome as we changed officers. Erich
and Bonnie have been working closely and we thank her for those countless
hours she gave to our records and information in the past.
We
will be trying to keep our membership meetings short but still as informative
as possible with information that we think you need.
There will continue to be important handouts at each meeting as well as
time for friends to gather.
We
wish all of you a Blessed New Year. Please
keep Julian and Bonnie and their families in your prayers.
RMO
Secretary/Treasurer’s Report
I
would first like to thank all those members present at the last meeting for
their confidence in me by electing me to this position. I will do this job to
the best of my ability and to maintain the high standards set by Bonnie
Murphy.
I
ask that you are patient during this transition period, until I get all the
pieces of the job figured out. While there should not be any wholesale changes
in how we operate, there may be some changes as we go down the road.
One
of our long range goals however would be to get a broader membership
involvement in the RMO. It has always been my belief, that if all help a
little, no one person is left doing it all. After all WE ARE UNION.
I
may be reached as follows:
Erich F. Stapelfeldt
414-354-7008
8821 W. Greenwood Terrace
Milwaukee WI 53224-4021
My
E-mail is going to change at the end of the month. I will put it in the next
issue.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, and HAPPY HOLIDAYS
2009
Calendars
have been mailed to paid-up RMO members. If you haven’t received a calendar,
please contact S/T Stapelfeldt to discuss your dues situation.
Please
mark the following RMO meeting dates in your calendars:
March
13, 2009 - RMO Executive Board - March 20, 2009 - RMO Membership Meeting
May
8, 2009 - RMO Executive Board - May 15, 2009 - RMO Membership Meeting
Sept.
11, 2009 - RMO Executive Board - Sept. 18, 2009 - RMO Membership Meeting
Nov.
13, 2009 - RMO Executive Board - Nov. 20, 2009 - RMO Membership Meeting
Executive
Board meetings are held at 9:30 at the Local 4603 Office,
Watch
the WIRETAP for information about the Membership Meetings.
CWA
Retired Members Council
[RMC]-
Elections were held on the national level for the RMC. A President and
Vice President were elected from each of the CWA Districts plus one President
and Vice President to represent all the CWA Merger Partners [IUE, TNG, Flight
Attendants, Printers, NABET and Public Safety Officers.] Ann Flack and Marcy
Gregory were elected President and Vice President to represent us in District
4.
WELCOME to our new
members Charles Ksobiech and Anna Ohly.
Join
the RMO Breakfast Bunch
Dutch Treat
Meyer's
4260 S. 76th St.
- next
to Pick n' Save.
3rd
Tuesday - 8:30 am
Denny’s
- 11154 W. North Ave
Here’s to a Blessed and Safe
Christmas and a Great New Year for all of us -
from the RMO Executive Board
Thank You All - we want to thank Local 4603 and all of our RMO
members for their magnificent support and assistance during our time as
President and Secretary-Treasurer of the 4603 RMO. We are looking forward to
the new ‘administration’ and will remain a part of the CWA Local 4603
Retired Members Organization as Lifetime members no matter where we end up. Julian
and Bonnie
WELCOME to our new
members Judith Gambino, Dolores Rathmann, and Kathy Atkinson
IN MEMORIAM Please remember deceased RMO member Carroll Jakubowski in your prayers.
from
the
GM
Retirees to Lose Health Care Benefits As Company’s Cash Woes Mount
As General Motors (GM) revealed that they are running out of money, company
officials announced that they will eliminate lifetime health care for salaried
retirees. Ford and Chrysler made similar cuts last year. About
100,000 GM retirees will lose their health coverage at the end of 2009,
although former factory workers will retain their coverage due to union
contracts. According to The New York Times, to try to ease the
transition, 150 informational meetings are scheduled in cities with high
concentrations of GM retirees, and a company called Extend Health has been
hired to answer questions about Medicare and help with Medicare enrollment.
Monthly pension payments are also being increased by $300. GM estimates
that this move, along with pay and staffing cuts in its current salaried work
force, will save the company about $1.5 billion per year. Leaders in
Congress have called for a lame-duck session to consider an auto industry
bailout. "I hope President Bush doesn't make the mistake of trying
to prevent the auto industry from getting this needed aid," said Ruben
Burks, Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance.
Join
the RMO Breakfast Bunch
Dutch
Treat
All
Are Welcome
Meyer's
3rd Tuesday - 8:30 am
Denny’s
- 11154 W. North Ave
November 2008 RMO News
RMO
MEMBERSHIP MEETING and LUNCH
Friday,
November 21, 2008 at
Meyers
Family Restaurant, 4260 S. 76th. St.
Business
Meeting begins at 11 A.M. Sharp!
On the Agenda, RMO Officer Elections
Nominated for President, Leighton Timm
Secretary/Treasurer, Erich Stapelfeldt
No Nomination for the Vice President Position
Lunch Menu: All You Can Eat Baked or Fried Fish and
Baked Chicken. Cost: To Current
RMO Members plus 1 guest (includes associate members) $5.00 per person.
Prices include tip & tax.
Reservations
for Lunch Are Needed!
If you plan to attend the meeting and wish to stay for the meal, please
send in your reservation before Nov. 16th. Send
your name and $5 per person to Bonnie Murphy, 3679 S 32nd Street, Greenfield,
WI 53221. Checks payable to CWA Local 4603 RMO.
After Nov. 16th, call or email Bonnie at 414-672-8759, bemurphy41@sbcglobal.net.
WELCOME to our new
members Kenneth
Weske, John Sierpinski and Carl Wagner.
From
the Alliance for American Retirees
Benefits
for Social Security Recipients, Federal Retirees to Increase by 5.8%
Following
a year of rising food and energy prices, benefits for Social Security
recipients and federal government retirees will see a 5.8% increase, the
largest cost-of-living adjustment since 1982, in 2009. Although large
compared to last year’s 2.3% increase, many experts believe the rising
prices will exceed the increase in benefits. Nonetheless, if the
McCain-supported Social Security privatization initiative of 2005 had not
successfully been defeated, seniors would have seen an enormous drop in
benefits, not a record increase. Alliance Secretary-Treasurer Ruben
Burks remarked, “As of this week, the Dow is down 35.33% for the year.
If John McCain and George W. Bush had had their way, seniors would have seen a
massive reduction in their benefits from Social Security – a far cry from
the nearly 6% increase we will enjoy instead.”
$2
Trillion Lost in Retirement Accounts, CBO Says - Retirement plans in the U.S. have
lost $2 trillion in the past 15 months, the head of the Congressional Budget
Office (CBO) reported on Tuesday. The loss, approximately 20% of total
value, is indicative of the severity of the current crisis in the financial
industry. CBO director Peter Orszag said that 10% of this loss was
between mid-2007 and mid-2008, with another 10% occurring just in the past
three months. “We have a major retirement crisis in America,” said
Alliance Secretary-Treasurer Ruben Burks, adding, “Social Security is more
important than ever. It is a mystery to me why, in the face of all this,
President Bush and Senator McCain want to gamble away a privatized Social
Security on the roulette wheel of the stock market.”
Join
the RMO Breakfast Bunch
Dutch
Treat
All
Are Welcome
Meyer's
3rd Tuesday - 8:30 am
Denny’s
- 11154 W. North Ave
RMO
MEMBERSHIP MEETING and LUNCH
Friday,
November 21, 2008 at
Meyers
Family Restaurant, 4260 S. 76th. St.
Business
Meeting begins at 11 A.M. Sharp!
On the Agenda, RMO Officer Elections
Lunch
Menu: All You Can Eat Baked or Fried Fish and Baked Chicken. Cost:
To Current RMO Members plus 1 guest (includes associate members) $5.00 per
person. Prices
include tip & tax.
Reservations
for Lunch Are Needed! If you plan to attend the meeting and wish to stay
for the meal, please
send in your reservation before Nov. 16th. Send
your name and $5 per person to Bonnie Murphy, 3679 S 32nd Street, Greenfield,
WI 53221. Checks payable to CWA Local 4603 RMO.
After Nov. 16th, call or email Bonnie at 414-672-8759, bemurphy41@sbcglobal.net.
RMO
Officer Nominations were held at the September 19th membership
meeting. Former Local 4603 President Leighton Timm was nominated for
President, and former 4603 Secretary Erich Stapelfeldt for
Secretary/Treasurer. The position of Vice President is vacant. Elections will
be held at the November 21st
membership meeting.
From
the National Council On Aging
2009
Medicare Premiums and Deductibles Announced - the Center for Medicare and
Medicaid Services [CMS] announced today that the 2009 Medicare Part B premium
will remain at $96.40/month. This is the first year since 2000 that the Part B
premium has not increased. Part B covers the cost of physicians' services,
outpatient hospital services, certain home health services, durable medical
equipment, and other items. 2009 is also the first year that people with
income above $85,000 will have to pay the full premium increase.
In 2009, the Part B deductible will be $135, the same as it was in
2008. The Part B deductible is tied to the percentage increase in the Part B
premium. Since there was no Part B premium increase, the Part B deductible
rate remains the same as well.
The Part A deductible has increased to $1,068 in 2009. This is an
increase of $44 (from $1,024 in 2008). Part A is responsible for inpatient
hospital, skilled nursing facility, hospice, and certain home health care
services. The Part A deductible is the only cost for beneficiaries for up to
60 days of Medicare-covered inpatient hospital care in a benefit period. There
is an additional cost for days 61-90 ($267/day). After 90 days, people will be
required to pay $534/day.
CWA
District 4 – Retired Members Council Newsletter - August , 2008
A.
2008 CWA Focus - CWA is specifically focused on 3 important issues for
2008/2009 = Health Care, Retirement Security and Employee Free Choice [to
legally have the right to form and join a union].
This 3 part focus roles right on into the November Elections and on
into 2009 Bargaining where many of our Companies are continuing to refuse to
bargain for retirees.
Both retirees and active working folks are struggling to maintain
health care coverage [if they even have it] and to maintain their independence
in retirement.
We need to elect a congress and a President who will pass family
friendly legislation on health care, retirement security and allow the
formation of unions to help further economic stimulus.
Based on our issues and how the two candidates for President have voted
in the past; CWA endorsed Senator Obama as the candidate we believe will take
us in a family friendly direction for workers.
This needs to be the year of the workers… of the middle class; not
the corporate rich.
Don’t let the news media sway your thinking or your vote or tell you
what the issues are.
We need to vote on OUR ISSUES… Healthcare, Retirement Security and
Jobs. THESE ARE OUR MORAL ISSUES.
B.
ALSUP Letters – Legacy SBC Retirees -
Letters/Questionnaires from a Company named Alsup are in some our
retirees’ homes. The idea is to help you qualify for Social Security
Disability [SSDBI] if you are or have recently become disabled [thereby
increasing your monthly income from Social Security].
However; by qualifying for SSDBI; you would also then qualify for
Medicare no matter what your age is.
Medicare pays the bills first thereby saving the Company money as well.
If
you are not disabled; just call the number on the letter and tell them that so
you don’t have to fill out the questionnaire.
If you are disabled it may be in your best interest to qualify for
SSDBI; depending on your situation.
WELCOME
to
our new members; Barbara Dauer, Henry Kroeger and Marilyn Marcou.
IN
MEMORIAM - Please
remember RMO Charter Member Heinz Hinz in your prayers.
Join
the RMO Breakfast Bunch
Dutch
Treat
All
Are Welcome
Meyer's
3rd
Tuesday - 8:30 am
Denny’s
- 11154 W. North Ave
September RMO Report
RMO MEMBERSHIP
MEETING and LUNCH
Friday, September
19, 2008 at
Meyers Family
Restaurant, 4260 S. 76th. St.
Business Meeting
begins at 11 A.M. Sharp!
Nominations
for RMO President, Vice President and S/T will be held at this meeting and we
will have a guest speaker from the WI Alliance for Retired Americans who will
talk about state and federal campaign issues that impact seniors.
Lunch Menu: All
You Can Eat Baked or Fried Fish and Baked Chicken. Cost:
To Current RMO Members plus 1 guest (includes associate members) $5.00 per
person. Prices include tip &
tax. Reservations for Lunch Are
Needed! If you plan to attend the meeting and wish to stay for the
meal, please send in your
reservation before Sept.12th. Send
your name and $5 per person to Bonnie Murphy, 3679 S 32nd Street, Greenfield,
WI 53221. Checks payable to CWA Local 4603 RMO.
After Sept 12th, call or email Bonnie at 414-672-8759, bemurphy41@sbcglobal.net.
Verizon-East
Tentative Settlement - According
to CWA, “A new tentative three-year contract settlement with Verizon
achieves union employees' major goals of promoting union jobs and expanding
bargaining rights, providing good health care for both active and retired
workers, and increasing wages and pensions for 65,000 workers from Virginia to
Maine, the Communications Workers of America and International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers reported.”
Here
is a summary of the bargained Retiree Health Benefits:
a. Fully paid, no retiree pays during life of agreement
b. Any changes in future health benefit plans for retirees will be negotiated
with the Union in the same manner as that for actives and for future retirees.
c. No current retiree will pay for health coverage through the end of 2011.
d. No active employee who retires during the term of this agreement will pay
or health coverage through the end of 2011.
e. Caps on the Company’s contribution to the cost of retiree health coverage
in 2012 and after have been raised as follows: Prior to Age 65 and Medicare
Eligibility, Retiree Only: $12,580, Retiree + 1 25,160, Retiree + Family
31,450. Age 65 and after and Medicate Eligible, Retiree Only: $ 6,330, Retiree
+ 1 12,660, Retiree + Family 18,990
f. Employees hired after August 2, 2008 will be covered under a new retiree
health program: Once they retire (under the same eligibility requirements as
currently required), they will receive an annual payment equal to $430 times
years of service (to a maximum of 30 years). The parties will negotiate this
amount in future years to reflect changes in the cost of health coverage.
It
took a determined bargaining team supported by very involved and mobilized CWA
members and retirees to achieve this contract.
With the same commitment, we can do as well or better for our ATT
retirees..
Setting the Record Straight - We
have received some rather nasty calls from some 4603 retirees who are very
upset that CWA is endorsing Obama because they are sure that he will raise
their taxes. Evidently they have been listening to McCain ads and talk radio.
FactCheck, a web-based nonpartisan group that researches the real facts behind
the campaign rhetoric, has posted the following:
“More
Tax Deceptions”
August
8, 2008
“McCain
misrepresents Obama's tax proposals again. And again, and again.
McCain
released three new ads with multiple false and misleading claims about Obama's
tax proposals.
1.
A TV spot claims Obama once voted for a tax increase "on people making
just $42,000 a year." That's true for a single taxpayer, who would have
seen a tax increase of $15 for the year – if the measure had been
enacted. But the ad shows a woman with two children, and as a single mother,
she would not have been affected unless she made more than $62,150. The
increase that Obama once supported as part of a Democratic budget bill is not
part of his current tax plan anyway.
2.
A Spanish-language radio ad claims the measure Obama supported would have
raised taxes on "families" making $42,000, which is simply false.
Even a single mother with one child would have been able to make $58,650
without being affected. A family of four with income up to $90,000 would not
have been affected.
3.
The TV ad claims in a graphic that Obama would "raise taxes on middle
class." In fact, Obama's plan promises cuts for middle-income taxpayers
and would increase rates only for persons with family incomes above $250,000
or with individual incomes above $200,000.
4.
The radio ad claims Obama would increase taxes "on the sale of your
home." In fact, home-sale profits of up to $500,000 per couple would
continue to be exempt from capital gains taxes. Very few sales would see an
increase under Obama's proposal to raise the capital gains rate.
5.
A second radio ad, in English, says, "Obama has a history of raising
taxes" on middle-class Americans. But that's false. It refers to a vote
that did not actually result in a tax increase and could not have done so.
Another McCain ad shows pictures of wind-driven turbines while the
narrator says: "Renewable energy to transform our economy, create jobs
and energy independence, that's John McCain." But, in fact, his energy
plan doesn't specify any new federal spending for renewable energy and says
only that he'd "rationalize" existing tax credits to provide
incentives. In the past, however, he's opposed extending such tax credits when
paid for by tax increases elsewhere.
The ad also insinuates that Obama would bring "higher taxes"
for "your family," another in what has become a pattern of
misrepresentations of Obama's tax plan. Obama actually proposes to cut taxes
for all but the most affluent families. He wants to restore tax rates to
pre-Bush levels only for those making over $250,000 a year.
These ads continue what's become a pattern of misrepresentation by the
McCain campaign about his opponent's tax proposals.”
In
another posting dated August 14th, FactCheck says, “We are
issuing a split decision in the Obama vs. McCain dispute over whether proper
tire inflation could save as much oil as expanded offshore drilling is likely
to produce. We find that proper tire inflation could save more than a billion
gallons of fuel per year and do it several years sooner than expanded drilling
could produce a single drop. McCain has exaggerated by representing Obama's
suggestion as a silly notion or implying that it constitutes his entire energy
policy. But we also figure that expanded offshore drilling is projected to
produce far more oil eventually than can be saved by proper tire inflation –
nearly three times as much even by the conservative estimate of government
experts, and more than 10 times as much if an industry-endorsed estimate is
correct. And even taking into account additional fuel savings from tune-ups,
which Obama also mentioned, he greatly exaggerated.“
We do plan to make FactCheck articles on both Presidential candidates
available to our RMO Email List after the Republican and Democratic
conventions.
Another
Successful 4603 picnic - Our thanks to Local 4603 and the Picnic Committee for
the fun and food enjoyed by retirees and their families at the annual picnic. Nobody
should have gone home hungry!
Check
out the CWA Retired Members’ Council website http://www.cwa-union.org/rmc
WELCOME to our new members Mary Deering and Kathy Kunkel.
IN
MEMORIAM Please
remember deceased RMO member Joseph Dziengel in your prayers.
Join
the RMO Breakfast Bunch
Meyer's
3rd
Tuesday - 8:30 am
Denny’s
- 11154 W. North Ave
RMO
MEMBERSHIP MEETING and LUNCH
Friday,
September 19, 2008 at
Meyers
Family Restaurant
4260
S. 76th. St.
Business
Meeting begins at 11 A.M. Sharp!
Nominations
for RMO President, Vice President and S/T will be held at this meeting and we
will have a guest speaker from the WI Alliance for Retired Americans who will
talk about state and federal campaign issues that impact seniors.
Lunch Menu: All You Can Eat Baked or Fried Fish and
Baked Chicken. Cost: To Current
RMO Members plus 1 guest (includes associate members) $5.00 per person.
Prices include tip & tax. Reservations
for Lunch Are Needed! If you plan to attend the meeting and wish to
stay for the meal, please send
in your reservation before Sept.12th. Send
your name and $5 per person to Bonnie Murphy, 3679 S 32nd Street, Greenfield,
WI 53221. Checks payable to CWA Local 4603 RMO.
After Sept 12th, call or email Bonnie at 414-672-8759, bemurphy41@sbcglobal.net.
Bush
Makes Good on Veto Threat - President
Bush went through with his threat to veto the Medicare Bill, H.R. 6331, which
will stave off a 10% reduction in reimbursement to physicians and change the Medicare
Advantage programs so that more money goes to seniors and not to large
insurance companies. But,
thanks to all of you who contacted your Senators and members of Congress, that
veto was overridden by a hefty 383 to 41 in the House [Sensenbrenner the lone
Wisconsin Congressman voting against the override] and 70 to 26 in the Senate
[both Wisconsin Senators voting to override].
From the National Retired Members’
Council - 2008 National RMC Meeting
The
2008 Retired Members' Council Annual Meeting in Las Vegas set a record for the
largest number of attendees ever for such an event. Throughout the day, the
110 chapter delegates, other retirees and guests representing nearly every
district and sector in the union heard from many CWA vice presidents who
echoed the theme of the Meeting – "We're In This Together" – in
the fight for retirement security, health care reform, the passage of the
Employee Free Choice Act, the election of larger majorities of
worker/retiree-friendly Members of Congress, and making Barack Obama America's
first organizer president.
In the late morning, President Larry Cohen, then Secretary-Treasurer
Easterling and then-Executive Vice President Jeff Rechenbach spoke to the
delegates and addressed their questions and concerns. President Cohen
and Secretary-Treasurer Easterling were able to stay for the box lunch
provided to the attendees by the Council, and continued to interact with the
retirees.
In the afternoon, the group was given a special retiree-oriented slide
show of CWA's campaign "Building a Political Movement" which focused
on the twin problems of unions being under assault and the health care crisis.
The assembly learned that the decline of union power has matched the decline
in benefits, especially in health care. The solution is to pass legislation,
the Employee Free Choice Act, to make it easier for workers to gain bargaining
rights. Any health care reform proposals must include everyone, control costs,
improve quality, have a strong government role and have broad-base tax
financing. For more information, please visit http://www.healthcarevoices.org/.
Chapter
members will be given the presentation at an upcoming chapter meeting. (For
those who are not Chapter members, go to http://www.cwa-union.org/rmc/rmc/rmc-chapters
and find one near you.)
Delegates were actively engaged in the business of the Council. By an
overwhelming margin, the delegates voted to revive Journeys, the official
publication of the Council, as an electronic newsletter. They requested that
future Annual Meeting include workshops on relevant issues such as
chapter-building. The Board readily agreed.
Delegates
were given information regarding the upcoming elections for Council's
Executive Board. Briefly stated, all 18 positions are open, self-nominations
are made in September, ballots are mailed in October and counted in November.
More details will be in the next issue of Journeys.
The 2009 Annual Meeting of the Council will take place in Washington,
DC in June. The exact date has not yet been established, but will be
publicized as soon as it is known.
Hey
- Lucent Retirees - Carly’s Back! The infamous Carly Fiorina is back in
the news, this time as Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain’s
economic advisor. She is also on McCain’s short list of Vice President
candidates. Let’s look at her long list of ‘qualifications’.
Regardless of how you feel about him, the fact that McCain chooses
Carly to be so closely associated with his campaign should not give anyone a
warm, fuzzy feeling about what his presidency would be like. The idea of this
woman being his running-mate, or even a member of his staff, should invoke
feelings of deep mistrust, if not panic. Shades of Chaney!
WELCOME to our new
members John DeCaire, Lois Schlueter, and Martin Wilke,
IN MEMORIAM Please remember RMO member Bob Weber in your prayers.
Join
the RMO Breakfast Bunch
Dutch
Treat
All
Are Welcome
Meyer's
3rd
Tuesday - 8:30 am
Denny’s
- 11154 W. North Ave
Next
RMO membership Meeting
September
19, 2008. The usual details will appear in the August RMO Report.
AT&T
Telephone Concession
We
have heard from our District 6 RMC President
Bobby Brown that at&t is working on a new concession package. No
details yet - hopefully it’s just folding in BellSouth and legacy at&t.
AT&T
Benefit Advocacy Hotline
- 210-351-3333
We
published this number a few months back, but some of you seemed to have missed
it. It’s for problems with benefits that you can’t seem to resolve with
Hewitt. Please save it for future
reference.
RMO
Elections
Per
RMO bylaws, office elections will be held this year, with nominations for
President, Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer at the September 19th RMO
membership meeting and elections at the November 21st membership
meeting.
Support
Your Local Union and Enjoy Better TV.
We urge you
to switch to our Union product, U-Verse, as it becomes available in
your neighborhood. What
is U-verse? U-verse is new service from AT&T which combines high speed
internet, built-in wireless networking, packages of up to over 300 TV
channels, high definition TV service, built-in digital video recording, and
other options.
AT&T Technicians who are members of CWA Local 4603 in Milwaukee
provide installation and repair for U-verse products in the Milwaukee area. Customer
Care professionals— also members of CWA—provide phone support for U-verse
customers from union call centers.
As RMO VP Erich Stapelfeldt reported at our last RMO membership
meeting, not only is it a superior product with a discount for AT&T
[legacy AT&T and SBC] employees and retirees, it provides jobs for our
Local. As the traditional “telephone company” shrinks, so do our jobs.
Keeping our CWA jobs is vital to our future as retirees. Just ask a Lucent
retiree what happens when the workforce is outnumbered by retirees. You lose
your power at the bargaining table and in the community. Our benefits become
at risk. For information about U-Verse call 888-667-8489 to reach a union
customer representative. Be sure to ask about your employee [retiree]
discount.
WELCOME to our new
member Catherine Beyer.
IN MEMORIAM Please remember deceased RMO
member Richard Kelley in your prayers
From
the Alliance for Retired Americans
Spread
the Word - It’s Not Too Late to File for That Economic Stimulus Rebate Check
-
Although
April 15 has passed, it is not too late to file a tax return in order to
collect your stimulus rebate check. Up to 20 million Americans who rely
primarily on Social Security income qualify for a check from the federal
government. Even seniors who do not earn income through current
employment can qualify for a stimulus check, if their Social Security
benefits, Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, and railroad retirement benefits
totaled at least $3,000 in 2007. In most cases, retirees will receive an
economic stimulus check ranging from $300 to $600. Seniors need to file
a 2007 federal tax return on IRS Form 1040 or 1040A (short form) to receive
the check. Seniors must file a 2007 tax return even if their income is
normally low enough that they were not required to file in previous years.
Those who qualify for a stimulus check will receive one by the end of 2008, as
long as they file by October 15, 2008 - but no rebate checks will be issued
after 2008.
From
the Alliance for Retired Americans
Drug
Companies to Spend Millions Lobbying at Political Conventions
According to Politico, the pharmaceutical industry will spend upward of
$500,000 lobbying politicians and skirting the new rules created by Congress
to limit such activity at the national nominating conventions in Denver and
Minneapolis-St. Paul. While ethics restrictions prohibit congressional
campaign committees from receiving soft money contributions, the Democratic
and Republican governors associations are not bound by the same rules as
federal lawmakers and groups. Capitalizing on this loophole, drug
companies such as Merck and AstraZeneca are expected to give $250,000 to the
association of each party. Given recent scrutiny of the pharmaceutical
industry, the companies are seeking to spend millions of dollars to influence
politicians outside the Beltway and draw less negative attention to
themselves. In exchange for their contributions, drug industry lobbyists
and executives will receive tickets to parties and other special events where
they will have the opportunity to mingle with elected officials.
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the RMO Breakfast Bunch
Dutch
Treat
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Are Welcome
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3rd
Tuesday - 8:30 am
Denny’s
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2008
RMO Events - Watch the WIRETAP for Details.
August
3, 4603 Picnic
September
19, RMO Membership Meeting
October
26, 4603 Retiree Banquet
November
21, RMO Membership Meeting.
RMO Membership - the good news is our membership count is up to 422;
the bad news is that 40 of our members are not up to date with their dues
payments. The Secretary/Treasurer mails dues reminders on a quarterly basis.
First and second quarter notices for 2008 have been sent. Third quarter
notices should go out in June.
Wanted!!! The 4603 Retired Members Organization is in desperate need of members
willing to actively participate in the RMO. Elections for the offices of
President, Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer will be held this year, with
nominations at the September 19, 2008 membership meeting and elections at the
November 21, 2008 membership meeting. The current President and
Secretary/Treasurer have announced that they will NOT be running again.
Painless on-the-job training is available.
Latest ‘Oops’ from at&t - Per at&t, 297 retirees
received W-2 forms containing incorrect information due to “a system
error”. 99 of those retirees were in the Midwest region. Impacted retirees
have received letters of explanation and apology “for any inconvenience”
from at&t.
We still haven’t completely sorted out the Blue
Cross card issue for our ‘split family’ members. Some are told it
was an error, while others are told Blue Cross is the administrator for
Medicare members of a split family.
And, speaking of errors, Mary Johnson advises RMO members to be sure
their deductible amounts are correct on their Explanation of Benefits. She
discovered a $100 error. It was not in her favor.....
WELCOME to our new
members: Gerald Barth, Daniel Rehorst and Ray Knutowski.
Join
the RMO Breakfast Bunch
Dutch
Treat - All Are Welcome
Meyer's
3rd
Tuesday - 8:30 am
Denny’s
- 11154 W. North Ave
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