2012 ISSUE 2 CenturyLink To Continue Retiree ‘Cap” for Post-1990 Medicare Management 5-Year Agreement “To Not Reduce Health Benefit” INSIDE In what is called a “partnering proposal,” AUSWR and CenturyLink announced that man- Page 2 agement Medicare-eligible retirees (and eligible AUSWR President Appreciation spouses and dependents) who retired after 1990, now have their health care subsidy payment Pages 3 and 4 (known as the Cap) protected through March 31, CenturyLink Annual 2017. Non-Medicare management who retire Shareholders Meet- ing 2012 after 1990 are included in the Agreement. The post-1990 Medicare-eligible man- Page 5 agement retirees were eliminated from the Com- Help to Access the pany health care plan in the 2012 Open Enroll- Service Center ment period at the end of last year and shifted to

Page 6 the Medicare open market to select a plan avail- A Tale of Two HRA’s able in their area. CenturyLink provides a reimbursed Page 7 monthly subsidy for the Medicare costs of the Mary Ann Neuman, AUSWR Q & A on “The 5-year selected plan. NWB leader, and Glen Post, Agreement” President and CEO of Centu- The Company and AUSWR worked to ryLink meet at the 2012 Annu- Page 8 create this proposal and together stated that they al Shareholders’ meeting at the Retiree Advocate believe the Legacy Qwest Post-1990 Manage- company’s headquarters in State Listings ment Retirees “will be pleased and will appreci- Monroe, Louisiana, in May. Pages 9-12 ate the joint efforts to provide some stability in a Local Pages climate of increasing changes to health care.” Thanks to CenturyLink’s Tam- my Matthews for the photos. For the detailed Questions & Answers for this For the full story and more agreement, go to page 8. photos, go to page 3. “To preserve and protect the pension and benefits Retiree Guardian—2012 Issuethat 2 June we earned.” —1 AUSWRColorado Mission—Wyoming —New Mexico Edition 2011– 2012 AUSWR Officers AUSWR President’s Message

Appreciation is the theme of my message for President —Mimi Hull (Colorado) Treasurer —Roger Sanger (Arizona) this edition. Secretary —Eve Mary Verde (Utah) First —thanks for the good working re- Retiree Advocate Ombudsman lationship that our AUSWR leadership team has — Jim Heinze (Colorado) developed with the leaders of CenturyLink. Litigation Attorney — Curtis L Kennedy Witness “the Agreement” that we mutu- Retiree Guardian Regional Editor

ally hammered out working together over the —Kitty Kennedy (Arizona)

past months that will protect the health care 2011-2012 Board of Directors Mimi Hull subsidy (known as the Cap) for post-1990 AUSWR President and State Leaders: management retirees, spouses and dependents Arizona President and the $10,000 Life Insurance until March 2017. Now those retir- Kitty Kennedy — tel 520-883-8272 ees will know how to plan for the immediate future. Email: [email protected] Read the details of this Agreement on pages 8-9. Colorado/Wyoming Presidents (Of course the pre-1991 retirees continue to be protected by Hazel Floyd — tel. 303-455-1535 the Phelps Settlement and are not affected by this new Agreement.) Email: [email protected] Bob Rucker — 307-632-8470 Next thanks for the AUSWR leaders: Mary Ann Neuman, Ha- Email: [email protected] zel Floyd, Jim Heinze and Curtis Kennedy, who attended the Centu- New Mexico President ryLink Annual Shareholders’ Meeting in Monroe, Louisiana, on May Irene Chavira —tel. 505 352-6666 23. That’s no easy trip from Denver or Minneapolis. AUSWR was Email: [email protected] very well represented by well-spoken voices acting on behalf of our IA/MN/NE/ND/SD Chair membership. Read their report on pages 3-4. Mary Ann Neuman —tel. 763-535-3865

Last, my thanks goes to the CenturyLink staff led by Marina Email: [email protected] Pearson, Vice President of Compensation & Benefits, who have OR/WA President worked so closely with our organization to help retirees make the Judy Stenberg —tel. 425-746-5248 Email: [email protected] transitions that followed the 2012 Open Enrollment. UT/ID/MT Chair  The change of the post-1990 management Medicare-eligible re- Donnetta Mitchell —tel. 801-269-9997 tirees to the open market and the associated reimbursement Email: [email protected] process seems to be working well.  Recently we fixed a mistake for those pre-1991 retirees who ex- Retiree Guardian Staff

pected a full Medicare Part B monthly reimbursement but found AUSWR Regional & Arizona Editor: their payments short. Read about the fix on page 6 —and if you Kitty Kennedy are affected take action. Tel: 520-883-8272 / cell 520-444-6617  And PLEASE take action on continuing the “missing” beneficiary Email: [email protected] problems as described below. Barbara Wilcox, AUSWR Colo/Wyo, reports retiree health care issues— Email your ___Mimi health care questions to: [email protected]

Colo/Wyo/New Mexico Editor: Pamela Davis Life Insurance Beneficiary “Missing” Tel: 303–932-7533 Email: [email protected] PLEASE check and confirm the Life Insurance beneficiar- Utah/Idaho/Montana Editor: Susan Johnson ies on your Group Life Insurance. We continue to hear Tel: 801-963-6220 that about “lost or missing” beneficiary problems. Be sure Email: [email protected] Oregon/ Washington Editor: Gary White to make contact with the Service Center or go on-line and Tel: 253-952-4612 confirm that your beneficiaries are the right ones. Easy Email: [email protected] instructions to access the Service Center are on page 5. IA/MN/NE/ND/SD Editor: Jerry Miller Tel: 763-424-3524 Email: [email protected] Retiree Guardian—2012 Issue 2 June 2 Colorado—Wyoming—New Mexico Edition CenturyLink Annual Shareholders’ Meeting On May 23 in Monroe, Louisiana, at 10 this meeting for one-year terms. It is note- o’clock in the morning, the first Centu- worthy that only one member of the Board ryLink annual meeting since the mer- of Directors is a former Qwest director, ger with Qwest convened in the corpo- Michael Roberts, a former officer of the rate headquarters. There to see and McDonald’s corporation. hear it all were AUSWR leaders, Mary Owens then introduced the other Ann Neuman (NWB Chairperson), Ha- members of the Board of Directors who zel Floyd (Colorado/Wyoming Co- were present with only two of them unable President), Jim Heinze (Retiree Advo- to attend and concluded the introductions cate Ombudsman) and Curtis Kennedy by having the nine leaders of the company (Litigation Attorney). CenturyLink Corporate Headquarters stand for individual recognition. Monroe, Louisiana Below is a collabora- Then the eight agenda matters re- tive report from our quiring a vote of the share- AUSWR attendees. holders were presented by Owens. He started with Upon entering the the first five proposals “conference room” it which were recommended became obvious that for approval by the Com- this was more than an pany. Next on the agenda annual shareholder were the proxy proposals meeting as almost all submitted by shareholders. of the 500+ chairs in The first share- what appeared more holder proposal was pre- like a hotel grand sented by Ralph Maley, ballroom were occu- national CWA Vice Presi- pied. It became fur- dent on behalf of the CWA ther obvious during Members’ General Fund, the presentation by which dealt with a bonus CenturyLink Presi- CenturyLink’s Stacey Goff (center) with AUSWR attendees Mary Ann deferred policy for the dent and CEO Glen Neuman (L), Jim Heinze, Hazel Floyd, and Curtis Kennedy at the Annu- senior executives. Maley al Shareholders’ Meeting May 23 Post III that it was is familiar to AUSWR more like a pep rally for the employees, who filled most leaders because he is a of the chairs, than a report to shareholders. It can be as- NRLN Board member with Mary Ann Neuman and Judy sumed that the employees are probably shareholders as Stenberg. well. The next shareholder proposal was presented by a William Owens, non-executive Chairman of the representative for the Trillium Asset Management LLC Board of Directors presided over the meeting and was requesting a semi-annual report dealing with the corporate joined at the dais by Glen Post, Stacey Goff, Executive political contributions. Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary; and Mark The final shareholder proposal was presented by Asbury, Judge of the Election. Hazel Floyd, President of AUSWR Colorado. Her pro- Owens did the introductions and called the meet- posal would require that future grants of long-term incen- ing to order, describing aspects of the proceedings to be tive awards to senior executive officers in the form of per- followed, recognizing various shareowners with long- formance-based restricted shares will vest and become standing ownership and asking the employees present to payable only if Total Shareholder Return equals or ex- raise their hands – leaving few others in attendance. This ceeds the median performance of the company peer index process was a noticeable difference from past U S WEST selected by the Board of Directors. and Qwest annual meetings. There were no questions following the presenta- Stacey Goff, as Secretary for the company, gave tion of the first five agenda items but after each of the his necessary report on materials available for the meeting three shareholder proposals, Owens gave a response of the and verification that a quorum of ownership was repre- company’s position recommending a vote against each sented, and identified the four candidates to be elected at (...continued on the next page…)

Retiree Guardian—2012 Issue 2 June 3 Colorado—Wyoming—New Mexico Edition (...continued from the previous page…)  CWA proposal: 28.85% in favor 70.18% against one. He then asked if anyone present was voting in person  AUSWR proposal: 27.16% in favor 71.89% against whereupon twelve CWA representatives (each wearing a  TAS Mgmt. proposal: 37.75% in favor 54.14% against red shirt with the CWA logo) proceeded to register their (Note: Some shareholders abstained) votes with the Secretary and Judge of the election. At this point the formal meeting was adjourned. While Goff and the election judge were tabulating However Owens asked if there were any general com- the updated results of the votes cast, Post gave a presenta- ments on matters not presented during the meeting. tion on the company’s past year performance and plans for Curtis Kennedy eloquently expressed the concern the future – the focus going forward to be in three recently over the under-funded status of the pension fund, citing formed Groups: Enterprise Markets, Regional Markets specific company-provided data in the CenturyLink Annu- and Wholesale Markets. Slides depicting numerous statis- al Financial report, noting the “unfunded gorilla is more tics detailed the company’s four key strategic initiatives: like a monkey on the backs of the retirees”. Broadband expansion, Prism TV, Fiber to Tower service In year 2011 CenturyLink contributed $500 mil- and Managed Hosting & Cloud services. He then made lion to pension plan funding. However, this year Century brief mention of the company’s past three major acquisi- Link reports it plans to contribute less than $50 million, tions: Embarq, Qwest and on July 15, Savvis, Inc even though there is a huge deficit of $1.7 billion, includ- At the end of his presentation Post entertained ing over $900 million under-funding with the Qwest Pen- questions and comments from the floor: sion Plan. Curtis pressed CenturyLink leaders not to turn —Five CWA employees asked for his response to issues away from this huge problem, one that received hardly any dealing with the increases in healthcare costs and concern attention in the company’s annual report and proxy state- over existing bargaining negotiations. His response to ment, and is a matter rarely discussed at shareholder meet- each was, not surprising, along company lines of protect- ings. Both Owens and Post gave a response to Curtis’s ing the competitive position in the marketplace, and intent plea for more attention to pension plan funding by agree- to bargain in good faith. ing that the Board would re-look at the situation.

The final person to address Post at this point in the meet- Ralph Maley restated the benefits concerns ex- ing was our own Mary Ann Neuman who delivered a pressed during the meeting by the CWA attendees who statement commending the company’s top management represented the 18,000 union members nation-wide. and Board of Directors for their willingness to listen to our concerns – both as retirees and as shareholders, expressing Miscellaneous Notes of Interest appreciation for the amendments to the benefit plans stated elsewhere in this issue of the Retiree Guardian. - This annual meeting began with a prayer. (Not done in Neuman went on to request the company continue previous U S WEST, Qwest annual meetings) to work with AUSWR and be mindful of the cost of - Following the prayer Owens paid tribute to the 100 em- healthcare increasing each year and that as a result of the ployees who had died during the past year, especially not- cap being stabilized a higher share of the costs will be ing the close relationship the Board had to one of them borne by retirees each year. who had been their van driver. Neuman concluded her statement by further com- - Post and Owens gave some attention to keeping the for- mending the Board for at least partially adopting the share- mat somewhat friendly to the attendees by including a few holder proposal she had submitted on behalf of AUSWR humorous remarks and even a joke at the expense of two concerning the ‘Golden Goodbye’ severance agreements. of the senior executives. AUSWR withdrew the proposal in December 2011 at the - The CenturyLink corporate headquarters is a beautiful request of CenturyLink after the Company Compensation structure inside and outside. committee announced a new severance policy stated in - There were no disruptions of any kind during the meet- their proxy statement. ing, but there were several CWA members from across the Neuman did state that AUSWR still has a mission country who picketed outside of the building in their red to protect retiree interests and would continue to author shirts. proxy proposals in the future that would benefit retirees - After the meeting we were able to arrange a “photo op” and shareholders. with Goff and Post. It was at that time of meeting them individually that we were able to complement Marina The meeting was then turned back over to Owens who called for the results of the voting tabulated by Goff Pearson and her staff for the cooperation and partnership and the election judge. All of the company recommended we have with them and our Retiree Advocacy program in proposals were approved and adopted. resolving retiree benefit issues and each of them responded that they were very much aware of the valuable services The three shareholder proposals all failed includ- ing our own; voting results are as follows: AUSWR provides.

Retiree Guardian—2012 Issue 2 June 4 Colorado—Wyoming—New Mexico Edition Service Center: Here’s How to Access It Report by Martha Deahl, Arizona Retiree Advocate And… -Your password

First, I’d like to thank all of the retirees for If you are unable to locate your password or their patience during my first couple of months as the you don’t know it, don’t worry. When prompted for new Arizona Retiree Advocate. Jim Heinze, your password just say “I don’t know it”. Hint: Your AUSWR Retiree Advocate Ombudsman, shares his password must be 8 digits. knowledge, experiences, and dedication —and makes If you are using the CenturyLink web site: the RA job a lot easier. I have found the CenturyLink www.centurylinkhealthandlife.com your call-in Service Center representatives and the staff in Centu- password will be the same as the one you use on-line. ryLink Human Resources to be very responsive and After reaching a Service Center representa- helpful. tive, you may need to establish a new password to Many retirees seem to be having difficulty access certain information. understanding the menu options when calling the The service Center representative will send CenturyLink Service Center at 1-800-729-7526. you a postcard to reset your password which will take Hopefully, the following instructions will help about 5 days. you, the retiree, when making your call. If you are After you receive the postcard, call the Ser- unable to make the call yourself, another person may vice Center (1-800-729-7526) and when prompted represent you. But, you must be available in person enter the temporary password. or on the phone to give the Service Center representa- You will be able to create your own personal tive permission to access your private information password with the Service Center representative on and discuss it with your representative. this call. Before you call have the following infor- mation at your fingertips: Reminder: Keep your password in a safe place with -Your Social Security Number your other documents for future use because without -Your Date of Birth your password, it may delay accessing your important -Your Current Address and Zip Code information. To call the CenturyLink Service Center: Dial 1-800-729-7526

Press 2 – For Former CenturyLink Employee (includes all retirees) CLIPSAVE& THISPAGE Press 1 - For Medical, Life, Dental, Vision, —Choose this option if you want to report a Retiree’s Death, or access your HealthCare Reimbursement Account (HRA) Press 2 - For 401K Press 3 – Pension or Pension Payroll After making your selection you will be asked to enter the following:  The last 4 digits of Your Social Security number  Your Date of Birth in this format XX/XX/XXXX  Now you will be asked what you are calling about:  Healthcare, Life or Disability, Commuter Benefits,  Healthcare Reimbursement Account, Report a Death,

or other benefit questions?

—You will be asked to please hold and a representative will join your call.

Retiree Guardian—2012 Issue 2 June 5 Colorado—Wyoming—New Mexico Edition ‘A Tale of Two HRAs’ by Barbara Wilcox, AUSWR CO/WY Health Care Specialist

Q. What is an HRA? [REMEMBER: HEALTH BENEFITS ARE A.The Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) is one of PROTECTED BY THE PHELPS SETTLEMENT several programs set up by Congress to give individuals FOR ALL PRE-1991 AND ERO RETIREES ] and employers tax advantages for health care costs. The

When CenturyLink offered new health care options to HRA is funded entirely by the employer. It is available Post-1990 Management Retirees for 2012, we were intro- only to present or former employees and their qualified duced to Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRAs), some- dependents, who receive reimbursement tax-free for quali- thing that U S WEST/Qwest retirees had not seen before. fied medical expenses. See IRS Publication 969 for more information. Those not on Medicare had the option to choose between two Company plans, either a Preferred Provider Organiza- Q. Who decides things like, how much money goes tion (PPO) plan or a Consumer-Driven Health Plan into the HRA, what medical expenses will be reim- (CDHP). bursed, whether any unspent balance will roll over in- to 2013? The CDHP provides an HRA to help pay out-of-pocket A. The employer. expenses, such as coinsurance or co-pays for doctor visits, prescription drugs, etc. Q. What decisions has CenturyLink made about these features of the HRAs it offers Post-90 Manage- Post-1990 Management Retirees who are on Medicare ment Retirees? were given an HRA to help pay premiums for plans they A. CenturyLink has set completely different rules for enrolled in to replace the Company plan. the two different HRAs. The table below gives a sum-

These two HRAs work differently from each other, which mary of how they differ from each other. has caused some confusion. Note: I have compiled this information from documents In this article, I’ll give some background information on issued by CenturyLink, however this article is not an HRAs and lay out the differences between the two HRAs official CenturyLink document. If you have questions, CenturyLink is offering to Post-90 Management Retirees. call the Service Center and ask about your Benefits.

CenturyLink HRAs for Post-90 Management Retirees CDHP-Related HRA HRA for Medicare-Eligible

Who is eligible Post-90 Management Retirees not on Medicare Post-90 Management Retirees on Medicare who choose the CDHP medical plan Administered by The insurance company Your Spending Account division of Aon Hewitt

Amount for 2012 $1000 – Retiree only $1740 for each Medicare-eligible adult (retiree, $1500 – Retiree + spouse or partner or child spouse, and/or dependent) (children) $2000 – Family Reimbursed for Covered medical expenses, e.g. office visits, Premiums for Medicare Advantage, Medigap or prescriptions, lab tests Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Debit card Yes – Consumer Account Card (CAC) No

Unused balance car- Yes, if you continue in the CDHP No ried over to next year Reimbursement and 1. Automatic payment to provider when claim 1. Automatic reimbursement if you signed up for payment processes is approved. your Medicare plan through Aon Hewitt Navigators 2. Use CAC at time of payment. or Extend Health. 3. Submit receipts and claim form. 2. If you signed up directly with the insurance com- pany, submit proof of payment and claim form each month.

Retiree Guardian—2012 Issue 2 June 6 Colorado—Wyoming—New Mexico Edition Questions and Answers …

to the “Proposal To Not Reduce Certain Benefits For A Limited Group of Legacy Qwest Retirees From April 1, 2012 To March 31, 2017” Q. What does the Outline of Proposed Benefit Plan Changes Mean?

A. It means that CenturyLink intends to amend the CenturyLink Retiree and Inactive Health Plan and the CenturyLink Life Insurance Plan (the “Plans”) to provide that for the 5 year period from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2017, the Company will make no changes to the following benefits provided to Legacy Qwest Post- 1990 Management Retirees (as this term is defined in the Plans_: (1) the Company’s subsidy or “Cap” on its contributions, as set forth below under the Retiree Health Plans, or (2) the $10,000 life insurance benefit cur- rently available under the Life Insurance Plan. The Cap is the amount of subsidy or money the Company con- tributes towards the premium cost of a Legacy Qwest Post-1990 Management Retiree’s health care coverage; the balance of the premium cost of the health care above the Cap is paid for entirely by the Legacy Qwest Post -1990 Management Retiree. The Chart below sets forth the amount of the Company’s proposed subsidy to- wards the cost of health care coverage for eligible Legacy Qwest Post-1990 Management Retirees (as this term is defined by the Plans) for the period April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2017: 2012: Legacy Qwest Post-1990 Management Retiree Company Health Care Caps (Dollar Amounts are “Rounded”) Medical Dental Eligible Non-Medicare Retiree $390/mo $20/mo Eligible Non-Medicare Spouse $390/mo $20/mo Eligible Medicare Retiree $145/mo $20/mo Eligible Medicare Spouse $145/mo $20/mo Eligible Child(ren) $275/mo $15/mo

These Plan amendments will not apply to any other retiree populations. All costs in 2012 and future years that exceed the Company’s Cap, will be the obligation of the current and future Legacy Qwest Post-1990 Manage- ment Retirees.

Q. What happens after 5 years? A. The 5-year period will expire on March 31, 2017. After that date, the Company may amend, change, or eliminate: (1) the Cap, or (2) the $10,000 life insurance benefit. Q. Will the amended Plan documents allow the Company to make any changes to the CenturyLink Re- tiree and Inactive Health Plan and/or the CenturyLink Life Insurance Plans during these 5 years? A.Yes, those documents will continue to allow the Company to change carriers, administrators, health benefits and co-pays and deductibles, coinsurances, etc. during the 5-year period. Q. I am a Legacy Qwest Post-1990 Occupational Retiree. Does this proposal apply to me? A. No, it does not. The Company is required to negotiate with the legacy Qwest Unions for the benefits the Company provides during the term of the Collective Bargaining Agreements to its Union-represented employ- ees who retire during the term of the Collective Bargaining Agreements. While the Company does not negoti- ate with the Unions for retirees, the Company negotiates the Cap, which is the amount of premium subsidy it provides to occupational employees who retire during the term of the Collective Bargaining Agreements and who become Legacy Qwest Post-1990 Occupational Retirees. (...continued on the next page…)

Retiree Guardian—2012 Issue 2 June 7 Colorado—Wyoming—New Mexico Edition (...Q&A continued from previous page…)

Q.Will Legacy Qwest management employees (non-represented) who are eligible to retire as Legacy Qwest Post-1990 Management Retirees (as defined by the Plans) after 4/1/2012 also be covered under the proposed Cap and $10,000 Life insurance benefits freeze? A Yes, if a Legacy Qwest employee retires from the Company after April 1, 2012 but before March 31, 2017, and he or she is eligible for retiree coverage as a Legacy Qwest Post-1990 Management Retiree (as defined by the Plans).

Q. Will the “Cap” freeze under the Retiree Health Plan apply to the eligible spouses and dependents of Legacy Qwest Post-1990 Management Retirees? A. The Company’s Cap on the amount of premium subsidy it provides on behalf of eligible spouses and de- pendents of Legacy Qwest Post-1990 Management Retirees will be frozen for the 5-year period as represented on the Chart in Answer 1 above. Q. Who is eligible to be a Legacy Qwest Post-1990 Management Retiree? A.A Legacy Qwest Post-1990 Management Retiree is a Retired Employee who retires on or after January 1, 1991 and who is a former non-represented employee with the following age and service combinations: Retirement Age Term of Employment Any Age at least 30 years 50-54 at least 25 years 55-59 at least 20 years 60-64 at least 15 years 65 and older at least 10 years

A Legacy Qwest Post-1990 Management Retiree also includes a Retire Employee who is a “Protected Em- ployee” or “Protected Participant,” which is a non-represented employee. If you believe that you are included in this group and are not receiving the Cap, contact the Service Center or call your state Retiree Advocate. AUSWR Retiree Advocates —Here To Help YOU! If you have questions about your benefits, FIRST contact the: Service Center at 800-729-7526 —Select Option 2, then select the appropriate options. If you are unable to resolve your problem or get an answer to your question, THEN call your state AUSWR Retiree Advocate:

State Tel. No. Email State Tel. No. Email ARIZONA: NEW MEXICO: Martha Deahl 602-504-6774 [email protected] Cassie Kelley 505-298-8666 [email protected] COLORADO: NO. DAKOTA: Jim Heinze 303-442-1831 [email protected] Barb Hermanson 763-757-4985 [email protected] IDAHO: OREGON: Shirley Moss 208-342-3449 [email protected] Jim Haynes 503-628-0555 [email protected] IOWA: SO. DAKOTA: Vikki Farrand 605-332-3670 [email protected] Vikki Farrand 605-332-3670 [email protected] MINNESOTA UTAH: Barb Hermanson 763-757-4985 [email protected] Dick Johnson 801-963-6220 [email protected] Byron Lemmon 801-295-4653 [email protected] MONTANA: WASHINGTON: Shirley Moss 208-342-3449 [email protected] Shirley Jones 206-368-8686 [email protected] NEBRASKA: WYOMING: Jim Heinze 303-442-1831 [email protected] Jim Heinze 303-442-1831 [email protected] Retiree Guardian—2012 Issue 2 June 8 Colorado—Wyoming—New Mexico Edition JOYBUBBLES by Don Warsavage

Back in the mid ‘70s Mountain Bell hired a errors in them by just listening to their tones. very unusual man. He had two childhoods; He was so good at it he could find the specific one he was born into and the other he chose. location of the trouble among all the wires and This man was also blind from birth. switches of the network. He had many roles in his adult life and he Some of his workmates said he would became quite famous. There is much about tease and joke with them often making fun of him on the internet today. He produced a himself. He didn’t think of his blindness as a show in Minneapolis called, “Stories and handicap. Someone thought his dog’s name Stuff.” In that show he described some of his was Popcorn. His cane’s name was Edith. experiences of early childhood. Like the times Once a pregnant clerk on the switching his Dad came home drunk and beat his Mom. staff allowed Joe to listen at her tummy just as When that happened he would roll out of bed the baby moved. The Network Technicians, and find the telephone. Then he would curl up who were there, said his angelic smile lit up on the floor and listen to dial tone. It was al- the room. Each day after that Joe asked about ways there for him. It was steady and it was her and the baby’s health. safe. There were often school tours of the He was sent off to a school for the blind switching center in Denver back then. No tour when he was still a child. While there, he was was complete without taking the kids to see both physically and sexually abused. the “Whistling Marvel.” Joe would go out of His name was Joe Engressia, a name he lat- his way to delight them. er changed to Joybubbles. He moved to Minneapolis in 1982. He Joe had an IQ of 172 and he also had per- loved children. He remained active with them fect pitch. It was so perfect, while in college, in unique ways: with his shows, his volunteer he could whistle at the precise frequencies readings at the library and setting up tele- that unlocked the telephone system allowing phone calls to terminally ill children around him to call anywhere in the world—for free. the world. He was an avid fan of Mr. Rogers He did it for his classmates and charged them and listened to all his programs. a dollar. The college took notice and suspend- He decided to return to the childhood he ed him. never had. He wanted to remain five years old Joe loved the telephone system and want- forever. He once said, “When you’re playing ed to be a regular working man—a telephone and you’re just you, powerful things happen.” man. Through an elaborate plan of using the He changed his name to Joybubbles because, long distance network, illegally, he deliberate- he said, “it made people smile.” ly got himself arrested. The telephone compa- Those retired Telephone Company people nies took notice and he received four job of- who contributed to this article and had lost fers. track of Joe expressed a sincere sense of sor- Mountain Bell hired him as a network row when they were told that he died in 2007. trouble shooter. One of his supervisors said Some of them remembered Joe very well he was a hard worker and everyone liked him. and when they were told he’d changed his Hard worker? In fact everyone thought he name to Joybubbles—some laughed and some was nothing short of amazing. After new just chuckled. switching systems were turned over to Moun- tain Bell by Western Electric, Joe could find

Retiree Guardian—2012 Issue 2 June 9 Colorado—Wyoming—New Mexico Edition Board and Officers of NM Telephone Retirees Association—Q1 2012

President...... Irene Chavira ...... 505-352-6666 ...... [email protected] Vice-President ...... Neal Woolman ...... 505-294-2106 ...... [email protected] Secretary ...... Lorrie Tolbert...... 505-286-1122 ...... [email protected] Treasurer...... Marian Peace...... 505-299-3991 ...... [email protected] Data Manager & Director ...... Marlene Tricoli ..... 505-821-7109 ...... [email protected] Retiree Advocate & Director. Cassie Kelley ...... 505-298-8666 ...... [email protected]

Directors Ida Bender ...... 505-299-6214 ...... [email protected] Dotty Dahl ...... 505-268-7639 Jack Ferguson ...... 505-861-0956 ...... [email protected] Dan Lyon ...... 505-897-6430 ...... [email protected] Betty Monroe-Martinez...... 505-298-3155 Lori Parenti ...... 505-298-8218 ...... [email protected] Kathy Rodgers ...... 575-744-5738 ...... [email protected] Gene Whitlock ...... 505-299-3229 ...... [email protected] Rosalie Yost ...... 505-344-4828 ...... [email protected]

Medicare Part B Reimbursements ‘Fixed’

Pre-1991 Medicare recipients and their eligible spouses receive monthly reimbursement for their Part B premiums which are deducted from their Social Security. Beginning in 2012 when the Part B premiums increased, a ‘glitch’ was found that continued reimbursements at the 2011 amount. AUSWR Retiree Advocate Ombudsman Jim Heinze reports that working with CenturyLink staff has fixed the problems. All reimbursements are now current and at the correct amount. If you are a pre-1991 retiree and have questions or believe your reimbursement is not correct, please contact Jim at 303-442-1831.

Gone But Not Forgotten: Deaths thru May 2012 COLORADO DEATHS Leonard, Albert (Al) NEW MEXICO DEATHS CALIFORNIA Barber, Patricia Carol Lester, Linda Diane Bailey, Jerry Don Barber, Marjorie Burchett, Irene Pastore (Schuett), Linda L. Long, Ray E. Koester-Adams, Helen R. Burnett, Meribelle Patterson, Tom Smith, Jean (Gigi) Burns, Robert Gordon Jr Pimple, William D. York, Jimmy Frank UTAH Ferguson, Ronald W. Romsos, E. Duane Taylor, Merle Gillespie, C. Douglas Smith, Merlin E. (Smitty) OTHER DEATHS Heath, Rodman H. (Rod) Soli, Douglas Warren Humphrey, Margaret Unger, Clay ARIZONA (Marge) Wilkison, Rodney (Rod) Schwede, Agnes S. (Aggie) Keller, Albert S. Wisner, Richard E.

Retiree Guardian—2012 Issue 2 June 10 Colorado—Wyoming—New Mexico Edition MEMBERSHIP FORM TELEPHONE RETIREES ASSOCIATION—NEW MEXICO CHECK ONE: New Member (___) Annual Renewal (___) Info Change (___)

______Last Name First Name Tel Number

______Address or PO Box No. City, State Zip

______E-mail Address (for News and Updates) Co. Retired From Retirement Month. Day, Year

I am willing to help in the following areas: Board (___) Communications (___)

Media contact (___) Area Rep (outside of Albuquerque) (__) Other ______

Annual Dues: $______Additional Donation: $______($24/yr effective January 1, 2007) (Additional amount to cover critical activities)

Make check payable and send Telephone Retirees Assoc—NM Completed Form to: P O BOX 31022 Albuquerque, NM 87190-1022

Membership in Telephone Retirees Association — New Mexico

Your annual membership expires on the date shown on the address label of the Retiree Guardian newsletter. If your membership expires within the next few months, please renew as soon as possible. Also, please consider making an additional donation at any time The cost of protecting against the reduction of promised benefits is high, but the risk is higher.

Effective January 1, 2007, annual dues are $24 per member. If this amount constitutes a hardship for you, please feel free to pay what you can afford and make a notation on the form. A great deal of progress has been made since our or- ganization was formed in 1995, but a lot more remains to be done. Many benefits are currently at risk and must be pro- tected through various activities—including the filing of costly legal suits.

Changes in your mailing address, phone number, or email address should be recorded on the Membership Form and sent to the address at the bottom of the form. It is costly, and wasteful, to mail the Guardian in incorrect or obsolete addresses.

If you know of any prospective members who have not yet joined the Association, please provide them with a copy of the Membership Form. It is important to grow our member base in order to effectively continue our efforts to pre- serve the retirement benefits promised us.

This Association is authorized as a nonprofit tax-exempt organization under Section 501 (a) of the IRS Code. Howev- er, dues and donations are not deductible on your tax return.

Retiree Guardian—2012 Issue 2 June 11 Colorado—Wyoming—New Mexico Edition AUSWR P.O. Box 27027 Denver, CO 80227

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

—Change Your Home Address? —Or Phone Number? —Or Email Address? PLEASE CHECK THE MAIL LABEL

AND LET US KNOW YOUR CHANGES You can help us save $$$ in return postage, if we have your new address, phone no & email address. Contact Marlene Tricoli 505 821-7109, [email protected] Or send a note to: AUSWR-NM PO Box 31022 Albuquerque, NM 87190 Visit your website: AUSWR.org

Retiree Guardian—2012 Issue 2 June 12 Colorado—Wyoming—New Mexico Edition