Take Action Now!

The NRLN urges you to make your voice heard in our nation’s capital. By typing your zip code into the box at right you can access the latest Action Alert, learn more about your elected officials, see how they voted on bills important to you as a retiree, see election data, register to vote and more in the Capwiz pages. Click here to sign up to receive emails from the NRLN on legislative issues important to retirees.

To read about important Legislative Bills, their status and the NRLN’s position, click on the following links:

Read About Important Legislative Bills----Pensions Health Care Medicare

Read the NRLN's Legislative Agenda

NRLN Works On Legislation To Protect Pensions And Benefits

The National Retiree Legislative Network (NRLN) is a non-partisan, grassroots coalition of retiree associations, individual retirees and pre-retirees devoted to enacting federal legislation to protect pension plans and retirement healthcare benefits.

BILL KADEREIT, president

With support from its more than 2 million members and Washington, DC-based staff, the NRLN identifies and rallies support for Federal legislation will guarantee fair and equitable treatment of retirees from the private and public sectors. Learn more about the NRLN and legislation important to retirees by clicking on the links in the site index to the left.

Your fellow retirees need your help.
Please JOIN THE NRLN, sign up as a Grassroots Advocate and/or SUPPORT THE NRLN with a financial contribution.

NRLN 2008 Legislative Agenda

The NRLN's 2008 legislative priorities include the further strengthening of pension protections under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), protecting and funding retiree healthcare benefits and securing more affordable and safe prescription drugs.

The NRLN’s Legislative Agenda will require all of its Grassroots Network Advocates to communicate to their elected representatives in Washington, D.C. the importance of the agenda issues for millions of America’s retirees and future retirees. NRLN members must impress upon our nation’s leaders that it is their duty to help protect what retirees have earned through years of labor.

The NRLN’s dedicated staff in Washington, D.C. will use the rapport they have developed with U.S. Representatives and Senators and their staff members to be an additional channel for communications to advance our agenda on Capitol Hill. Read the NRLN's Major Initiatives Summary here.

NRLN 1st Quarter 2008 Report To Members

During the 1st Quarter of 2008, NRLN leaders and staff directed a great deal of their efforts toward calling Congress' attention to the harm that will be done to many retirees by the rules issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Treasury Department and requesting that the rules be overturned through legislation. In addition, the NRLN's Grassroots campaign was successful in helping convince Congress to include low-income retirees on Social Security for economic stimulus rebates. Click here to read the NRLN's 1st Quarter 2008 Report.

Join The NRLN’s Grassroots Network

The NRLN’s Grassroots Network is the heartbeat of our organization. It is the men and women—retirees and future retirees—who sign up to be Grassroots Advocates that are the voices who amplify the messages that must be heard by our elected representatives in Washington, DC.

When you enter your name, email address and U.S. Mail address in the Capwiz database, you are joining a special group.

The reason that email addresses are required for the Grassroots Network is so that the NRLN staff can send you email messages and progress reports on important retirement issues. Your contact information in the NRLN’s secure database will only be used to send NRLN messages to you.

You will also receive Action Alerts when it is critical that retirees write to members of Congress on pending retirement legislation or other issues they should address.

Your U.S. Mail address, including 9-digit Zip Code, is important because there are times when we need to identify the constituents of particular U.S. Senators and Representatives who should hear the views of retirees and future retirees from “back home” on bills before their committees.

The Grassroots Network also needs volunteers as Congressional District (CD) Leaders for more direct involvement with members of Congress. If you wish to be involved at this higher level, please contact Bob Martina at rfjm9870@aol.com. If your CD needs a leader, Bob will work with your State and Regional Grassroots leaders to get you involved at this level and provide you a data package.

When NRLN Grassroots Advocates are sent an Action Alert, it is intended to motivate our thousands of participants to personalize the sample letter provided and use the Capwiz system to send their messages directly into the web forms of House and Senate offices on Capitol Hill.

Since the power of grassroots organizing is individuals with a common purpose coming together to accomplish objectives, it is vital to mobilize large numbers of people.

By clicking here to sign up in the NRLN Grassroots Network, you will be taking the first step toward doing your part to gain fair treatment for retirees. We hope that you will also consider becoming an individual member of the NRLN by making a personal contribution by clicking on one of the other provided links.

LATEST NEWS

(click on headlines for more)

Why Congress Ignores Your Retirement
By Lyric Wallwork Winiki, Parade.Com - April 27, 2008
You may be worried about saving for retirement—but Congress isn’t. Only 50 percent of all American employees can sign up for a 401(k) or other plan at work, and only 35 percent of senior citizens currently receive income from a pension. But members of Congress have a pension and the option for a 401(k)-type plan. “If you’re a Congressman who retired in 2006 after 20 years, you’d get a $55,000 initial yearly pension, as well as your 401(k) savings and Social Security benefits,” says David John of The Heritage Foundation. “Many members of Congress don’t understand how hard it can be for the average person to save. They address retirement with their ‘leftover’ time. It’s not a high enough priority for them.”

Confidence in retirement drops sharply
By Humberto Cruz, Salt Lake Tribune - April 26, 2008
Confidence among retirees on their retirement security has decreased sharply - just 29 percent feel very confident now, down from 41 percent in 2007. The percentage of ''somewhat confident'' retirees fell from 38 percent last year to 35 percent. These findings are from a survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute...

Questions On Retirement Issues Sent To Presidential Candidates

NRLN President Bill Kadereit has sent to the presidential candidates a letter with questions developed by the NRLN Legislative Committee. The Republican and Democrat candidates are being asked to provide their positions on issues of importance to retirees. The hope is that the candidates will respond and provide NRLN members with insights into how they would deal as president with retirement pensions, benefits, Social Security, Medicare and cost of health care. Click on the headline to read the questions. When responses are received, NRLN members will be notified about how to access the answers on the NRLN website. The NRLN Legislative Committee will also develop questions to be sent to candidates for the U.S. Senate and House of Representative.

NRLN Action Alert: Congress Must Protect Retirement Benefits

Chrysler has notified its management retirees that effective June 1, 2008 it will no longer extend company-sponsored group life insurance to its management retirees. Chrysler’s action will be noticed—and likely emulated—by a number of other corporations. NRLN Grassroots Advocates should to write to their U.S. Senators and Representative to point out Chrysler’s decision and call for legislation to protect retirement benefits.

NRLN NEWS RELEASE:NRLN Condemns Chrysler's Elimination Of Life Insurance For Management Retirees

The NRLN has issued a news release in which Bill Kadereit condemns Chrysler's decision to no longer extend company-sponsored group life insurance to its management retirees, effective June 1, 2008. The news release also calls on Congress to act to stem the tide of broken corporate promises.

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