President's CornerTo all members and retirees; we are facing a dramatic time in this country. Our economy is dangerously close to a depression. Wall Street is a mess, the stock market fluctuates daily. Our systems which are in place; Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, are in jeopardy. Our country is in search of a new President; at Qwest we are awaiting the outcome of the vote for the tentative agreement. AT&T bargaining is around the corner. Never before have working families been teetering on a see saw like the one we are watching presently. Union represented jobs in America are at low levels compared to years prior. In the coming election we have the power to change that. The coming election is all about change. Ask yourself if you are better off than you were 8 years ago. How far does your dollar go towards gas, groceries, healthcare, your retirement? One way to help change this is by supporting the Employee Free Choice Act. The following is from the AFL-CIO website. |
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About Us What is the Employee Free Choice Act? The Employee Free Choice Act is critical legislation that would help protect the rights of America’s workers to organize and form unions. The law would give more workers a way to form unions and negotiate for better wages, health care and working conditions. Why do we need it? A robust middle class. Economic growth and shared prosperity. The American Dream. None are possible without good union jobs that protect workers. Today’s workplaces are tilted in favor of lavishly-paid CEOs, who get golden parachutes while hardworking families struggle to get by. Workers need a fair shake and a chance to get ahead – but employers intimidate, harass, and even fire workers who try to form a union. The Employee Free Choice Act can restore the balance, giving more workers a chance to form unions and get better health care, job security, and benefits – and an opportunity to pursue their dreams. What are we doing about it? We’re teaming up with hundreds of groups and unions to launch a massive campaign to show the new President and Congress that there are one million people who want to give hardworking families a chance to get ahead by passing the Employee Free Choice Act. One million people demanding a fair deal for workers. It’s a powerful grassroots call for change. If you have not signed a card for the Employee Free Choice Act yet, please visit the following web address and do it on line. http://www.freechoiceact.org/page/s/aflcio?source=aflcioweb Local elections will be held in November. Please participate in this democratic process. In Unity, Randy Grams, President October Is Open Enrollment TimeSomething for employees to consider this year during Open Enrollment is a Health Care Spending Account. This option can make higher deductibles a little easier to cope with. You will be putting money in your own pocket by participating in this tax savings plan. Money contributed to your account is not considered as wages; therefore it is not subject to income, wage or FICA taxes. Your tax advantaged funds can be used to pay for your eligible expenses. You will be sent a SHPS Spending Account Visa card before the beginning of the new year. The SHPS visa card simplifies the process of paying for expenses directly from your spending account. There is no need to pay out-of-pocket and wait for a reimbursement check. Just use your card and the funds are automatically deducted from your spending account. You can use your card at locations where you typically receive health care goods and services. Examples include: Physicians’ offices, Hospitals, Pharmacies, Vision centers, and Dentists. Does you child need braces this year? Think of the huge tax break! You can use this account for yourself and all qualified dependants or relatives. A qualified dependant would be the same as what your Qwest health care provides for. A qualified relative would be eligible if you provide more than half of the individual’s support and is not a qualifying child of you or any other tax payer. The reimbursement limitations are $5000 per year if single or married and filing joint tax returns; or $2500 per year if married and filing separate returns. An important note; save all of your receipts and EOB’s! The IRS requires SHPS to validate that all card transactions are used for eligible expenses. SHPS will send along with your card a receipt saving envelope to help you file and manage your receipts. A simple example of a use for this account would be to authorize your deduction amount to be the same as your yearly deductible, say $400. This amount would be deducted from your pay bi-monthly for the entire year at approximately $17 per pay. You can start using any or this entire amount after January 1st of the new year. You do need to plan carefully when deciding how much to contribute. Because of the tax benefits, IRS guidelines prevent SHPS from returning an unused amount in your spending account. Within the calendar year you must use it, or lose it. Other spending accounts that are also available to you are Commuter Accounts and Dependant Care Accounts. Please check out the website at: www.myshps.com for more information as well as look at the MANY healthcare expenses that are considered eligible. Procrastination: A Costly FoeKaren L Rutledge Getting people to make a decision is the number-one problem I face when working with my clients. Taxes, inflation, and procrastination are the three main barriers that most people face when trying to reach their financial goals. Taxes and inflation are almost guaranteed to occur, but procrastination has the potential to be the most costly, yet is the easiest to overcome. Why is it that people procrastinate when they should be preparing for their financial future? Here are a few of the reasons my clients give me. Fear of bad decisions. People procrastinate because they are afraid. You miss 100 percent of the fun if you never attend the party! When it comes to making decisions about your retirement savings most people don’t know where to turn. How much do I invest, where do I invest, and how do I handle an underperforming investment? These are tough questions to answer. But even a bad decision can be more valuable than no decision at all because it presents a learning opportunity. Lack of knowledge – Many people don’t know how to pick a suitable investment because this difficult task usually requires education and experience. One way to avoid this problem is by seeking professional guidance. Although there is no assurance that working with a professional will improve your investment results, a financial professional who focuses on your overall financial health can help you consider options that might have a substantial effect on your long-term financial situation. Poor time management – Every day we have demands on our time, career, family and maintaining a home often take precedence over investment needs. Most people schedule time to get their hair done, and visit their doctor. Why not schedule regular appointments to review your investments and your financial goals? Don’t let procrastination potentially cost you thousands of dollars. Time is something that once spent is gone forever. Karen L Rutledge Securities and investment advisory services offered through FSC Securities Corporation, Member FINRA/SIPC and a registered investment adviser. NettWorth Financial Group is not affiliated with FSC Securities Corporation or registered as a broker-dealer or investment adviser. MANY THANKS AGAIN TO KAREN RUTLEDGE!!! She was responsible for the Coffee Van at Trafton and Puyallup Garages. Service Anniversaries and RetirementsJULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER RETIRED Members and Retirees, our brother Dale J Frelin passed away September 24, 2008. Dale was a 40 year employee of the phone company and retired in 1999. Dale was a cable splicer and worked in maintenance and DSOC for years, a brilliant trouble shooter, as well as practical joker, a joy to be around, and a damn good union member. |
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