Next week is our next national Union Hall Call for an update on Verizon bargaining and the important work CWA activists are doing all across the country.

Click here to sign up now to join the call on Wednesday, January 25 at 7:30 PM EST: http://www.cwa-union.org/cwacall

Dear Colleagues:

The Robert D. Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund, administered by the
Cleveland Foundation, is now accepting applications for the 2011-2012
academic year. Applications must be postmarked by April 30, 2011.
Awards will be announced by June 15, 2011.

Officially announced today; the 2012 Gatt rate is 3.02% (a decrease from the current 2011 rate of 4.19%). I am told it will take Fidelity a few more days to revise & update their computers with the new rate. Please wait a few days before calling or going to the internet to request a calc.

President Dave Skotarczyk
Exectutive Vice President Troy Smith
Secretary/ Treasurer Gerald Sokoloski
Vice President Global Services Keith Valko
Vice President National Units Mike Klein
Vice President HiCap Anthony Swayne
Area rep Global Services Jim Adamowicz
Area Rep Maintenance Artistine Taylar
Area Rep Provisioning Ken Williams

The following represents the scheduled VTP/Surplus declaration windows for 2012. As you know, these windows are established routinely and may not be an all-inclusive list of potential declarations.

In preparation for the upcoming annual open enrollment period for your 2012 benefits, the Alcatel-Lucent Joint Retiree Health Care Committee is announcing an important change to healthcare coverage for Medicare-eligible participants and their Medicare-eligible dependents who reside in the United States (U.S.).

TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR GATT PROTECTION IN 2012:

1. Must be covered under the Core Bargaining Agreement at the time you leave.

2. Satisfy Modified Rule of 75 (meaning meet pension plan eligibility rules ie: Core Pension Plan = 30 & out, age 50 w/25 years, age 55 w/20 year or age 65 w/10 years),

3. Have a Termination date prior to 3/31/2012,

4. Have a BCD (benefit commencement date) between Jan 1- Mar 31, 2012.

Ten years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, we remember the CWA heroes: those who perished in the terrorist attacks and those who stood together to get America working again.

Watch the video: http://www.cwa-union.org/video/entry/cwa_9_11_remembrance

AT&T offers our members, who are enrolled in the CarePlus benefit program, access to Cleveland Clinic’s MyConsult Online Medical Second opinion program.

Brothers Charles and David Koch, with a combined worth around $35 billion dollars, are waging a war against President Obama.

The Koch brothers are the majority owners in Koch Industries, America 's second-largest private company with revenues of $100 billion in 2009, and 80,000 employees in 60 countries.