Highball - Spring 2007

In March the BR&CF will celebrate its 95th anniversary. There have been many achievements and challenges throughout the past 95 years, during which the Organization stood the test of time and thrived. The next 95 years will be no different.

A great many of our members have learned that discipline is harsher and more frequently assessed by the railways today. Last fiscal year and in the first quarter of this year, we have experienced an unprecedented level of “Held Out of Service” claims. Benefits provided to members have significantly outpaced our dues revenue. In other words, every dollar in dues – and even more – was returned to our members. Details will be provided in the Annual Report which will be sent to each active member in March.

In view of the BR&CF’s excellent investment portfolio and our substantial assets, we are confident that for the foreseeable future we can maintain our present level of benefits, dues and service without compromise. However, unusually aggressive discipline is a trend that we are monitoring closely. We will meet this new challenge with the necessary resolve.

We consistently offer members more benefits at the least expensive cost. The BR&CF is the leader in job income protection, and membership is building steadily. We are now 27,500 active members strong.

As I mentioned earlier, the Annual Report will be mailed in March. It will include a proxy designation for you to complete and return if you are unable to attend the Annual Meeting in person. It is important that your voice is heard and that you participate in this democratic process by returning your proxy. Your participation will contribute to the quorum required for business to be conducted at the Annual Meeting.

The BR&CF’s annual Photo Contest is now in progress! This is a great opportunity for you to flaunt your talent for taking unique railroad-related snapshots. You may find yourself the winner of one of the $150 cash prizes or perhaps even the $300 grand prize. Winners will have the added pleasure of seeing their winning entries, complete with photo credits, printed in the 2008 BR&CF wall calendar, which will be mailed to all BR&CF members in mid-November.

Rules for the contest are printed in the “Clip and Save” article on this page. Follow these rules and submit your entries so that they arrive in the BR&CF Principal Office not later than July 6, 2007.

Winners will be selected at the July 2007 Board of Directors Meeting and will be notified by mail. Additionally, winners’ names will be announced in the Fall 2007 issue of the “Highball.”

This is truly a win-win situation -- participants can vie for cash prizes and recognition of their work in the 2008 BR&CF wall calendar, and all members will receive a copy of the calendar, made possible in part by the photographic contributions of our very own members.

All photos submitted become the property of the BR&CF and cannot be returned. Winning photos will be posted on the BR&CF website.

The BR&CF office staff is busy preparing for the Annual Meeting, which is slated to begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. on April 21, 2007 in the BR&CF Principal Office in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. One of the most important events to take place during this preparation is the early March mailing of proxy packets to each member of record. Watch for your packet to arrive in the mail.

In addition to the Notice of Annual Meeting, each packet will contain the International President’s Annual Report, a copy of the financial report, a list of candidates and a proxy card which gives you the opportunity to cast your vote in writing if you are unable to attend the Annual Meeting in person.

Members are encouraged to exercise their right to vote and reminded that before the Annual Meeting can officially function, a quorum of the total membership must be represented as provided for in the BR&CF Constitution.

Our members have collectively made the Brotherhood’s Relief and Compensation Fund the strong Organization it is today. Help keep it strong by making your voice heard. Carefully complete, date, sign and return your proxy card promptly in the envelope provided in the packet.

A: If you are “Held Out of Service” for an occurrence during the expelled period, you would not be eligible to receive benefits for an otherwise valid claim. Furthermore, the longer you wait to reinstate, the more in back dues you would need to submit to retain benefits accrued prior to expulsion. It should be understood that although back dues are required to reinstate, NO benefits are payable during the expelled period.

Refer to Article VIII of the BR&CF Constitution, which addresses reinstatement to membership after expulsion. If you still have questions after reviewing Article VIII, you are encouraged to contact us.

Due to the ever-increasing amount of SPAM e-mail being sent to your e-mail address, many e-mail providers are using more aggressive anti-spam protection software. Unfortunately, the software sometimes blocks e-mail that you might otherwise choose to receive.

Here at the BR&CF, we are experiencing rising incidences of our e-mail transmissions being returned to us as “rejected” or “blocked.” Please add our e-mail address to your “safe” list if you want to ensure that e-mail sent to you from the BR&CF is not blocked by your provider.

If you received $600 or more from the Brotherhood’s Relief and Compensation Fund in 2006, we recently mailed you an IRS FORM 1099-MISC. You will need this form in order to prepare your Income Tax Return.

Members frequently contact the Principal Office for information regarding taxes. We remind you that we can offer general information that would be helpful to members and their tax advisors; however, the home office staff is not permitted to give specific income tax advice. Questions should be directed to IRS information centers or individual tax preparation centers. Be careful to make your tax consultant aware of the following:

The BR&CF is not an insurance company.
Members pay dues, not insurance premiums.
The IRS FORM 1099-MISC is issued to all members who received benefits of $600 or more during the previous calendar year.
If you received claim benefits in 2006, you may want to contact our office regarding dues payment information that your tax consultant will need in order to properly complete your tax return.

Thanks to the generosity of our employees in the Principal Office, the holidays were made a little brighter this year for some underprivileged children in the Harrisburg area. Games, pretty dolls, stuffed animals, toy trucks and more were collected and donated to the local Toys for Tots for distribution. (Click picture to enlarge)