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The former SEC chair called today’s regulatory environment a high-stakes “game of Jenga” — Mr. Stone explains why and breaks down the strategies insurers use to avoid holding adequate capital reserves.

He also provides the latest updates on ongoing legal battles and explains what must be done to safeguard retirees’ assets for good.

See Eddie Stone’s full insights on our YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlxfEBwvjmI

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Lead may have been the culprit!

IBEW 2324 Business Manager John Rowley Sr. spoke at the Association of BellTel Retirees’ 2026 Annual Member Meeting to discuss lead safety issues affecting current workers and retirees, as well as the ongoing dangers that must be addressed.

Watch it our YouTube channel today!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdDrrh8sTiI

Additionally, Mr. Rowley presented three important documents during his presentation. You may peruse these documents using the links below:

• Letter from EPA to NYNEX (1997)
• Communication Manhole Water Study – Pitt and Clark (1999)
• Manhole Sediment Cleanup – EPA (June 1994)

The post IBEW John Rowley Sr. Informs Retirees about Dangers of Lead appeared first on Association of BellTel Retirees, Inc..

Keynote speakers include:

• John Rowley Sr., Business Manager, IBEW Local 2324, which commissioned an investigation by New York University & Boston College scientists of lead toxicity that impacts workers’ and our fellow retirees’ health and safety.
• Attorney Edward Stone, Executive Director of Retirees for Justice and legal counsel for fellow retirees in several important corporate pension spinoff lawsuits. Mr. Stone is fighting to protect retirees’ earned pension benefits from the unknown investment risks when our pension assets are offloaded by former corporate employers.

You may listen using your computer, iPad, smartphone or Smart TV via Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

You can also watch the meeting video on our YouTube channel!

The post “The Bell Effect” Podcast, Episode 40: BellTel’s 2026 Annual Meeting appeared first on Association of BellTel Retirees, Inc..

August 4, 2026 Mr. John Stankey, Chairman, CEO, President AT&T Inc., 208 S. Akard Street Dallas, TX 75202 Dear Mr. Stankey, On behalf of more than 134,000 former Bell System retirees, including tens of thousands who dedicated their careers to making AT&T great, I come to you with gravest concerns about the loss of guaranteed land line concession service. I also come to you as a shareholder, and Chairman of a group with an estimated 74% of our members report owning AT&T and Verizon shares—your own loyal retirees! Year after year and decade after decade, following divestiture, AT&T guaranteed its workforce in many pre-retirement HR conferences and in written notices, that their earned benefits package would remain in-place and was not to be eroded. Among these guaranteed benefits are Telephone Concession Service, which must not be depreciated or discontinued until after the death of the employee. Our retiree members residing in the State of California, have been notified that their service is being changed effective no later than June 1, 2027 and the only option available to them is AT&T Phone – Advanced (AP-A), which deploys the AT&T cellular network and/or a broadband connection to provide home telephone service instead of the traditional wired phone lines. First, removing concession land line service and forcing retirees to solely rely instead on an AP-A device with a backup battery providing only 24 hours of power is not what we could consider “the best connectivity in the industry.” This is actually putting many retirees in danger if they are faced with a blackout. While AT&T claims this is a faster and more reliable system, it feels more like a trojan horse, deposited onto the doorsteps of our retirees, especially those in rural areas. In these secluded parts of the country, a power outage would mean a total loss of communication with the outside world if not for landline service. Second, the so-called discount cost of service for AP-A to retirees is $45/month. That is the same price as every other customer in the California market. This is the equivalent of canceling or revoking retirees earned and guaranteed concession service. The current cost of concession service for a retiree was approximately $2/month in state and federal tax only, resulting in a quite significant upcharge, and yes, a breach of the employer agreement and a 100 year old tradition. In a May 2026 notification, AT&T told retirees, “thank you for your dedication as a retiree who helped shape AT&T into the nation’s best advanced connectivity company. You gave your best years of service to the company, and that’s why we are always working to bring you the best connectivity in the industry.” I implore you to re-consider the negative health, safety and fiscal impact on retirees before shutting down landline service in this state, or other locations. AT&T retirees deserve better and we expect to hold you to a higher standard of care for the decades of loyalty and commitment they provided the company. Sincerely, Thomas Steed Chairman Association of BellTel Retirees Inc.

The post Thomas Steed Concession Service Letter to AT&T CEO John Stankey appeared first on Association of BellTel Retirees, Inc..

Your fellow retirees, current employees, union leadership, and the BellTel board participated in Your Association’s 30th-anniversary meeting in Stamford, Connecticut, to discuss important topics that are actively jeopardizing retirees today.

Hear crucial insights from:

– BellTel board members, including Chairman Tommy Steed, CFO Frank Bruzek, Secretary Don Kaufmann, and Director Thomas Dougherty

– John Rowley Sr., Business Manager, IBEW Local 2324, who, with his local, championed a vital Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA) study of lead toxicity and the health impact this has on communication workers and retirees like YOU

– Attorney Edward Stone, Executive Director of Retirees for Justice, who is actively working to protect retirees’ earned pension benefits from Pension Risk Transfers, delivers the latest updates regarding ongoing legislation

Watch it below or on our YouTube channel!

The post Watch Our 2026 Annual Meeting Today! appeared first on Association of BellTel Retirees, Inc..

Such risks were recently highlighted in a study by the IBEW, with leading medical and environmental health scientists from Boston College and New York University.

You may read the full story from Thomas Steed below:

Opinion: For a Ma Bell lineman like me, OSHA consequences last a lifetime

The post Chairman Tom Steed: “OSHA consequences last a lifetime” appeared first on Association of BellTel Retirees, Inc..

Joining us to speak about this very issue is Edward Stone, BellTel’s Special Legal Counsel and the Executive Director of Retirees for Justice!

Stone joins us to discuss the failure of a major regional insurance company that recently filed for liquidation. He walks us through what policy and annuity holders should expect, what caused the issues in the first place, and what retirees and policyholders from other insurers should keep in mind moving forward.

You may listen using your computer, iPad, smartphone or Smart TV via Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

The post “The Bell Effect” Podcast, Episode 39: When Big Insurers Fail appeared first on Association of BellTel Retirees, Inc..

Association of BellTel Retirees Inc.

Media Contact: Butler Associates, LLC. 212-685-4600

Tom Butler – tbutler@butlerpr.com – 646-213-1802
Colleen Strowbridge – cstrowbridge@butlerpr.com – 646-213-1366

Association of BellTel Retirees Earns 4-Stars for Transparency from Charity Navigator

COLD SPRING HARBOR, NY — The non-profit Association of BellTel Retirees, Inc. is honored to once again receive a 4-star rating from Charity navigator, a tool that uses data analysis and research to rank philanthropies reliability and inform donors. The ranking focuses on 501(c)(3) organizations accountability, financial health, and transparency.

“Integrity is key to the Association’s success and is what helps drive our mission forward,” says BellTel Chairman Tommy Steed. “We are honored to once again receive this recognition as a
testament to the organization’s transparent line of communication and shared trust with its members and donors.”

Charity Navigator is a reliable organization that partners with Candid for data collection. The Association has been recognized with Candid’s Platinum Seal of Transparency for the past five years. As a 501(c)(3) organization themselves, Charity Navigator does not charge the philanthropies they evaluate in order to remain unbiased.

Founded in 1996, the Association of BellTel Retirees advocates for 134,000 retirees from Verizon and the Bell System to protect their earned pensions and benefits. The organization will continue to provide reliable information and open communication with the donor community as it works to protect and restore the benefits retirees earned in their working years.

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Association of BellTel Retirees Inc.

Media Contact: Butler Associates, LLC. 212-685-4600

Tom Butler – tbutler@butlerpr.com – 646-213-1802

Verizon’s Retiree Shareowners Call for Action Following Major Layoffs

COLD SPRING HARBOR, NY — Members of the non-profit Association of BellTel Retirees, Inc. are calling all those impacted by the recent layoffs at Verizon to join their movement to promote the protection and enhancement of the earned benefits and pensions of all retirees and current employees of companies derived from the original Bell system.

In November 2025, Verizon announced the layoffs of 13,000 individuals as part of a new plan to “reorient” the company. The announcement came just one month after Dan Schulman stepped into the CEO position. In a letter from Schulman to the staff, he explained that the layoffs are intended to change the company’s cost structure and enable them to invest further. The 13,000 individuals account for about 20% of the company’s management workforce, who are not unionized, making this the largest round of layoffs in the company’s history.

Thomas Steed, BellTel Chairman and a former telecommunication technical associate at Verizon said, “To announce these massive layoffs as we enter the holiday season is a cruel example of yet another telecommunications company failing their own. I urge all of those impacted by these job cuts to join the Association of BellTel Retirees as we continue to fight back against failed promises and commitments from the corporations we gave our life’s work to.”

The Association of BellTel Retirees was initially founded in 1995 by seven retirees of companies derived from the original Bell system. The organization now advocates for 205,000 Bell Atlantic, NYNEX, GTE, MCI, Idearc, AT&T and Verizon union and management retirees and retirees who were transferred to Idearc/SuperMedia, as well as active employees with regard to retirement issues. The association has over 134,000 former union and management members.

Chairman Thomas Steed said, “Over the past three decades, we have banded together thousands of retirees and current employees to fight corporations who fail to deliver on their firm commitments to us. We have successfully passed legislation and won multiple shareholder proxies for our members and hope to continue this fight for all future retirees and beneficiaries.”

The Association of BellTel Retirees released an open letter to the individuals who were impacted by the layoffs to urge them to join their association.

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