Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld meets with a delegation from the National Industrial Base Workforce Coalition (Photo courtesy of DoD)

Benefits Enrollment 2008 Benefits enrollment will be conducted from May 12, to May 23. There will be a change to the Premium and Preferred PPOs. A new carrier, Anthem Blue Cross will replace Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. Please check with your provider to confirm that they will continue to participate in the network. You should have received Benefits information in the mail by now. Review the available plan options in order to make an educated decision that will satisfy your situation. Plan costs for the upcoming year are listed in your S.E.A. agreement. If you have not received an agreement from your representative, please contact the union office.   Attention Please make sure that you check your Beneficiaries online. Print a hard copy for your records. It is also important that you pay attention to any Loans that you may have. Check your pay stubs regardless of direct deposit to ensure proper payment.       Cost of Living Adjustment (May 26, 2008) The Cost of Living Adjustment, effective May 26, 2008 is $.21 per hour, or $8.40 per week. The next COLA is effective on November 24, 2008.     March 2008 Increase Effective March 3, 2008 - S.E.A. members “whose work and attendance is satisfactory, will receive a salary increase up to the maximum of the rate range for their then current position on the first Monday of March. The standard increase shall be 3.0 percent of the employee’s then base pay,” per the S.E.A. agreement. “Employees, who do not receive an increase on the basis that their work or attendance is not deemed satisfactory under the provisions of Paragraph C. above, will be informed in writing of the reasons therefore within 10 days following the due date of such increase. A copy of the notice will be provided to the Union. Any dispute as to denial of re-rate increase shall be subject to the grievance procedure following notice.” Please review your pay for this period if this increase applies to you.     Constitution & By Laws Change A Constitution & By-Law change was made, effective on October 10, 2006 at the Annual Membership meeting of the S.E.A. By a vote of 92 For and 10 Against, the motion passed to make the following change. Two members did not vote and there were 104 members in attendance.   Page 18 - Article 111 – Voting Quorum FROM  Section 1 Twenty-five (25) Council members, entitled to vote, shall constitute a quorum at any Council Meeting. TO Section 1 Thirty percent (30%) of total Council members, entitled to vote, shall constitute a quorum at any Council Meeting.   This change is more in line with the number of Council members. Thanks to the Constitution & By-Law Committee for their hard work.   60-Plus Years and Surviving In 1938, Franklin D. Roosevelt was on his second of what would be an unprecedented four term presidency.  The Yankees won their third successive World Series in a four game sweep, "what's new," of that year's victim, the Chicago Cubs.  Bread sold for $.09 per pound, the minimum wage hovered at $.25 an hour, and gas held stable at $.19 per gallon.  Spencer Tracy received the Academy Award for Best Actor in, "Boy's Town," Betty Davis won Best Actress in, "Jezebel," and the Best Picture was, "You Can't Take it With You."     You Can't Take It With You How appropriate.  In June 1938, professional employees working for Westinghouse Electric Company were told basically the same thing, when their salaries were cut by 10%.   This across-the-board action by Westinghouse created discontent from Pittsburgh to Baltimore and spawned the first Bargaining Committee in 1938, which consisted of six engineers.  The creation of this committee subsequently resulted in the "birth" / certification of the Salaried Employees Association, S.E.A., on June 13, 1939.