For those wondering about whether or not you had to be present at the December 16th, 2024, monthly membership meeting and holiday extravaganza and be in compliance with the other requirements of the raffle, in order to win the second YETI cooler, you did.

Listed below are the important dates that everyone needs to be aware of during the first quarter of 2025:

January 10th, 2025 – Friday – If you were on the “rolls” as a retiree on December 31st, 2024, the 10th is the day in which the Fund Office will be crediting your account with the previously communicated Board of Trustees approved thirteenth check.

Are you a:

Medicare-eligible retiree? And,
Enrolled into the United Healthcare Medicare Advantage program with supplemental pharmaceutical coverage through Sav-Rx and/or turning the age of sixty-five (65) in 2025 and as such, soon to be enrolled into that program? And,
Have questions or are curious about maximizing the benefits you are entitled to receive through the United HealthCare Medicare Advantage program? And,
Love a good breakfast or just eat breakfast?

Then you will want to RSVP and secure your spot at this meeting.

For all retirees thinking about working within the industry while still receiving a monthly Pension benefit from the Local 697, I.B.E.W. and Electrical Industry Pension Plan in 2025 and beyond, please be advised that effective January 1, 2025, the temporary suspension of the Plan’s concerning working in retirement has been revoked.

As I write this, Thanksgiving is a week away. Which means that some of you only have seven more days in which you can legitimately cry out loud that “It’s too early to play Christmas music and to display Christmas decorations!”

But I realize that most of you will be reading this after Thanksgiving.

Well, last month’s Presidential election was not exactly what the Labor movement was hoping for.

Suffice it to say, it will be sad to see the departure of the most pro-Labor administration in our lifetime, not to mention, one of the most pro-Labor administrations in the history of the United States.

Fund records indicate that many participants still have not:

Secured their account at Empower. Nor,
Established an account with Included Health.

Because of that, there may be some coal in some people’s stockings on Christmas morning.

After considerable research and deliberations, the Board of Trustees of the Lake County Indiana, NECA – I.B.E.W. Health and Benefit Plan have made the determination to replace SavRx as the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) for the active and early retiree population of the Plan.

Apologies to all the loyal readers who are tired of reading the “same ole messages” over and over, and month after month. Trust me, I know how exasperating it is. Hence the title of this article.

Nevertheless, we will try this one more time.

No. Not the Prince tribute band. Although, if you never saw Prince live, you really missed out.
So, who am I talking about? Who are the purple ones?

The politically agnostic and the people who are not afraid to think for themselves.

Like us.

For example, one of the things people like us support is labor-friendly policymakers and statesmen, regardless of party affiliation.