LOCAL 2911, UAW Retiree Bulletin

DIPLOMAT PLAZA, P.O. BOX 6056

FORT WAYNE, IN 46896-0056 July, 2007

http://www.uawlocal2911.org/

Chapter 305 Officers: Chapter 2911 Officers:

Jeanette Gaffer Chairperson Dan Alter

Barb Parrott Vice Chairperson Sandra Poling

Hazel Sitko Recording Sec.

Carol Davis Financial Sec. Steve Bell

Dorothy Ward Sgt. of Arms Don Steffen

Insurance Dan Alter 461-1383 and/or 918-4094 (Ft. Wayne #)

Chapter Meetings:

Chapter 305 1^st Thursday of the month @ 1:00 PM at the Local 2357 office on Pontiac Street.

Chapter 2911 2^nd Thursday of the month @ 5:00PM at the Local 2357 Rec. Hall on Horman road.

Greetings Retiree’s and Spouses:

How many of you have access to the internet or email?

In an effort to save some money we would like to know how many Chapter 305 and Chapter 2911 retirees have access to the internet and /or email. Please let me know by emailing me @ d.alter@mchsi.com,

Our retiree bulletins are available on Local 2911’s website : http://www.uawlocal2911.org/

Or we could forward to you via email. This could possibly save a considerable amount in postage.

Your Chapter officers attended the UAW Region 3 Retiree Conference on Thursday June 7, 2007.

Our Region 3 Director Mo Davison brought us up to date on the happenings in Region 3.

Of interest, Mo pointed out that the Big 3, GM, Ford, and Chrysler along with International Truck have a very high number of retirees in proportion to the number of active workers.

At the same time Toyota has less than 5000 retirees. One of the reasons Toyota has so few retirees is because they force their employees to sign a document that states if they get hurt on the job or off and can’t continue to work, they are let go an therefore never collect pension benefits.

Mo pointed out that company after company is claiming bankruptcy and the first thing they do is try to take away the retiree benefits and insurance. Dana is presently in bankruptcy and the UAW is negotiating with the plants represented by the UAW trying to save the retirees insurance.

Mo said that at International Truck we now have a total of 3,651 active UAW employees total company wide.

(Just think a few years ago Local 57 had over 10,000 and Local 305 had just over 1000 UAW represented employee just in Fort Wayne.)

Mo concluded by reporting how the UAW has been very busy raising money for Make-A-Wish . Region 3 raised over $17000.00 this year for Make-A-Wish.

Brenda Upchurch, our UAW Region 3 Retiree Representative, spoke about the need to vote for the representatives who support workers and retired workers. As a retiree we have a powerful voice and need to let the politicians know that we want to keep our benefits and WE need to vote for those who will support us.

We have heard many people say that Toyota, Honda and other foreign cars are being made in the USA.

While it is true that some of the cars are being assembled in the USA, they are not even close to being equal to their employees as those represented by the UAW. In other words it is not a fair comparison. Their costs are much less because they refuse to give the benefits that we enjoy as UAW members.

We need to purchase UAW made vehicles and support our UAW union.

4-Day , 3-Night outing at the Walter and May Reuther UAW Family Education Center, Black Lake, Onaway, Michigan, for Region 3 retirees and their spouses on September 4,5,6,and 7, 2007.

Availability is limited.

The cost to each retiree will be $185.00 per person, plus $15.00 per person if they choose a side trip.

Participants may choose one of the three outings. One outing will be a one (1) day trip to Mackinac Island in Northern Michigan with the ferry ride to the island for sight seeing and shopping. There is also a one (1) day trip to Kewadin Casino in St. Ignace, Michigan. This trip includes the round trip bus, buffet lunch at the casino, and a $10.00 bonus coupon book. We are also offering a round of golf at the new UAW golf course. The cost of these one-day trips is $15.00 per person.

The cost per person will be $185.00 per person, plus $15.00 per person if you choose a side trip, for a total cost of $200.00. Region 3 will pay all other costs for buses, food and lodging at Black Lake. Each person will need money for meals on the way to and from the Center on September 4^th and the 7^th.

Chapter 305 is allowed 4 delegates and Chapter 2911 is allowed 2 delegates. Each person who attends is considered a delegate.

If you are interested call Dan Alter @ 918-4094 and let me know.

We have an increasing number of retirees who request a handicap room. There are very few of these rooms, so please let us know if you really need a handicap room.

Also let us know if you previously have attended the Black Lake trip.

Insurance:

New Aetna Medicare for 2007

As mentioned in earlier bulletins we have reported only the problems with the new system. These are slowly being corrected and it is much improved.

It is now time to point out the “better benefits” with this new plan.

All retirees were sent a letter dated November 30, 2006 outlining the new Aetna Medicare plan. Page 3 of the letter has a comparison between the “old” Medicare plan and the new Aetna Medicare plan.

Here are the additions to the old plan for 2007Aetna Medicare Plan.

Old Plan New Plan

Hospital Admission 100% up to 150 day 100% unlimited days

Routine Physical Not Covered 100% Annually

Routine GYN 100% every 3 years 100% Annually

Routine Mammogram 100% every 2 years 100% Annually

Routine Eye Not Covered 100% Annually

The routine eye exam means we should now show your Aetna Medicare card at the eye doctor so it can be turned into Aetna Medicare for payment. The glasses, lens, etc. should still be sent in to Vision Service Plan (VSP) for payment.