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..

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!

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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

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The post BellTel’s 2026 Summer Newsletter is LIVE! appeared first on Association of BellTel Retirees, Inc..

It is with extreme sadness that we share the news that C. William (Bill) Jones, the co-founder of your Association of BellTel Retirees, has passed away.

Bill was a true giant.  For 30 years, our Association has thrived due to his efforts, as well as those of our other co-founders.  Early on, they recognized that united, retirees are stronger, and that together we must maintain a bold stance to advocate for the economic protection of the Verizon retiree community. All who have been part of the Association community are here because of his vision and never-ending support.

Bill worked at NY Telephone/NYNEX for more than three decades, retiring in June of 1990. He held numerous positions in customer service, sales, business marketing for Manhattan, as a company witness in rate proceedings, and corporate planning, before retiring from NYNEX as Managing Director of Corporate Planning.

In April 1996, he and six fellow retirees founded the Association of NYNEX Retirees (now BellTel), leading the national non-profit as President and Executive Director.  He frequently testified before Congress and federal agencies, and consistently appeared at annual NYNEX, Bell Atlantic and Verizon shareholders meetings, addressing the corporate board about concerns felt by fellow retirees, which included tens of thousands of shareholders.  The Association’s success in the shareholder proxy resulted in a number of changes to board and corporate policy.  Following a 2012 derisking transaction by Verizon to spinoff 41,000 retirees’ pension assets into a group annuity, Jones led BellTel to initiate a federal lawsuit that rose all the way to the United States Supreme Court.

For more than 20 years, Bill championed the cause of his fellow retirees, even mentoring retirees from other major U.S. corporations, as they sought to follow BellTel’s lead to advocate for fellow retirees.  Upon his retirement from the BellTel board, Bill maintained the title of Board Member Emeritus. His achievements on behalf of the Association continue to be impactful to this day.

A Celebration of Bill Jones’ Life will be held at 1:00 p.m., Thursday, June 18, 2026, at Christ Church, Plano, Texas.   The family is requesting that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Christ Church Plano or the Association of BellTel Retirees at: https://belltelretirees.org/

Here is a link to Bill Jones’ obituary which can be found online:
https://www.affoplano.com/obituaries/clarence-jones-jr

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To my fellow BellTel Retirees and Active Employees, In 1996, I was among the NYNEX retirees who recognized that commitments made in our working years were not being kept. As my portion of the employment agreement, I gave 30 years to the company, working alongside an amazing group of 3,000 hardworking and wonderful colleagues, in return for a guarantee that the pension and retirement benefits offered by Ma Bell would last for MY LIFETIME! About five years after I retired as Division Manager of the Buildings Engineering and Real Estate Department, I started to realize the company I devoted a career to was not living up to those commitments. It’s exactly why seven of us co-founded the Association of BellTel Retirees in 1996, because if we don’t stand up for ourselves, who will? Over the past 30 years, it has been a great honor to watch this organization grow, succeed and continue to bring about results. I salute countless volunteers and members for their role to protect our collective earned retirement benefits. But our job, and the mission, is far from over! Some might recall that in 2010, Verizon sold 7 million access lines to Frontier Communications, transferring 11,000 employees and many retirees within that transaction. Fast forward to January 2026, as the company just reacquired all of Frontier Communications, just weeks after laying off 13,000 from Verizon. As company leaders continue to move people and corporate divisions around like pieces on a chess board, retirees and employees need to be as vocal and engaged as ever. We also need to continually monitor the state of our earned health and pension benefits. The issue of your pensions being converted into group annuities is serious business, as is the trend of private equity buying up and offshoring pension assets. Not to mention the collapse of a large insurance and annuity provider, reported in recent weeks. The Association of BellTel Retirees continues fighting for us. Its leaders have testified to Congress, initiated litigations rising to the U.S. Supreme Court, and authored victorious shareholder proxy campaigns. BellTel remains a consistent and vocal advocate for retirees in the news and as a source of insight for us all. As we mark 30 years of results, I say with certainty that retirees being of one voice has made us a more formidable force. Let’s keep that going and get behind BellTel’s efforts in 2026! I ask my fellow retirees and active employees to step up and serve as a volunteer leader and make a generous donation today. Visit our donation page on our website or use enclosed donation card to contribute. In addition to your typical generous donation, consider your Association during your current and future planned giving. This includes estate planning, your annual required minimum distribution (RMD) to a qualified charitable distribution (QCD), and adding the Association as a beneficiary. Each contribution supports BellTel’s mission to serve as an information pipeline to retirees and current employees through the quarterly newsletters, annual member meetings, our YouTube channel, podcasts, and social media. We need everyone to play a role. Become a dynamic part of a winning team focused on protecting you! Many Thanks, Bob Rehm Co-Founder & Board Member Emeritus Association of BellTel Retirees Inc.

The post An Urgent Message from BellTel Co-Founder Robert Rehm appeared first on Association of BellTel Retirees, Inc..

Keynote speakers will include John Rowley, Sr., Business Manager, IBEW Local 2324, who led a recent OSHA study of toxic lead sediments in manholes and the impact on industry workers, and Attorney Edward Stone, Executive Director of Retirees for Justice, who is a legal expert working to protect retirees’ earned pension benefits from Pension Risk Transfers (PRT).

Stamford is a symbolic city for this gathering following the recent merger of Frontier Communications — formerly headquartered in Fairfield County, Connecticut — with Verizon. The historical significance of this location to Frontier Communications will help bridge a connection between both companies’ retirees, who now share a common goal in protecting their earned retirement benefits!

The Ferguson Library is accessible by car, Amtrak, or the Metro-North Railroad!

The Ferguson Library’s location in the heart of Downtown Stamford gives attendees an opportunity to explore “The City that Works.” After the meeting, you can grab a bite to eat from any of the many restaurants along Bedford Street, shop at the spacious Stamford Town Center, and take a lovely stroll by the Rippowam River in Mill River Park — all mere minutes away on foot!

Refreshments will be served!

Ready to attend the meeting?
RSVP HERE!

You can also RSVP by contacting the Association of BellTel Retirees office by email at association@belltelretirees.org or by phone at (800) 261-9222.

Watch our YouTube invitation for more details.

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The post BellTel’s Spring 2026 Newsletter 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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