The Iron is HOT; Let's Hit It… and Again

Al Brooks and Bob Henderson -5/7/06

The recent (4/27/06) DOE Notice 351.1 wherein Secretary Bodman announces DOE's intent NOT to fund any cost-of-living adjustments for existing defined benefit plans (See Section 5.a.(6)), should be a concern to all current contractor employees and retirees at all DOE sites.

The DOE Contractor Retiree problem is now contained in the larger DOE problem of defined benefit pension plans vs. defined contribution pension plans and the larger problem has gone to President Bush as a letter from the Senate Democratic Communication Center signed by Senator Harry Reid, Senate Democratic Leader, and seven additional senators. (See also Kennedy and Miller). The letter does not mince any words; it clearly opposes the recent DOE action concerning pension policies and requests that Notice 351.1 be rescinded. In Tennessee, our two senators have expressed support and Congressmen Wamp and Duncan have both spoken out for the retirees.

At the same time, the AFL-CIO is involved on a DOE wide basis, the ATLC is involved at the local level, the Coalition of Oak Ridge Retired Employees (CORRE) is involved in five or six communication exercises intended to draw attention to the Oak Ridge retirees immediate and continuing problems. The Pension Rights Center in Washington has expressed concerns due to inflation. See story by Frank Munger, KnoxNews, 5/9/06.

Never-the-less, it is not clear that the Senators and other legislators realize that DOE is and has been reneging on its age old commitment to fair and adequate pensions for retirees and is willing to let the pension buying power decay away to nothing with continuing increases in the cost-of-living index. If past inflation rates continue, current retirees stand to lose from 50 % to 70% of their buying power in 20 to 30 years. More details can be found on http://home.comcast.net/~brooks50/PensionPlanInformer.htm.

The CORRE active membership cannot afford (no pun intended) to pass up this opportunity to make sure that the Oak Ridge inequities are not lost in the larger political struggle nor can they afford to let pass the opportunity to become allied with their friends in the larger problem. The CORRE board can do its thing but only the membership can present the show of numbers that is necessary to convince the system that we are real human beings that are withering on the vine.

The problem has clearly been escalated to Washington and to the political arena. In the absence of specific friendships, our best missive is E-mails to all concerned. To this end, a revised list of e-mail addresses has been appended. We suggest that you call attention to the past and ongoing depreciation of pension benefits by the failure to grant appropriate cost-of living adjustments and, by the language of the "notice", the certainty that it will be downhill for all the current retirees and current employees who retire in the future under the current defined benefit plan. Of course, personal thoughts on the problem are also appropriate as usual.

Opportunity is knocking, let it in; we need all the help we can get.

Appendix: INTERNET Access Routes

Sen. Bill Frist	http://frist.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=AboutSenatorFrist.ContactForm
Sen. Lamar Alexander	http://alexander.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
Rep. Zach Wamp	http://www.house.gov/wamp/IMA/get_address4.htm
Rep. Lincoln Davis	http://www.house.gov/writerep/
Rep. John Duncan	http://www.house.gov/writerep/
Sec. Samuel. W. Bodman	http://www.energy.gov/engine/content.do?BT_CODE=AD_CU_GENCOM
Sen. Edward Kennedy	http://kennedy.senate.gov/contact.html
Rep. George Miller	George.Miller@mail.house.gov
Sen. Harry Reid	http://reid.senate.gov/email_form.cfm
Sen. Max Baucus	http://baucus.senate.gov/contact/emailForm.cfm?subj=issue
Sen. Jeff Bingaman	senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov
Sen. Tom Harkin	http://harkin.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm
Sen. Barbara Mikulski	http://mikulski.senate.gov/contactme/mailform.html
Sen. Maria Cantwell	http://cantwell.senate.gov/contact/
Sen. Patty Murray	http://murray.senate.gov/email/index.cfm