Coalition of Oak Ridge Retired Employees (CORRE)
Working for Fair, Equitable, and Competitive Benefits
For Former K-25, Y-12, and ORNL Employees
P. O. Box 4266
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-4266
August 31, 2007
Mr. Gerald Boyd
Manager, Oak Ridge Operations
U. S. Department of Energy
P. O. Box 2001
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831
Dear Gerald:
Thank you for meeting with representatives of the Coalition of Oak
Ridge Retired Employees (CORRE) on August 29. We appreciated the
opportunity to assure you of our desire to work with your office in
trying to resolve the pension issues outlined in CORRE’s 2007
Position Paper _ namely, the 2% spousal option for retirees before July
2004, and resumption of the practice of periodic pension adjustments by
the contractors. We note that the MEPP Pension Fund surplus
continues to exceed liabilities by a huge amount.
CORRE is pleased that the positive dialogue has been renewed with ORO
that existed before the public exchange with DOE-HQ over DOE Notice
351.1, and that our pension concerns are understood. We continue
to have dialog with the prime contractor managers in Oak Ridge and our
legislative representatives, as we attempt to find satisfactory
solutions to the pension concerns of contractor retirees.
I appreciate your willingness to look into the fate of the 28% Medicare
D drug subsidy, and that you are willing to verify that DOE’s
policy is to return the subsidy to the local contractor. In such
a case, CORRE would hope that the contractors would apply the subsidy
against the medical premium, thus simultaneously reducing the costs
against contractors’ overhead, reducing the cost of
retirees’ premiums, and lowering the medical benefit percentile
in the benefit evaluation (Benval). This would be a win-win situation
for all concerned. We look forward to your findings.
Sincerely,
David E. Reichle
CORRE President
865-376-2856, drr4der@aol.com
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