The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1912-11-15
BELL TELEPHONE SYSTEM AID
OPTS PENSION PLAN.

A fund of $4,000, 900 for pensions
sick benefits and life insurance will
be available on January LIST, for the
175,000 employees OF the Bell System
and associated interests, and their
families and dependents, amounting
altogether to more than quarter of
a million dollars.
This $4,000, 900 fund will be
made good from year to year by an
nual appropriations on the part of
the American Telephone and Tele-
graph company and associated 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 bene-
fits for approximation, sickness, ac-
cident and death, for an industrial
army more than twice as large as
the standing rmyof 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 var
led benefits will be strictly democra-
tic and will be for the benefit of all
employees of every rank. The plan
will provide for free change of en-
ployment from one company to
another, with full, credit for COM
bined terms of service.
The Bell system and associated in
terests provide employment for about
$4,000 people; of this number 1870,
900 are. employees of the Bell Tele-
phone System. The total yearly pay
for the whole group is about $115,-
100000, something over 100000
900 being paid out in wages by the
Bell Telephone System alone.
The terms by which provisions
are made for the needs of age, ill
ness, accidents and death, may be
summarized as follows:
Pensions: Male employees who
have reached the age of so yeass
and who have been 20 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 S. years and have
been rs 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 80 years in
service regardless of age, may be
pensioned on the approval of the
president OF the company.
The amount of the pension is
automatically based on the years of
service and the amount of pay and
will be 1 per cent of the average an
nual pay for 10 years, multiplied by
the number of years of service.
Therefore man who has been 80
years in service would get 80 per
cent of the average salary which he
had been receiving during his last
10 years of service. No pension
will be less than $40 month.
Accidents, Disability Benefits: In
case of accidents occurring in and due
to the performance of work for the
company, the employees will receive
for total disability, full pay for 10
weeks and half pay for the remand
er of disability, up to six years.
If the disability is temporary, he
will receive full pay for 13 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 10 years or
more in service, will receive full pay
for 10 sweeks and half pay for 80
weeks; if from five to 10 years in
service, full pay for IS weeks and
half pay for 13 weeks; if 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 hereto
fore, in continuing pay during tenn
porary illness
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 employees, the max
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