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- 2 — AUSWR Pres. agement Medicare-eligible retirees (and eligible Appreciation spouses and dependents) who retired after 1990, 3 — CenturyLink now have their health care subsidy payment Annual Shareholder (known as the Cap) protected through March 31, Meeting May 23 2017. Non-Medicare management who retire after 1990 are included in the Agreement. 4— Retirees’ ‘Horror’ Stories Over Health- The post-1990 Medicare-eligible man- care Changes agement retirees were eliminated from the Com- pany health care plan in the 2012 Open Enroll- 5— Help to Access ment period at the end of last year and shifted to the Service Center the Medicare open market to select a plan avail- 6—About to go onto able in their area. Medicare? CenturyLink provides a reimbursed 6— Is your Part B monthly subsidy for the Medicare costs of the Mary Ann Neuman, AUSWR reimbursement the selected plan. NWB leader, and Glen Post, President and CEO of Cen- right amount? The Company and AUSWR worked to turyLink meet at the 2012 An- create this proposal and together stated that they 7 — Understand nual Shareholders’ meeting at HRAs believe the Legacy Qwest Post-1990 Manage- the company’s headquarters in ment Retirees “will be pleased and will appreci- 8— Q&A on “the Monroe, Louisiana, in May. ate the joint efforts to provide some stability in a Agreement” climate of increasing changes to health care.” Thanks to CenturyLink’s Tammy Matthews for the pho- 9— Retiree Advocate For the detailed Questions & Answers for this state listings tos. For the full story and agreement, go to page 8. more photos, go to page 3. “To preserve and protect the pension and benefits Retiree Guardian —that 2012 Issue we 2 earned.” 1— AUSWR Mission AUSWR 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 Cen- New Mexico President turyLink Annual Shareholders’ Meeting in Monroe, Louisiana, on Irene Chavira —tel. 505 352-6666 May 23. That’s no easy trip from Denver or Minneapolis. AUSWR Email: [email protected] was very well represented by well-spoken voices acting on behalf of IA/MN/NE/ND/SD Chair our 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 2 AUSWR 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 Cen- worthy that only one member of the Board turyLink annual meeting since the of Directors is a former Qwest director, merger with Qwest convened in the Michael Roberts, a former officer of the corporate headquarters. There to see McDonald’s corporation. and hear it all were AUSWR leaders, Owens then introduced the other Mary Ann Neuman (NWB Chairper- members of the Board of Directors who son), Hazel Floyd (Colorado/Wyoming were present with only two of them unable Co-President), Jim Heinze (Retiree to attend and concluded the introductions Advocate Ombudsman) and Curtis by having the nine leaders of the company Kennedy (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 An- senior executives. Maley nual 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 3 AUSWR 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.