MORE ARCHIVES....
ARCHIVES-MISCELLANEOUS
Click on headline to read the item:
Tell Congress That GM Retirees Are Victims Of EEOC Rule
The NRLN is asking its Grassroots Network Members and any other visitors to this website to write to their members of Congress to point out that GM salaried retirees are the latest victims of the EEOC Rule and request legislation to overturn the Rule and protect retirement healthcare benefits. The Rule allows employers to reduce or eliminate healthcare benefits when a retiree turns 65 and becomes Medicare-eligible. GM has announced that on Jan. 1, 2008 it will end healthcare benefits for retirees age 65 and older, surviving spouses and dependents. Click on the "Take Action Now" link above to send letters to your U.S. Senators and Representatives.
Read more...
NRLN Action Alert: Congress Must Protect Retirement Benefits
Chrysler has notified its management retirees that effective June 1, 2008 it will no longer extend company-sponsored group life insurance to its management retirees. Chrysler’s action will be noticed—and likely emulated—by a number of other corporations. NRLN Grassroots Advocates should to write to their U.S. Senators and Representative to point out Chrysler’s decision and call for legislation to protect retirement benefits.
NRLN Action Alert:
Ask Senators To Vote For “Baucus-Grassley Stimulus Bill”
issued 2/2/08
A battle is expected to take place in the U.S.
Senate early next week between the Senators who want to rubber stamp the
House-passed economic stimulus bill supported by President Bush and the
Senators who believe that 20 million lower-income retirees on Social
Security should not be excluded from tax rebates....
NRLN Calls On President And Congress To Include Low-Income Retirees For Share Of Economic Stimulus Rebates
issued 1/28/08
Tell Washington Leaders To Include Low-Income Retirees In Economic Stimulus Rebates
issued 1/27/08
Urge U.S.
Representatives To Support H.R. 3162, the Children's Health And
Medicare Protection Act
issued 7/26/07
The NRLN is asking its Grassroots Network Members and any other visitors to this website to write to their members of Congress to point out that GM salaried retirees are the latest victims of the EEOC Rule and request legislation to overturn the Rule and protect retirement healthcare benefits. The Rule allows employers to reduce or eliminate healthcare benefits when a retiree turns 65 and becomes Medicare-eligible. GM has announced that on Jan. 1, 2008 it will end healthcare benefits for retirees age 65 and older, surviving spouses and dependents. Click on the "Take Action Now" link above to send letters to your U.S. Senators and Representatives. Read more...
Chrysler has notified its management retirees that effective June 1, 2008 it will no longer extend company-sponsored group life insurance to its management retirees. Chrysler’s action will be noticed—and likely emulated—by a number of other corporations. NRLN Grassroots Advocates should to write to their U.S. Senators and Representative to point out Chrysler’s decision and call for legislation to protect retirement benefits.
A battle is expected to take place in the U.S. Senate early next week between the Senators who want to rubber stamp the House-passed economic stimulus bill supported by President Bush and the Senators who believe that 20 million lower-income retirees on Social Security should not be excluded from tax rebates....
issued 1/28/08
Urge U.S. Representatives To Support H.R. 3162, the Children's Health And Medicare Protection Act issued 7/26/07
Ask Your Representative To Support Imports Of Safe Prescription Drugs issued 7/12/07
Urge U.S. Senators Now To Vote Against Cochran Amendment issued 5/5/07
Urge U.S. Senators To Pass Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act issued 4/9/07
Urge U.S. Representatives To Support H.R. 3162, the Children's Health And Medicare Protection Act issued 7/26/07
Ask Your Representative To Support Imports Of Safe Prescription Drugs issued 7/12/07
Urge U.S. Senators Now To Vote Against Cochran Amendment issued 5/5/07
Urge U.S. Senators To Pass Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act issued 4/9/07
Write To Congress On Cash Balance
Plan Issue issued 7/19/06
The language in the House bill on Cash Balance does not protect older workers. Its language is too broad, open-ended and the vagueness leaves open the potential for age discrimination and abuse by employers. Because of these and other weakness in the House bill, I'm calling once again on NRLN Grassroots Members to write to conferees and other members of Congress...
The language in the House bill on Cash Balance does not protect older workers. Its language is too broad, open-ended and the vagueness leaves open the potential for age discrimination and abuse by employers. Because of these and other weakness in the House bill, I'm calling once again on NRLN Grassroots Members to write to conferees and other members of Congress...
It's Time For Pension Reform Legislation To Provide Real Protections
issued 5/30/06
With the continued delay in action by the U.S. House and Senate Pension Reform Conference Committee, the NRLN believes it is time to remind the conferees and other members of Congress about our positions on cash balance conversions and Section 420 transfers. It appears that some conferees' predictions that the joint committee would produce a bill by Memorial Day were overly optimistic. Therefore, the Memorial Day Congressional Recess, which runs until June 5, presents an excellent opportunity for you to contact your Senators and Representative with a personal meeting, phone call or letter from the NRLN website...
Important to Meet with Members of Congress April 10 - 23 issued 3/7/06
Yesterday (April 6), the U.S. House of Representatives passed on a vote of 248 to 178 a motion introduced by Congressman George Miller (D-CA) to instruct the House conferees on the Pension Reform Conference Committee to adopt the cash balance provisions of the Senate bill that protects older workers in cash balance conversions. This is evidence that the letters NRLN Grassroots Members and others have been sending to Representatives are being heeded. Although the House vote is a major step forward, the motion only addresses protecting older workers for future cash balance conversions but does not prevent the retroactive legalization of past cash balance conversions. We must continue to press the conferees and all members of Congress with our message for all of the improvements we want to see made in the pending pension reform legislation.
Yesterday (April 6), the U.S. House of Representatives passed on a vote of 248 to 178 a motion introduced by Congressman George Miller (D-CA) to instruct the House conferees on the Pension Reform Conference Committee to adopt the cash balance provisions of the Senate bill that protects older workers in cash balance conversions. This is evidence that the letters NRLN Grassroots Members and others have been sending to Representatives are being heeded. Although the House vote is a major step forward, the motion only addresses protecting older workers for future cash balance conversions but does not prevent the retroactive legalization of past cash balance conversions. We must continue to press the conferees and all members of Congress with our message for all of the improvements we want to see made in the pending pension reform legislation.
Tell Senator DeWine That Pension Reform Must Help Retirees, Not Corporations issued 3/29/06
To: Ohio Residents
From: Bill Kadereit, NRLN Vice President, Legislative Affairs
In a little over two weeks nearly 11,000 letters have been sent to members of Congress by individuals through the National Retiree Legislative Network’s website. The NRLN’s Washington, DC staff members who have been meeting with the staffs of Pension Reform Conferees are reporting that your letters are having a beneficial impact on the improvements we want to see made in the pension reform legislation. U.S. Senators and Representatives from 46 states have received letters through the NRLN’s Capwiz system.
If you were among those who sent letters, thank you for your support. Now it is time to zero in on specific members of the Conference Committee who can do a great deal to either help or hurt workers and retirees through the pension reform legislation. One of your Ohio Senators, Mike DeWine, is one of those key individuals who needs to hear from his constituents about the improvements that must be made to provide for greater pension security.
Important Messages For New Jersey
Senator and Representatives 3/21/06
From:
Bill Kadereit, NRLN Vice
President – Legislative Affairs
A March 19, 2006 New York
Times article on pension reform legislation pending in
Congress has reported that a lobbyist for Prudential
was able to
persuade several senators, including Senator Frank
Lautenberg, a Democrat from New Jersey (where Prudential has
its headquarters), that the companies which are more than 15
percent overfunded should be allowed to remove some of the
surplus and use the money to buy health insurance for its
retirees. Currently, only companies which are 25 percent
overfunded are allowed to do so.
From: Bill Kadereit, NRLN Vice President – Legislative Affairs
A March 19, 2006 New York Times article on pension reform legislation pending in Congress has reported that a lobbyist for Prudential was able to persuade several senators, including Senator Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat from New Jersey (where Prudential has its headquarters), that the companies which are more than 15 percent overfunded should be allowed to remove some of the surplus and use the money to buy health insurance for its retirees. Currently, only companies which are 25 percent overfunded are allowed to do so.
Pension Security Depends On Your Communicating With Members Of Congressissued 3/19/06
Capwiz Action Alert to All NRLN Members
From: Bill Kadereit, NRLN Vice President,
Legislative Affairs
This is a follow-up to the Action Alert sent to you by NRLN President Jim Norby on March 11, 2006. I want to say thank you to those who have sent some 6,000 letters to your U.S. Senators and Representatives. At the same time, I want to urge those of you who have not sent your letters to do so immediately by going to the Action Alert at http://capwiz.com/abtr/home. Look for the headline: MAKE IMPROVEMENTS TO PENSION REFORM LEGISLATION.
Write To Members of Congress To Tell Them To Make Improvements To Pension Reform Legislation issued March 11, 2006
From: Jim Norby, NRLN President
This may well be the most important letter that I ever ask you to write to members of Congress.
As you know, on November 16, 2005, the U.S. Senate passed by a vote of 97-2 The Pension Security and Transparency Act of 2005 (S.1783) and on December 15, 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives passed by a vote of 294-132 The Pension Preservation Act of 2005 (H.R. 2830). Conferees have recently been named for the joint House and Senate conference committee on pension reform legislation. It is the job of these conferees to work out the differences in the two bills and make any other changes they deem appropriate before sending a revised bill back to the House and Senate for final votes.
NRLN 1st Quarter 2008 Report To Members
During the 1st Quarter of 2008, NRLN leaders and staff directed a great deal of their efforts toward calling Congress' attention to the harm that will be done to many retirees by the rules issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Treasury Department and requesting that the rules be overturned through legislation. In addition, the NRLN's Grassroots campaign was successful in helping convince Congress to include low-income retirees on Social Security for economic stimulus rebates. Click here to read the NRLN's 1st Quarter 2008 Report.
NRLN's 3rd Quarter Legislative Progress Report
During the 3rd quarter of 2007, the NRLN and its Grassroots Advocates have been engaged in supporting legislation on the Children's Health And Medicare Protection Act and the Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act. The NRLN's views were also voiced in Washington, DC through letters from NRLN President Jim Norby to Treasury/IRS and to the Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. NRLN news releases were distributed on Medicare and legacy drug issues. Click here to read the 3rd Quarter Legislative Progress Report.
NRLN's 2nd Quarter 2007 Legislative Progess Report
During the 2nd Quarter of 2007, the NRLN's Washington staff with support from the NRLN's Grassroots Network have urged members of Congress and their staffs to enact legislation that will provide Americans with safe and lower priced prescription drugs and to bring safe and cheaper generic drugs to the market more quickly. Efforts were also directed toward preventing corporations from raiding the assets of pension plans. Click here to read Bill Kadereit's report on legislative activities.
Update on NRLN Legislative Issues
TO: NRLN Grassroots Network - February 12, 2006
FROM: Bill Kadereit, NRLN Vice President - Legislative Affairs
The purpose for this email is to bring you up to date on NRLN legislative issues and to alert you to the support we will need from you in the coming weeks. This will be another important year for us to work on passing federal legislation on pension law reforms, preservation and funding of retiree health care and more affordable prescription drugs.
NRLN 2008 Leadership Conference and Board Meeting Focus On Retiree Issues
A focus on key retirement legislative issues, implementing a new organizational structure, growing the grassroots network and hearing from individuals who gauge the pulse of government leaders highlighted the NRLN’s 2008 Annual Leadership Conference and Board of Directors Meeting in Washington, D.C. Click here to read the report on the meetings.
NRLN Leadership Appalled By EEOC and Treasury Rules
Read NRLN President Bill Kadereit's message to the NRLN Grassroots Network that the leadership of the NRLN is appalled by recent rules issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Treasury Department that will negatively impact millions of retirees. The NRLN intends to lobby Congress to put an end to the Executive Branch overruling laws passed by Congress.
Read NRLN President Bill Kadereit's message to the NRLN Grassroots Network that the leadership of the NRLN is appalled by recent rules issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Treasury Department that will negatively impact millions of retirees. The NRLN intends to lobby Congress to put an end to the Executive Branch overruling laws passed by Congress.
THE NRLN 2007 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
Survey Data Will
Help Set NRLN Priorities
NRLN Files Amicus Brief In Support Of
Lucent Retirees
NRLN's 1st Quarter 2007 Report on Lobbying Efforts
NRLN Legislative Agenda Questions For November 2006 Congressional Candidates
issued 9/17/06
NRLN Grassroots Network Helps Get Pension Bill Passed issued 8/7/06
Great Deception Discovered In Senate Pension Reform Bill- December 14, 2005
Qwest Retirees React To Latest Executive Rape Of Retirees
NRLN UPDATE on New General Motors Cutbacks of Retiree Health Benefits
NRLN Speaks Out About GM Endorsement of Drug Legislation
Model letters for NRLN retirees
Model letter to Congress
NRLN Members
Should Urge Senators To Support Rx Importation Bill - S. 2328
A REVIEW OF THE NRLN’S POSITION ON ISSUES AND LEGISLATION AFFECTING RETIREES