The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-11-11
Plan for Employees Pensions,
Disability Benefits and Insurance

A fund OF $4,000 600 for pensions,
sick benefits and life insurance will
be available on January first, for the
$4,000. employees OF the Bell system
and associated int -sts, and their
families and dependents, amounting
altogether to more than a quarter of
a million people.
This sl0.OOO,U0O fund will be made
good from year to year by annual
appropriations on the part Of the
American Telephone and Telegraph
Company and Associated Bell Com
panies, and the Western Union Tele-
graph Company and the Western
Electric Company.
The plan for the distribution Of this
fund has been characterized as the
most liberal, comprehensive and ideal
ever inaugurated. President T. N.
Vail has provided combined benefits
for approximation. sickness, accident
and death, for an industrial army
more than twice as large as the stand
ing army of the United States.
This provision is made entirely at
the expense OF the various companies
interested, without contributions OF
any kind from the employees them
selves. The application Of these yari-
ed benefits will be strictly democratic
and will be for the benefit Of all en-
ployes OF eye.-y rank The plan will
provide for free change of employ
ment from one company to another,
with full credit for combined terms of
service.
More than 1000 employees OF the
Northwestern Telephone Exchange
Company, the Iowa Telephone Com
pany and the Nebraska Telephone
Company, three Bell Companies now
operating as a working unit through
out Minnesota, the Dakotas, Iowa and
Nebraska, wilt be affected by this
plan. The pension benefit is retro
active, affecting employees now work
ing for all Bell companies.
The Bell system and associated In
terests provide employment for about
10000 people; of this number $780,
900 are employees of the Bell Tele-
phone system. The total yearly pay
for the whole group is about s115,000,-
600, something over sS0.000,000 being
paid out in wages by the Bell tele-
phone system alone.
The terms oy which provision is
made for the needs Of age, illness, ac-
cidents and death, may be summarize
ed as follows:
tensions.
Male employees who have reached
the age of sixty years and who have
been twenty years or more in service,
may retire on pension. They may be
retired at the option of the company
when they have reached the age OF
fifty-five years and have been twenty
nve years or more in service. The
pension age Of female employees is in
each case FIVE years younger than
that Of male employees. Any employe
who has been thirty years In service,
regardless of age, may be pensioned
on the approval of the president OF
the company.
The amount Of the pension Is auto
matically based on the years Of serv-
Ice and the amount of pay, and will
be one percent of the average annual
pay for ten years, multiplied by the
number of years of service. There
lore, a man who had been thirty years
IN service would get thirty percent of
the average salary which he had
been receiving during his last ten
years Of service. No pension will be
less than $4,000 month.
Accident Disability Benefits.
In the case Of accidents occurring
IN and due to the performance OF
work for the company, the employee
will receive for total disability, full
pay for thirteen weeks and half pay
Tor remainder OF disability, up to six
Years.
II the disability is temporary, he
VIII receive full pay for thirteen
Weeks and half pay until able to earn
livelihood, not exceeding six years.
Sickness Disability Benefits.
Employees who are disabled by
sickness or accident outside OF the
ocular course of duty after ten years
'r more in service. will receive full