Bisbee daily review., 1912-11-13
BELL TELEPHONE
SYSTEM ADOPTS
PENSION PLAN
Covers Also Disability, Old
Age and Accident
Insurance
Mountain States Company
Will Put Same into Eff
feet January /.

y ~hoiAopiS SuAJduudtH HfSl, LOT the
10000 employees Of the Bell system
and associated interests. and their
families and dependents, amounting
altogether TO more than quarter
OF a million people.
This 100000 fund will be made
good from year to year by annual
appropriations on the part of the
American Telephone and Telegraph
company and associated companies,
and the Western Union Telegraph
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
I. \. Vail has provided combined ben
ehts for approximation, sickness &C
cident and death, for an Industrial
army more than twice as large as
the standing army OF the United
States.
This provision is made entirely at
the expense of the various compan-
les interested. without contribution
Of any kind from the employees them
selves. The application of these var
led benefits will be strictly democrat
ic and will be for the benefit OF AL
employees of every rank The plan
will provide for free change of EN-
ployment from one company to an-
other, with fun credit for combined
terms OF service.
The Bell System and associated in.
terests provide employment for about
lT5.04O people: OF this number $780,
600 are employees Of the Bell Tele-
phone System. The total yearly pay
for the whole group is about s1t5.-
100000, something over $4,000. Gp0
icing paid out IN wages by The Bell
Telephone System alone
The terms by which provisions are
made for the needs of age. illness,
accidents and death, may be summag-
lied as follows:
Pensions; Male employees who
have reached the age OF sixty years
and who have been twenty years or
more in service, may retire on pen,
sions. They may be retired at the
option of the company when they
have reached the age OF ffty-fye
years or more in service The pen
sion age of female employees is ia
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
Oh the approval of the president of
the company.
The amount of the pension is auto
matically based on the years OF ser
vice and the amount OF pay and will
be / per cent of the average annual
pay for ten years, multiplied by the
number of years Of service. There
fore, a man who had been thirty
years in service would get 80 per
cent of the average salary which he
hal been receiving during his last
ten years of service. No pension will
be less than $1,000 a month.
Accident, Disability Benefits: IN
ease Of accidents occurring IN and
due to the performance OF work Tor
the company, the employe will re-
ceiye for total disability. full pay for
thirteen weeks and half pay for the
remainder OF disability, up to six
years.
II the disability is temporary, ne
will receive full pay for thirteen
weeks and half pay until able to
earn a livelihood, not exceeding six
years.
Sickness. Disability Benefits: En-
ployes who are disabled by sickness
or accident outside of the regular
course of duty after ten years or more
in service. will Teceiysgiuit pay for thir-
ty-nina weeks: # from five to ten years
in service, full pay for thirteen weeks
and half pay for thirteen weeks; r.
from two to five years in service. full
pay for four weeks and half pay for
nine weeks. In case OF employees who
have not been two years in service,
heads OF departments will he per
mitted the same discretion as hereto
fore, in continuing pay during tenn
poraTy Illness.
Life Insurance: In the case OF
death resulting from accident in and
due to performance OF work for the
company. an insurance amounting 10
three years pay. will be paid to the
dependents OF the emplOye, the max
imum payment being 100000
In the case Of death resulting from
sickness or from accidents outside
the business, the payment will be
one years pay for employees who
have been ten years or more in the
service and one half of one year
pay for employees who have been from
five TO ten years in service, tue
maximum payment being 81 10000
IL any state statutes provide Tor
more liberal compensation than Is
provide under the benefit plan, the
statutory provision will prevail.
Where the employees have legal rights.
as in some accident cases, they vii
have the option OF exercising such
rights or accepting the company's
benefits The American Telephone
and Telegraph company has set aside
from its surplus a fund which pro-
vides for those whom il directly en-
plOyes. and also provides a reserve
upon which. under certain conditions,
the associated companies may draw
This fund is supplemented by funds
SGT aside by each company The
total appropriations will aggregate
something more than $4,000 .090.09
The benefits, Il Is estimated. viii
cost annually about sf.000,O00G0 more
than the present payments on this
acCcouns
The administration OF the funds
viii be in the hands OF employees
benefit committee OF 1--WE, to be APP
pointed by the board OF directors OF