Retired Rubber Workers Lose Again ! It`s The VEBA !

Is There No End to it ? Retired and Losing Everyday !

It`s The VEBA !

By: Underdog = Don Jones...12/29/10

http://www.uswlocal878.com/

Healthcare, The Retiree`s biggest cost ! Losing Every Year !

One day last week, I was informed that my dental benefits would be changing. I would lose half of my benefit. Remember those working in the plants pay for dental coverage out of their Cost of Living Raise`s (COLA), not Goodyear ! I`m not sure that those Union Members working owe me my dental program ? However, I`m so very grateful to them. They care more about me than Goodyear or the Steelworkers ! Goodyear merely administers the dental program.This week, Goodyear notified me that my pension would be lowered another $50.00, that is now a total of $125.00 a month for my Health Insurance. You say, that is cheap, you are correct, except that the Volunteer Employee Benefits Association (VEBA) Steelworkers take it right out of my pension ! I blogged the VEBA, when it was negotiated, I told you that if the VEBA was not properly funded, it would go broke. Little did I know, that they would fund it out of the retired employees pensions ! Understand, it is still a bargain at $125.00 per month. The problem is, it is taken out of our retirement pension. I don`t know about you, but if the VEBA is still with us, in a couple of more years, I will owe them money, as my pension will not cover my VEBA premium ! If you are not on medicare and retired, lookout, it is going to cost you more ! I do not know, how much ? If this does`nt sound correct to you, you can call the United Steelworkers Union Hall in Union City Tennessee at (731)885-6641. Ask for David Nelson or Jerry Ivey, our pension and insurance representatives ! If this sounds like sour grapes from this writer, it is !

I don`t mind telling you that my pension is now a whopping $209.94 per month !

Sad, but true ! I don`t know about you, but I thought I earned this pension while I worked ? Another thing, I did`nt authorize the Steelworkers VEBA to have access to my pension, I did`nt think ? They are kinda like our President`s on Social Security, they get ready and just reach in and grab a hand full. I will try to write more, when I learn more ! Sorry, about the bad news ! maybe it is time for the Retiree`s (SOAR) to act on our own ? If you know, what I`m saying ? Hey Leo Gerard, are you reading ? Hey Stan Johnson, are you reading ?