What YOU Can DO!

Attend monthly AGRE meetings, scheduled on the first Thursday of each month!

Please note that due to the New Year's holiday, the January AGRE Meeting will be held on the second Thursday, January 8, at 6:00 p.m., at 133 Raleigh Road, Oak Ridge.

Send letters and e-mails to your government representatives!

Examples of how to state these issues will be sent to everyone on the AGRE e-mail distribution, along with mailing addresses and web sites of our government representatives.

The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease!

“I hate to be a kicker (complainer), I always long for peace, but the wheel that does the squeaking is the one that gets the grease” is a famous quote attributed to the American humorist Josh Billings (1818–1885) in his poem “The Kicker” describing his frustration with being polite and not getting his way with authorities. If you’re persistent and make a lot of noise, those in high places will get your message. The most effective way to make your voice heard is to join together for a common cause, gaining as many people and as much support as possible. People who care about issues (i.e., medical benefits, insurance rates, pension fund stability, etc.) must express their ideas and get involved by taking action to bring about change.

Send your e-mail address to gfemployee@yahoo.com!

E-mail is our primary means of communicating due to limited operating funds. In an attempt to contact those who may not have e-mail addresses, over 130 postcards were mailed to Grandfathered employees/retirees this week, notifying them of the monthly meetings and this web site (http://www.gfemployees.blogspot.com/).

Summary of Current AGRE Requests to BJC and DOE:

• Move the administration and management of the Health and Welfare Trust from BJC to B&W Y-12, to be managed under the Oak Ridge Benefits and Investments Trust (ORBIT).
• Move the administration and management of the BJC Pension Plan for Grandfathered Employees to B&W Y-12 to be managed as a separate Trust under the Master Trust of the Oak Ridge Benefits and Investments Trust (ORBIT).
• Grant equity to Grandfathered employees and retirees by removing the 30-year cap from the retirement calculation.
• Grant equity to Grandfathered employees and retirees by adding the spouse option limit of 2 percent into the retirement calculation.
• Reimburse Grandfathered employees and retirees the overcharged (surplus) medical premiums in the Health and Welfare Trust.
• Change medical/dental/prescription coverage providers from Aetna to CIGNA, thereby realizing an estimated three-year cost savings of over $6 million, in addition to providing local jobs in Tennessee. (CIGNA is located in Chattanooga, TN)
• Take necessary action to transfer pension funds from USEC for those approximately 200-400 former USEC employees who entered the plan for Grandfathered employees without their pension assets transferring with them.