National Association of Retired

& Veteran Railway Employees, Inc.

NARVRE National Office
509 W Reed St Moberly, MO 65270
Phone: 660/269-8895 Fax: 660/269-8896 Toll Free: 1-800-551-2588
Email: NARVRE@gmail.com WEBSITE: www.narvre.info

SINCE 1937

Published ten times a year Cost Membership in a Unit or Membership-at-Large

NARVRE NEWSLETTER

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2014

FROM THE
NATIONAL PRESIDENT

Polls have fluctuated for the past few

months. The odds are in favor of the GOP
due to the fact that the Democrats have more
seats to defend with Democratic incumbents
representing red states with 21 seats up to
only 14 for the Republicans.
Experts have conceded the states of South
Dakota, Montana and West Virginia to
the Republicans. South Dakota and West

From the National

Legislative Director

$15 billion a year on aviation, while Amtrak

receives just $1.4 billion (less than 2 percent
of all transportation dollars). As stated,
this bill does not adequately or reasonably
address this imbalance. This legislative
proposal must be fixed to understand
that rail must be treated as an equal mode
of transportation, with proper long term
funding. There are very real problems on
Amtrak, such as the need for new equipment
and necessary infrastructure upgrades are
long overdue. The history of ignoring those
obvious business problems on Amtrak
have hindered any consistent progress, as
have repeated amendments to slowly kill
the train system. The leadership in this T&I
committee, and the republican leaders of the
House will all need to be involved in order
to implement a new PRRIA. They need to
convince specific members to stop with their
continual attempts to shut down existing
routes and join with this new effort to
build a stronger network of passenger train
service. As example, NARVRE members
in our southern Units have made the case
that it makes economic sense for Amtrak to
re-open the Sunset Limited route from New
Orleans to Jacksonville. These members
understand rail passenger service in that
area of the country, and we are trying to get
that message across to those in charge. The
Chairman of the House T&I believes this
bill is a positive step forward. Chairman
Bill Shuster (R-PA) has stated, there are
some in Congress who have tried to do

e are only three weeks away from

the mid-term election and the
outcomes are primarily settled in
the House of Representatives with the GOP
expected to gain anywhere from between 6
to 12 seats. The Senate is another matter.

month ago, the House Transportation

& Infrastructure (T&I) Committee
easily passed H.R. 5449, the
Passenger Rail Reform and Investment
Act (PRRIA) of 2014. While this bill
has bi-partisan support, with favorable
reports from both parties, this legislation
continues to cut funding for Amtrak and
passenger rail. In fact, PRRIA will reduce
Amtraks authorized funding levels by 40
percent, and it further mandates that Amtrak
must eliminate losses from the food &
beverage service. That issue is difficult,
as those services can actually promote and
increase ticket sales, especially on the long
distance routes. The driving force behind
this bi-partisan agreement can be traced
to previous Republican efforts to totally
eliminate Amtrak funding while wasting
taxpayer money on schemes to privatize
the Northeast Corridor (NEC) operation.
Leading democrats on the committee have
stated that they believe this legislation is
their best chance to avoid similar actions
harmful to Amtrak. Statements from
republican members are consistent with
past demands that Amtrak must begin to
be run like a business, and that type of
language is evident throughout this bill.
However, Congress must accept their lack
of responsibility to Amtrak over the last 40
years. They have spent more than $50 billion
per year on highways and transit, and over

continued on page 3

VOL. 28 NO. 10
Virginia are seats that are being vacated by
Democrats and the Montana seat is held by a
caretaker after Senator Max Baucus resigned
when he became Ambassador to China.
Mark Begich in Alaska, Mark Pryor in
Arkansas and Mary Landrieu in Louisiana
are Democratic senators in red states
attempting to hang onto their seats. There
is also Kay Hagen in North Carolina, Mark
Udall in Colorado and Jean Shaheen in
New Hampshire. There are open seats in
Michigan, Georgia and Iowa and two held
by Democrats and one by a Republican.
There is a big race in Kentucky where
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
is running against Kentucky Secretary of
State Allison Lundergan Grimes which are
expected to be close. The odds are with the
Republicans to take over the Senate alone
just by the numbers and the makeup. The
majority will not be very large if they do.
With the victory goes the spoils. The
majority party no matter who it is will
control the agenda as well as the Committee
Chairs. If the Republicans win the Senate of
course expect changes in the agenda such as
approving the Keystone Pipeline, Tax reform,
Regulatory Reform and even Entitlement
Reform (social security,Medicare, Medicaid
and Railroad Retirement.) You may see
committee investigations again on Benghazi,
IRS, Secret Service or hearings on the
Administration themselves. Of course the
president has veto power over legislation
that may arrive on his desk although political
chicanery with giving the president some
carrot in order to get their agenda passed
may be in the legislation.
The main thing is for all of us to vote.
When you do remember who will protect
our railroad retirement and Medicare and
what some call entitlements. Remember
we contributed to Medicare and Railroad
Retirement when we were working and we
must fight to maintain them.
Tom Dwyer, National President

From the National

Vice President

his is an alert as we approach the

upcoming elections on Tuesday
November 4, 2014 when all members
of Congress and one-third of the U.S. Senate
are up for election and re-election. It is our
duty to make sure we go out and vote on
Tuesday November 4, 2014. We must vote
for the candidates that support and protect
our Railroad Retirement pension. Again, it
matters who you elect to represent you in
Washington. But lets be clear, NARVRE
is not about a political party affiliation.
NARVRE has always presented the facts
about who supports seniors, your railroad
Retirement, and your healthcare benefits.
Here I am talking about Social Security
which is the Tier I of our Railroad Retirement
Pension, Medicare, and Medicaid and for
an affordable health care that seniors can
afford. We are not asking for a hand out.
We contributed big-time-tax-dollars to
the Social Security Trust fund and to the
Railroad Retirement Trust Fund as well as
to the Medicare Trust fund. We paid into
those social programs as an investment to
be entitled to receive up on retirement as
seniors who worked all their lives for those
benefits. It is very distressing to hear every
legislative fiscal year that there will be some
type of cuts to senior benefits with the skim
to fix the economic concern to make and to
make improvements.
I am reminded that in FY2013 the U.S.

From the National SecretaryTreasurer

e have sent all of our fall mailings

to Unit S/Ts for 2015, and have
some responses back, please
send your dues back to your Unit before
January 1. Notices went out to all of our
Member at Large Unit 801.
We have received many returns promptly.
We appreciate all of our Unit 801 members
for their responses, many have made very
generous donations and that is very much
appreciated. Thank you all from your
NARVRE family.
On a sad note we have lost several
valuable Units in the last several months. All
being transferred to member at large status
with the exception of Unit 127 Brainerd,
MN many chose to go into Unit 107 St.
Cloud, MN.
Closed Units: 106 Oelwein, IA; 177
Huntington, WV; 022 Hancock, MD joining

House of Representatives, who are not done

yet and who are still in control, actually
passed a bill to consolidate your Railroad
Retirement pension into the Social Security
Administration under the skim to make
improvements and save tax payer dollars.
The bill passed on a vote of 228 to 191. We
are so very fortunate that the Senate came to
our rescue and voted to defeat the bill on a
vote of 58-41. The bill is still alive, but for
further movement it would have to go through
committees of jurisdiction. We will have to
fight other battles in the near future in efforts
to kill the provision to put RR Retirement
under Social Security. I am concerned that
if we lose the Senate this coming November,
no telling what will happen to all of the
social benefits that seniors need to survive.
NARVE Members do not care about party
politics. They support those that support
them on senior benefits. Here I am talking
about Social Security, Railroad Retirement
and Medicare the very benefits they need
to survive with dignity. In the current
Budget proposal for FY2015 the Chairman
of the Budget and Policy again ends the
Medicare guarantee as we know it. He has
unclear language to privatize Medicare and
clearly raises the age to 67 to qualify and
replaces Medicare with a voucher system or
a coupon for you to negotiate your Health
Care with your Health Insurance provider.
Most Railroaders who are sixty five and
older are receiving their health care benefits
through Medicare and they do not fall into
the National Affordable Care Act. Under this
103 Cumberland, MD; 031 Omaha, NE;
084 Columbus OH, Unit 004 Newton,
KS pending closure. 045 Fort Myers, FL
pending closure in January 2015. Unit 161
Parkersburg, WV.
I would like to encourage all spouses who
are not members of NARVRE, you have a
vested interest in receiving your Railroad
Retirement as does your husband or wife.
PLEASE make an effort to join and support
your cause and all efforts to preserve and
protect your Railroad Retirement.
We are still receiving and asking for your
email in order to send out the Newsletter
each month. We appreciate all those who
have sent in their email and signed up to have
the newsletter emailed. The Newsletter for
2014 is archived on the NARVRE website
and will continue into the future.
Unit 041, Louisville, KY will be
celebrating their 35th anniversary November
13, 2014.
continued on page 3

new so called improvement to Medicare

the voucher (or coupon) will likely not pay
for the full cost of your health care services.
In fact it will force millions of seniors to pay
more out of pocket, and force seniors to pay
more for preventive health services, and pay
more for prescription drugs. The plan also is
already closing Social Security field offices
to discourage seniors from applying for the
benefits need to survive. The Congressional
platforms are to eliminate as much as possible
to reduce spending on the backs of seniors.
You and I know senior benefits are not the
cause of short falls in the deficits of our
economy and it should not be fix on the backs
of seniors or by weakening senior benefits.
NARVRE members have been in situations
like this in the past and will continue to be
active to be sure we preserve our pensions
and health care benefits for current and future
retirees as those that came before us did for us.
One last comment on our Railroad
Retirement benefit that is now under siege is
the Medicare statutory authority to contract
with a Medicare Part B contractor. We have
been alerted to an attempt by the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services to
eliminate this statutory authority. Since 1966,
the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) has
had the statutory authority to contract with
a Medicare Part B contractor and in these
nearly 50 years, the services rendered by
this contractor, have been clearly superior
to those services offered to the general
public. Railroad retirees and their families
value this enhanced level of service and we
appreciate the excellent contract oversight
provided by the RRB over the years. President
Tom Dwyer, Legislative Director Gary
Faley and myself have written letters to the
Administrators of the Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services advising them that
we do not want any change to the current
Medicare Part B structure that has proven so
important and so valuable to our members
and expressing to them that we believe their
proposed legislative change will adversely
impact our members. We send copies to the
Labor Member of the Railroad Retirement
Board to the union chiefs to support keeping
this service. Our current contractor is
Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) Medicare
represented by Palmetto, GBA.
Please continue to Promote, Protect and
Preserve our Railroad Retirement Benefits
by recruiting new members and organizing
new NARVRE Units.
Anthony (Tony) Padilla National Vice
President of NARVRE.

(National Legislative
Director from page 1)
away with Amtrak. The votes just arent
there to do it because many of us believe,
as I do, that Amtrak is an important asset
that we need to build upon. The AFL-CIO
Transportation Trades Dept (TTD) President
Ed Wytkind concurs...this legislation is a
bipartisan compromise, which we urged the
committee to pass, as it rejects efforts made
by some lawmakers to demonize Amtrak
and undercut public support for passenger
rail. An obvious omission in this bill is
on the problem of train delays across the
system. On-time performance is a serious
issue that must be resolved. Again, heres
a business issue that needs the attention of
everyone involved, to include the freight
rail industry. This reform legislation could
serve to strengthen Amtrak, save thousands
of rail jobs and ultimately protect railroad
retirement. We shall see, as this process
unfolds and amendments are drafted. The
burden will be on the leadership to see if
certain anti-Amtrak Members of Congress
can be restrained from trying to derail this
legislation.
(National Secretary/Treasurer
from page 2)
ATTENTION: We will be changing
phone service at the National Office; from
AT& T to Charter Business lines on October
14. Bear with us if there is a temporary break
in service on that day.
ATTENTION: Reminder National Bylaws
guidelines for Units and Duties for Unit
Sec/Treas and Treas. When it is past our
stated time for per capita (dues) to be paid
by your members January 1, 2015 for 2015
the treasurer ( or other finance officer)
shall notify those members whose dues are
delinquent by February 28. The newsletter
is cut off and no mailing after that date to
delinquent members.
A member forfeiting membership for non
payment of dues may be reinstated within 6
months (August 28).
We usually keep paying into the 2015
year as credit, but after August 28, as we
do not pro rate dues for later months of the
year. At that point in time all dues are past
due. We then post any dues sent to the next
year or 2016.
Please see that all your members are aware
of these Bylaw rulings so that they may
pay their dues promptly and not struggle
throughout the year with delinquencies.
Joyce A. Burton, National Sec/Treas

We have an election on November 4. The

best protection we have is to ensure that we
have supporters in the House and Senate, and
that we keep the current balance of power
in the U.S. Senate. The GOP has control
of the House and they have not been good
stewards on issues affecting railroad retirees
and railroad retirement. We do not want to
see them gain control of the Senate, due to
the partys history and record, certainly in
the last few years. While NARVRE does
not endorse candidates for public office, we
must realize who is there to help us when
addressing our issues. The current balance
of power between the House & Senate
has been necessary to protect Amtrak and
railroad retirement, as well as other issues
important to our members. Powerful
Chairmen in the House of Representatives
have threatened our railroad retirement, as
well as Social Security, while the majority
party in the Senate has protected those same
retirement systems. The majority party in the

3
House has claimed that Amtrak should not
be funded, and therefore destroyed, and that
threatens our railroad retirement system. A
clear and growing majority of Americans
stand in favor of even higher levels of
funding for this nations Amtrak system,
and that includes people in both parties in
every state. A federally funded Amtrak is
popular in America, yet that is continually
ignored by the republican held Congress.
Certain GOP Members of Congress have
made promises about what they will do, if
they take control of the Senate. The Senate
majority (democrat) has stood with us on
the issues. That is the reality and fact.
Remember and vote Nov. 4.
This office recently sent out an email on
how voters can find information and forms
for absentee ballots. You can go online by
searching www.yourstate.gov/vote or call
the clerks office in your city or township.
Protect yourself, its easy to vote.
Gary M. Faley, Legislative Director

NARVRE table at the October convention of the BLET in Las Vegas, NV, the gentlemen are Robert
McIntyre and Gary Watkins working to sign up our Railroad brothers and sisters as members.

Medicares Open Enrollment: Oct. 15 - Dec. 7

Medicares Open Enrollment for the 2015 benefit year begins October 15 and lasts through
December 7, 2014. For most beneficiaries, this is the one time a year you can change your coverage.
The Part B premium and deductibles will remain the same as last year.
Railroad Medicare, which encompasses your Part B benefits, covers outpatient services, doctors
visits, ambulance services, lab work, and much more.
Some of the benefits of having Medicare Part B are preventive and screening services, which cost
you nothing if your doctor accepts Medicare assignment. These services include the following:
* Your first Welcome to Medicare visit, also known as the Initial Preventive Physical Examination
(IPPE)
* Annual Wellness Visit
* Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Screening
continued on page 4

NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
KANSAS CITY, KS
PERMIT NO. 522

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

National President
Thomas Dwyer
11304 Norway St. NW
Coon Rapids MN 55448-3269
763-757-1501 FAX 763-767-5794
tdwyertcu@aol.com

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF RETIRED

AND VETERAN RAILWAY EMPLOYEES, INC.
509 W REED ST
Moberly, MO 65270
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, 2014

NARVRE NEWSLETTER
Volume 28 Number 10

National Vice President

Anthony Tony Padilla
303 Black Cap Run
Buda, TX 78610-4978
Home: 512-523-8465
Cell: 512-552-8703
tonypadillatcuiam@austin.rr.com

National Secretary-Treasurer
Joyce A. Burton
509 W Reed St
Moberly, MO 65270
660-269-8895
narvre@gmail.com

National Legislative Director

Gary M Faley
6324 Calkins Road
Flint, MI 48532-3207
810-733-7256
faleyg@comcast.net

News deadline 10th of each month

Mail to National Office

Palmetto, GBA from page 3

* Colorectal Cancer Screening (Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT), flexible

sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy)
* Cardiovascular Disease Screening
* Diabetes Screening Tests
* Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Vaccination
* Medical Nutrition Therapy
* Pneumococcal Vaccination
* Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test
* Screening Mammogram
* Screening Pap Test
* Screening Pelvic Exam
* Seasonal Influenza Virus Vaccination
* Screening for Depression
* And several more
The 2015 monthly premiums, which have remained unchanged for the past two years,
are as follows:
Patients filing individual tax returns for an annual income:
* less than or equal to $85,000 will pay $104.90
* greater than $85,000 and less than or equal to $107,000 will pay $146.90
* greater than $107,000 and less than or equal to $160,000 will pay $209.80
* greater than $160,000 and less than or equal to $214,000 will pay $272.70
* greater than $214,000 will pay $335.70
Those filing joint tax returns with annual incomes:
* less than or equal to $170,000 will pay $140.90
* greater $170,000 and less than or equal to $214,000 will pay $146.90
* greater than $214,000 and less than or equal to $320,000 will pay $209.80
* greater than $320,000 and less than or equal to $428,000 will pay $272.90
* greater than $428,000 will pay $335.70
If you are married and lived with your spouse during the tax year, but you file separate
returns, the rates are slightly different. They are:
* $104.90 if your reportable income was less than or equal to $85,000
* $272.70 if your income was greater than $85,000 and less than or equal to $129,000
* $355.70 if your income was greater than $129,000
You can review and compare your health plan and prescription drug coverage options
on the Medicare Plan Finder tool at https://www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan/questions/
home.aspx. If you have questions or need help picking the right plan for you, your State
Health Insurance Program (SHIP) may be able to help. Its volunteer staff offers free
local insurance counseling to people with Medicare. SHIP counselors are not connected
to any health plan or insurance company.
To find the telephone number of the SHIP in your state, you can call Railroad Medicare
at 800-833-4455, or for the hearing impaired, call TTY/TDD at 877-566-3572.Customer
Service Representatives are available Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. until 7 p.m.
ET. You can find a list of SHIP programs by state, with telephone numbers and web site
links, on the Railroad Medicare website at www. PalmettoGBA.com/RR/Me. The list
is found in the article What You Dont Know May Make a Difference. You can also
visit the Medicare Helpful Contacts section at www.Medicare.gov and use the Do you
want to find a specific organization? feature to find your local SHIP.
Jennifer Johnson and Gayle Patterson