Letter: Retirement benefits disappearing

By Frances Watson
Rocky Mount

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Retirees, do not take for granted that the benefits you were given when you retired are secure. I hope your company will not treat you the way Embarq is treating its retirees of Medicare age.

I began my telephone career when it was Carolina Telephone and Telegraph Co., when the employees and customers were very important to the company. I retired at an early age, had completed 29 years and 3 months dedicated to this company.

The benefits given to me, I felt would be fine, but now Embarq is taking away benefits year by year. For instance, our telephone concession was cut several years ago. Two years ago, our prescription coverage was taken away, this being a part of our medical coverage.

If you were on Medicare, the company did a monthly supplement. Now, as of 2008, no supplement and no more Medicare coverage if you are Medicare age. Yes, I wrote that correctly.

Can you believe Medicare employees are being treated this way?

I never would have dreamed this would have happened to me and other retirees. I would have purchased medical coverage at an earlier age. Now that we're older, how can we afford the cost?

Also, there is the life insurance policy. As of 2008, life insurance will be taken away. Can you believe Medicare-age people are being treated this way? I have heard about other large companies doing this but never to me and the other retirees.

If Dail Holderness, president of Carolina Telephone, were alive I know this would not have happened because Mr. Holderness cared for his employees.

Frances Watson

Rocky Mount
 

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