HendersonReports.htm

On June, 4, 2007, Bob Henderson and other retirees attended a Kingston Town Hall meeting with Senator Bob Corker and staff. There was a later meeting between Dave Reichle and other CORRE board members with Senator Corker and staff. Several in Kingston spoke about the aspects of the pension problem and Bob H. saved his notes and memos he sent others. I talked at length with Bob, felt that the Kinston meeting sounded very productive and the notes should be posted for all to read. There's some good stuff here for follow-up letters from CORRE members and also good contact information for staff members. The notes follow:

1) Note from Bob to Dave Reichle

Dave,

I know you attended the meeting this morning in Kingston, but I wanted Keith and Pete to be aware of what I said, or tried to say, to Corker this morning. Additionally I gave a written copy of this to Rhonda Smithson, Constituent Caseworker locally for Corker, and also gave her a DVD. I gave the identical information to Jane Chedester, Alexander's person locally who attended the meeting. I had time to talk to Rhonda about the information and also had limited time to talk to Jane about it. I emphasized that our TN elected officials had not provided unified support of the DOE contractor workers like the elected officials had in New Mexico, California, New York and Illinois. Also I emphasized the fact that DOE tells us that any adjustments must be proposed by the contractors, and yet the contractors are on an award fee system, and DOE made it clear last year that they didn't want us to get any adjustments. I said our only alternative is our elected officials.

I also told both Rhonda and Jane that my representative is Lincoln Davis and when I talk to him, he says everyone lets Zach Wamp take the lead on issues such as this because the Lab is in Zach's district. Further, when I try to contact Zach, I'm told that he is NOT my representative, that I should contact my representative.

I gave a DVD to Kingston mayor Troy Beets and to County mayor Mike Farmer also. I only had 4 that I had purchased from Mary Helen yesterday after church.

Good luck on your meeting today!

Bob Henderson

2) Points to make with Senator Corker at Kingston Town Hall Meeting June 4, 2007.

1. There are 12,000 Oak Ridge Retirees from DOE facilities. Many are Roane Countians, almost all live in TN and do vote. So do their families and friends. Many voted for you because your aides promised that you would meet with CORRE during your first 100 days in office and were supportive of CORRE. I did!

2. Oak Ridge Retirees have been treated very badly compared to other DOE sites and compared to current Oak Ridge employees. Some of this is probably due to local DOE and their Award Fee arrangements, but some is certainly due to lack of active over-site by our Tennessee Congressmen and Senators.

3. There are sufficient funds in the Oak Ridge Retirement Fund to allow adjustments requested by the CORRE organization. The adjustments would not cost DOE or the U.S. government anything. The adjustments wouldn't give us pensions equal to other DOE sites, but they would close part of the VERY WIDE gap that exists.

4. No funds have been added to the Oak Ridge Retirement Fund since 1984 (that's 23 years) by DOE, the contractors and/or the Federal Government. Contrast this with the fact that in New York and Illinois DOE is paying 9-10% of the employee's salary into their Pension Fund each and every year. Clearly funds are available to do that.

5. In other states, particularly New Mexico, California, New York and Illinois the DOE contractor retirees have much better pensions than do the TN retirees. The New Mexico and California retirees have pensions that are more than twice what most of we Oak Ridgers have, for comparable work and time of service. Their legislators are far more active in local benefits than ours have been. Their constituents are NOT treated like we are in Tennessee.

6. In New Mexico, the DOE contractors reduced the surviving spouse option PENALTY from 8-10% of one's pension to a flat 2% for BOTH current employees and RETIREES. In Oak Ridge, in 2004, the contractors reduced the surviving spouse option PENALTY for employees from 8-10% to a flat 2%, but made no changes for those RETIREES who had retired before 2004.

7. In 2004 the Oak Ridge contractors, with DOE approval, increased the "multiplier" for pensions from 1.2 to 1.4 for current employees and future retirees, but NOT for current retirees. This action alone increases one's pension by 16.7%. If it wasn't badly needed to remain competitive, why did DOE approve it? (In California and New Mexico the multiplier is and has been 2.5.) Oak Ridge retirees have no voice except through our elected officials.

8. Many Oak Ridge contractor retirees' pensions have lost over 50% of the buying power one had when they first retired. Employees of DOE have COLAs in their pensions so that they have lost no buying power since they retired.

Robert W. (Bob) Henderson

295 Timberline Drive

Kingston, TN 37763

(865) 717-7041

3) Contacts with Rhonda Smithson and Ashley Horning

Some of you folks may already this info, but I believe that Dave R. told me this morning that he didn't have it. I promised to send it to him.

Rhonda Smithson, Constituent Caseworker

800 Market Street, Suite 121

Knoxville, TN 37902

865-637-4180 -Office

RHONDA_SMITHSON@CORKER.SENATE.GOV

Rhonda told me to call their Washington office and talk to Ashley Horning at (202) 224-3344 about any concerns we have/had about the Oak Ridge Retiree pension concerns. 

Thanks,

Bob Henderson   

Editors Note: Ashley Horning, 27, worked in Santorum's office from 2001 to 2006 and most recently as a legislative assistant, focusing on energy, transportation, environmental and homeland security issues. Horning graduated summa cum laude from Eastern College in Pennsylvania in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in social work.