TO: ALL UAW LOCAL 2000 MEMBERS

FROM: INTERNATIONAL UNION, UAW

SENT: FRIDAY NOVEMBER 11, 2005

SUBJECT: PROTECT YOUR PENSION! CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TODAY!

Next week the House may take up a dangerous pension bill (H.R. 2830) crafted by House GOP leaders and the Bush administration. This legislation could force GM, Ford, Daimler/Chrysler and other companies to FREEZE ALL PENSION CREDITS AND/OR PROHIBIT ANY FURTHER BENEFIT IMPROVEMENTS.

Please call your Representative toll free: 1-888-355-3588. Call between 11/15 & 11/18/2005!!

If pension credits are frozen, this means no workers would be able to earn any more credits. For example, a worker with 15 years of service would be frozen at that amount of pension credits, no matter how much longer they worked. Similarly, a worker with 29 years of service would be frozen at that amount of pension credits, and would never be able to qualify for a 30-and-out pension, no matter how much longer they worked.

If benefit improvements are prohibited, this means THE UAW COULD NOT EVEN NEGOTIATE TO UPDATE BENEFIT LEVELS TO KEEP PACE WITH INFLATION. This would be true both for active workers and for retirees!

This awful pension bill would also OUTLAW SPECIAL EARLY RETIREMENT BENEFITS that are now triggered when there is a plant closing. This would eliminate one of the most important mechanisms for cushioning the impact of plant closings on workers.

This terrible pension legislation represents an enormous attack on the pensions of the UAW active and retired members and tens of thousands of other workers employed at major manufacturing companies throughout the United States. It is an attempt by the Bush administration and House GOP leaders to undermine negotiated defined benefit pension plans.

At the same time that House GOP leaders are attacking pension benefits for workers and retirees, they have not done anything to the lucrative pensions earned by Members of Congress. Despite the huge federal deficits, Members of Congress would continue to have their pension credits and benefits increase automatically every year.

PLEASE ACT NOW TO PROTECT YOUR PENSION BENEFITS AND TO PROTEST AGAINST THIS DOUBLE STANDARD!!!

Please call your Representative toll free: 1-888-355-3588. Call between 11/15 & 11/18/2005!!