Engineering Retirees Society September 2011 Quarterly Meeting The quarterly meeting is on Sept. 8, at 12:30 p.m. at the IAM Hall. Come early – 12 noon – for sandwiches, coffee and other goodies. This is the ERS ‘Bring a Friend’ day, so come one and all and enjoy. Please note the date -This is not the first Thursday of the month. Guest speaker The guest speaker for this meeting is Madeline Gauthier, a Seattle- area attorney and author of a new book on the problems created by not having a will or trust. She will be speaking on the need to have a will or trust and how the latest federal tax law may aff ect existing wills and trusts. Copies of her book will be available at the meeting. HOW TO GET THERE Note: 16th St. Bridge is CLOSED. Take alternate route. Many thanks to all who sent DickFerguson good wishes in June I wish to thank everyone who sent me good wishes when ERS recognized me for my service to SPEEA and ERS. I appreciate all the cards and personal comments from the membership of ERS. I am not used to such an outpouring, and I do greatly appreciate it. It would be impossible to contact each one of you for your cards and recognition, so I am taking this means to show my appreciation to you. Elected offi cers are: President ........................................................ DAVE WATT 425-868-5603 Vice President........................................ DWIGHT ROUSU Secretary ........................................................ JIM EWING Treasurer ........................................................ ED STANLEY Steering Board Chair .............................. DAVE HUNTMAN 425-868-0961 davidhuntman@comcast.net SPEEA Contact ............................................. Dawn Hanks dawnh@speea.org The current appointed Committee Chairs and Reps as follows: Badges ...............................................................Tom Mechler Communications (website) ............................. David Westman/Stan Lind Finance ..............................................................Stuart Buchan Governing Doc. .............................................Ken Frazier Insurance ..........................................................Dick Ferguson Investments ....................................................Dave Watt/Ken Kuehnl Membership ...................................................Joe Gregg Nominations & Elections .............................OPEN NRLN/ARA Liaison .......................................Dave Watt Pension .............................................................David Westman Programs ..........................................................Dave Watt Refreshments....................................................................John Meeker/Dave Huntman Service ...............................................................Gary Palmer Social ..................................................................Dave Huntman SPEEA Liaison ................................................Dick Ferguson Sunshine...........................................................OPEN Taxation............................................................OPEN Travel..................................................................Gary Palmer We wish to thank all the people who fill our committee chair positions and request others to apply for those that are not yet filled. WE NEED YOUR HELP. -Dave Watt, president Boeing gift match reminder The method for obtaining Boeing Gift Match Funds for charitable contributions has changed. It is now done over the internet through the Boeing Total Access web site. The list of eligible organizations is also shown there. Thanks, Dick Ferguson. 1 . September 2011 From the president’s cornerFrom the president’s corner I hope everyone is having an enjoyable summer. My wife, Romayne, and I took three of our grandchildren to Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, the last week in June and had a great time. At the last ERS quarterly meeting, the speaker discussed foreign exchange fees on credit, debit and ATM cards when traveling off shore. I found out that the BECU debit card, when used at an ATM machine, has a 1% fee rather than the normal 3% fee. So in Mexico, once I had the foreign currency from the ATM machine, I paid cash for everything. Of course, one needs a small amount of foreign currency for transportation from the airport which can be obtained at home from a local bank. The request may take a week for them to get the currency. Airports and money exchange offices are the most expensive source of foreign currency. We are sorry to note that Joe Gregg, ERS membership chair, is stepping down because of health issues. That means that we now need a volunteer for the vacancy. The main job is keeping our membership list up to date on the ERS supplied computer. Please call Dave Watt at 425-868-5603. I attended the July Boeing Retirement planning meeting in Everett. We would like pre-retirees to learn more about ERS. Twelve of the twenty attendees gave ERS their name, email, address and phone numbers. In exchange, we provide access to our web site, we will send them an email copy of our last newsletter and each future newsletter. Also, we will email them reminders of quarterly meetings and investment meetings. National Retirees Legislative Network (NRLN) scheduled a Sept. 19-20 Fly-In to Washington, D.C., to lobby Congress on our top legislative initiatives. See the summary of NRLN 2011 Legislative Agenda on www.nrln.org. We will not send anyone to the September meeting as we prefer to send two members to the January NRLN annual meeting and lobbying event. The last Action Alert in early July was on “How to prevent cutting Social Security Benefits”. Please join me, whenever possible, in responding to each action alert. – Dave Watt See ERS online Don’t forget our ERS Web site at: ENGINEERINGRETIREES.ORG Just click on ‘ENTER WEBSITE HERE.’ From there, you choose what you want to see, such as ‘NEWSLETTER’, and you will see the most up-to-date information. Also the NRLN website may be accessed from our site at NRLN.org. Investment group meeting The speaker for our ERS September Investment meeting (Sept. 15) is Gregg Henderson, president of Retirement Protection Services. His subject is ‘Solutions for creating a consistent income stream.’ We meet at the SPEEA Tukwila office at 12 noon for lunch and then the speaker begins at 12:30 p.m. Bring your spouse and friends and make it an outing! – Dave Watt, president Current email address Please make sure we have your current email address. Now that we are online, all members with e-mail addresses on file will receive an e-mail stating that the newsletter has been posted to the web site for viewing. This is about half of the membership. The savings will be about $400 per quarter by reducing to 50% the number of newsletters to be mailed. Hard copies will be sent for a short period, after which newsletter communication will cease. Please send your corrected e-mail to Stan Lind at stanlind@frontier.com. Please also notify Dave Huntman at davidhuntman@ comcast.net so your name may be deleted from the list shown. The following people’s e-mail addresses may have bounced at previous mailings: John S. Barger, Brann Brooks, John Eberly, Al Glencross, Robert L. Herschkowitz, Leon Hill, D. Gene Ingram, James Jollimore, John Koslosky, Sandra L. LaGrone, Don Mackenzie, Unn Maeland, Michael F. Melary, Gerald J. Mollen, John Monk, Bobby J. Mulkey, Paul P. Piguet, Carol J. Pinnon, Richard L. Potter, James H. Roberts, Ruth P. Shaffer, George A. Smith, Wilson H. Smyth, George Swinford, Patriick D. Thiel, Irene R. Vermillion, Edward J. Yarkosky. We apologize if the errors are due to our typing (Newsletter editor). (As always this data is not made available to the public for any reason) – Stan Lind, Assistant Web master New Health Care Website Please don’t forget about the new health care website: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched a new site, www.healthcare.gov. 2 . September 2011 National Retirees Legislative Network (NRLN) National Retirees Legislative Network (NRLN) The following is a repeat of part of the letter printed in the last copy of your ERS newsletter. Dear Engineering Retirees Society Member: As President of the Engineering Retiree Society, I am joining with Bill Kadereit, President of the National Retiree Legislative Network (NRLN) to request your financial support for the NRLN. We hope you agree that retirees must have a strong voice in Washington, D.C., to turn the tide on the harm being done to retirees by companies, courts, federal agencies and Congress. A contribution from you will make it possible for the NRLN to be a strong advocate for retirees. We do detailed studies, create proposals and lobby for passage of legislation. We react to potential threats to your benefits by opposing or proposing countermeasures to defeat threats, such as diluting, or taking back your Social Security and Medicare benefi ts. Your funding will also be used to communicate with you and other retirees through Action Alerts, emails and the FOCUS newsletters. Your money will never be used for political contributions, meals for politicians, junkets, etc. In addition to protecting your Social Security and Medicare benefits, the NRLN will lobby for other legislation to protect your retirement security. How You Can Help: You can help advance the NRLN legislative agenda by contacting your members of Congress when an Action Alert is issued and by asking friends to sign up at http://capwiz.com/abtr/mlm/signup to receive NRLN emails. Also, please make your annual contribution of $25, $50, $75 or more. Any amount you can contribute will be appreciated. You may make your check or money order payable to NRLN, Inc. and mail it with the Contribution Form below. Or, you may make your contribution online with your credit card on the NRLN website at www.nrln.org by clicking on the “Membership” tab on the home page and selecting “Support the NRLN.”Together, we can advance the NRLN mission to gain federal legislation for fair treatment of retirees. Sincerely, Dave Watt, President, Engineering Retirees Society and Bill Kadereit, President, National Retiree Legislative Network NRLN MEMBERSHIP CONTRIBUTION The NRLN is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. Contributions are not tax deductible. Name: _______________________________Age: __under 55; __ 55-64; __ 65 or over Address: ________________________City: _____________State: ___Zip: _______ Phone: _______________ Email Address (if available): __________________________ I draw my retirement benefits from_____________________________________ (name of company) Mail this form with your check or money order (no cash please) for $25, $50, $75 or more (any amount will be appreciated) pay able to NRLN, Inc., P.O. Box 18757, Washington, D.C. 20036-8757. Note: The ERS board strongly recommends that you join the NRLN as an individual member. You will receive their newsletter in a more timely fashion than is possible when we reprint it in this newsletter. It will keep you up to date on their activities on your behalf. Please give serious thought to joining! For more information call 1-866-360-7197 or go to their website www.nrln.org. Badges The following is a list of names for which ERS has purchased name badges for general meetings. They have not yet been picked up. It would be appreciated by the Badge Committee if the so-named persons retrieved their respective badges. George Alavi, John Bent, Wamam Bhat, Bill Blazer, Amiel Forshee, Claudia Gillespie, Sharon Gustafson, Ken Haliburton, Meech Houghton, Sharon Moats, John Neller, Teresa Oh, Clinton Snow and Dale Swanson. June 2 meeting minutes ERS President Dave Watt called the meeting to order at 12:30 p.m. in the South Park IAM hall. Good of the Society: One first-time attendee, Jim Biladeau. Dave Watt introduced the Society’s officers. Dave then announced that one of our earliest members, Dick Sleight, had recently died at age 92. Minutes: The minutes of the March 2011 quarterly meeting were approved as read. President’s Report: The NRLN Liaison’s report, and Investments Chair’s report were offered at the same time. ERS is encouraging attend ees of SPEEA and Boeing pre-retirement meetings to learn more about ERS. In exchange for a name, e-mail and mailing addresses, and (continued on page 4) 3 . September 2011 June 2 meeting minutes - continued from page 3 telephone number, we will send an e-mail each quarter with the latest ERS newsletter attached. Also, we have a bimonthly reminder of our investment meeting and access to our web site. We currently have 11 people signed up for this service. Dave asked us to read the joint letter from the ERS and NRLN presidents in our June newsletter and to consider becoming individual members of NRLN. ERS investment meetings take place at the SPEEA Tukwila hall with sandwiches at noon and a speaker at 12:30 p.m. Terry Cole will address the meeting on July 21. Vice President’s Report: Dwight reported that he had attended meetings of the SPEEA national and Northwest L&PA committees, which are normally held on the third and fourth Mondays of each month. He indicated that he had monitored the national political attacks on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and affordable healthcare. He responded to some of the grassroots action requests from ARA, NCPSSM (National Committee for the Preservation of Social Security and Medicare), AARP, and NRLN. Dwight would like NRLN to be more proactive in defending the social safety net for seniors from budget hawks who are trying to gut Medicare and Social Security while cutting taxes on corporations and the wealthy. He said that he had talked to 75 prospective future members at a SPEEA pre-retirement meeting in Tukwila in May. Four of the people he talked to had signed up to receive the ERS newsletter and notices. Treasurer’s Report: Ed Stanley reported that the value of the Society’s accounts was $32,979.96. Steering Board Chair’s Report: Reported that he had spoken to about 50 people at a pre-retirement meeting in Everett. Five had signed up for the ERS newsletter and notices. Guest Speaker: Our guest speaker was Debbie Kaufman of AAA. Debbie has 30 years of experience in the travel industry and gave us tips on how to have enjoyable trips. She also answered quite a few questions. We were told to ask ourselves why we were traveling. To learn history? Just to relax? Or to visit a friend or relative? Then she advised us to learn about the area before we travel. The AAA will provide information about travel destinations. Other travel agencies should do the same. Credit and ATM cards are very useful for traveling in the United States and in many other countries. However, we should watch for fees to use an ATM and fees to exchange currencies. She said that AAA no longer sells travelers’ checks. She advised us to use a visa service to get a visa. The service should charge about $25. She said that AAA will help a member apply for a visa. Also obtain an international driver permit if a car is to be rented in a country that uses a language other than English. An international driver permit is not needed in Canada. Let our bank or credit union know when we travel. It now takes four to six weeks to get your first passport. A passport or an enhanced driver license is now needed for travel in Canada. A passport should be valid for six months after you expect your trip to end. Medicare does not cover us outside the United States and Puerto Rico, so purchase medical insurance when we travel abroad. She said that her No. 1 advice is to use a travel agent. The services of a travel agent are free. AAA members get discounts on hotel rooms and car rentals. Capital One has a credit card that does not have foreign exchange fees. Carry cash, credit cards, and passports in a safe place such as a money belt. It was also suggested that we wrap credit cards and passports in aluminum foil to thwart electronic devices that can read the information on cards and passports from a distance. Also don’t buy travel insurance from the tour company that you use. If this company goes bankrupt, the insurance won’t help. Debbie informed us that the car rental companies make a profit by selling insurance (which we usually do not need), and do not make a profit on renting cars. She advised us to take trains when traveling in Europe. The official U.S. government web site for travel warnings is www.travel.state.gov. Her phone number is 425-369-2605 and her e-mail address is debbiekaufman@aaawin.com. Honoring Dick Ferguson: Romayne Watt told us about how much Dick Ferguson had contributed to SPEEA and ERS over many years. Dave Watt presented Dick with a $100 gift certificate for Anthony’s Homeport. Dick told us that he keeps too busy to become depressed by the challenges of aging. Dick urged us all to keep busy in our retirement. Committee and Rep Reports: Dave Watt told us that he did not yet have a speaker for our Sept. 8, quarterly meeting. Dick Ferguson told us that the government was “playing around” with Social Security and Medicare. Tom Mechler said that 44 people attended this meeting. Governing Documents Chair Ken Frazier explained a proposed revision to our Bylaws that had been approved by the Steering Board. The revision would change Bylaw 4.2 (a) to read as follows: “The membership joining fee shall be equal to the yearly dues. It shall cover all fees and dues up to the following year’s dues billing. For those joining in November or December, their joining fee shall cover the following year’s dues.” The proposed revision would also delete Bylaw 4.2 (d), which prescribed a $5 rejoining fee. The proposed revision was approved by the membership without dissent. Communications Chair Dave Westman told us that all reports and newsletters are posted on our ERS Web site. He also said that he can provide a free e-mail address to any member who wants one. Dave Watt told us that Romayne Watt had selected the cake for Ladies Day. Gary Palmer asked us to tell him if we learn of a good discount. Dave Huntman said that he would put some travel brochures on the back table for anyone who would like to take them. L&PA Chair Dwight Rousu said that the ERS L&PA Committee would try to meet before the SPEEA Northwest L&PA Committee meeting this month. (continued on page 5) 4 . September 2011 June 2 meeting minutes - continued from page 4 Unfi nished Business: Ed Stanley told us that the second notice for ERS dues, for those who had not yet paid 2011 dues, was mailed today. Raffl e: Dave Huntman passed out raffle tickets to the ladies. Romayne Watt and Sheila Huntman had winning tickets, which entitled each to a $25 gift certificate to Macy’s. The next Steering Board meeting is scheduled for Aug. 25, and the next quarterly meeting is scheduled for Sept. 8. The meeting was adjourned at 2:16 p.m. – James M. Ewing, Secretary On the lighter side Little Larry sayings .. A new teacher was trying to make use of her psychology courses. She started her class by saying, ‘Everyone who thinks they’re stupid, stand up!’ After a few seconds, Little Larry stood up. The teacher said, ‘Do you think you’re stupid, Larry?’ ‘No, ma’am, but I hate to see you standing there all by yourself!’ .. Larry watched, fascinated, as his mother smoothed cold cream on her face. ‘Why do you do that, mommy?’ he asked. ‘To make myself beautiful,’ said his mother, who then began removing the cream with a tissue. “What’s the matter,” asked Larry, “giving up?” .. The math teacher saw that Larry wasn’t paying attention in class. She called on him and said, ‘Larry! What are 2 and 4 and 28 and 44?’ Larry quickly replied, ‘NBC, FOX, ESPN and the Cartoon Network!’ .. Larry’s kindergarten class was on a field trip to their local police station where they saw pictures tacked to a bulletin board of the 10 most wanted criminals. One of the youngsters pointed to a picture and asked if it really was the photo of a wanted person. ‘Yes,’ said the policeman. ‘The detectives want very badly to capture him.’ Larry asked, “Why didn’t you keep him when you took his picture?” .. Little Larry attended a horse auction with his father. He watched as his father moved from horse to horse, running his hands up and down the horse’s legs and rump, and chest. After a few minutes, Larry asked, ‘Dad, why are you doing that?’ His father replied, ‘Because when I’m buying horses, I have to make sure that they are healthy and in good shape before I buy. Larry, looking worried, said, ‘Dad, I think the UPS guy wants to buy Mom.’ Welcome The newsletter has an area where the names of any new members are stated. Welcome to first-time attendee: Jim Biladeau Note from the editor All members are urged to access the latest NRLN Focus newsletter at www.nrln.org. The summer edition of their newsletter includes a lot of very important information that could not satisfactorily be printed herein due to the lack of space. As can be seen from that newsletter (and others), their committees go to great lengths to attempt to protect our financial and medical benefits. – Dave Huntman, Newsletter Editor PASSAGES Sheridan T. Bracken, P.O.Box 858, LaCenter, WA 98629-0851. Walter Longwill, 1701 147th Ave. SE., Bellevue, WA 98007. Marcheta Lanning, ERS I.D. #34, died July 2009. Step-daughter Virginia Parks 430 N 1st. Street, Unit 302, San Jose, CA 95112, 408 261-0841. Robert E. Pohto, ERS# 824, died Dec. 31, 2008. Albert E. Morris died in July 2010, no other data. Robert “Dusty” Fry ERS# 810, died March 18, 2010, information provided by Floyd Fry, 1327 N. 11th St., Arkansas City, KS 67005. Eric Aspinall ERS#1474, died Aug. 20, 2010. Wife, Sharon, provided the information. William Mattern ERS#1641, died April 3, 2011. Information provided by daughter, Beth. Richard “Dick” Sleight died April 5, 2011. His wife died a couple of weeks earlier. Gerald Nesbitt ERS# 243, unknown date of passing. Information provided by Mitsue Nesbitt. William ‘Bill’ Lewis died May 11 of congestive heart failure. He is survived by his wife, Jane, children and grand children. George Wherley (ERS# 1552), died May 29, 2011. Information provided by his daughter, Ruth. S.M. Richardson ERS # 896, died Jan. 9, 2011. Sudene R. Snyder, daughter at 425-481-1682, 2226 182nd Place SE, Bothell, WA 98012-6967. 5 . September 2011