Retiree Advocates: IOWA & Membership Application SOUTH DAKOTA Vikki Farrand NWB/U S WEST RETIREE ASSOCIATION, INC. 45 Jewel Lane North 605-332-3670 Plymouth, MN 55447-3566 [email protected] ❑ NEW ❑ RENEWAL ❑ EXTRA ❑ CHANGE OF ADDRESS Date MINNESOTA Barb Hermanson* 763-757-4985 Name (Please Print) [email protected] Amount Dues ($20/Yr/Person) Street Address NEBRASKA Amount Membership Development Ada Bork City, State, Zip 402-572-9277 Amount Other (Specify) [email protected] Tel. No. ( ) Total Amount Paid NORTH DAKOTA E-mail Address Arnie Pauls 701-451-0771 Company Retired From State [email protected] I am willing to help by doing the following: (Circle one or more) *Associate Ombudsman 1) Calling Committee 2) Membership Committee 3) Legislative Committee Visit this website: Please return this form and your check to the above address. Association of NWB/U S West Retiree Association, Inc. is a nonprofit tax-exempt organization under Section 501(a) of the Internal U S West Retirees Revenue Code, however, dues are not deductible on your personal tax returns. Records are kept at 45 Jewel Lane www.uswestretiree.org North, Plymouth, MN 55447-3566. A portion of your dues goes to support the National Retiree Legislative Network (NRLN) in Washington, D.C. or www.qwestretiree.org Dakota. We publish on a quarterly basis. quarterly a on publish We Dakota. Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South and Dakota North Nebraska, Minnesota, Association of U S West Retirees in Iowa, in Retirees West S U of Association is the newsletter of the of newsletter the is The Retiree Guardian Retiree The [email protected] 319-236-0595 , Waterloo, IA Waterloo, , oe Williams Roger [email protected] 763-757-1962 , Blaine, MN Blaine, , Dick Johnson Dick [email protected] 402-597-6205 , Papillion, NE Papillion, , Tom Burns Tom [email protected] 402-572-9277 , Omaha, NE Omaha, , Ada Bork Ada [email protected] 320-253-6232 , St Cloud, MN Cloud, St , Marlyn Beaudine Marlyn [email protected] 651-489-1972 , Roseville, MN Roseville, , Arnie Albrecht Arnie [email protected] 605-336-7771 , Sioux Falls, SD Falls, Sioux , Secretary Rose Bailey Rose Secretary [email protected] 402-333-2697 , Omaha, NE Omaha, , Vice Chairman Jim Burns Jim Chairman Vice Address Service Requested Service Address [email protected] 701-235-1300 , Fargo, ND Fargo, , Chairman Larry Smith Larry Chairman Association, Inc. Directors: Inc. Association, MPLS MN MPLS NWB/U S West Retiree West S NWB/U PERMIT NO. 3844 NO. PERMIT PAID Burnsville, MN 55337-2667 MN Burnsville, U.S. POSTAGE U.S. 205 Heritage Circle North Circle Heritage 205 O RFTORG. PROFIT NON NWB/U S West Retiree Association, Inc. Association, Retiree West S NWB/U THE RETIREE SUMMER 2005 GUARDIAN NEWSLETTER OF THE ASSOCIATION OF U S WEST RETIREES Now bringing you news from Association members in all 14 U S West states. AMESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear Fellow Retirees, We must be constantly vigilant to assure the continuation of rights and benefits we earned as employees. I’d like to share with you a letter I wrote on all our behalf to Cynthia P. Delaney of the Qwest Legal Department regarding Qwest’s potential removal of the death benefit from our pension plan. PRESIDENT’S LETTER Cynthia, The Association of U S West Retirees In your May 9 e-mail which you has now appealed to three different broadcast to all AUSWR Board Executive Vice Presidents of Human members and directly to the Plain- Resources at Qwest in the last tiffs, you stated rather sarcastically, eighteen months to sit down and “What I still fail to understand is discuss this matter and bring it to an why you would bring such a suit (the amicable resolution, so that retirees “Pension Death Benefits” case) now. can act with certainty in their estate Qwest has not eliminated the death planning and can do their best to benefit and as far as I am aware, has provide for their loved ones after made no statement to the retirees their death. about doing so for one and one-half Mimi M. Hull We understand, as you iterated in years.” We are very surprised that our telephone conversation, that you would say you fail to understand, considering everyone currently employed at Qwest is working the detailed explanation set forth right in the text of very hard to ensure that Qwest remains a viable the Amended Complaint and after you heard our in- economic entity. What you need to also understand is depth reasoning during our prolonged telephone that the many thousands of retirees worked very hard conversation on Friday, May 6. during their careers to build a strong company which The retirees of MT. Bell/PNB/ NWB/U S West has hit upon hard times through no fault of the and Qwest have been in limbo regarding the current retirees. These retirees have seen a $5.2 billion administration’s threat to cancel the death benefit in surplus in the Plan evaporate during the reign of Mr. the Pension Plan for almost two years. As you will Nacchio while under the stewardship of a Board of recall, the decision to “eliminate” this benefit for Directors that essentially remains intact. During their retirees who have a “qualified beneficiary” has only working years, these employees, both management been postponed, not withdrawn, by the Company. (continued on page 2) INSIDE 2 4 6 7 9 10 12 Chairman’s A View From Legal Activities Health Care Retiree NWB/U S West In The Media Message Washington for Post ’90 Advocacy Annual Meeting Retirees WE WERE THE OPERATORS AND REPAIR CLERKS, THE INSTALLERS AND LINEMEN, THE ENGINEERS AND NETWORK PLANNERS, THE CRAFT AND MANAGEMENT EMPLOYEES OF EVERY DESCRIPTION WHO BROUGHT TELECOMMUNICATIONS TO THE HOMES, BUSINESSES, AND INSTITUTIONS OF 14 STATES. NOW WE ARE UNITED IN OUR COMMITMENT TO PRESERVE AND ENHANCE THE RETIREMENT BENEFITS PROMISED TO US AND TO THOSE WHO FOLLOW US AS TODAY’S ACTIVE EMPLOYEES. AMESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT (continued from page 1) and bargained-for, deferred income in the form of and purchase life insurance to replace this poten- promised future benefits in retirement, including tially lost benefit. the provision of one year’s final pay to be paid to a Also, please understand that AUSWR and its qualified beneficiary, upon the death of the retiree. general membership insist that Attorney Curtis It was never communicated to any of the Kennedy go forward with the Kerber v. Qwest case retirees who draw an annuitant pension from the concerning the “Pension Death Benefits.” Of course Qwest Pension Plan that this benefit could be the best course of action for the company would be withdrawn at the whim of a current, but fleeting VP to immediately do the right thing and acknowledge of HR. As a matter of fact, all retirees who had the that the Pension Death Benefit was, indeed, billed as opportunity, and elected, or continue to elect a a protected fully funded and accrued pension lump sum payment from the pension plan, have benefit, not something that can be taken away at the been and continue to be paid an actuarial whim of present or subsequent top leadership. This equivalent of the death benefit. It is simply was the action taken by U S West top leadership discriminatory, then to single out and threaten a with regard to the health care benefits for over group who elected a yearly pension, or did not have 30,000 pre-1991 retirees and their beneficiaries. a choice, with the cancellation of this deferred There is no good reason Qwest cannot continue to compensation. set the standard for proper treatment of retirees This action is being instituted now, so that within the former Bell System. Considering the past retirees can proceed with planning knowing that threats about ending the Pension Death Benefit, this death benefit is a vested benefit under ERISA, once and for all, CEO Dick Notebaert, EVP Barry and if our cause does not prevail, they can explore Allen, and others should memorialize a written other options, including what services that this guarantee to assure retirees that the Pension Death money was supposed to provide for their loved Benefit can always be counted on and it will never ones, can be accessed through governmental pro- be taken away by either this company administra- grams, including the Medicare/Medicaid pro- tion or any successor company leadership. visioning of nursing home care and other end of I sincerely hope that this will answer your “why life services that survivors might need to access. now” question for once and for all. I hope that this will help you to understand the urgency of getting this issue resolved, since most Mimi M. Hull of our retirees, at their ages, cannot simply go out President, Association of U S West Retirees CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE Greetings friends, the promises made to us in retirement. I’d like to thank the 207 of our Both Curtis Kennedy and Jim Norby Association members who made the noted that as a retiree group, we are trek to Fargo for the May 19th Annual unique among corporate entities in Meeting. It was a tremendous success, America, unusual in our solidarity and and continues to remind me of the focus on important issues. power we have as a group to influence The more members we have, the company policies toward retirees. Our stronger we become. So I encourage speaker Curtis Kennedy brought that you to renew your membership, con- message home very effectively. You tinue your active participation in the can read more about his talk on page Association, and work to recruit a few 10 and 11.