The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-11-11
BELL TELEPHONE
SYSTEM ADOPTS
PENSION PLAN
COVERS ALSO DISABILITY
AND ACCIDENT INSURANCE
Mountain States Company Will
Put Same Into Effect January
First.

y lund OF SiU.OO0.OOO Tor PENSIONS,
SICK benefits ard life insurance will
be available on JaoUaYy first for the
l'n.Uu0 employees Of the Bell system
and associated interests and Their fam.
ilIes and dependents. amounting alto
gether 10 more than Guar;c or of
I million people.
This $l0.00o,0o0 fund VIII bc made
good from year 10 wear by annual ap.
preparations or toe part of the Ameri.
can Telephone 6 Telegraph company
ana associated companies, and the Yves.
tern Union Telegraph company and the
western Electric company.
The plan for the distribution Of this
fund has been characterized as She
most liberal, comprehensive and ideal
ever inaugurated President II. n. Vail
has provided combined benefits for
superannuatiou, sickness accident 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 companies
interested, without contributions Of any
kind from the employees themselves
The application OF these varied benefits
will be strictly democratic and will
; he for the benefit of all employees of
! every rank. The plan will provide for
free change Of employment from one
company TO another. with full credit
for combined terms of service.
The Bell system and associated in
forests provide employment for about
10000 people; Of this number 10000
arc EMPLOYEES ot The Bell Telephone
System. The total yearly pay for inc
whole group is about $4,000 900. some
thing over Ss0,o0o000 being paid out
in wages by The Bell Telephone System
alone.
The torms by which provisions are
made for the needs OF age, illness. ac
cidents and death, may bo summarized
as follows:
Pensions: Male employees who have
reached the age of sixty wears and who
have been twenty Years or moro in
! service, may retire on pensions They
! may he retired al the option Of the
| company when they have reached the
age of fifty-hyc years and havo been
twenty-five years or moro in service.
The pension age OF female employees
is in each case five years younger than
that Of male employees. ANY employee
who has been thirty years ~ service,
regardless OF age, may be pcpsioncd
on the approval of the president Of the
company.
The amount Of the pension is auto
matically based on the years Of service
and the amount Of pay and will be l
per cent Of the average annual pay
for ten years, multiplied by the nun
Der of years ot service, Therefore. q
man who had boen thirty years in ger
vice would get 30 per cent of the av-
erago salary which lie had boon recciv
ing during the last ten wears of ser.
vice No pension Will be less than
$4,000 month.
Accident. Disability Benefits: In case
of accidents occurring in and due to
The performance of work for the com
pany, the employee will receive for
total disability, full pay for thirteen
weeks and half pay for the remainder
of disability, mp TO six years,
ii the disability is temporary, he
will receive full ray for thirteen weeks
and bali pay until able TO earn a live
lihood. not exceeding six years.
Sickness, Disability Benefits: EN-
ployces who are di sabled by sickness or
accident outside of the regular course
of duty after ten years or more in ser
vice. will receive full pay for thirteen
weeks and half pay for thirty-nne
weeks; if from 6ye to ten years in
service, full pay for thirteen weeks
and half pay for thirteen weeks. il
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 be permit
ted the same discretion as heretofore,
in continuing pay during temporary i'll
ness,
Life Insurance: IN the case Of death
resulting from accident in and due to
performance Of work for the company,
an insurance amounting to three years
pay, will be paid TO the dependents
of the employee, the maximum payment
being S5,000.00.
In the case Of death resulting from
sickness or from accident outside the
business, the payment will be one year S
pay for employees who have been ten
wears or more in the service and one
half Of one years pay for employees
who have been from FIVE to ten years
in service, the maximum payment be-
ing S2.000.00,
| If amy state statutes provide for
more liberal compensation than is pro-
vided under the benefit plan, the stat
u,ory provision will prevail. Where
the employees have legal rights, as in
some accident cases, they will have the
option of exercising such rights or ac-
| cepting the company s benefits. The
! American Telephone & Telegraph con-
papy has set aside from its surplus
! fund which provides for those whom
! it directly employs, and also pro-
[ vides a. reserve, upon which, under Ger
lain conditions, the associated compau-
| les. may draw. This fund is supple
mented by funds set aside by each COM
pauy. Tie total appropriations will az
| gregate something more than $l0,00o.-
000.00. The benefits ii is estimated
will cost annually about $1,000, 100000
more than the present payments on
this account.
The administration of tho funds viii
be in the hands of employees benefit
committees Of FIVE. to be appointed by
the board Of directors Of each com
papy. The committee Of each assocla.
ted company will have jurisdiction over
the benefits for employees Of that COM
panv.
The Employees Benefit Committee OF
the American Telephone Telegraph
Company will have general jurisdiction
over the plan for the entire system
and specific authority as TO the Ameri-
can Telephone & Telegraph Company S
en- plovoes benefits,
President r., r, Field of The Mountain
States Telephone & Telegraph Company
announces that his company will
ADOPT the plan January !. Mr.. Field