CORRE Blog

Chuck Thompson, a Y-12 retiree, says:

I have read the blog and find the information helpful. I talked to Senator Alexander immediately after the recent Halls Town Hall meeting. He seemed to be sincere about helping us. He is trying to understand why DOE Pension people think there is not enough money in the Pension Fund while CORRE says there is sufficient money in the Fund to grant the requested adjustments.

Lynn Edd Story, an ETTP retiree, says: 

In Senator Alexander’s response to the letter Dave Reichle, President of CORRE, presented to him at the meeting in Farragut, Senator Alexander said:

 “that the principal problem is that there is a difference in opinion over whether there is sufficient surplus to grant the requests of CORRE on behalf of retirees.”  

In the letter, CORRE estimates that the surplus for the multi-employer pension plan is now approximately $800 million, about 135% of actuarial requirement. CORRE also estimates the benefits we are requesting would cost about $200 million. To me, it seems like the two sides are working from two different sets of information.

Is there information available that shows how CORRE got their information? Do the people, that we are requesting the funds from, have the same information available to them? If not already done, would it be helpful to share this information with Senator Alexander, and others?

In the off chance that anyone really did follow through with the truck idea and travel outside of Oak Ridge, it would be nice to get some video of it parked in front of some prominent campaign billboards, the Capital, the White House, DOE-HQ, etc. and post it on U Tube.  Maybe 60 minutes or Dateline or some other media would pick it up.  

Charlie Price, retired from MMES in 1992 says: 

Ron Leinius' idea about a derelict truck is good.  I have the truck — a 1981 GMC with plenty of rust, dents, scratches, cracked glass and faded paint. Only problem is I use it daily and couldn't do without it.  How about some bumper stickers?  "I CAN'T AFFORD A BETTER TRUCK BECAUSE DOE IS CHEATING ME ON MY PENSION BENEFITS."

Ron Leinius writes: 

I am pleased to hear that Senator Alexander is now making inquiries to DOE and to the Oak Ridge contractors regarding pension issues and requests made by CORRE.  But why has it taken so long for him to understand that DOE IS CHEATING OAK RIDGE RETIREES, and that pension improvements must be made NOW?  Many of us have gotten very tired of hearing about the various "politically correct" inquiries and pursuits taken by our congressional representatives, usually in the form of gentle questions to DOE and its Oak Ridge contractors.  This approach merely invites DOE and its contractors to respond with another round of contrived statistics (CORRE has done a wonderful job of debunking DOE's claims of fair treatment for Oak Ridge retirees). 

It is time for our representatives to show a little backbone, and to demand that fair pension improvements be instituted for retirees.  If guidance is needed on how to accomplish this, simply consult with your congressional colleagues who represent the western DOE facilities.  With about 12,000 retirees, we represent a voter group of perhaps 50,000 people, and you can bet that this group will make itself heard during the next several congressional elections.

Continuing with the theme of a tougher approach, I think it would be very effective to get an old pickup truck, the more derelict the better, and to install large signs ("DOE IS CHEATING OAK RIDGE RETIREES") above the truck bed.  Then park the truck for a day near the entrance to the DOE building in downtown Oak Ridge;  the next day, park it near the Solway bridge during commuter traffic periods; follow up by parking in on South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge, leading toward the DOE facilities.  And wouldn't it be interesting to drive it up and down Cumberland Avenue in Knoxville, on a football game day?  The local newspapers would fall all over themselves to print pictures and stories.  Maybe the Washington Post would pick up on it, too.

I bet there'd be no trouble getting volunteer drivers for that truck.  I'll take the first run.  

As most of you know, the pensions of Oak Ridge contractor employees are reduced by a factor when you take the spousal option. The reduction factor for this option was changed for all active BWXT and ORNL employees effective June 30, 2004.
If you terminated employment on or after June 30, 2004, a factor of .98 will be applied to your life amount to determine your 50% joint and survivor benefit. This is a 2% reduction of benefit.

The reduction factor for all other retirees under the Mult-Employer Pension Plan (the MEPP or BWXT administered plan), are higher and depend on the ages of the retiree and the spouse at retirement. The multiplier to find the pension is given on the BWXT employee benefit website .

The table may be seen at this by clicking here for the file on this site: Spousal Reduction Table. Find your age and your spouses age at retirement, and where the two cross tells you the reduction factor that you are experiencing from the unfair practices of DOE.

The adjustments being requested by Oak Ridge retirees will have a large and beneficial impact on the economies of the Oak Ridge- Knoxville region. The table in the link below is based on an analysis of the impact of DOE expenditures on local economies.  The table shows the annual impact of almost $80 Million additional income to the economies of the various counties where the retirees reside.

Click this link to see the chart:  Economic Impact Chart

Earlier this week, I asked you to send in your comments, opinion, question, etc. I haven't heard from anyone.

Now I'm just asking that you send me an E-mail (davemason@corre.info) to let me know you've seen the message. You don't have to say anything. Right now, we are not even sure anyone is looking at the blog-and it is your blog.

If you want to say something, you could say whether this blog is of any value to you. You could say whether you look at it frequently or infrequently.

I won't identify you on the blog unless you want to be identified.

So please, let me know that you' ve seen the blog - even if only one time.

Thanks,  

The Editor

Fellow retirees:

We need to hear from you. What are your concerns, questions, or issues?

Your use of, and contribution to, this blog helps our cause.

If you have anything to ask or say, all you have to do is send me an E-mail at davemason@corre.info. That is pretty simple.

On the other hand, if you want to make a comment on something that has been posted, you can do that directly if you don't want to send me an E-mail. You can go to the column on the right of the blog page and look for the section Pages. Under that look for How to Comment, click on it and follow the directions.

Whatever you decide, just decide to use this blog by letting me hear from you.

Dave Mason, Editor 

Taskel Dishman retired from Y-12 in 1990 after starting there in 1953, and he says:

I'd like to have you consider material I've written up to try to tell people outside our circle how bad we've been cheated. Always when I read people describing the situation, I think to myself: Why don't they mention how long the abuse has continued, and how much the surrounding community has lost over the years. And the people need to know when they are asked to increase local taxes, some of those tax increases don't have to take place if our money is coming to us, thus the community to pay bills and make our entire area a better place to live. I'd like to have you consider the material below for the blog, but if you do, perhaps I need to alter my ID so I'll not make myself open to harassment … after all, I'm an old man of 76 and not able to deal with being cheated monthly and harassed on the net………please let me know your thoughts!

While 12,000 of our nations best and smartest worked night and day to protect you, your children and country, you were paying taxes to support us in our final years of life. Allow me to thank you for the 12,000 abused retired atomic worker families from the plants in Oak Ridge, TN. We were so honored to have had a hand in keeping the people and country safe, only to be scammed in the end:

Over the years, you paid taxes into a fund to help us in our old age and the early contractors did just that and up until about 1990, the retirees got regular cost of living raises. After that a new breed of contractor came onto the scene and those people who worked night and day to keep us and the country safe, have suffered. You the taxpayer was still putting the money, controlled by the contractor, into a fund but it was no longer being paid out as cost of living increased.

What the later years contractors did, was pile the money up in a fund that has grown to more than $3 billion dollars, while we retirees have gotten one half of one cost of living raise in about 17 years. What this means is, when you pay about $3 for gas, we pay the equivalent of about $6. and so it is with every thing we buy because our money has been kept in the account instead of being paid to us for living expense in our final days.

Do the people who are keeping our money from us know how badly were suffering without it? Consider: Months ago they send out offers for a new dental and eye insurance saying, "If your check is not sufficient to pay for the new insurance, you'll be expected to pay the remaining out of pocket!" Did they think we and now you wouldn't ask, if they know our checks are so small/eroded by inflation, where would we get the money to put into that empty pocket … and if the check wouldn't pay for the insurance, how did they think we'd pay other bills for food, housing and energy?

And let me remind you, this sin was going on as our money piled up in the account, growing by about a hundred million dollars a year. It gets worse: During the 17 or so years of our growing personal poverty, the entire area suffered as well. Had they been paying us our money all those years, it would have totaled more than a billion dollars … dollars that when spent and taxed, would have gone directly into the area economy, enriching all the people and all the local governments; some of who say they are so poor, they can't pay their law-enforcement officers properly. Yet, the local leaders who know of the sin/scam have not made an effort to get us and the money into the local economy!

Is it a mystery why they and our local Federal Representatives and Senators have not helped (Sen. Corker has been in office a short time, will you ask him to help; most of us will be dead in another 17 years). Our local Federal Representatives and Senators (we expected Sen. Frist being an MD and one of the most powerful people in the country would understand our suffering, but he never helped … not just a few, he never helped the 12,000 families) have talked a good game, but when members of the House and Senate in Washington, got up bills to help us, our own local members of the House and Senate did not even join with them in those bills to help us!

It is our hope you'll help us by using the many talents God has given you …it may be if you just ask, being who you are, they may realize the cat is out of the bag and everyone in the area and hopefully the country knows about the sin. Unlike other states, this is a one party state and we can beg for help until the cows come home (and we can't afford cows), but they know they can let us suffer until we die and they'll still return to office. And the people left behind, will still not know why they let it happen!

We need someone smarter than ourselves (we've not been smart enough to get our money for the 12,000 abused families) to decide to do that random good deed we read about but seldom see, to lend us just an ounce of their talent. We need you to be that special person who'll write that expose in the fashion of Woodward and Bernstein, or to make that all important call to a connection with an investigative reporter….

And how do you know what I'm telling you is true? You can contact a local writer, Frank Munger (munger@knews.com who writes for the local paper) or the retiree web site, www.corre.info, for the big numbers, but I've tried to break the big numbers down to show who is hurt and how badly. Perhaps we've only told of the big numbers that didn't tell you of the 12,000 families, or the fact that the middle class in the area was being destroyed along with the entire area.

Please forgive my inarticulate writing, but someone has to tell the story and with your help, perhaps it can be shouted from the roof-tops….

Dave Reichle, President of CORRE had the following letter to Senator Alexander hand-delivered to Senator Alexander today at the meeting at the Farragut Town Hall. Pete Lotts briefly addressed the Senator on pension issues during the Senator's appearance in Farragut and gave him a copy of the letter and a tabulation of the economic impact the proposed pension adjustments.

Senator Alexander replied that he and his staff are on top of the issue and that he is an advocate for the retirees. He said that the principal problem is that there is a difference in opinion over whether there is sufficient surplus to grant the requests of CORRE on behalf of retirees. From other sources we know that his staff is working on getting that clarified.

-- text of the letter to Senator Alexander-

Coalition of Oak Ridge Retired Employees (CORRE)
Working for Fair, Equitable, and Competitive Benefits
For Former K-25, Y-12, and ORNL Employees
P. O. Box 4266
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-4266

October 10, 2007

Senator Lamar Alexander
800 Market Street, Suite 112
Knoxville, Tennessee 37902

Dear Senator Alexander:

Request for Your Endorsement of Oak Ridge Retirees Pension Needs

We respectfully request that you endorse the pension needs of the Oak Ridge retirees, as outlined by the Coalition of Oak Ridge Retired Employees (CORRE). We would further request that you communicate your decision in writing to the Secretary of Energy and its operating contractors in Oak Ridge with retirees in the government-sponsored pension funds here. Moreover, we are asking you to request DOE management and the contractors to grant these reasonable requests in the current Fiscal Year. The requests of the retirees are:

1. An adjustment in pension benefits for all retirees that will restore 75 percent of the lost buying power of their pensions that occurred due to the increased cost of living since their retirement. An overall adjustment averaging about 1.8 percent per year since retirement would accomplish this. We have been requesting this adjustment for the past four years and have been ignored!

2. A flat-rate reduction factor of 2 percent for retirees who have chosen the surviving spouse option effective July 2004 (same benefit that was extended to active employees in July 2004 and requested by CORRE at the same time).

The surplus for the multi-employer pension plan is now approximately $800 million, about 135% of actuarial requirement. We estimate the benefits requested would cost about $200 million. Adherence of the contractors and DOE to this need would continue the historical practice by all previous DOE Oak Ridge contractors of granting adjustments to the pensions based on loss of pension earning power.

We know that you cannot order DOE, or the contractors, to do anything with respect to the pensions. On the other hand, we know the moral imperative stated by you in terms of an expectation of what they should do, in all fairness and equity for retirees, will weigh heavily on what they decide to do on this issue. We have briefed your staff thoroughly concerning the details on this issue.

We hope you will agree with us and will act expeditiously to help restore some equity to the pension program for Oak Ridge retirees, who rightfully deserve to be treated as fairly as retirees in other states.

Sincerely,

Original signed by David Reichle-

David E. Reichle, CORRE President

CC: Tennessee Congressional Delegation

Marlin Dill went to work at Y-12 in 1951, transferred to K-25 in 1972, and retired there in 1992. He has two comments.

1. Take advantage of the free medical exam for Y-12 and X-10 employees. They furnish an excellent evaluation of the findings.

2. I now live in Murfreesboro and thus have contact through the internet but it appears that DOE management has more power than our elected officials. Something appears wrong when this occurs.

Lynn Edd Story, retired from BJC, says: 

I spent 29 years and 6 months of my employment for DOE at Y-12 under Union Carbide, Martin Marietta, and Lockheed Martin. In April 1998, I was transitioned to Bechtel Jacobs, where I spent 6 months before retiring in November, 1998. Therefore, I am considered a Bechtel Jacobs retiree and receive my pension from them.

I was reading the Oak Ridger Edition for Thursday, September 27^th and noticed that CORRE may be trying to include Wackenhut and Bechtel Jacobs in their dealings for pension adjustments. If this is the case, will CORRE include Bechtel Jacobs retirees in their business dealings? If so, I want to be a part of CORRE. Let me know if Bechtel Jacobs retirees will be included.

President Reichle responds:

Retiring when he did makes him a "grandfathered" employee.  Meaning that the B-J Trust Fund, established with liability transfers from the MEPP, covers him. 

CORRE is not trying to, it does represent him in all business dealings.  It says so right at the top of our 2007 Position Paper. Tell Lynn Edd to look for our recent correspondence and meeting with B-J managers.

Lynn Edd needs to join CORRE.

President Dave and I met with Rick Morrow, Executive Director of the Anderson County United Way recently. The purpose of the meeting was twofold. First, for Rick to explain a new mission of the United Way of Anderson County. Second, to see whether there is any synergy between CORRE's mission and that of the United Way. While it is for the CORRE Board to determine whether there is a synergy, I felt you would be interested in the United Way mission, called Aging with Honor in Anderson County.

Did you know that nearly 22% of Oak Ridgers and 17% of all of Anderson County residents are 65 years of age or older? The national and state average is about 12%. Aging with Honor in Anderson County is a county-wide, citizen-driven, multi-year approach to developing and implementing programs and services for seniors and their caregivers. Six work groups have been formed to address the following:

1. Senior Nutrition Today approximately 130 seniors recieve a hot meal each day but another 165 need hot meals.

2. Housing and Utilities This group is looking into questions and solutions for seniors' home repair, housing and utility support.

3. Adult Safety Nearly half of Anderson County seniors have no local family. This coalition has been workng for three years already to find solutions to help seniors avoid being victimized by fradulent E-mails, sales people and other schemes targeting them.

4. Health and Home Services Almost 47% of local seniors have at least one disability and need services brought to them.

5. Caregiver Support Caregivers too often find themselves over-whelmed, isolated and burdened, and lack the resources to support their senior as they would like. This group is examing the issues and seeking resources to help these caregivers.

6. Community Education and Awareness As a community, we all too often see seniors as a burden rather than a resource. This group will examine ways to bring seniors' issues and needs to the top of mind awareness.

If you would like more information or if you believe you can be part of the United Way effort, please contact

Rick Morrow, UWAC Executive Director

483-8431 or uwayac@bellsouth.net

And, if you don't live in Anderson County and you think such a mission is needed where you live, contact Rick for information.

More retirees are sending questions and comments for posting on the CORRE blog. Inputs written using MS Word are most difficult to post unless I completely retype them.

WordPress, the platform we are using for this blog, is one of the most popular. But, it's formatting is just not compatible with Word. An example is a recent posting entitled Estimated Cost of CORRE Proposals for Pension Improvements. While it contains good information, it is difficult to read.

So, if you will be so kind to put your inputs on Notepad and E-mail to me, I can most easily convert them to a post.

Also, when you send me something, please let me know from whom you retired-BWXT, etc.

Thanks,

Editor 

Sandra Adkins, a BWXT Y-12 retiree asks:

How much of the $750 million pension fund surplus would the CORRE proposals for improved benefits consume?

Bob Worrell, a CORRE Board member, answers:

Towers Perrin, the plan actuary, priced the 2% spouse reduction at $51.3M as of 1-1-06. It would cost less now since it applies to a diminishing population. The reduction was approved for all active employees in July, 2004, so anyone retiring after that date is already getting the benefit. Towers Perrin also priced the general increase, as of 1-1-06, at $95.4M, but we believe that understates our actual request. We believe a more realistic number would be about $150M, but would obviously depend on how the Company structured the increase. I think you could reasonably estimate a total cost of $200M , but be sure to note that the number is a rough estimate.

Incidentally, I just yesterday got an updated total plan asset value which raises the surplus to about $800 million

Bob Henderson & Al Brooks presented the following comments

Representative Zach Wamp has been a player in the DOE Oak Ridge Contractor's pension problem. He has given it more attention and done more than any other local legislator but no substantive progress has been made. Questions naturally arise about who are the other possible players that would be prejudiced against elder retirees.  

The adjacent table contains a list of the top contributors to Rep. Zach Wamp,(R/TN). It represents money passed from the corporation to its Political Action Committee and then to Wamp. UT/Battelle is the second largest contributor to Zach giving a total of $31,874. It is clear that they are an important player. While this is probably all legal, it is a little disturbing to find that one of the outspoken antagonists to the retiree's requests is the second largest contributor to the political war chest of the retiree's best hope for legislation intervention. 

This should not be taken as a criticism of Zach for it is the way our government is run. The retirees would be less than human if they did not wonder if the playing field is level. It may suggest that the mode of operation should be revised. The immediate problem is: how do the retirees deal with it. We suggest that it is by more letter writing to as many people as might do some good. 

CORRE has installed a blog for use by the CORRE membership and the Board. The subject of the blog is:

Blogs are very useful for communications by the Board and officers to the membership and vice versa but they are more important as a method of mass communication between members themselves. Not only does a blog provide for the expression of concerns on the blog topic, provide a sense of community but, more importantly, members can suggest new approaches to the solution of the problems the membership faces. Lastly, they produce a stream of members' comments which can be directed to those instrumental to any changes required. 

However blogs are only as effective as the participation in them: CORRE members must use the blog and freely (but politely) express concerns and ideas. You cannot expect others to do it for you. Each of you must stand and be counted. The task we face is political and not easy; it will be slow. Please blog now and often. The blog is at: http://blogcorre.info/ and questions may be directed to: DaveMason@corre.info 

Dave Mason, CORRE Blog Editor

Here is Congressman Lincoln Davis' recent letter to Department of Energy Secretary Bodman about DOE withholding Part D Medicare funds.

————————————–

September 21, 2007

Secretary Samuel Bodman
United States Department of Energy
1000 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20585

Dear Secretary Bodman:

I am writing this letter on behalf of several of my constituents, who are retirees from Department of Energy facilities in Oak Ridge, regarding their continued efforts to obtain an increase in their pension benefits. Several constituents as well as members of the Coalition of Oak Ridge Retired Employees (CORRE) have contacted my office requesting additional assistance with this issue.

In recent correspondence forwarded to my office, representatives from CORRE have also expressed their concerns about the possible withholding of Part D Medicare funds from contractors for partial payments of their costs of maintaining drug benefits for retirees.

Since taking office, I have worked with my colleagues in the Congress to address CORRE’s pension issues as well as other issues important to the Oak Ridge facilities. It is my hope that through working with contractors, the Department of Energy, my congressional colleagues and all CORRE members, this situation can be resolved in the very near future.

I would respectfully request that the Department of Energy revisit the retirees’ concerns about their pension benefits and attempt to resolve this issue in such a manner that provides fair and equitable treatment to all concerned. I would also request any information you can provide which would address concerns expressed by members of CORRE about the Part D Medicare funds.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future. Please do not hesitate to contact my office with any additional questions regarding this issue.

Sincerely,

Lincoln Davis
Member of Congress TN-04

—————————————-

We retirees appreciate very much the initiative of Congressman Davis.  The problem, however, is that DOE takes 3 to 9 months to reply to these letters.  DOE Headquarters needs to make quicker response to these requests that deal with DOE's unfair treatment of people.

Pete Lotts has made a comment about the September 29 posting regarding the Part D subsidy.  
CORRE has a copy of letter of Representative Lincoln Davis written to DOE asking DOE management why they have not shared the subsidy with retirees. CORRE was told in a letter from Senator Alexander that he also has recently asked DOE for an explanation.