SPRING
Retirees Corner
(continued from last page)
In addition to the doughnut hole
changes within the next six months
alone, the- new law:
Provides a $5 billion reinsurance fund
to help employers who provide health
benefits to early retirees ages 55 to 64
(goes into effect in 90 days);
Eliminates pre-existing conditions for
non-dependent children up to age 26;
Prohibits insurers from placing lifetime
limits on coverage;
Restricts new plans' annual limits on
coverage;
Provides $5 billion to states to create
a high risk insurance pool for those denied
insurance due to pre-existing conditions
and who have been without insurance for
6 months;
Prohibits rescission. or dropping
covera_se. u,hen individuals become sick:
Creates a public health and wellness
fund. and requires new private insurance
plans to offer preventive services without
co-payments;
Provides up to 35 7c tax credits to
small businesses that offer health care
coverage; and
Creates a nerv and independent health
insurance appeals process for consumers.
Of course. like anything else, this
Bill rvill have its ups and downs and will
have to have corrections made to it along
the u'ay. But it is something that was
badly needed.
Chapter members will be going to see
the play "Chapter Two" in May and we
will take our annual cruise down to the
Statue of Liberty in August.
For those of you who haven't been to
any of our Chapter meetings lately, you
have missed out on some very good guest
speakers.
At our October meeting, we had two
speakers, one from the L.I. Blood
Services to remind us that many of us are
still eligible to give blood and the
importance of giving back to our
community. We were also fortunate to
have a U.S. Postal Inspector talk to us
regarding fraud in the mail and what to
do to prevent this. In November, we also
had two speakers, Pete Cirillo from the
Local spoke to us regarding changes in
our health and benefit plan with Verizon
and he fielded questions from those
present. Pete does a greatjob at the Local
for both the active and retired 1 104
members. In addition to Pete speaking,
we had Patrick Inscrimb from the Nassau
County Veterans Affairs Office bring us
up to date on veterans' issues.
December brought the people from
David Lerner to speak to us. No, "Poppy"
didn't come, but the team of people he
sent was very good in explaining the
various types offinancial tools available.
With the start of the New Year, our
next speaker spoke about a subject that
has been infiltrating our schools for some
time and increasing. Patricia Rykert from
the L.I. Council on Alcohol and Drug
Dependence spoke on the increasing use
and availability of drugs in our schools.
She also spoke about prescription drugs
and our dependence on them.
At the membership meeting in
Februarl . \\'e \\'ere a captive audience to
Nassau County Police Officer John
Doxwell. No, he wasn't giving out
parking tickets, but he did enlighten all
of us on the many issues that the
homeowner must be aware of and the
work of your locai police force.
Finally. in March. we had Dr. Linda
Cocchiarella from the L.I. Occupational
and Environmental Health Center. The
good doctor spoke about the many job-
related illnesses from asbestos, lead and
high pitch tones that we have encountered
over the many years as employees in the
Bell System.
So, as you see, we have had a variety
of guest speakers at our meetings. And,
of course, our master chefs always
prepare a good lunch before we send you
on your way.
So stop by, we meet the first Monday
of each month at 10 AM at the same spot,
the Knights of Columbus Hall in
Levittown.
Finally, in February, we lost one on
our original charter and committee
members. Bill Barci passed away after a
long illness. Bill was our V.P. at Large
and served in that capacity from the very
beginning of this Chapter. When Leo
Dick was installed as the first President
of this Chapter, the first person he tapped
to be on the board was Bill. He served our
Chapter well over many years. The
PAGE 9
sympathy of all our members goes out to
Bill's wife, Barbara.and the entire Barci
family.
That's about enough of me for now. I
do hope to see you at one of our upcoming
events in the near future "Chapter
Two" in May or the cruise -to the Statue
of Liberty in August. Whateveryourplans
are, enjoy the spring and summer.
Be well and enjoy your retirement.
Is Ivan Surplus Too?
(continued from page I )
of Directors in Verizon is right; Ivan just
doesn't have it anymore. It seems his
answer to everything is to cut jobs. I
guess at 63 Ivan is having difficulty
remembering back when he was a
Splicer's Helper in the Bronx. Yes, that's
right. he was a little guy once who was
given the fast track, one where he sat at
the top of the manhole and did his
homework on Company time and left
almost everyday at,2:30 PM so he could
go to school. Just think how times change.
If you did this, you would be suspended
immediately or worse. Hey, Ivan, you
need a walk down memory lane to remind
you what a dirty manhole looks like and
what the little people have to do to make
ends meet.
Recent negotiations fell apart because
Verizon wanted to crush the little people.
They offered some people a little money,
kept some of their pets, and wanted to
continue contracting out our work. They
wanted us to agree to bargain away our
jobs for the present and the future, and
then threaten us with massive layoffs
this year. The press release they have put
out is far from the full story and only
those who are self-serving would ever
believe it's true.
Your union is in the business of
representing people and putting them to
work, not giving away their jobs. Stand
strong, stand tall, and tell them if you
want to negotiate, bring us a deal like you
gave Ivan when he was one of the little
people. He is still little, but he's very rich
because the people he worked for gave
him a break.