Click on one of these links to visit CORRE Web Pages

CORRE Home Page   Board Minutes   News   CORRE Organization    Contacts and Links     

Register Your Address    Contribute to CORRE

 Present:  Ken Bernander, Sandy Dean, Joe Dykstra, Ben Gaylor, John Roy Gray, Jackie Holloway, John Jones, Marigrace Kirstowsky, Julia Hoppe, Ben Johnson, Charlie Kuykendall, Tom Lemons, Pete Lotts, Dave Reichle, Mary Helen Rose, Troy Trotter, Bill Wilcox, Don Wood, Bob Worrell

1.      Opening Remarks.   Charlie Kuykendall stated that we are going to be having some meetings in the near future that are hosted by our legislators (more information under Legislative report).   

2.      Secretary & Treasurer’s Report.  Mary Helen Rose reminded board members to turn in their biosketches, if they have not already done so.  She highlighted her Treasurer’s report, copies of which had been distributed to board members.  Balance on hand June 30, 2003, was $38,397.82 with a total of about 1,798 Active Members. 

3.      Communications.   Charlie introduced and welcomed Sandy Dean, who is the new Communications Director.  Bob Wesley has agreed to continue as an Advisor.  Charlie reported that BWXT has told him they will be doing a Retiree Newsletter every other month.  They continue to welcome us as a guest with CORRE Corner in the newsletter.  The next issue will be in August, and we hope to have notice of our Annual Meeting in that issue, as well as in an early- October issue.   

4.      Website.  John Roy Gray had nothing new to report, since he has been on vacation and having computer problems.  

5.      Legislative Report.  Lotts discussed Congressman Wamp’s letter, which transmitted DOE Headquarters'  response to earlier letters from legislators.  He also referred to his own letter to Wamp on behalf of the Legislative Committee, which stated that the letter from Sec. Abraham’s office did not really address any of the issues in the letter from legislators. (Copies of all letters were distributed to Board members.)   Lotts reported that he, John Jones, and Kuykendall met with Linda Ponce in Wamp’s local office to discuss the reply from Abraham’s office.  At the meeting, she advanced an idea of setting up a meeting of legislators plus managers of BWXT, UT-Battelle, and Bechtel-Jacobs, along with members of legislative office staffs.  The meeting is scheduled for August 12.  There will be an earlier meeting, scheduled for July 31, with the Oak Ridge Operations Office Manager, Gerald Boyd.   

Charlie said that a small workshop has been held to start thinking about what kind of presentation to make at the meeting with ORO and at the meeting on August 12.  We will build a rational case for them to understand and support what we are asking.  We will try to clarify what our request is.  He said we need to modify our position paper to clarify one or two things, one regarding percentage of recovery we are seeking.  A motion was then made and approved unanimously “that our goal be to recover 75 percent of loss of pension value due to inflation, and that we ask the contractor and DOE for a review every two years to assure that we are meeting that goal.” 

Bill Wilcox reviewed our request for minimum pensions.  He said we found out from the company in February 2002 that we have 468 retirees whose pensions are less than $600/month.  The cost of helping these 468 people is very reasonable, $750,000/year (total of $7.5 million over the retirees’ lifetimes).   There are 1,882 surviving spouses who are drawing less than $300/month, and we also want to help them.  The CORRE board wants to bring them up to a minimum of $400/month, which would cost $971,000/month (total of $10 million over their lifetimes). Wilcox noted that we have some specific cases that we could use to illustrate how that some retirees and surviving spouses are not receiving enough to cover their insurance premium.   

6.      Tax-Exempt Status.  Don Woods reported that we are still working with IRS to furnish them the information they need.  He and Ben Johnson will meet with Willard Carr, CPA, after the Board meeting.  It appears that we will have to pay a filing fee of $500, rather than the $150 we have earlier sent.   

 7.      Strategy Discussion – Goals.   Tom Lemons mentioned that he has been in touch with a representative of Coalition for Retirement Security (CRS), a national retirees’ advocacy organization.  Membership would cost $500/year.  Lemons asked what the organization could do for CORRE, and the representative really didn’t have anything specific. 

Dave Reichle reported that, at a meeting of FORNL earlier in the day, he and Kuykendall had an opportunity to talk briefly with Bill Madia and the new ORNL Director, Jeff Wadsworth.  He said that Wadsworth immediately related to “CORRE,” and stated that he had worked with retirees at Livermore.  Wadsworth issued an open invitation for Charlie and Dave to come to ORNL anytime and visit with him. 

8.        2003 Annual Meeting.  Handouts available at the meeting will be an agenda with list of nominees, copies of the Accomplishments/Actions list, and copies of the biosketches of proposed board members.  For refreshments, Joe Dykstra will bring a cooler with bags of ice.  Mary Helen will bring cups and large bottles of diet colas, also some light snack foods.  Marigrace volunteered to help as needed.  

9.      Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 3:40 p.m.

                                                                        Mary Helen Rose, Board Secretary