UTU retiree John Hageman was recently re-elected to his fourth four-year term as city councilman in Fitzgerald, Ga. This is not surprising, since the 84-year-old Hageman’s forefathers helped found the town back in 1895. Fitzgerald is a town of about 9,500 residents in s [...]
Railroad workers should be aware that in addition to retirement annuities based on age and service, the Railroad Retirement Act also provides disability annuities for workers who become totally or occupationally disabled. Medicare coverage before age 65 is also available for [...]
By UTU GS&T Kim Thompson A recent article on the UTU Web site, headlined “Ponzi Scheme Targets Retired L.A. Bus Drivers,” reminded me of the pitfalls that our members can face in having a secure retirement. It seems you can’t watch the evening news, open a ne [...]
The 75th anniversary of the enactment of the Railroad Retirement Act of 1935 is being observed during 2010. Part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal legislation, the Act was signed into law on August 29, 1935, the Railroad Retirement Board reports. It was in the [...]
Employers and employees covered by the Railroad Retirement Act pay higher retirement taxes than those covered by the Social Security Act, so that railroad retirement benefits remain higher than Social Security benefits, especially for career employees. The following questions [...]
Retired UTU member Tom Berry (Local 528, Chicago) has been endorsed by the Texas Democratic party to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in November, representing the Fifth Congressional District in Texas, which includes portions of Dallas. It will be an uphill battle. [...]
The UTU is offering the members of the UTU Alumni Association the vacation of a lifetime — an 11-day excursion to Alaska — at a group-tour price that is hard to beat. This tour includes a seven-day cruise up the Inside Passage, a flight to Fairbanks and a two-day [...]
Retired member Joe Alenduff is again organizing an annual picnic for railroaders in the St. Petersburg, Fla., area. The event, scheduled for Saturday, March 20, will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Shelter 15 in Ft. DeSoto Park in St. Petersburg. Coffee and iced tea will be fur [...]
Meet George M. Harris, a UTU Alumni Association member and lifetime member of Local 1518, Indianapolis. Brother Harris, 94, started railroading April 24, 1937, and retired Dec. 7, 1981. He worked as a conductor for the New York Central, Penn Central and Conrail. He also serve [...]
The following questions and answers discuss the Railroad Retirement Board’s performance in the key areas of retirement applications, survivor applications, disability applications and payments, and railroad unemployment and sickness benefit applications and claims durin [...]
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