President’s Letter
Breaux reports on meetings with Chevron Benefits, Public Affairs staffs
I hope that you and your families enjoyed the holiday season and you were able to spend some quality time with them. I wish for each and every one of you good health and prosperity in this New Year. Our pledge to you is to continue working on your behalf in improving those things over which we have influence.
The CRA officers met with the Chevron Benefits and Public Affairs staffs in San Ramon on Oct. 6 to share your concerns, exchange information and discuss matters of importance to the Association and its members. The two most discussed items in the morning were pension supplements and health care plans and costs. The afternoon was devoted to Government and Public Affairs topics.
Joe Laymon, Corporate Vice President of Human Resources, welcomed us and gave a briefing on Chevron's global presence and successes. Joe and his staff, led by Claudia Polidori and Deb McNaughton, proceeded to discuss Open Enrollment and Public Affairs items. We, in turn, presented our case for pension supplementation and the relief of premium collections from our most economically depressed retirees.
Backed by historical data, Benefits Chairman Al Horan presented a compelling case for pension supplements. We expressed our concern for those Social Security recipients who will be experiencing increased Medicare premiums while the Cost of Living Adjustment will be frozen over the next three years. Other matters of discussion were those concerns expressed to us by our members regarding Health Care Reform. Your Chapter president was provided with a full report of the meeting that took place.
Preparations are underway for the Mid-Year meeting which is scheduled Jan. 30-Feb. 1 in Burlingame, CA. Attending this meeting will be Area Vice Presidents, Chairs of the seven committees, Past Presidents and staff. Topics of discussion will be the projects that the committees have been working on plus emerging issues impacting our Association, including updates on the next three annual meetings. At the same meeting we will interface with members of Chevron's management.
The deadline for nominating a member or Chapter to receive recognition for its public service efforts is March 15. If you know a member or Chapter deserving of such a Chevron Public Service Award, please complete form CRA 220 and submit your nomination. Copies of the form are available from your Chapter.
While we enjoyed a banner year with a substantial increase in paid membership, we should not rest comfortably on those accomplishments as we embark on a new recruiting year. It is only through strong and active membership that we serve as a major conduit for exchange of ideas between Chevron, its retirees and the Public. I strongly encourage each of you to mount an aggressive campaign to retain and recruit new members. Remember that a prospective member does not have to be residing in an area where there is a local chapter to join the Association. They can become a member of the Unaffiliated Chapter.
Chevron Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dave O'Reilly retired effective Dec. 31. Over the past decade we have enjoyed his presence at our annual meetings and the strong support he gave to our Association. He gave freely of his time and the Association benefitted greatly from this relationship. We wish Dave a healthy and happy retirement and hope he elects to join our ranks.
At the same time we welcome John Watson, who was elected Chairman and Chief Executive Officer effective Jan. 1. We look forward to continuing our relationship with John, as we did with Dave.
Also elected was George L. Kirkland as Vice Chairman and Executive Vice President of Upstream and Gas. George has a wealth of hands-on experience in upstream operations and is an asset to Chevron as it continues to be a major force in the global market.
As we approach elections for Chapter Officers, I encourage all members to consider serving in their local Chapter. You will find this to be a rewarding experience and one from which you will enjoy the friendship of many great fellow retirees.
We are looking forward to a very active year and to serving the needs of our fellow retirees.
Ernie Breaux
112 Wicklowe RD,
Lafayette, LA 70503
(337) 984-4657
01/10
