New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-02
100000 PENSION
SCHEME IN OPERATION
Notice of Benefits Is New
Years Gift to Employees
of Bell System.
MANY THOUSANDS PROFIT
President Vail Says Justice Die
tates the Rewarding Of
Fidelity and Loyalty
in Service.

| For a New Years gift. every employe
Of the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany. the Western Electric Company and
| the Bell Telephone system received no.
| tice yesterday that the new plan for ben
| efitS for sickness and accident, and for
| Insurance and pensions had gone into eff
| feet.
| Theodore y. Vail. president Of the
! Western Union Telegraph Company. sent
! to the employees an address in which he
| said that nearly two hundred thousand
men and women who were now giving
their best years TO the telephone and tele-
J graph service of the company would
! henceforth be assured OF assistance in the
| exigencics of life. for which all were not
| able to provide. and also would be as
| sured of a provision for their declining
| years He continued:
| Employers buy and employees sell ser
| vice Perfect service Is only to be found
when fidelity ana loyalty are reciprocal In
employer and employe. 1t Is this reia-
| tionship that brings satisfaction and sue
! cess To both. The intent and purpose OF
the employer in establishing plan OF
| BENEFITS l. to give tangible expression 10
| the reciprocity which means faithful ana
! loyal service on the part of the employe.
with protection from all the ordinary mis-
| fortunes To which he is liable: reciprocity
which means mutual regard for one an
! others interest and welfare. This Is JUS
tice. and without justice and sympathetic
/ interest we cannot nope TO do thor
! oughly good piece Of work.
The American Telephone and Telegraph
| Company. which CentraliZes the assocl-
atcd companies into one system, with one
policy for universal service. has cOpsld-
cred the interests of all workers and mas
| made a comprehensive plan possible IL
! is the administrative clearing house ana
| the underwater OF the necessary reserve
| fund upon which a general plan must de-
pend.
The companies first made known their
intention Of establishing the plan in No.
vember. when it was announced that A
fund Of slccoo.oW would be provided "a
carry out the scheme.
Men Who have been In the employ OF
the companies may retire AT the age OF
| sixty II they have seen twenty years ser
/ vice. and may at the company's option he
retired 1T hfty-fyc II they have seen
| twenty-five years service. In the case OF
women the age limit is five years less in
each case.
Pensions are TO bee based on years OF
service. one per cent Of the average sal
AIRY FOR the last ten years OF service,
multiplied by the number OF years in the
employ OF the companies. will be the sum
| allowed but no pension will be less than
! S2o month.
| In case OF disability through accident
| while iu service full pay will be allowed
! tor thirteen weeks and half pay until the
! injured person IS able TO return. UP to six
wears In case OF sickness, for ten-year
employees there will be full pay for thir-
teen weeks. with half pay for thirty-nine
weeks while persons employed more than
| I'VE years will get full pay for thirteen
weeks and half pay for thirteen. Persons
/ employed from two to five years VIII re-
ceive full pay for nine weeks when ILL.,
! \ sum cquallirg one years pay. but not
exceeding $3.50. will be paid as insurance
! in case Of death while on duty Insur-
| ancc Of one years salary will be paid on
the death OF ten-yCar employees, and a
sum cqual To- six months salary will be
paid on the death OF persons IN the en-
ploy Of the companies from five to ten
years.