|
A VIEW
FROM WASHINGTON
JANUARY 2004
Politics, when all is
said and
done, is the
business of belief and
enthusiasm..
Hope
energizes, doubt
destroys. Hopelessness is
not our heritage.
Hugh Sidey
– 1979
The above quote is conspicuously mounted in a frame on
the wall of Senator Chuck Hagel’s senatorial office in Washington. Mr.
Hagel is a second term Republican from Nebraska. As I have been quoted as
saying before, politics as practiced in this country, is the process by
which we manage the affairs of a large diverse democracy. I’m not at all
sure, yet, how the above quote fits into my definition, but perhaps you can
be of help.
It is with some satisfaction that I’m able to report
that the National Retiree Legislative Network (NRLN)
is not only alive and well, but making continued progress toward our
objectives. To be sure, problems and issues that adversely affect retirees
and older workers continue to plague most of us. Nearly every day we read
in our local newspapers about another company that has seen fit to attack
its retirees with more of what we’ve learned to call “take aways”. It is
also true that there remain more problems in this area than there are clean
solutions. Also, admittedly, there does appear to be a heck of a lot of
more companies withdrawing or canceling benefits than ever before. All of
this, my friends, is a very nasty trend. I could detail over several pages
examples of companies and public institutions breaking promises, and even
contracts, with their former employees in order to gain financial gain on
their ever loving “balance sheets”. To explain the obvious, they do this by
cutting and eliminating promised benefits in every way the current law
allows. Rather than use this space for more of this, I suggest that you
peruse your local newspapers where stories about retirees losing benefits
they earned are discussed. Let it suffice to say, that like me, most
retirees are “mad as hell and looking for ways to do something about it”.
We got a late start. The NRLN is just barely three
years old, and we have a whale of a lot of catching up to do. On the off
chance that you may not know much about who we are and what we do, let me
briefly explain. The NRLN is a loosely organized federation of Retiree
Organizations and At-Large-Members. We all support the notion that somehow
and someway we must find a way to stop the onslaught of benefits and pension
deterioration that is taking place all over America. It is being
perpetrated against retirees, who, by and large, are defenseless. The old
ERISA laws passed in the 70’s to protect retirees has been amended and
judiciously interpreted in such a way as to be no longer a protection, but
in fact has become a tool of corporate America. The mission of the NRLN,
very simply is to protect and enhance both pension and benefits that
retirees worked and paid for as active employees.
We are now starting our fourth year, and we have made
significant inroads in gaining recognition and reputation of a “class act”.
We have earned this description by our actions from places where it counts
most – in Congress, the newspaper press, and among our members. Through
some hard lessons over the last few years that our only progress will come,
not from litigation, but from legislation – national legislation. We are a
grass roots, by and large voluntary, group of older and retired folks bound
together by common objectives – the protection and retention of the
benefits that were promised us in retirement. That is all we do. We do not
arrange for travel discounts. We do not sell insurance. We don’t look for
anybody to sue. We’re non partisan, and we are neither pro-management nor
pro-union.
We have drafted a Bill (HR1322) that has been
introduced into the House of Representatives. Fundamentally, that Bill
would require companies who promised, as part of their employment agreement
to provide benefits in retirement, to live up to those promises. In other
words, to deliver whatever was promised in retirement. Like the old ERISA
protection Bill, our legislation would require employers to fund those
benefits during those working years. That Bill has 87 co-sponsors, but it
is still in “Committee”.
In 2004 our Plan includes the research, the drafting,
and the introduction of a new Bill. We think the passage of the
Prescription Drug Amendment has offered us an opportunity to capitalize on
what many consider a major mistake by Congress. Our new Bill, designed as
an amendment to the Prescription Drug Act, would, hopefully, bring a number
of new fresh ideas as it concerns health care for Medicare eligible
retirees. Almost no one really likes the recently passed drug amendment as
it was written and passed. Our work is now underway. Among the principles
that our Bill would utilize would be the principles of HR1322. It would
offer tax incentives to employers and would offer broad health care coverage
to workers in retirement, including prescription drugs. We have concluded
that we must offer some tax incentive to employers to garner their support
in final passage of the legislation. This support has not been there for
1322.
Two other major efforts of the NRLN for this year:
First, the undertaking of the responsibility of gathering together the ideas
and talents of other organizations, foundations, etc. to see if we can
develop a plan to address what we choose to call “an affordable health care
plan”. It may seem to you, as it does to us, a somewhat audacious scheme to
attempt to succeed where Hillary Clinton failed. Even with unlimited
resources, her plan never got off the ground. Because you, I, and millions
of others continue to be impacted by the out of sight costs of health care,
this is an issue which someone, somehow must solve. One of our members, an
IBM retiree, has taken on the chairmanship - a major effort. If you think
you can contribute to his committee, please let me know. You will hear more
about this as the year and plan unfold.
Another major effort now underway, is an expansion of
our membership to include anyone interested in our cause and who wants to
join us in our commitment. This will be a direct mail campaign offering
membership to the NRLN in return for a monetary contribution. As you,
hopefully all know, we are the only major group in the country who has
undertaken as a single cause, the protection of benefits for older
Americans.
In future publications, we’ll be asking you for help.
(We are, after all, a grass roots organization.) We need and are going to
ask for a massive uprising of citizens to utilize their votes and voices to
affect meaningful changes in Washington. A more detailed description and
plan will be in forth-coming newsletters.
Remember, for updated information on NRLN news and its
membership, visit this website regularly.
More to come – good luck.
Jim Norby
President |