Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1998 10:24:58 -0400 From: judy morris Subject: Something to add to your evidence notebook to use against UNUM in court Add the next three articles to your evidence notebooks to use against UNUM. By the way, I can tell you now that I'm in touch with their employees and they certainly DON'T treat them well, especially if they are sick or disabled. UNUM's audacity knows no bounds. How can a company be this corrupt and this unrepentant and no one seems to be able to bring them to justice? Maybe I'm just naive and lots of companies operate this way. But it sure makes you doubt what this country (and the beloved flag the Republicans are so worried we might burn) stands for. The flag burning thing is exactly what's at issue here. A symbol being more important than the constitution it stands for. Hype is EVERYTHING. Substance is NOTHING. Makes me want to go out and burn a flag. Maybe that will get me thrown in jail and I can finally talk to a judge. (Don't worry, I won't do it, I know they still wouldn't let me talk about what drove me to it). Judydoc carlah wrote: judy I thought you might throw up when you read this, (please try not to) can you believe this crap. Subject: 1998CRS8515A UNUM ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE STATEMENT From: noone@senate.gov Date: 1998/07/20 Message-ID: <1998CRS8515A@us.govnews.org> Newsgroups: gov.us.fed.congress.record.senate [More Headers] [Subscribe to gov.us.fed.congress.record.senate] Article segment 1 of 2 - Get Next Segment - Get All 2 Segments Archive-Name: gov/us/fed/congress/record/1998/jul/17/1998CRS8515A [Congressional Record: July 17, 1998 (Senate)] [Page S8515-S8516] >From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:cr17jy98-166] UNUM ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE STATEMENT Ms. COLLINS: Mr. President, I rise to congratulate the UNUM Corporation on its 150th Anniversary. UNUM is based in Portland, Maine, has offices across America and around the globe, and enjoys a reputation for excellence throughout the world. July 17, 1998 marks the 150th Anniversary of the UNUM Corporation, a company incorporated in Maine in 1848 as Union Mutual Life Insurance Company. [[Page S8516]] Throughout the past 150 years, UNUM has stayed true to the charge of its founder Elisha B. Pratt to ``find the better way'' and is known today as the company that ``sees farther.'' UNUM has become the world leader in disability insurance and consistently ranks among the best places to work in America. UNUM has chosen to celebrate its July 17 anniversary by having thousands of its employees volunteer a ``Day of Sharing'' to more than 200 community service projects in six countries. UNUM's ``Day of Sharing'' builds on a record of community partnership that includes contributing more than 75,000 employee volunteer hours during each of the past five years and the UNUM Foundation contributing $2 million to community programs last year alone. Not only is UNUM an outstanding and exemplary business leader, providing insurance protection to its customers, it is also an invaluable community partner, improving the communities where its employees have lived and worked for 150 years. Today, I ask my colleagues in the Senate to join me in congratulating and commending UNUM on its 150th anniversary and its outstanding achievements as a business leader and community partner. Mr. BINGAMAN: Mr. President, I have spoken here many times in the past expressing strong support on the issues of pension reform and pension portability, and I would like to do so again today. I believe that the accumulation and availability of retirement savings is one of the most significant issues we face in our new economy. Yet while much of the current debate is focused on the viability of the Social Security system--and rightly so--we must not forget that this is only part of the administrative mechanisms we have in place that allow people to move from job to job and take care of their families. As my good friend and colleague from Vermont has already outlined in detail the specifics involved in our Retirement Portability Account bill, I will limit my own comments at this time to some issues I consider to be of special importance. Currently, employers and employees face three specific problems as individuals attempt to take their retirement funds with them as they change jobs over their career. The first problem is the specialized rules that have been established for the various kinds of accounts now available to employees. 401(k) plans for the private sector, 403(b) plans for non-profit organizations, 457 plans for state and local government employees, and so on all possess unique characteristics that are beneficial to individual employers and employees, but also make administrative compatibility between the plans problematic. The second problem concerns control of the funds accumulated by the employee, that is who is responsible for the paperwork as employees change jobs. This has been one of the foremost concerns of small business owners as they create accounts for a highly-mobile workforce. The third problem involves the ability of employees to ``park'' their accumulated funds somewhere until they have a new retirement plan. Here, the key has been to find a convenient way to use so-called ``conduit IRA's'' as a transfer mechanism into which funds can be transferred on their way to a different retirement savings plan. The Retirement Account Portability bill offered by Senator Jeffords Article segment 1 of 2 - Get Next Segment - Get All 2 [Image] Segments Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1998 10:34:55 -0400 From: judy morris Subject: Re: DN - 1998CRS can you stand anymore of this? carlah wrote: Subject: 1998CRS8420 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF UNUM CORPORATION From: noone@senate.gov Date: 1998/07/17 Message-ID: <1998CRS8420@us.govnews.org> Newsgroups: gov.us.fed.congress.record.senate [More Headers] [Subscribe to gov.us.fed.congress.record.senate] Archive-Name: gov/us/fed/congress/record/1998/jul/16/1998CRS8420 [Congressional Record: July 16, 1998 (Senate)] [Page S8420] >From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:cr16jy98-139] 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF UNUM CORPORATION Ms. SNOWE: Mr. President, I rise today to honor a great Maine company that this week celebrates a remarkable milestone--its 150th Anniversary. It was thirteen years before the Civil War began that the UNUM Corporation of Maine was founded as the Union Mutual Life Insurance Corporation. Since that time, UNUM has grown to employ more than 7,400 employees worldwide, and almost 3,800 in their World Headquarters in Portland alone--and has become an industry leader in the area of long term care disability insurance. We in Maine are proud of UNUM's growth and longevity--outstanding achievements that don't happen by accident. But what is even more impressive is UNUM's commitment to providing an outstanding environment for its employees. Indeed, UNUM has been recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the nation's top 100 employers, and named as a leading ``family-friendly'' company by both Business Week and Working Mother magazines--evidence that UNUM's vision and innovation is garnering accolades throughout the professional world. In fact, UNUM has been on Working Mother's list a remarkable nine years in a row. From the standpoint of one who has consistently fought in Congress for opening up possibilities and opportunities for women in business, as well as family-friendly legislation such as the Family and Medical Leave Act, I appreciate UNUM's commitment to fostering a work environment that recognizes that the values of hard work and family are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, UNUM's philosophy shows that responding to employees' concerns is not only the right thing to do, it's also sound business practice. In particular, I applaud UNUM's commitment to providing safe, affordable child care options to employees. UNUM was one of the first companies in America to establish an on-site child care center, and UNUM subsidizes child care costs for qualified employees. Hopefully, this will blaze a trail that others in corporate America will be eager to follow. UNUM also exemplifies the principles of corporate citizenship, and the corporation as a partner in the community. UNUM has consistently been a responsible and integral member of the Portland community--where most of their employees live--and UNUM will be celebrating their anniversary in part with a day-long community service effort involving thousands of employees and hundreds of projects. I commend UNUM's dedication to the community and to the use of corporate resources for the betterment of others, and believe that their model is one which should be replicated throughout the country. This tone of corporate responsibility is set at the top, and UNUM President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Orr deserves much of the credit. A recent article in Portland's Maine Sunday Telegram elaborated on Jim's many talents, saying that, ``he preaches a gospel of shared goals, clear vision and intense focus''. A member of UNUM's board of directors stated, simply, ``The guy knows how to lead''. Obviously, he has used that skill to build a company that not only knows how to satisfy the bottom line, but to set an example for others to follow. Mr. President, in Maine we like to speak of ``the way life should be'', and we cherish a quality of life that is second to none. UNUM exemplifies ``the way business should be'' and for 150 years--that's two-thirds of this nation's existence--it has been contributing to the effort to build an even better Maine in which to live, work, and raise a family. Again, I congratulate the leadership of UNNM, and the outstanding employees who have guaranteed the company's success over the past 150 years. ======================================================================= Subject: Too funny, I have to share this "inside" humor [noir] with you Genie wrote: UNUM's 150th Anniversary speech was.........well, extremely moving. You gotta hand it to these people, bragging about their corporate culture. Heckuva priority for an insurance company. They say they cherish a quality of life that is second to none. Built on what -- the backs of desperate, hopeless, sick people? Well, I was curious, so I went to see Madame X, and asked her to communicate psychically with some of the world's most famous leaders, find out what they thought about certain insurance companies who blow their own horns about "the way to do business." I got some interesting feedback. This group in particular were in favor of today's insurance strategies: "Yes indeed, today's insurance companies definitely have it together. I heartily approve, and I look forward to meeting these employees who have practically done my work for me. We'll have a long, long time to get to know each other." - Satan "They are doing business the way it should be done. Sick people? They're weak, probably ethnically impure. They deserve what they get." - Adolf Hitler "Insurance companies should not be picked on by disabled claimants. If these cripples are so hungry, I'll teach 'em a trick or two." - Jeffrey Dahmer "These companies should serve as an example to us all. Sick people are just so stupid, demanding contractual rights -- as if they had any! If they are told they are not disabled, they WILL accept it -- or else!" - Benito Mussolini "The LTD insurance industry does it right. If claimants don't like it, then off with their heads." - King Henry VIII "If people have to suffer, so what? Let the disabled claimants eat cake." - Marie Antoinette "They've got the right idea, but could learn a few things about torture." - Manuel Noriega "I agree with Noriega. They're too soft. Their tools are far too subtle. They're on the right track, though." - Marquis de Sade Sorry I couldn't cover everyone who wanted to make a statement -- there were so many of them, Madame X had to do a complete exorcism of her parlor.