Restoring the Legacy of the PioneersThey’ve built barrier-free parks for the

disabled, stocked food pantries andvolunteered in hospitals and class-

rooms across the country and abroad. Theyeven helped restore a once lackluster LadyLiberty.

For the past 93 years, “getting people tocare and care deeply” has been at the heart ofthe Telecom Pioneers, formerly theTelephone Pioneers of America.

But for the world’s largest industry-relat-ed, non-profit organization made up of cur-rent and former telephone employees, ban-ning together to help make the 1984Olympic Torch relay possible, for many, mayhave been the pinnacle of their humanitari-an work here in the United States.

We recently spoke to Lou Miano, anAssociation of BellTel Retirees board mem-ber and retired New England Telephoneemployee, who once served as a regionalcouncil liaison for the Pioneers.

As a liaison officer and past council andchapter president, Miano donated time tohomeless shelters and helped raise money forthe refurbishment of the Statue of Libertyduring the 1980s.

However, he fondly recalled the Olympicrelay as the highlight of his Pioneer days.

Pioneers from all walks of life came

together to work alongside the OlympicCommittee for 14 months prior to the relay,one of the largest in the history of theOlympics. Over 4,000 runners carried thetorch across 9,000 miles and 39 states from

New York City to Los Angeles for a total ofthree months.

The three shared values of the Pioneers,Fellowship, Loyalty and Service, were proud-ly on display and it was a great moment in

American history that will be longremembered, said Miano.

"Only the Pioneers with active andretired members in every town and cityin America could have completed theproject so brilliantly and beautifully,"said Miano, who proclaimed the mas-sive undertaking in 1984 a victory forboth the spirit of the American publicand the Pioneers, who aside from help-ing to raise money, contributed300,000 man-hours to the event AT&Thelped pay for.

Since the break up of AT&T and itsBell System that same year and subse-quent corporate transitions and merg-ers, however, the Pioneers have been onsomewhat uncertain ground, accordingto Miano and many other retirees.Membership continues to shrink andcorporate support has waned tremen-dously, he said.

Shortly after the divestiture, AT&T’sthen-Chairman Charles Brown said he

(Continued on page 6)

Verizon Communications announceda decision to remove its upstate NewYork access lines from the auction

block. The company, at least for the time being,

has decided not to sell $7.7 billion worth ofaccess lines in the upstate vicinity, accordingto a bulletin issued by the company toemployees.

According to the September 30 bulletin,“Verizon is suspending discussions withpotential buyers related to upstate New Yorkaccess lines, while we continue to evaluatestrategic options.” Company spokesmanPeter Thonis told the BellTel Retiree that

Verizon had no plans to publicly discuss whatled to the decision.

Shortly after what some have described asa landmark decision by Verizon not to sell thelines, Reuters news service reported that thecompany opted to keep the lines after failingto attract enough interest from potential buy-ers.

Nevertheless, Pamela Harrison, anAssociation of BellTel Retirees board mem-ber, credited both members ofCommunication Works of America (CWA),who fought to protect the integrity of the

(Continued on page 5)

BELLTEL RETIREEWinter 2004-05 Volume 32

The Official Newsletter for Retirees of Bell Atlantic, GTE, NYNEX, Verizon and Its SubsidiariesPaid for by contributions from Verizon retirees

Board Member Lou Miano holds a relay torch dur-ing the 1984 Olympic Relay. Many Pioneers served asvolunteers and helped to raise money during the event.

Verizon Halts Sale of New York LinesThe 2005 Association

of BellTel Retirees

Membership Meeting will

take place in Camp Hill,

Pennsylvania

On April 13.

To find out more and to RSVP

see page 4

Now that the Presidential andCongressional election is historylet’s hope this means that we can

get back to addressing the many importantissues that retirees are dealing with everyday. You have had your chance to partici-pate in the democratic process and I amsure that you have taken that privilege seri-ously. However, once the election is overwe have an equally important task to per-form and I hope that you will want to be apart of that process as well.

The lead article in this issue reviews thestatus of Pioneering and discusses some ofthe challenges facing that great organiza-tion. The Telephone Pioneers of America,now known as the Telcom Pioneers, have along and rich history of volunteering – pri-marily reaching out to help respond tocommunity needs and problems. At thesame time, this Association fosters continu-ing fellowship and helpfulness amongactive and retired telephone people.

There are similarities between the goalsof the Pioneers and the Association ofBellTel Retirees. We depend heavily upon

volunteers, including our entire board, toachieve our goals. However, our mission isfocused almost entirely on maintaining andimproving the health and financial securityof the Verizon retiree community.

But like the Pioneers, we cannot possi-bly depend upon only those who lead thisorganization. To promote the type ofchange that we need to achieve our goals,we require thousands of our members tovolunteer and get involved in the nationalmovement to protect our futures.

We hear from many retirees who tell usthat they cannot afford to contribute finan-cially as much as they would like to ourAssociation. We understand and appreciatethat, but here again, we can take a page outof the Pioneer book. Everyone, regardlessof his or her financial position can con-tribute a few hours to the cause and make adifference. Look at it this way, if each ofour members gave twenty hours per year orjust 11⁄2 hour each month to further ourcause that would amount to two millionhours of service to ourselves and to our fel-low retirees.

Our greatest opportunities and ourgreatest threats reside in the legislativeprocess. We have the opportunity toshape our own futures by becominginvolved in this process. However, if wedo not all take part in this process, weleave it to others to shape our futures and

that may lead to a bad result.Our Association has taken a leadership

role in the creation of a truly national leg-islative organization that will reach everysingle Congressional and Senatorial officein this country. This is an enormous taskbut when broken down into its smallestcomponents, it is no more than you, I andour fellow members communicating withour own legislative leaders.

Imagine the cumulative power of our100,000 members, joined by the hundredsof thousands of other National RetireeLegislative Network (NRLN) organizationmembers all delivering a single message.This sort of out pouring of support oropposition cannot be ignored.

Recall the many stories in the Pioneerarticle that demonstrated how volunteerswere able to perform truly heroic achieve-ments. Remember how people felt whenthey got involved and volunteered somehours to a good cause. Our Association hasa just cause and we need you to be a part, ifonly a very small part, of the movement torestore retirement security.

Winter 2004-05BellTel Retiree2

President’s Messageby C. William Jones

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I N T H I S I S S U E :

Restoring Legacy of the Pioneers — Pg. 1

Verizon Halts Land Line Sale— Pg. 1

Lucent Retirees Facing Trouble — Pg. 3

2005 Member Meeting inPennsylvania

— Pg. 4

BellTel Election Poll Gets HugeResponse

— Pg. 5

Retiree Spotlight – Behind theScenes at Headquarters

— Pg. 8

Using Consumerism to CombatOutsourcing

— Pg. 10

Winter 2004-05 BellTel Retiree 3

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Leaders of the Association of BellTelRetirees traveled to Washington D.C.for a strategy meeting with members

of the National Committee to PreserveSocial Security and Medicare.

Joined by the 10 million-member,national committee’s president, former U.S.Congresswoman Barbara B. Kennelly, thegroup discussed ways to outreach to otherorganizations also advocating for retiree-friendly legislation.

The national committee’s GrassrootsDirector Sue Ward stressed the importanceof gaining greater visibility for seniors andretirees on Capitol Hill.

“We are working to locate people acrossthe country who are willing to go to ‘theHill’ when legislators hold rallies or discussissues that are crucial to seniors. Not only isit essential that we be heard, but also it isimperative that we be seen,” said Ward.

Following the conference, Associationleaders and member volunteers continuedthe dialogue on retiree issues by paying avisit to their respective congressional repre-sentatives.

“We plan more such meetings in thefuture and hope that volunteers from the

Washington, D.C. area will join us,” saidBellTel President C. William Jones.

“This is a new and exciting chapter forthe Association. We must continue ourefforts to network with other nationalorganizations on all of our common issues.Retirees from all over must stand up and

make their presence known.”The National Committee to Preserve

Medicare and Social Security was founded in1982 and serves as an advocate for issuescentral to current and future retirees, accord-ing to the national committee’s missionstatement. The committee’s website iswww.ncpssm.org.

Volunteers like Maryland’s Phillip M.Collison (shown) joined Association leadersduring a recent visit to Washington, D.C.

Former U.S. Congresswoman BarbaraKennelly, president of the national commit-tee, addresses members of the Association.

Healthcare coverage had been a keyissue during negotiations betweenLucent Technologies and the

unions, the Communication Workers ofAmerica and the InternationalBrotherhood of Electrical Workers.

The two unions represent roughly 10percent of the telecommunications equip-ment maker's work force.

Lucent, CWA and IBEW contract talkswere to take place under the auspices of theFederal Mediation and ConciliationService, which helped Verizon and itsunions reach a labor agreement last year.

However, CWA had voted to authorizea strike if a bargaining agreement couldnot be reached last month.

One of the unresolved issues had beenhow much retirees should contribute tothe cost of their health insurance. Prior tothe start of negotiations, Lucentannounced plans to reduce union retirees’healthcare benefits for the second time in ayear.

CWA’s Communications andTechnologies Vice President Ralph Maly

said that "by 2007, the average retiree whohas a pension of $920 would be looking ata $700 monthly premium for a pre-65 fam-ily of two. Lucent has made a determina-tion to abandon its union-representedretirees."

Edward Beltram, who is the LucentRetiree Organization’s director of commu-nications, told the BellTel Retiree that he

currently pays $531 a month in healthcarepremiums that used to cost him $143 amonth

According to the Associated Press,Lucent had been relying on a VoluntaryEmployer Benefits Association Trust to payfor retired union worker’s health costs.

Two VEBA trusts, one for retiree health-

Lucent Retirees In Trouble as VEBA $$ Dwindle

(Continued on page 9)

Leaders Join National Committee in D.C.

Winter 2004-05BellTel Retiree4

It is that time of year again when theAssociation of BellTel Retireesannounces the location of its annual

Membership Meeting. Each year, the lively get-together gives

members the opportunity to gather with fel-low retirees and former coworkers to hearabout the Association’s yearly progress, itsplans for the future and allow members’voices to be heard about significant retireeissues.

The 9th annual Membership Meetingwill take place on Wednesday, April 13,2005 at the Radisson Penn HarrisConvention Center in Camp Hill, PA.

Just minutes from Harrisburg, the con-vention center is easily accessible from majorhighways and public transportation and iswithin reach of Central Pennsylvania’s manytourist attractions, including Hershey Parkand historic Lancaster County. The area isalso home to several theaters and museums

such as the State Museum of Pennsylvania. This will be the first time that the

Association will hold its annual meeting inPennsylvania. Prior meetings took place inLong Island, NY, Atlantic City, NJ,Herndon, VA, Syracuse, NY, Fort Pierce,FL, and Boston, MA. Last year’s meetingwas held in Sarasota, FL.

Because reservations for the 2004 meet-ing were in such demand, over 70 membershad to be turned away as the 450 seats werequickly sold out.

As a result, we highly recommend thatyou RSVP well in advance to guarantee aspot for you and your guests.

If you would like to attend the event,please complete the form below and mail italong with a $5 per person registration fee toJack Sellen at the address listed on the form.Please do not send cash or RSVPs to theAssociation’s Cold Spring Harbor, NY, orGlen Head, NY, address. Please includeyour email address and the email address ofyour guests. An admission ticket will bemailed to you once your check and registra-tion form is received.

Continental breakfast will begin at 8a.m., followed by the annual meeting at10 a.m.

Pennsylvania will host 2005 Membership Meeting

RSVP for Association of BellTel Retirees Annual MeetingWednesday, April 13, 2005 at the Radisson Penn Harris Convention Center

Camp Hill, Pennsylvania

I will attend the meeting in Pennsylvania - # in party ____

Name _______________________________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________________________

Phone Number ________________________________________________________

E-Mail ______________________________________________________________

Enclosed is a check for $________ ($5 per person)

Other members/guests names and addresses in your party:

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Please return this registration form and fee by April 4th to: Association of BellTelRetirees Inc; c/o Jack Sellen; P.O. Box 457; New Milford, N.J. 07646.

Camp Hill, PA, located just outside of Harrisburg, will be the site of the April 2005 MembershipMeeting. Still Holiday

Shopping?

Are you looking for that gift for a friendor two, but don’t know what to get

them? Why not a one-year enrollment inthe Association of BellTel Retirees! Avoidthe long lines at the malls and departmentstores and just contact the Association at (631) 367-3067, or via e-mail at association@belltelretirees.org for some freeapplications. The Association’s “little elves”will get applications out to you in a hurryand you can sign up a friend or two.

We received this idea from one of ourmembers, who called the Association’soffice, asked for some applications and saidthat she was going to sign up some newmembers as a holiday gift.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving, as theywill help us in our fight to promote the pro-tection and enhancement of the pensionsand benefits for retirees and beneficiaries ofthe companies and subsidiaries that makeup the Verizon Corporation.

More than 2,000 Association ofBellTel Retirees members respond-ed to a pre-Election Day opinion

poll sent out via email just hours before thethird presidential debate.

The opinion poll contained questionsabout the 2004 election and was sent to thosemembers registered for the Association’s freenews service.

According to the poll results, 99 percentof respondents identified themselves as regis-tered voters. All of those polled indicated thatthey had planned to vote in the most recentelection and only 10 percent had been unde-cided on who to vote for at the time of thesurvey.

Nearly 93 percent believed that the 2004presidential election was more critical thanpast elections based on the number of retireeconcerns to be decided in the next four years.

When asked to rate the most important

domestic issue facing retirees, 53 percent saidfederal laws to protect retiree health benefits,20 percent said imposing stiffer penalties oncorporations defaulting on pensions, 14 per-cent said proposals to modify the currentsocial security benefit system, 7 percent saidfixing the recently passed Medicare reformsand 5 percent said re-importation of pre-scription drugs (see chart).

The Association’s membership is current-ly made up of 56 percent retired manage-ment workers and 44 percent retired unionworkers. Half of those polled describedthemselves as Republican, followed by 29percent as Democrat, 12 percent asIndependent and 7 percent as Conservative.None identified themselves as Liberal orGreen Party members.

Shortly after the poll was sent out, officeworkers at the Association’s Cold SpringHarbor headquarters began tabulating what

turned out to be an enormous response. The poll results have been a boon to the

Association and although the 2004 presiden-tial election is now over, the results will con-tinue to be an asset by helping theAssociation better serve members’ needs, saidBellTel President C. William Jones.

Following the release of the poll results tothe media, Jones conducted an interviewwith one of the nation’s largest radio newsbroadcasters about the poll and what itmeant for retirees.

“It is clear that American retirees plan tostand up and make their voices heard, notjust on Election Day, but year round,” saidJones.

For those members interested in signingup for the Association’s free news service, visitour website www.belltelretirees.org and clickon the “Keep Me Posted” icon.

Winter 2004-05 BellTel Retiree 5

BellTel Election Poll Huge Response

coast-to-coast network, including the upstateaccess lines, and members of the New YorkState Legislature, for the decision.

“The network was put into service andpaid for by the American public. As a result,the network and its keepers were given therights, privileges and responsibilities of a pub-lic utility,” said Harrison.

“The intent of the 1984 AT&T divestiturewas to make telephone companies caretakersof our nation’s treasure, the most advanced,reasonably priced, telephone network in theworld, built and paid for by the Americanpublic,” she said.

Verizon appeared before the New YorkPublic Service Commission this past spring togain approval for the sale, as required by law.

Verizon has sold several of its assets overthe past few years. The company recentlyagreed to sell its Canadian directory publish-er, SuperPages Canada, to Bain Capital LLCfor $1.54 billion. The Carlyle Group in Maypurchased Verizon's local telephone opera-tions in Hawaii for over $1 billion. And in2001, Verizon sold 1.2 million access lines inKentucky, Alabama and Missouri for $4.11billion to Alltel and Century TelephoneEnterprises.

Verizon has said that the sales will allowthe company to focus assets in strategic mar-kets, meaning more profitable businesses suchas wireless service and high-speed Internetaccess.

Verizon Halts Sale of New York Lines(Continued from page 1)

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When asked to rate the most important domestic issues and their orderof importance using a scale of one to five, members had this to say:

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Proposals to modify

social security 14% 16% 33% 20% 18%

Fixing

Medicare reforms 7% 15% 29% 37% 15%

Importation of

prescription drugs 5% 7% 17% 26% 48%

Federal laws to protect

retiree health benefits 53% 23% 7% 4% 4%

Stiffer penalties for corporations

defaulting on pensions 20% 39% 14% 13% 14%

had relied on the work of the Pioneers tohelp towards the task of getting people tocare and care deeply. He also said “mayPioneering keep alive the heritage that hasmade our industry great.” This year marksthe 20th anniversary of the divestiture.

Miano partly credits what he calls “thedemise of one of the greatest volunteerorganizations” to a new culture of corpo-ratism, which has resulted in less financialand moral support for the Pioneers sinceBrown’s address.

“We have lost a lot of our Life Members,”or retirees, as opposed to Active Members,who currently work for the several corpora-tions within the communication industry,said Miano. Among these corporations areAT&T, Bell South, Verizon, Qwest,

Telcordia, Aliant, SBC, Lucent and others.“There are hundreds of thousands of

Pioneers out there answering the call andthey need to be praised,” said Miano. “Stillmany of the ‘powers that be’ within the cor-porations believe that the government wouldautomatically provide if the Pioneers nolonger could.”

Less and less corporate backing has beendetrimental to the Pioneers, according toMiano, who added that the Pioneers tradi-tionally have been a life-line to the manycommunities they serve.

Although Pioneers, continue to make animpact, they must go “back to the future”and return to the past in order to keep thetradition going, warned Miano.

Doing so would require galvanizing LifeMember groups, retirees and organizationslike the Association of BellTel Retirees,according to Miano, who has long been anadvocate of having the Association partnerwith the Pioneers’ Life Member groups. Notall Pioneers are Association members, but allAssociation members are Pioneers, he said.

Jim Gadd, the international CEO andexecutive director of the Pioneers, told theBellTell Retiree in October that it hasbecome essential that the sponsor corpora-tions increase communication with retireesor Life Members.

“Retirees are central to Pioneering,” saidGadd. As a result, “The Pioneers continue tobe strong. Last year, the Pioneers con-tributed over $300 million worth of volun-teer services to charitable causes.”

“Following the divestiture, the telecom-munication industry continued to view thePioneers as a great volunteer organizationand today commits resources to make surethat the tradition doesn’t just go away,” hesaid.

However, a chain is only as strong as itsweakest link and many Pioneer groups are inlimbo or may soon be, Miano and othershave predicted.

The Spring 2004 BellTell Retiree spot-lighted Pioneer clubs in West Florida thathave decided to break away from their spon-sor corporation, AT&T.

The decision was made shortly after cor-porate officials contacted the clubs andasked them to close their local bankaccounts and send their local treasury moneyto the company’s headquarters even thoughthey generated the money themselves at thelocal level.

“We were losing control,” said a Floridaretiree leader. “We don’t want a company todictate (community service programs) froma remote office.”

B E L L T E L

A s s o c i a t i o n o f B e l l Te l R e t i r e e s I n c .

Published by: Association of BellTel Retirees Inc.P.O. Box 33, Cold Spring Harbor,

New York 11724 • (631) 367-3067website: www.belltelretirees.org

E-mail: association@belltelretirees.org Hotline: (800) 261-9222

A 501 C3 IRS tax-exempt corporation Circulation Exceeds 100,000

UNITED, TO PROTECT OUR FUTURE

Advertising Representative:Jim Falborn (212) 260-1731

Winter 2004-05BellTel Retiree6

Restoring the Legacy of the Pioneers(Continued from page 1)

Pioneers from the Thomas Sherwin Chapter #14 in Massachusetts and local students proud-ly display handmade carpet maps. The maps, which are a signature project of the Pioneers, helpinstructors teach geography to young students.

(Continued on page 7)

President and Executive Director:C. William Jones (410) 770-9485

Office ManagerChristina M. Kruger (631) 367-3067

Board of Directors:John M. Brennan, Chairman (201) 666-8174

Michael S. Kucklinca,Executive Vice President (516) 741-2424

Eileen T. Lawrence, Treasurer (718) 229-6078Robert A. Rehm, Chief Financial Officer

(516) 827-0801John Sellen, Secretary (201) 261-1454

James E. Casey, Jr., Vice PresidentInformation Systems (540) 439-9568

Pamela M. Harrison, DirectorUnion Relations (845) 225-6497

Joanne Jacobsen, Director (978) 777-4858Richard Knapp, Director (914) 779-6292

John A. Parente, Vice PresidentMembership (518) 372-0526

Joseph A. Ristuccia, Vice PresidentGovernment Relations (631) 765-1111

Thomas J. Sisti, DirectorUnion Relations (201) 794-6494Louis Miano, Director Emeritus

(781) 444-8080

Despite fleeing the auspices of AT&T,the clubs’ members continue to donate timeto charitable causes.

After reading about the situation in WestFlorida, Brendan Feeney, who is president ofMassachusetts’ Thomas Sherwin Chapter’sWest Life Member Club, said there is unfor-tunately a growing lack of interest in thePioneers on the part of the sponsor corpora-tions. The club currently helps to support alocal halfway house and a home for disabledchildren.

“The Pioneers used to get excellent feed-back from the corporations. They werealways willing to support us. And we hadgreat allegiance to them too,” said Feeney,who began Pioneering in the 1970s.

“Today, there is little communicationbetween the corporations and the Pioneers,”specifically the Life Member groups, he said.

However, the proverbial torch that hasfueled the Pioneers in the past to take onsocial problems like illiteracy and poverty, aswell as lend support to the disabled throughthe Special Olympics, continues to burn andinspire others.

Elaine Cramme is a member of Virginia’sRichmond Life Member Club of the OldDominion Chapter 43.

The club operates the Virginia TelephoneMuseum, which Cramme estimates containsover a million dollars worth of old telephoneequipment and memorabilia.

However, keeping the museum and theclub running has been a task, she said.They’ve done everything from “sell pastriesto Easter eggs,” said Cramme, a formerC&P employee.

Within the last year, the SherwinChapter has taken on a range of projectsfrom making colorful Afghans for expectantmothers and carpet maps for elementaryschool students to creating reading materialsin Braille for the blind.

The chapter is divided into several clubsthat serve eastern Massachusetts, includingNantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

“We’ve got about 1,200 retirees in theCape Cod Club,” said Cape Cod ClubPresident Verna Semple. The club is current-ly focused on education initiatives, whichhave long been a focal point for Pioneers

internationally, she said.However, funding has

become somewhat of a chal-lenge for many chapters andclubs, said Semple, a formerVerizon office technician.

Because the Pioneers are a501 (C) (3) organizationthey are required to raisemuch of their own funds,said Semple.

“Fundraisers are a vitalpart of keeping us going,”she said adding “our mottohas been to donate time,when we can’t afford todonate money.”

“It’s disheartening to usthat some of the youngeroffice managers don’t seem to understandthe importance of what we do,” continuedSemple, regarding what she believes is a gen-eration gap between many Pioneer clubs andyounger office managers at the corporatelevel. Gaining permission to take off work toattend to Pioneer duties traditionally hasbeen a challenge as a result, she said. Still,many of the sponsor corporations seem toboast about Pioneer activities on their web-sites.

But Semple said she is optimistic that thetradition of Pioneering will remain for yearsto come because “I can’t imagine a worldwithout Pioneers.”

One Florida Pioneer recently agreed. He

said, “We are all Pioneers (even) away fromthe job.”

“It’s been said that once you volunteer,the good feeling you get inside from part-nering with others could result in chronicvolunteering,” said Jane Ore, who serves as avice president for New Jersey’s H.G.McCully Upstate Chapter 12. “It’s true.Most Pioneers get hooked for life.”

The H.G. McCully chapter is located innorthern New Jersey and consists of approx-imately 2,115 Active Members and 5,679Life Members.

“As you can see, it is our Life Members(retirees) who keep us strong,” she said.

Winter 2004-05 BellTel Retiree 7

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Restoring the Legacy of the Pioneers

The Pioneers’ West Life Member Club in Massachusetts col-lects toys for children during the holidays.

(Continued from page 6)

Winter 2004-05BellTel Retiree8

RETIREE SPOTLIGHT:

Nestled in the quaint vil-lage of Cold Spring Harbor,NY, the Association ofBellTel Retirees headquartersis a bustling machine brim-ming with activity.

However, juggling theworkload needed to keep theAssociation—which boasts amembership of over100,000— running often-times requires more hoursthen there are in a day.

Making the effort appearseamless are Chris and Jackie,two dedicated office workerswho manage theAssociation’s office, includ-ing answering telephone callsand both regular and electronic mail. Theyalso help maintain a database that containsinformation on the Association’s member-ship, which currently spans all 50 states.

“We truly appreciate the office crew inCold Spring Harbor,” said AssociationBoard Member and Treasurer EileenLawrence. “They play a major role in whatwe do as a retiree organization. We couldn’tdo what we do without them.”

The office receives between 100 to 200calls a week. Aside from inquiries into howto become an Association member andinformation featured in the BellTel Retiree,questions about pensions and other bene-fits are not uncommon.

“We never pretend to know theanswers,” said office manager Chris, whohas been working for the Association since1999. “Our goal is to direct members to theproper agencies where they can get theinformation they need from the authority,”rather than the Association, she said.

Being accessible to our members hasbeen of great value to the Association sinceit was established in 1995, said Chris, aretired Verizon employee.

She recalled a recent situation where amember required immediate assistanceafter she simply stopped receiving her pen-sion in the mail.

“She didn’t know who else to call,” saidChris, referring to the 90 year-old womanwho said she had been given the run

around when she contacted Verizon. “Allshe knew was that she needed to talk to areal, live human being and not a record-ing.”

Several months of not receiving her pen-sion had left the woman in somewhat of apickle, said Chris. The office quickly placedher in contact with a telephone companyofficial. The company had assumed that thewoman had passed away because her checkswere all sent back marked “return tosender.”

“The issue boiled down to a failure tocommunicate,” said Chris. The woman hadrecently moved and either forgot to notifyVerizon or they forgot to update theirrecords.

The situation, however, was quicklyresolved and the woman began receivingher pension again, this time at the newaddress.

For Jackie, who was hired as an officeassistant less than a year ago, getting toknow the members is the highlight ofworking with the Association at headquar-ters.

The headquarters’ location in the villageof Cold Spring Harbor, which was desig-nated a Historic Maritime area in 1994, isan added bonus.

“We work in a great location, for a greatassociation made up of great people,” saidChris. “It helps make what we do here allthe more worthwhile.”

Behind the Scenes at Headquarters

The Association maintains an office in historic Cold SpringHarbor, N.Y.

For those of you who temporarily relocateto warmer climates for the winter

months, won’t you please take the time todrop us a note or an email so that we canupdate our records and forward all impor-tant retiree communications to you.

This helps your Association substantiallyby allowing the most direct and immediatecorrespondence with our members. It alsoeliminates the substantial cost of returnpostage.

We would be more than happy to redi-rect your mail to your snowbird address inthe colder months and then revert to yourmain address for the remainder of the year.

Just drop us a note, either online at association@belltelretirees.org or throughregular mail at P.O. Box 33, Cold SpringHarbor, New York 11724, providing us withthe temporary address and the dates that youwill be away.

Attention All Snowbirds

Do you want to stay up-to-date with thelatest in retiree news, information and

happenings? If so, sign up for theAssociation of Bell Tel Retirees’ membernews service.

The free service delivers information onvital events, notices from our members, andnews straight to your email inbox. Youremail address will not be shared, sold orexchanged with any other organization orcompany.

Simply go the website, www.belltelretirees.org, click on the “KEEPME POSTED” icon and submit your infor-mation.

You will receive a confirmation emailnotifying you that your subscription hasbeen activated.

Also while online, feel free to read the lat-est Association bulletins by clicking on the“Bulletin” icon.

Free Member News Service

The BellTel Retiree Newsletternow reaches over 100,000 members.

Interesting informative stories,features appear quarterly.

Interested? Contact J im Falborn

@ 212-260-1731to advert ise

Association Board Members Lou Mianoand John Parente will join members of

the Pioneers’ Cape Cod Life Member Clubfor a luncheon this month. The December8 luncheon will take place at theBallymeade Estates & Country Club inNorth Falmouth, Massachusetts. The clubis located at 125 Falmouth Woods Road.

* * *

Agroup of Verizon retirees recentlyattended a luau in Baldwinsville, New

York. The luau takes place each year and isplanned by the Radisson CommunityAssociation in Baldwinsville, according toAssociation member Pat George.

* * *

The Washington D.C. AlexanderGraham Bell Chapter #15 Pioneers

donated computers to area elementaryschools. One computer was donated to St.Anthony’s Catholic School in Washington,DC. The other computer was given to theDoswell E. Brooks Elementary School inCapital Heights, Maryland. The new com-puters will be used by students to type andprint homework assignments, access theinternet and do research.

* * *

On December 8,Association President

and Executive Director C.William Jones will addressthe Verizon TelcomPioneers in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania.

* * *

Do you have Pioneer orretiree news? If you

would like to tell othersabout major retiree gather-ings and events in your area,please send us detailedinformation (name, num-ber, address, and emailaddress) to be listed on acalendar of retiree events.While we cannot guaran-tee publication, we willconsider every submission.

Winter 2004-05 BellTel Retiree 9

MISSION STATEMENTThe Association of BellTel

Retirees Inc. is dedicated to pro-mote the protection and enhance-ment of the pensions and benefitsfor retirees and beneficiaries of thecompanies and subsidiaries thatmake up the Verizon Corporation.

The Association will convincethe company to properly care for itsthousands of dedicated retiredemployees.

The Association will conductactivities designed to educate elect-ed federal, state and local represen-tatives and promote the passage oflegislation which will protect andguarantee, rather than invade, ourhard-earned pension and benefitsfunds.

NEW Benefit to BellTel Retirees*Whether moving across town, to a new state or around the world,Prudential Douglas Elliman can meet all your real estate needs.

*Ask about our discounts! PrudentialDouglas EllimanReal Estate

On Long Island call Mike Campanelli at 1-516-795-3456All other locations call our Relocation Group at 1-888-891-6683

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PIONEER & RETIREE NEWS AND NOTES:

Verizon retirees recently gathered for a luau in Baldwinsville, NY.

care and the other for pensions, were filledwith AT&T funds when the companyspun off Lucent in 1996, said Beltram.

However, the healthcare trust is current-ly depleted and the company has been dra-matically transferring healthcare costs toretirees as a result, he said.

The LRO had been working to stop thepassage of a new corporate tax bill thatwould allow large corporations like Lucentmore flexibility in how they cut retiree ben-efits.

An October message on the retiree orga-nization’s website noted that “althoughmembers flooded Congress with email inan effort to stop the bill, the legislation

passed the Senate and was expected to besigned into law by President Bush.”

The organization has also requested thatthe federal Securities and ExchangeCommission investigate whether or notLucent has properly exercised its obliga-tions to retirees regarding its pension plan.

The Lucent contract negotiationssparked demonstrations across the country,including one in Holmdel, NJ, whereemployees and retirees wearing red shirtsprotested in front of Lucent’s Bell Labsfacility and another in Omaha, NE, whereactive and retired workers and supportersrallied at Gene Leahy Mall.

“Many retirees have seen up to 25 per-cent of their pension checks eaten away byhealthcare coverage before they evenreceive the actual check,” said Beltram.

(Continued from page 3)

Lucent Retirees In Trouble as VEBA $$ Dwindle

Winter 2004-05BellTel Retiree10

By Richard S. Knapp

Recently, I decided to take a trip to thehardware store to purchase a newhammer drill. As it turns out, the

Milwaukee-brand drill had all of the quali-ties I was looking for.

Interestingly enough, upon inspection Irealized that the brand, an old Americanmanufacturer aptly named after a U.S. city,was actually made in Germany. So, I decid-ed to pick up another tool, one touting theGerman brand name Bosch. You guessed it.It was made in the U.S.

Is it me or is outsourcing starting to looklike double talk?

The subject of outsourcing is one that hasbeen debated in the last several issues of theBellTel, as it is one that has a huge impact onthe job market and economy— not to men-tion retirees.

In this most recent article, we willattempt to look at everyday solutions to out-sourcing.

Bringing an end to the outsourcing ofservices that are often handled by call cen-ters, such as billing operations and similarfunctions, for example, would be most diffi-cult.

For instance, General Electrics’ GE

Capital International Services employed17,000 people, with 12,000 at call centers inIndia and another 5,000 in centers inHungary, Mexico and China as ofSeptember 2004.

There are dozens of countries where peo-ple are proficient in English, one reason whymany corporations like GE claim these serv-ices can be outsourced to virtually anywhereoutside the U.S.

Although taxation, legislation and otherways to regulate outsourcing to foreigncountries, on a multitude of levels, lookpromising, they could be problematicalbecause we trade in a global economy.Indeed our trading partners as “the otherside” could seek retributions for the regula-tions. Consequently, reactive trade sanctionsagainst the U.S. would probably hurt oureconomy more than the restriction of out-sourcing would benefit us.

However, there is a huge area where wecan put pressure on outsourcing. This iswhere consumerism comes into play. Whenyou buy products do you check for the coun-try of manufacture?

Products are still “Made in the USA” andwill be made here as long as the manufactur-er can make a profit, particularly if they get

the message that consumers take intoaccount where the product was made.

If enough people buy U.S. products,whenever possible, then corporations will getthe idea.

For instance, consider buying a car. Manyof the so-called Japanese cars are made in theU.S., despite the fact that some of their partsare imported, as is the case with various partsin Daimler-Chrysler, Ford and GeneralMotors cars. Some models manufactured byHonda, Subaru and Toyota are good exam-ples of US-made Japanese cars.

If consumers do the research, though,they can find out exactly where a car is madeand consider purchasing one made in theU.S.

Another example is tools. You can buy apair of pliers or a screw driver made overseasat half the price of one made in the U.S.But, use both tools equally for a few yearsand the import most likely will need to bereplaced a lot sooner.

The whole point is you can help combatoutsourcing, retain jobs, feed our tax coffers,help our balance of payments and get a bet-ter product by doing just a little research.And the research could make a routine tripto the hardware store more interesting too.

Using Consumerism to Combat Outsourcing

Verizon Chairman and CEO IvanSeidenberg has been appointed to anew federal commission aimed at

developing strategies for improving health-care information technology.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, ofTennessee, announced Seidenberg’s appoint-ment after picking him to fill a seat on theCommission on Systemic Interoperabilityback in October.

The commission was established by theMedicare Prescription Drug, Improvementand Modernization Act of 2003 and will

develop technical standards for the storageand transmission of patient records, testsand other data.

Frist said the commission will fosterimprovements in the overall quality and effi-ciency of health care.

“The new Medicare law demands inno-vation in our health technology standards.Mr. Seidenberg’s vast experience in both thepublic and private sectors makes him an out-standing candidate to lead this effort,” saidthe senator.

According to Verizon, Seidenberg is the

only executive from a large corporationselected for the 11-member panel.

"I look forward to applying the lessonswe've learned in the telecommunicationsindustry to the work of this commission,"Seidenberg said in a statement. "My partic-ipation is just one of the ways Verizon canimpact the quality and cost of health caredelivery. We believe that improving the U.S.health care system is a daunting but desir-able policy goal for Verizon, and we will beactively pursuing that goal in the monthsand years ahead."

Seidenberg Appointed to Federal Commission

The 2004 edition of the book"Retirement Places Rated" put to thetest some 203 locations across the

country to uncover some of the best placesfor retirees to live.

Of the top four places, Florence, OR,ranked the nation’s best, followed byScottsdale, AZ; the area of Melbourne and

Palm Bay, FL; and northern San DiegoCounty, CA.

According to Association of BellTelRetirees records, the number of its membersresiding in these top-ranked locations was asfollows: 354 in Melbourne and Palm Bay; 37in Scottsdale; 35 in San Diego; and two inFlorence, as of fall 2004.

Long considered a prime location forretirees, Florida held two spots in the topten, according to the book released in August2004.

Communities, both large and small, wererated based on six categories including costof living, climate, crime, economy, ambienceand services.

Retiree Hotspots Focus of 2004 Publication

Dear Association, “Exploring Upsides of Job Exportation”

(Fall 2004 BellTel Retiree) is a healthy signthat the Association is maturing. Globalismwill no doubt bring some pain, as does allchange. But King Canute had more luckholding back the tide than anyone will haveresisting the burgeoning of the internationalcommunity. The survivors (as the beneficiar-ies) will be those who can not only accept it,but find a way to capitalize on its positiveaspects! Glad to see you have room for theexpression of larger viewpoints.

Nelson RungerPennsylvania

* * *Dear Association, Richard Knapp’s “Exploring Upsides of

Job Exportation” is an excellent summary ofthe problem of outsourcing and some babysteps toward a partial and iffy solution.However, you missed a golden opportunityto promote the only plan, in my opinion,that would reverse outsourcing, encourageinvestment domestically, promote industrialexpansion and create jobs.

I’m talking about a national sales tax toreplace income tax and the demise of theInternal Revenue Service (IRS). This plancompletely does away with income taxes. Forexample, if you work for a plumber and hepays you $500 a week, then you take home$500 a week. Also under the plan, everyonewould get a monthly payment from the gov-ernment equal to the amount of sales tax theyhave paid for the necessities of life. The planis revenue neutral and entirely fair.

The current tax code places U.S. manu-facturers at a disadvantage relative to theircounterparts abroad. In a global economy,the tax code is tantamount to industrial sui-cide. Anachronistic and inefficient, the codealso contributes hugely to balance of pay-ment problems and the national debt.

We have a golden opportunity to helppass HR 25, as it is legislation that would getthe IRS monkey off our backs! It would alsotake a huge chunk of control out of the handsof Congress, curbing their appetite for socialengineering, while rendering largely irrele-vant the activities of the lobby. What’s not tolike?

Don Pringle Georgia

* * *

Dear Association,In response to the article “Members

Speak Up About Forming an AmericanRetiree Political Party” (Summer 2004BellTel Retiree), I think a party for those ofus who cannot find a home in the “BigTwo” is long overdue.

We self-proclaimed “Independents” areusually left to vote for the lesser of twoevils, meaning we are still voting for evil tosome degree!

Although a party for retirees would mostlikely garner support from retirees andthose close to retirement, the party would-n’t go anywhere if it didn’t support broaderviews and concerns.

These broader views and concerns maycome from law-abiding citizens alarmedthat criminals have more protection thanthey have, the small portion of the popula-tion aware that almost every item, exceptfor food, in K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Target and

“dollar” stores are made in foreign countriesor those who know that a president cannotcreate a single job, except for White Houseappointments, despite candidates whopromise to create millions of jobs if we electthem.

Most importantly, let’s not forget thosewho feel that there should be a party thatadheres to the pleas of two former presi-dents, one who said, “Ask not what youcountry can do for you, but what you cando for your country” and another who said,“Power corrupts and absolute power cor-rupts absolutely.”

None of the abovementioned view has achampion in the “Big Two.” Yes, we need athird party. But, it cannot be made up ofjust retirees.

Lewis BurkeVirginia

Winter 2004-05 BellTel Retiree 11

Member Mailbag

ASSOCIATION OF BELLTEL RETIREES INC.PO BOX 61, Glen Head, NY 11545-0061

Yes! I want to join the Association of BellTel Retirees Inc. I support you in your fightto protect the pension and benefit rights of both craft and management retirees andactive employees. Enclosed is my tax-deductible contribution of:

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Gotleib & Associates, LLC and Securities America, Inc. are not affiliated in any way with Verizon, IBEW or CWA. Gotleib & Associates, LLC is an independentlyowned company that specializes in retirement planning and investment management. Gotleib & Associates, LLC is not affiliated with or endorsed by CWAor CWA 13000. Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member NASD, SIPC. Leo A. Gotleib, Registered Representative