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Community Corner

A retired Teamster being ripped-off by; "The Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Plan."

Date:     May 26th, 2014

To:         National Media Groups:

             To Whom it may concern

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From:     Eddie Verdon,

       

Find out what's happening in Redmondwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 Re:        A retired Teamster  being ripped-off by; "The Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Plan."

            I found out just recently about, a benefit that I could had been awarded called; "The Disability Retirement Pension." This benefit was withheld out of the 1998-2000 Collective Bargaining Agreement contract and for good reason. The unions under this agreement at the time were Locals: 542, 166, 853, 572, 986, 150, & 296 all were withheld from knowing about this benefit, if you were seriously injured on a union job, you could qualify for a Disability Retirement Pension which is currently $1275 a month much higher than a 5 or 10 year vest union members retirement rate.

           The Collective Bargaining Agreement; Is the agreed contract that is given to each employee at their orientation once hired into a union job, like the Teamster, it contains all the rules, bylaws and benefits in which the Teamsters can act on your behalf factually for you, the employee.

          After Mr. Verdon was denied his Disability Retirement Pension under the Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Plan.  The pension people  said Mr. Verdon needed to complete a certain amount of hours of, 60 calendar month period and that my Social Security Administration date would have to be changed in order to qualify.

        I went to the Social Security Administration office to see if they would change the date so, I could get this pension. They said, "they could only go back 2 years, if I appeal their decision."  The decision that was awarded  to Mr. Verdon by the Social Security Administration in his favor, and based 90 percent from the trauma injuries he had received from 1994 to 1995 while working for the Teamsters at Costco.  Mr. Verdon recently filed an Appeal with the Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Trust; May 19th, 2014.  Mr. Verdon had hoped that they would reconsider their decision. Mr. Verdon also pointed out that the Disability Retirement Pension was withheld from the 1998-2000 Collective Bargaining Agreement  Contract.  Verdon's  Appeal has 30 pages of medical records, QME's, Appeals and Stipulation Awards from the State of California -Workers Comp.

      Recent discoveries; have found that the pension people of the Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Plan had made ground in tell their employees about their benefits. But lets be clear on the matter in 1998 to 2000 it is documented in news groups all over the internet that the Teamsters were in fact a struggling franchise during those periods and union companies were much smaller like Costco, "The King of Beers"- Anheuser-Busch had to find a buyer in recent years the company was  documented as a struggling company from 1996-2000.

      In 2011-2014  The Teamsters now are getting bigger than ever in the movie industry with sponsors like "The Walking Dead," new rise in California Casinos just  making money everywhere! So, the Teamsters are finding themselves a little more open about their benefits theses days.  Whereas, in 1998 this was not the case, they supposed benefits...

Sincerely Yours,

Eddie Verdon

Vested member of the Teamsters

Disabled War Veteran


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