Local 924 Retirees
Still Going Strong
DECATUR, Ind.
General Electric may have closed the plant here that made
small motors for generations but the union spirit is still strong. Two hundred
and twenty-two retired members of UE Local 924 and their guests attended the
annual retirees’ dinner at the Knights of Columbus Hall here Oct. 5.
The retirees’ special guest, UE Genl. Pres. John Hovis,
told the former union members that UE never forgets them in negotiations with
GE, although the company insists it doesn’t owe retirees anything.
Hovis noted that GE looks at its pension fund as another
profit-making segment of its business. Only one-half of the pension fund’s
interest is needed to pay benefits, he reminded retirees; GE hasn’t made a
contribution to the fund since 1987 and the fund is $9 billion overfunded.
Local 924 exemplified all that UE is and stands for, Hovis
declared. The loss of the local was a heartbreak. The national president said
UE will make sure it passes on to the next generation those principles and
policies that the members of Local 924 brought to life.
Leonard King, the retirees association treasurer, spoke
briefly on the importance of the Labor Party to the nation’s working people.
Copies of the Labor Party Press circulated throughout the hall.
The current officers of the Local 924 Retirees’ Association
were re-elected by acclamation: Pres. Bill Kirchner, Vice Pres. Ray
Teeple, Sec. "Chub" Bergman, Treas. Leonard King,
Sgt.-at-Arms Tom Zeser, and board members Helen Miller, Merle
Lovellette, Thelma Whitaker, Virginia Rodenbush and Ruby McCollough.
UE News - 11/99
