Please help fight the 'Pension Protection Plan of 2005 (HR2830/HR2831)

[sinkingfeeling]

If you are a part of any 'hybird' pension plan, such as cash balances or pension equity plans, you need to contact your Senators and Reps.

While some of this 'protection plan' may be OK, ERIC is urging Senators to make provisions retroactive. The letter written to Senators is referring to the Cooper vs. IBM lawsuit which was ruled in the favor of IBM retirees. The verdict is being appealled by IBM and this would provide IBM with an escape hatch. All they would have to do is make all current and future retirees accept a cash balance plan. Those already retired would lose up to 60% of their current monthly benefit.

http://www.eric.org/forms/uploadFiles/3B0200000012.filename.ltr_to_sen_

[antigop]

1. STOP THE BOEHNER PENSION ABORTION ACT

If you are on a traditional pension plan (not hybrid or cash balance), you NEED TO CALL as well. This bill will give corporations the green light to switch your pension plan to cash balance.

The Senate Finance Committee is supposed to markup a bill TOMORROW.

PLEASE CALL!

Also sign the petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/rrs01/

Get your family and friends to sign.

DO IT NOW if you want to protect your pension.

[antigop]

2. Marie Cocco wrote about this bill

http://www.postwritersgroup.com/archives/cocc0712.htm

>>
Boehner to the rescue. He tucked language into a larger pension-reform bill that would, in essence, legalize future cash-balance plans by changing the rules on what constitutes age discrimination. The measure has not come before the full House for a vote. But if Boehner's legislation does pass, companies still tied up in court because of past conversions could have their damages capped. Even if workers won they would somehow lose. ``It indirectly sanctions conduct that was previously considered illegal,'' says Cantarella.

Under this new and supposedly improved system, older workers who started out covered by a traditional plan couldn't fight back. ``Legal harassment of these retirement plans needs to stop,'' Boehner says.

Just who's being harassed?
>>

[cdsilv]

3. forward to the AARP!?

I'm not sure of how to do this, but this should tip the AARP to the DEM side....along with SS reform.