retirejp here from Kansas City ,Local #41 . I retired 2007 at 85% age 50 with NO insurance . 31 Years with YRC , MY ENTIRE WORK LIFE ! I am in direct contact with OUR Congressman and Senator McCaskill via emails , since June 2-15 . ALL CENTRAL STATES RETIREES ARE IN IMMEDIATE DANGER OF OUR LIVES ! Being a Teamster was a HARD LIFE . Extreme weather conditions , everything was outside . Everything was Hot, Dirty or Heavy ! Blistering heat inside the metal trailers under mostly OPEN structures . All of US know that the time tables alone mostly nights and weekends . Until recently NO real HAZMAT . Until Carrey was in office , WE had NO real retirement . The life expentency of a Teamster after retirement at age 65 was only 18 months. The retirement age was streatched out with 25 and OUT available . $100 per year per month . WE were AMERICAS DREAM UNION ! Then 9-11-2001 and everybodys Stock Market related Pensions suffered . The FUND called in the BEAN Counters and The Rank & FILE took a hit . Agreed ? By my retirement in 2007 it came down to RETIRE or Stay until you were 62 then 65 . So there was a Mass Exidious . However OUR collective retirement even with the " Working Restrictions " that WE ALL signed as part of OUR package , left us with a livable retirement . Not excessive but livable , agreed ? Then the " Bubble Crash of 2008 " BUT told US by the current Teamster International Board there was a Light in our future . United Parcle Service had a vast amount of money to give the FUND ,,,, They wanted to BUY OUT OF THE CENTAL STATES PENSION FUND ....an Infusion . THEY JUMPED with provisions , supposedly to protect US in case of short falls . What I saw , and I did call in but was NOT answered to the Funds Comedy Show , the QUESTIONS appeared to be carefully selected . Appeared to be Pre Screened and Scripted . Nobody asked the Tough Questions . #1 Where were the Provisions and when do they KICK -IN due to the FUNDS drop in incoming payments from contributing Companies under The Master Freight Agreement * UPS buyout ? And under my research assisted by a Legal Team from Scholarly men and women , including Congressional and Senate staffers , THE BIGGEST ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM .... WHY do the Retired Teamster Officials from Local to International levels , WHY are THEIR ,,MULTI TIER PENSIONS 2, 3 & 4 PENSIONS *( A Pension for every job held in the Union ) WHY ARE THEIR PENSIONS "NOT GOING TO BE TOUCHED" ? all the Multi Tier Pensions , FULL Pensions NOT even mentioned as being included in The Pension Reduction from Central States Pension Fund ?? If I can retire and live on 85% of a 31 year , non time break , Pension ,,,,, If there IS STILL FAT TO CUT , THEN WHY DO THE TEAMSTER OFFICIALS NOT LOOSE 1 THIN DIME FROM THEIR MULTI TIER PENSIONS ? THIS is exactly the Question that I personally asked my Congressman and Federal Senator ? And I asked them to ask the Treasury the very question ? 235K is a HUGE voting block , Not to mention the families of US directly concerned that WILL VOTE in November ! Any Politician involved in this CRISIS , or knowing about This CRISIS that will have divesting effects on the Economy involving Central States Pensions in every City , County , State and Nationwide ! #1 Where are the provisions involving UPS removal from The Fund ? #2 WHY do the multi tier retirees GET TO KEEP ALL OF THEIR RETIREMENT PENSIONS ? IF we need to CUT out the FAT ,, Those 2 Questions MUST be answered and The TEAMSTER INTERNATIONAL ,,,MUST ,,,ANSWER TO US ! After all do the Union Officials work for US or DO WE " SERVE UNDER THEM AS DICTATORS IN THEIR SURFDOM ? WE as surfs or Slaves ? Should the Union Officials be held accountable to US ? cc to The United States Congress and United States Senate per of Elected State and Federal Senators ? thank each and every Brother and Sister Teamster , signed by : retiredjp local 41 Kansas City Missouri