2007 - 2010 narse Meeting Minutes

In Attendance: Bill Barker, Bud Defano, Fred Karnatz, Leo McCormack, Ron Olbrysh and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Tony Debevetz, Tom Douglas, John Freeman, Walt Hess, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, Ruth Pilant, Mel Schultz, Lloyd Van Schoyck, Dave Silger, Sandra Wheeler and Penny Williams.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: NARSE continues to receive membership renewals each month which has generated a revenue increase of 2 per cent year-to-date through June. Expenses are down 36% for the six months of 2010, and NARSE is financially sound with all bills paid.

STRAIGHT TALK: The summer issue of Straight Talk was reviewed by Chairman Olbrysh. Featured were remarks from the Sears Holdings annual meeting made by Chairman Edward Lampert and W. Bruce Johnson, interim president and CEO. Other articles included a timeline for the new health care reform law implementation, state lawsuits against Obamacare, the trademark origins for Dunlap and Craftsman (by Robert Thompson), merits of NARSE membership, Sears Headquarters response on possible health subsidy outside of Retiree Health Access and the Evansville IN retiree club. Distribution of this issue is scheduled for the last two weeks of June. The next issue will be in October.

SRAC UPDATE: While quarterly conference calls with Headquarters have been discussed, the Sears Retiree Advisory Council reported that there have been no conference calls scheduled.

FAVORITE SEARS STORIES: The compilation of favorite Sears Stories into a booklet for distribution is ongoing. We are still soliciting those stories from any Sears retiree for inclusion in the booklet and encourage the participation of our members in this effort.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported 31,752 visits for May; which is the sixth consecutive month that the website visits have increased and an all time record for a month.

In Attendance: Dick Bruce, Bud Defano, Fred Karnatz, Leo McCormack, Ron Olbrysh and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Tom Douglas, John Freeman, Walt Hess, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, Ruth Pilant, Mel Schultz, Lloyd Van Schoyck and Penny Williams.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: Year-to-date through May we have experienced an increase of 6% in paid memberships while revenue has increased 19 per cent. NARSE has been able to hold down expenses by 22% and is financially sound with all bills paid.

SEARS HOLDINGS ANNUAL MEETING: Mel Schultz and Dave Silgers each prepared written reports on the May 4 annual meeting of Sears Holdings, which they attended, and Dave made a presentation on behalf of NARSE. There were only two Sears retirees present. Edward Lampert, W. Bruce Johnson (interim president and CEO) and Dane Drobny (General Counsel) were the three people on stage with Messrs. Lampert and Johnson making any presentations. The meeting room, which was filled to capacity, had merchandise displays along the outer walls. The thrust of the meeting was digital technology and how it was shaping the shopping experiences of retail customers. Of special interest was the discussion of offering Sears brands, such as Craftsman to Ace and other competitors. Mr. Lampert said that this is a test and remarked that Nike was originally exclusive, then reached out to competition, and now Nike product is sold by many retailers.

STRAIGHT TALK: The next issue is planned for distribution in early June and will have as its major focus articles on the Sears Holdings annual meeting. Additional articles will feature Sears news, highlighting of Sears retiree clubs, and a health care reform timeline with other health care changes resultant from the recent health care bill signed into law March 23.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported 26,343 visits for April; which is the fifth consecutive month that the website visits have increased and an all time record for a month. Unique visitors, those who opened the website one time, totaled 5,908, and 98% of the visitors have the website bookmarked.

Executive Summary
National Association of Retired Sears Employees, Inc.
Friday, April 16, 2010, at HQ Office

In Attendance: Bill Barker, Bud Defano, Fred Karnatz, Leo McCormack, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silger and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Tom Douglas, Walt Hess, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, Ruth Pilant, Elaine Russell, Sandra Wheeler and Penny Williams.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: Year-to-date through March we have experienced an increase of 5% in paid memberships with an attendant 7% increase in revenue. NARSE is financially sound with all bills paid.

SRAC STATUS: The Sears Retiree Advisory Council reported that there has been no communication from Sears Headquarters concerning any upcoming conference call or meeting.

STRAIGHT TALK: The next issue will be distributed in early June and will have as its major focus articles on the Sears Holdings annual meeting. During the conference call Ron asked the participants to send any retiree club news and pictures to him for inclusion in this next issue.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported 15,117 visits for March; which is the fourth consecutive month that the website visits have increased. Unique visitors, those who opened the website one time, totaled 4,265.

SEARS HOLDINGS ANNUAL MEETING: Since it was decided that NARSE would make a presentation at the 2010 annual meeting of stockholders on Tuesday, May 4, the board of directors went into executive session to discuss and finalize the presentation to be made.

In Attendance: Tony Debevetz, Bud Defano, Leo McCormack, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silger and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Dick Cofran, Walt Hess, Art Levin, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, George O’Hare, Elaine Russell, Lloyd Van Schoyck and Penny Williams.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: Year-to-date through February paid memberships have increased 6% with an attendant 9% increase in revenue. NARSE is financially sound with all bills paid.

SEARS HOLDINGS ANNUAL MEETING: The 2010 annual meeting of stockholders will be held on Tuesday, May 4, 2010, at 9:00 A.M. in the Sears Holdings General Sessions Room at the Hoffman Estates Sears Headquarters. Following discussion of the normal annual meeting agenda, the NARSE board of directors went into executive session to discuss and prepare the NARSE presentation to be made at the meeting.

SRAC STATUS: The Sears Retiree Advisory Council reported that there has been no communication from Sears Headquarters concerning any upcoming conference call or meeting.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported 9,532 visits for February; which is the third consecutive month that the website visits have been increasing. Unique visitors, those who opened the website once, totaled 2,606.

In Attendance: Bill Barker, Tony Debevetz, Leo McCormack, George O’Hare, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silgers and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Dick Cofran, Tom Douglas, Walt Hess, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, Ruth Pilant, Elaine Russell, Sandra Wheeler and Penny Williams.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: In the month of January we experienced an increase of 3% in paid memberships and an attendant 8% increase in revenue. All bills are paid and NARSE continues to be sound financially.

STRAIGHT TALK: Feedback from readers of the winter issue of Straight Talk continues to be positive, which underscores the importance of producing a newsletter full of information on interests and concerns of seniors. An often-mentioned informational piece was the feature article on the proposed health care reform legislation. To further our continued focus on assisting seniors through this media, it was decided that the spring issue would include a retiree survey to update and solidify areas of concern in seniors’ everyday lives. THE “GOOD OLD DAYS”: The winter issue of Straight Talk began a kickoff soliciting stories of happenings at Sears across the years, which always surface when Sears people get together for any occasion. These stories not only strengthen retiree relationships, but they also may preserve some special Sears history. The idea is to collect these Sears stories and put them together in a book for printing and distribution. Chairman Olbrysh has begun receiving a few of these stories in the mail and is continuing the pursuit of additional ones.

SRAC STATUS: The Sears Retiree Advisory Council reported that there has been no contact made from Sears Headquarters concerning any upcoming conference call or meeting. An opinion was expressed by the council that SRAC is in limbo.

SEARS HOLDINGS ANNUAL MEETING: It was decided that NARSE should plan on making a presentation at the upcoming annual meeting. A major portion of the March meeting will be devoted to development of that presentation.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported 7,670 visits for January, bringing the total hits since inception of the website to slightly over 400,000. Unique visitors, those who opened the website once, totaled 2,553. The winter issue of Straight Talk was downloaded fifty-six times, and the spring issue was downloaded 26 times.

In Attendance: Bill Barker, Tony Debevetz, Bud Defano, Leo McCormack, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silgers and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Nancy Bentz, Tom Douglas, Walt Hess, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, Ruth Pilant, Elaine Russell, Lloyd Van Schoyck, Sandra Wheeler and Penny Williams.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: Year-to-date through December we have experienced an apparent attrition rate of 34 per cent in membership renewals. However, the delivery of the newsletter normally provides an increase in renewals the following month. Membership renewals received in January will reflect the vitality of the organization. NARSE is financially sound and all bills are paid.

STRAIGHT TALK: The winter issue of Straight Talk was distributed in December. Feedback from readers has been positive, especially regarding the feature article on the proposed health care reform legislation.

SRAC STATUS: The Sears Retiree Advisory Council reported that there has been no council news or new information disseminated from Sears Headquarters.

RETIREE HEALTH ACCESS SUBSIDY: Chairman Olbrysh had written a letter to Mr. Lampert regarding possible distribution of the Company-provided medical insurance subsidy directly to the retirees. (The letter is printed in the Winter Issue of Straight Talk and can be accessed on the NARSE web site.) He read a letter of response from David Works, Senior Vice President of Talent & Human Capital Services. This letter stated that the medical coverage subsidy was meant to assist those retirees who participated in one of the medical plans available through the Company’s retiree medical program, and that the retirees must participate in that program in order to receive the subsidy. The Company made the determination to continue the retiree medical program under the Sears program, and in 2006 began offering the retiree medical program through Retiree Health Access.

NARSE FOCUS FOR 2010: In addition to communicating information about topics that impact retirees, NARSE will focus on the subjects of social security taxation and social security annual cost of living increases during the upcoming year. It is our intent to work through various legislators to develop and pass legislation that will change the current taxation program and formalize appropriate annual increases in the benefits paid to retirees.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported 6,201 visits for December 2009. Forty-five per cent of the visitors went to the Home Page, and eighteen per cent visited the Breaking News page.

In Attendance: Bill Barker, Dick Bruce, Tony Debevetz, Bud Defano, Leo McCormack, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silgers and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Dick Cofran, John Freeman, Walt Hess, Art Levin, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, Ruth Pilant, Lloyd Van Schoyck and Penny Williams.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: NARSE is sound financially and all bills are paid.

STRAIGHT TALK: The winter issue of Straight Talk is being distributed now. The opening five pages focus on the national health care reform effort with highlights of each of the latest House and Senate bills being worked on in Congress and what some of the current proposals will mean if passed in legislation. Coverage was also given to the ongoing expansion of Sears Holdings’ use of online retailing. Pictures and highlights of the activities of four retiree clubs were also included in this issue.

SRAC STATUS: The Sears Retiree Advisory Council reported that there have been no conference calls from Sears Headquarters, and none are scheduled.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported 6,290 visits for November 2009, which was 550 less than the month of October. Repeat visitors numbered 2,500.

Executive Summary
National Association of Retired Sears Employees, Inc.
Friday, November 13, 2009 at HQ Office

In Attendance: Bill Barker, Dick Bruce, Tony Debevetz, Bud Defano, Rich Kostra, Leo McCormack, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silgers, Bob Thompson and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Dick Cofran, Tom Douglas, Walt Hess, Art Levin, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, Lee Numbers, Ruth Pilant, Lloyd Van Schoyck, Penny Williams and Ken Winkler.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: Year-to-date expenses are 39 per cent less than last year, and NARSE continues financially sound with all bills paid.

STRAIGHT TALK: The next issue of Straight Talk is scheduled for distribution in early December. Articles will include information about Sears health care offerings, national health care reform legislation proposals and retiree club news.

SRAC STATUS: The Sears Retiree Advisory Council reported that there have been no conference calls and no news from headquarters. Casey Goddard is the new contact at Hoffman Estates for SRAC.

MISCELLANEOUS: Bob Thompson presented an idea to the group to strengthen retiree relationships and preserve some special Sears history. Our Sears careers were filled with great “family” relationships which often resulted in sharing stories of happenings at Sears. The idea is to collect a lot of these Sears stories and put them together in a book for printing and distribution. It was agreed that we should pursue this collection, and we would begin by soliciting these stories in the winter issue of Straight Talk soon to be distributed.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported that visits for October 2009 were 6,842, which is 600 more than September. Forty-three per cent visited the home page, and sixteen per cent hit the breaking news page.

In Attendance: Tony Debevetz, George O’Hare, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silgers and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Tom Douglas, Walt Hess, Claude Ireson, Tom Myers, Ruth Pilant, Elaine Russell, Sandra Wheeler and Penny Williams.

FINANCIAL: The financial condition of NARSE is strong, and no bills are outstanding. Membership statistics for June were not available.

SRAC UPDATE: The Sears Retiree Advisory Council participated in a conference call earlier this month. Headquarters participants were Gina Turner, new vice president of Human Resources, Katie Regan and Rob Harlem, who reported that home appliances and home entertainment are growing market share while apparel is struggling. Part of the discussion centered around the 2010 retiree health insurance program information. Aetna is planning to have conference calls with SRAC to discuss the 2010 health insurance offerings, and the Sears printed information will be distributed on the same schedule as last year.

WEBSITE VISITS: Visits for June 2009 were 2,842. Only the first visit of each visitor is counted each month. Total visits year to date are 10,344. Twenty-six visitors downloaded the Winter 2009 Straight Talk.

Executive Summary
National Association of Retired Sears Employees, Inc.
Friday, June 12, 2009 at HQ Office

In Attendance: Tony Debevetz, Leo McCormack, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silgers and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Bill Barker, Tom Douglas, Walt Hess, Blair Holden, Art Levin, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, Ruth Pilant, Elaine Russell, Lloyd Van Schoyck and Sandra Wheeler.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: Member renewals in May are down by 8% from 2008 due to the release date of STRAIGHT TALK that contains membership application and renewal forms. YTD expenses are down by 29%. Finances are solvent with all bills paid..

STRAIGHT TALK: The Spring 2009 issue of Straight Talk with its emphasis on the Sears Annual Meeting and taxation of social security benefits has been well received by our readers. The next issue most likely will focus on health care and the Sears retiree 2010 insurance program.

RETIREE CLUB UPDATE: Recent reports of declining size and activities of a few large retiree clubs prompted the need to update our database of retiree clubs. Since the last week of May, various officers have been attempting to contact every club to confirm the contact person, officers, membership, meeting frequency and any special events sponsored by the various clubs. Results to date indicate the clubs are mostly social in nature with some interest in Sears. There is not much internet involvement by the contact people, and some of the clubs listed in our current database are not able to be located. Straight Talk is frequently mentioned and appreciated for its reporting on Sears and retiree issues of concern.

SRAC UPDATE: The Sears Retiree Advisory Council is to have a conference call with Stan Aldis on July 7 or July 8. The supposition is that the subject will be about a meeting to discuss the 2010 retiree health insurance program information. The Council may be a resource for Aetna to communicate its offering to the retirees.

WEBSITE VISITS: Ron Olbrysh reported that visits for May 2009 were 2,995 with the largest percentage of hits coming to the home page followed by the breaking news page. Twenty-three visitors downloaded the Winter 2009 Straight Talk, and nine visitors downloaded Summer 2008 Straight Talk.

Ron Olbrysh called the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m.

In Attendance: Dick Bruce, Leo McCormack, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silgers and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Richard Foulke, John Freeman, Art Levin, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, Ruth Pilant, Lloyd Van Schoyck, Sandra Wheeler and Ken Winkler.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: Member renewals in April YTD are down 21% from 2008 due to the release date of STRAIGHT TALK that contains membership application and renewal forms. YTD expenses are down 57%. Finances are solvent with all bills paid.

SEARS ANNUAL MEETING: Mel Schultz and Dave Silgers represented NARSE at the Sears Holdings annual meeting May 4, 2009 and presented a written report of their experience and impressions. The approximate 45 minute business portion of the meeting was handled by Interim Chief Executive Officer and President W. Bruce Johnson and included a slide presentation of Sears performance and the election of Directors. Chairman Edward Lampert presided over the comments and questions/answers portion of the meeting, which lasted for more than two hours. Dave was the second stockholder to speak, and his presentation was acknowledged without comment from Mr. Lampert.

The promotional theme of the meeting seemed to be “Sears Life. Well Spent” with great emphasis on “shopping your way.” Mr. Lampert’s comments in response to many of the questions he fielded kept coming back to “hybrid forms of shopping”, “the shopping experience” and “interactive media” portraying the opportunities for today’s shoppers to shop anytime, anywhere and find more selection, name brands, service and trust.

STRAIGHT TALK: The next issue of Straight Talk is near completion and set for distribution later this month. Primary emphasis is being given to the Sears Annual Meeting and taxation of social security benefits. Illinois Senator Richard Durbin’s response to Chairman Olbrysh’ s letter regarding social security benefits taxation will be printed in the newsletter along with the AARP position on the subject. Retiree club news will also be featured.

RETIREE CLUB UPDATE: Recent reports of declining size and activities of a few large retiree clubs has suggested the need to update our database of retiree clubs. It was decided to contact every club to confirm officers, contact person, membership, meeting frequency and any special events sponsored by the various clubs. These contacts may also help us discover if there are any other retiree clubs in existence near our current clubs.

SRAC UPDATE: The Sears Retiree Advisory Council has had no formal contact from Sears Headquarters. There is growing concern on the part of some of the Council that the SRAC may be on its way to dissolution.

WEBSITE VISITS: Ron Olbrysh reported that visits for April 2009 were 2,900 with the largest percentage of hits coming to the home page followed by the breaking news page. Fifty-three visitors downloaded the winter Straight Talk, and 27 visitors downloaded the Summer 2008 Straight Talk issue.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:45 a.m.

The next regular NARSE meeting will be held on Friday, June 12, 2009 at 9:30 a.m. CST, 8th Floor Conference Room at NARSE Headquarters. A conference call will be available for those not able to attend in person at 10:30 a.m. Central Time.

In Attendance: Bill Barker, Dick Bruce, Tony Debevetz, Bud Defano, Leo McCormack, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silgers and Keith Tice. 

Conference Call Participants:   Ernie Arms, Dick Cofran, Tom Douglas, Richard Foulke, Walt Hess, Art Levin, Lee Numbers, Ruth Pilant, Lloyd Van Schoyck, Sandra Wheeler, Penny Williams and Ken Winkler..     

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS:  Membership renewals in March reflected an increase of 317 members compared to March 2008.  Revenues for the year 2009 are up 67 per cent, and year-to-date expenses are down 62 per cent.   

SEARS ANNUAL MEETING: Dave Silgers will represent NARSE at the Sears Holdings annual meeting May 4, 2009.  A major amount of time was spent working on the official NARSE presentation for the meeting.  With the time constraint of two minutes allowed for our representative to speak, it was necessary to carefully craft our statement to maximize our impact.  A copy of that presentation will appear in our next issue of Straight Talk. 

STRAIGHT TALK: The next issue of Straight Talk is planned for mid to late May.  A synopsis of the Sears Annual Meeting will be a major focus of the issue and will include a copy of the presentation made by NARSE at that meeting.  Retiree club news will also be featured in this issue along with other subjects of concern for seniors, such as the taxation of Social Security benefits.  

UPDATE ON SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS TAXATION: Chairman Olbrysh reported that under the name of NARSE a version of the REPEAL letters highlighted on our website December 30, 2008 was sent to Senator Harry Reid, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Illinois Senator Richard Durbin on that same date.  An e-mail follow-up was sent on March 16.  Since no response was received, Mr. Olbrysh sent certified letters to each of the three leaders on April 2. As of this meeting date no certification responses have yet been received. 

WEBSITE VISITS:  Visits for March 2009 averaged 100 per day and totaled 3,099 according to Penny Williams.  Ninety-eight per cent of the visits came from bookmarks, and 34% visited the home page followed by 16% hitting the breaking news page.  Twenty-eight visitors downloaded the winter Straight Talk, and 24 visitors downloaded the Summer 2008 Straight Talk issue. 

SRAC UPDATE:  The Sears Retiree Advisory Council members participating in today’s meeting reported that there has been no contact from Sears Headquarters.  Additionally there has been no SHC retiree newsletter issued for quite some time, and SRAC members are expressing concern that SRAC may be on its way to dissolution.   

In Attendance: Bill Barker, Bud Defano, Leo McCormack, Mel Schultz, Dave Silgers and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Dick Cofran, Tony Debevetz, Tom Douglas, Richard Foulke, Walt Hess, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, Ron Olbrysh, Ruth Pilant and Penny Williams.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: Membership renewals in February were almost twice the number that the organization had in February 2008. Revenues for the year are up 254 per cent. All financial obligations are current, and the organization is healthy financially.

REPEAL CAMPAIGN UPDATE: The REPEAL campaign – Retirees Exert Pressure Energizing All Legislators, officially launched with the Winter 2009 issue of Straight Talk. Additionally, an article on the taxation of Social Security benefits was placed on the NARSE website home page. The emphasis of the article was to encourage our membership to write Congress urging them to repeal the taxation of benefits. Three suggested letters were included as a part of the website article. We would like to hear from our members regarding any responses from Congress to their letters.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported that February 2009 visits to the NARSE website were 3,006 compared to 3,297 in January and 3,475 in December 2008. The top page visited is the home page followed by the breaking news. Ninety-eight per cent of the visits came from bookmarks.

STRAIGHT TALK: The next issue of Straight Talk was planned for the end of April, but after discussion surrounding the May 4,2009 Sears Holdings annual shareholders meeting, it was decided to delay the next issue into May so coverage of the shareholders meeting could be included. NARSE will be represented and will have a prepared statement to present at the meeting. The April meeting will devote time to preparation of our remarks.

SRAC UPDATE: The Sears Retiree Advisory Council members participating in today’s meeting reported that there has been no contact from Sears Headquarters concerning any future retiree events or information dissemination. Concern was expressed that the SRAC is now “marginalized.”

In Attendance: Tony Debevetz, Bud Defano, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, and Dave Silgers. Inclement weather prevented more members from attending in person.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Bill Barker, John Freeman, Art Levin, Leo McCormack, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, George O’Hare, Ruth Pilant, Elaine Russell, Lloyd VanSchoyck, Sandra Wheeler, Penny Williams and Ken Winkler.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: Leo McCormack sent e-mails to those members whose newsletter was returned as non-deliverable in an attempt to lessen the mailing costs. He received some replies and corrected the addresses. Dues received for the month of January reflected a 30% increase over last year and the organization is still financially healthy, with all financial obligations current. 111 members sent in no dues stating they could not afford to pay the dues but would still like to receive the newsletter. We will continue to send the newsletter to these members. The newsletter is also available as a download on NARSE’s website.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported that January 2009 visits to the NARSE website were 3,297. Again, the Home page and Breaking News continue to be the most frequent viewed sites on our website.

SPRING ISSUE OF STRAIGHT TALK: The proposed Spring issue of Straight Talk was discussed. In this issue, all officers and board members will be listed. Again, Ron requested news from the local retiree clubs to be included in the Spring issue. Since the Sears Annual Meeting will be on May 4, 2009 at the company’s headquarters, a notice will shortly be put on NARSE’s website requesting any comments or questions retirees would like to ask Sears since NARSE will be speaking at the meeting.

SOCIAL SECURITY TAXATION: The chairman reported that, to date, there has been no response from Senators Durbin & Reid and Representative Pelosi, or any other member of Congress regarding this taxation issue. He will follow up with another contact, possibly e-mail, certified letter or phone call.

SEARS RETIREE ADVISORY COUNCIL: The Council has received no word from Sears about when their next meeting or conference call will take place.

In Attendance: Bill Barker, Dick Bruce, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silgers and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Tony Debevetz, Walt Hess, Art Levin, Leo McCormack, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, Ruth Pilant, Elaine Russell and Penny Williams.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: Year-to-date renewals for 2008 declined 41% from 2007, and revenues for the year were off 45%. Expenses for the year were down by 33% leaving the organization still healthy financially with all financial obligations current.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported that December 2008 visits to the NARSE website were 3,475 reflecting an increase of 219 over November and an increase of 512 over October. The home page and breaking news continue to be the most frequent viewed sites on our web.

SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS TAXATION: The REPEAL campaign was officially launched with the winter 2009 issue of Straight Talk. REPEAL – Retirees Exert Pressure Energizing All Legislators – is a major campaign to eliminate the tax on Social Security benefits. Chairman Olbrysh reported that the NARSE position article was posted on the website December 30th along with three suggested letters that could be used to contact our federal legislators asking them to sponsor a bill to eliminate taxes on Social Security. The lead article in Straight Talk was devoted to a discussion of the issue and a call for our members to contact Congress asking them to repeal the taxation of benefits. A request was made to our attendees and participants to share with the chairman any responses from Congress to any letters written.

STRAIGHT TALK: The Winter 2009 issue of Straight Talk was mailed the last week of December. The issue received several good comments during the meeting and generated a great deal of discussion about the impact of the economy on retiree finances. A great amount of concern was expressed about the future viability of retiree benefits.

Executive Summary
National Association of Retired Sears Employees, Inc.
 Friday, December 12, 2008 at HQ Office

In Attendance: Bill Barker, Dick Bruce, Tony Debevetz, Bud Defano, Leo McCormack, George O’Hare, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silgers and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Dick Cofran, Richard Foulke, Blair Holden, Tom Nally, Elaine Russell, Sandra Wheeler, Penny Williams and Ken Winkler.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: While paid membership is down 31% numerically, compared to one year ago because of the publication dates of STRAIGHT TALKK, organization expenses are down 33%, and the organization remains healthy financially with all financial obligations current.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported that November 2008 visits to the NARSE website were 3,256. The home page and breaking news continue to be the most frequent viewed sites on our web. November visits were 250 greater than October.

ACTION PLAN FOR RETIREES: With the major economic downturn in progress, Social Security benefits are more important than ever to retirees. Since the NARSE organization is dedicated to preserving and protecting retirement benefits, it was decided that we should sponsor a major campaign to eliminate the tax on Social Security. The campaign is named REPEAL – Retirees Exert Pressure Energizing All Legislators. The lead article in the Winter 2009 issue of Straight Talk will be devoted to the discussion of repealing the tax on Social Security benefits, and will be our kickoff to the REPEAL campaign. Chairman Olbrysh will also develop a summary article on the repeal of this tax to be posted on the Breaking News tab of the NARSE website.

Executive Summary
National Association of Retired Sears Employees, Inc.
Friday, November 14, 2008 at HQ Office

In Attendance: Bill Barker, Dick Bruce, Tony Debevetz, Bud Defano, Leo McCormack, George O’Hare, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silgers and Keith Tice.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: While paid membership is down 18% from a year ago only because of the timing of the publication of STRAIGHT TALK, organization expenses are down 33%. The organization remains healthy financially with all financial obligations current.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported that October 2008 visits to the NARSE website were 2,963 with 45% of the hits going to the home page and 18% hitting the breaking news. October visits were 688 less than September.

SEARS RETIREE ADVISORY COUNCIL: A summary of the September 23 and 24 SRAC meeting held in Hoffman Estates was shared with today’s meeting participants. Much discussion was held concerning the retiree medical coverage plan for 2009 and its resultant pricing. Several concerns were expressed about the short time frame given in which to respond to the Retiree Health Access (RHA) mailing, especially when the marketplace enrollment is open until December 31 vs. the RHA enrollment due date of November 25. Several SRAC meeting attendees expressed positive remarks concerning the information that was presented at the September meeting.

STRAIGHT TALK: The Winter 2008 issue of Straight Talk is planned for early December distribution. Possible articles will include the September SRAC meeting, American’s financial crisis, Sears news, retiree club news and the taxation of social security benefits.

In Attendance: Bill Barker, Dick Bruce, Tony Debevetz, Bud Defano, Leo McCormack, George O’Hare, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silgers and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, John Freeman, Walt Hess, Art Levin, Tom Nally, Elaine Russell and Penny Williams.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: Paid membership remains steady even though individual months’ renewals fluctuate. The organization remains healthy financially with all financial obligations current.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported that August 2008 visits to the NARSE website were slightly under 4,000. The largest hit is the home page followed by breaking news.

SEARS RETIREE ADVISORY COUNCIL: The Sears Retiree Advisory Council is scheduled to meet at the Marriott Hotel in Hoffman Estates on September 23 and 24. One of the major agenda topics is an overview of the retiree medical plan information for 2009. Plans were finalized to meet with the SRAC attendees on Wednesday night, September 24, at 8:30 p.m. at the Marriott and share information from the meeting as well as discuss various retiree concerns.

PRESIDENTIAL RACE: The Presidential Candidates’ views on retiree concerns were discussed at length. In addition to the shaky economy and rising health care costs, taxation both at federal and state levels is a major concern. It was decided to write both candidates asking them to make social security a tax-free benefit for seniors as a part of their campaign for change. The closing of that letter would ask for their responses concerning our proposal.

STRAIGHT TALK: The Summer 2008 issue of Straight Talk was distributed in late August. Comments regarding its contents were solicited during the meeting, and many positive statements were made concerning the timeliness and good informational value of the various articles. A request was made for more retiree club news to be sent to NARSE Headquarters to be included in the Winter 2008 issue.

In Attendance: Tony Debevetz, Bud Defano, Leo McCormack, Ron Olbrysh and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Tom Douglas, Art Levin, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, George O’Hare, Ruth Pilant, Elaine Russell, Lloyd VanSchoyck, Sandra Wheeler and Penny Williams.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: June membership renewals were 29 compared to 33 one year ago. Year-to-date renewals are 1,048 versus 1,104 through June, 2007. Paid membership remains steady even though individual months’ renewals fluctuate due to differences in timing of the distribution of Straight Talk. The organization remains healthy financially with all financial obligations current.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported that June 2008 visits to the NARSE website were 4,956 compared to 5,300 visits for May and 5,297 visits for June 2007. The biggest hit is the home page followed by breaking news.

NARSE OFFICERS ELECTED: Election of president, secretary, treasurer, vice presidents and regional vice presidents was conducted during this meeting. The results are as follows: President – Art Levin; Secretary – Keith Tice; and Treasurer – Leo McCormack. Vice Presidents: Coalition Relations – Lloyd VanSchoyck; Club Relations – Bill Barker; Electronic Communications – Ernie Arms; Legislation – Tony Debevetz; and Media Relations – George O’Hare. Regional Vice Presidents: Tom Douglas, Richard Foulke, Blair Holden, Walter McDade, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, Ruth Pilant, and Ken Winkler. These officers will serve a three-year term.

SEARS RETIREE ADVISORY COUNCIL: No information was available from Sears Holdings Corporation concerning an annual SRAC meeting date or location. Phone conversation with Headquarters contact Stan Aldis indicated that the company has been focused on a new company structure and travel is minimized. As of this date, no SRAC meetings have been scheduled for the year 2008. However, this is subject to change.

STRAIGHT TALK: The Summer 2008 issue of Straight Talk is planned for mid August distribution. Feature articles will include recognition of Chuck Harrison for winning the 2008 Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award, letters from readers concerning the Spring 2008 issue, retiree club news and pictures.

In Attendance: Bill Barker, Tony Debevetz, Bud Defano, Leo McCormack, Ron Olbrysh, Dave Silgers and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Ev Buckardt, Tom Douglas, John Freeman, Walt Hess, Claude Ireson, Art Levin, Tom Meyers, Ruth Pilant, Elaine Russell, Lloyd Van Schoyck and Penny Williams.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: May membership renewals were 78 compared to 108 one year ago. Paid membership renewals year to date were 1,019 compared to 1,071 for the same period in 2007. The differences reflect the publication dates of STRAIGHT TALK. All financial obligations are current.

NARSE ANNUAL MEETING: The eleventh annual meeting of NARSE will take place during our regular monthly meeting July 11. A slate of nominees for officers and directors was presented by Chairman Ron Olbrysh and approved. These nominees will stand for election during the annual meeting next month.

WEBSITE SURVEY: A survey linked to the NARSE website during May requested responders to rank the following issues in order of importance: Economy, War in Iraq and Afghanistan, Healthcare Costs, Gas Prices, Federal Income Taxes, State Income Taxes and Tax on Social Security. Forty-nine responders ranked the Economy number 1, Healthcare Costs number 2, Gas Prices number 3, the War in Iraq and Afghanistan number 4, and the Tax issues received the balance of the rankings. It was decided to keep the survey on the website another month but highlight it in order to gain additional input.

STRAIGHT TALK: Suggested topics for the Summer 2008 issue of Straight Talk were discussed and included an analysis of the May and June issues survey, retiree club news, the National Design Award bestowed upon Chuck Harrison, letters to the editor, Sears Holdings news and the Wall Street Journal article on “The Golden Casket”, a report on the many benefits heirs receive when a CEO dies in office.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported that 80% of the 5,297 visits to the website in May 2008 went directly to our home page. The May visits were 497 more than April, and 111 downloaded the Spring 2008 issue of Straight Talk.

SEARS RETIREE ADVISORY COUNCIL UPDATE: No SRAC meetings have been scheduled yet for this year. Earlier conversations with Stan Aldis indicated the possibility of a meeting in Chicago in September to discuss the retiree medical insurance program for 2009. At this time, however, no date or agenda has been announced.

Ron Olbrysh called the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m.

In Attendance: Tony Debevetz, Bud Defano, Ken Johnson, Leo McCormack, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silgers and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Bill Barker, Tom Douglas, Richard Foulke, John Freeman, Art Levin, Tom Myers, Ruth Pilant, Elaine Russell, Lloyd Van Schoyck, Sandra Wheeler, Penny Williams and Ken Winkler.

Membership and Financials: Leo McCormack reported that membership renewals remain steady even though individual months’ renewals fluctuate due to differences in timing of the distribution of Straight Talk. The organization is healthy financially, and financial obligations are current. The Year 2007 NARSE standard income tax form and IRS report as a non profit was filed in April as required.

Sears Holdings Corp. Annual Meeting: Bill Barker, Mel Schultz and Dave Silgers attended the annual meeting held at Hoffman Estates on May 5 and reported some of the proceedings. There was no visual presentation or financial numbers given, and no merchandise displays were present. After very long opening remarks by Mr. Lampert, attendees who wished to speak were given the opportunity. Dave Silgers was first and spoke on behalf of Sears retirees and the NARSE organization. Mr. Lampert commented that he appreciated the retirees and acknowledged that there was a need to embrace retirees on a greater basis and bring them into the fold. An interesting observation was made that the majority of the attendees were very young.

NARSE Annual Meeting: The next annual meeting of NARSE will be held July 11 during our regular monthly meeting. Election of officers will take place at that meeting.

Website Survey: Dave Silgers suggested that perhaps the NARSE website could be used as a means to recruit members. Discussion ensued about how we could best accomplish that goal. Out of that discussion it was decided to try to develop a survey on a monthly basis with perhaps ten questions each month, asking for responses and then publishing the answers.

Straight Talk: Suggested topics for the Summer 2008 issue of Straight Talk were discussed. The June 13 meeting will finalize the contents.

Website Visits: Penny Williams reported that April 2008 visits to the NARSE website were 4,814, which were 550 less than the March visits. The Home Page is the number one hit with 95% of the visitors having the site bookmarked.

Sears Retiree Advisory Council Update: Sandra Wheeler reported that Stan Aldis was attempting to bring the Advisory Council to Chicago during the summer but no date or agenda has been announced. Art Levin also reported that the Council may come to Chicago in September to discuss the retiree medical insurance program for 2009. At this time, however, no SRAC meetings have been scheduled for the year 2008.

Executive Summary
National Association of Retired Sears Employees, Inc.
March 14, 2008 at HQ Office

Ron Olbrysh called the meeting to order at 9:31 a.m.

In Attendance: Dick Bruce, Bud Defano, Leo McCormack, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silgers and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Bill Barker, Richard Foulke, Art Levin, Tom Meyers, Tom Nally, George O’Hare, Lloyd VanSchoyck, Penny Wheeler, Penny Williams and Ken Winkler.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: February membership renewals were 58 compared to 92 one year ago. Paid membership remains steady even though individual months’ renewals fluctuate due to differences in timing of the distribution of Straight Talk. The organization remains healthy financially with all financial obligations current.

STRAIGHT TALK: The next issue of Straight Talk is planned for early summer. In keeping with our mission of providing NARSE members timely information, the Summer 2008 issue will hopefully feature the Presidential candidates’ views on issues that affect retirees.

SEARS HOLDINGS ANNUAL MEETING: The annual Sears Holdings shareholders meeting will be held May 5. It was decided that NARSE should be represented and present a prepared statement at this meeting.

WEBSITE VISITS: February 2008 visits to the NARSE website were 4,221 compared to 5,123 visits in January. Forty per cent of the visits went to the Home Page, and 25 per cent hit the Breaking News site.

SEARS RETIREE ADVISORY COUNCIL: Various members of the SRAC council reported that they had not been contacted by anyone from Sears Headquarters for the previous three months. Stan Aldis was said to be working on a program, but at this point there was no one in place who could authorize any plans. To date, no SRAC meetings have been scheduled for the year 2008.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:15 a.m.

The next regular NARSE meeting will be held on Friday, April 11, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. CST, 8th Floor Conference Room at NARSE Headquarters. A conference call will be available for those not able to attend in person at 10:30 a.m. Central Time.

Executive Summary
National Association of Retired Sears Employees, Inc.
Thursday, February 14, 2008 at HQ Office

Executive Summary
National Association of Retired Sears Employees, Inc.
Friday, December 7, 2007 at HQ Office

Ron Olbrysh called the meeting to order at 9:45 a.m.

In Attendance: Bill Barker, Dick Bruce, Tony Debevetz, Bud Defano, Claude Ireson, Leo McCormack, George O’Hare, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Steve Doubeck, Don Giles, Walt Hess, Art Levin, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, Elaine Russell, Lloyd Van Schoyck, Nancy Westmont, Sandra Wheeler, Penny Williams and Ken Winkler.

MEMBERSHIP AND FINANCIALS: Membership renewals in November increased 430 over last year with a corresponding revenue increase compared to November 2006.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported that visits to the NARSE website were about 4,300 during the month of November and topped 300,000 visits made since ten years ago. Visits to the website not only provide great breaking news stories, but also provide four interesting videos covering medical insurance decisions for 2008, the tenth annual NARSE meeting, and short glimpses of two remarkable Sears retirees.

STRAIGHT TALK: The Spring 2008 issue of Straight Talk will feature the Seattle retirees club with articles about its long, colorful history and final meeting. Distribution is planned for March.

Positive feedback about the special November issue on Medicare Part D prescription drug insurance was reported by Ron Olbrysh. Dissemination of that information again in the future was suggested in the meeting.

SEARS RETIREE ADVISORY COUNCIL: The Council participated in a conference call with Colleen Belker on December 4 discussing the Sears retiree medical program for 2008. Highest numbers of calls to the Retiree Health Access center are on Monday and Tuesday. Ms. Belker emphasized that quicker responses could be achieved by calling on Wednesday through Friday. Most of the questions to date were run of the mill; many callers were uneasy about the new private fee for service plan offered by Aetna, which is not being pushed.

MEDICAL PROGRAM ENROLLMENT: Many NARSE members have expressed concern about the short enrollment period especially with all the changes in the 2008 program compared to the current program. As a result, Chairman Olbrysh wrote Karl Koneg, Senior Vice President of Benefits, expressing these concerns and requesting a possible extension. To date there has been no response from Sears Holdings.

CONCLUSION: The highlight of the year for NARSE was most likely the Atlanta tenth anniversary annual meeting. Additionally, many good comments and feedback about the information provided our members through the website and Straight Talk have been received over the last several months. Our goal as an organization must continue to be to represent the Sears and Sears Holdings retirees in preserving their remaining benefits and be a source of educational assistance in achieving retiree financial independence and well being.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:45 a.m.

The next regular NARSE meeting will be held on Friday, January 11, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. CST, 8th Floor Conference Room at NARSE Headquarters. A conference call will be available for those not able to attend in person at 10:30 a.m. Central Time.

Executive Summary
National Association of Retired Sears Employees, Inc.
Friday, November 9, 2007 at HQ Office

Ron Olbrysh called the meeting to order at 9:07 a.m.

In Attendance: Bill Barker, Dick Bruce, Tony Debevetz, Bud Defano, Leo McCormack, George O’Hare, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silger and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Dick Cofran, Steve Doubeck, Tom Douglas, Richard Foulke, Walt Hess, Blair Holden, Art Levin, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, Ruth Pilant, Elaine Russell, Sandra Wheeler, Penny Williams and Ken Winkler.

SPECIAL ISSUE OF STRAIGHT TALK: A special issue of Straight Talk will be published during November, 2007 and mailed to all paid subscribers. The primary emphasis will be on making the proper prescription drug insurance choices and will highlight an article written by Chicago Sun-Times columnist Terry Savage. Ms. Savage has written an article “Prescription for Medicare Part D” which details a step by step process for determining the best prescription drug insurance plan that has the lowest total estimated annual cost based on individual prescriptions. The process she writes about is the Medicare Plan Finder, and she describes how to use it.

The Terry Savage Medicare Part D article was also placed on our website, which was agreed to by Ms. Savage via e-mail response to Ron Olbrysh.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported that the visits to the website continue to be very strong. Visits in October were 450 higher than September reaching almost 4,000 for the month. As of this date 142 visitors have viewed the video for the 10th annual meeting.

MEDICARE INFORMATION MEETINGS: Much discussion took place regarding the Sears Holdings meetings covering the medical insurance changes for 2008. Sears Holdings and Aetna have begun conducting meetings in eighteen selected cities to review the Medicare plan information provided in the Retiree Health Access (RHA) enrollment kit. The kits are scheduled to begin mailing around November 14.

The two meetings in Atlanta GA and Oakbrook IL, each with about 100 people present, were the basis for the discussion. In Atlanta the big stumbling point was the lack of information on the 2008 billing. Both meetings’ attendees were concerned about what to do if insured by AARP currently, and how to proceed if they enrolled in the new RHA program. Concerns were also expressed about the short enrollment period and what would happen if the enrollments were received at RHA after the enrollment deadline. Additionally, Medicare says in their “Medicare and You” 2008 booklet that the Part D enrollment period is open until December 31.

It was decided that Ron Olbrysh should address these concerns in a letter to Karl Koneg, Senior Vice President-Benefits.

Because concerns were expressed about the timely receipt of the enrollment kit packages, everyone involved in this monthly meeting was encouraged to e-mail Ron when they received their individual packages. It was also suggested that a special medical insurance meeting be held on November 26 to discuss any further developments concerning the enrollment kit mailing and its offering.

MEMBERSHIP: Paid memberships in October 2007 compared to last October were up 566.

The meeting was adjourned at 11: 30 a.m.

The next regular NARSE meeting will be held on Friday, December 7, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. CST, 8th Floor Conference Room at NARSE Headquarters. A conference call will be available for those not able to attend in person at 10:30 a.m. Central Time.

 

Executive Summary
National Association of Retired Sears Employees, Inc.
Friday, October 12, 2007 at HQ Office

Ron Olbrysh called the meeting to order at 9:10 a.m.

In Attendance: Bill Barker, Tony Debevetz, Leo McCormack, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silger and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Ev Buckardt, Steve Doubeck, Tom Douglas, Richard Foulke, Walt Hess, Ken Johnson, Art Levin, Tom Nally, Ruth Pilant, Elaine Russell, Lloyd Van Schoyck, Penny Williams and Ken Winkler.

FINANCIALS AND MEMBERSHIP: Leo McCormack reported that the organization’s financials and membership are stable.

WEBSITE VISITS: Visits to the website for September were down about 8 per cent for a total of 3,480. Accessing the Home Page now provides opportunity to view a streaming video of highlights of the 10th Annual Meeting of NARSE held in Atlanta. The video is viewable in four parts.

SEARS RETIREE ADVISORY COUNCIL UPDATE: The council met in Deerfield, Florida the latter part of September. A great deal of discussion was devoted to the Sears 2008 medical plan. The Retiree Health Access (RHA) has expanded to about 20 member companies with a focus of getting the best possible coverage for retirees. Robert Luce is on the board of directors of RHA. The Sears enrollment period is from November 19 to December 7.

Stan Aldis, the Headquarters contact person for the Council, has not indicated any further activity scheduled for the Council as of this date despite several contacts by the members of the council.

NEXT ISSUE OF STRAIGHT TALK: The next issue of Straight Talk will be published during November 2007.

NARSE PROMOTIONAL LEAFLET: This NARSE marketing brochure was first disseminated at the 10th Annual Meeting in Atlanta this past August. It was very well received. In addition, copies were sent to all of NARSE’s regional vice-presidents for distribution.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:10 p.m.

The next regular NARSE meeting will be held on Friday, November 9, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. CST, 8th Floor Conference Room at NARSE Headquarters. A conference call will be available for those not able to attend in person at 10:30 a.m. Central Time.

Executive Summary
National Association of Retired Sears Employees, Inc.
Friday, July 13, 2007 at HQ Office

Ron Olbrysh called the meeting to order at 9:07 a.m.

In Attendance: Tony Debevetz, Bud Defano, Ken Johnson, Leo McCormack, George O’Hare, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Bill Barker, Tom Douglas, John Freeman, Art Levin, Gordon Muschet, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, Ruth Pilant, Elaine Russell, Lloyd Van Schoyck, Sandra Wheeler, Penny Williams and Ken Winkler.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported that the visits to the website continue to be very strong. Top entry pages are: Home Page – 29%, Breaking News – 16%, Guest Book – 8.5% and Merger – 3.6%. As of this date 111 visitors have downloaded the August 7 annual meeting agenda and 52 have downloaded the reservation form.

10th ANNUAL MEETING UPDATE: The 10th annual meeting to be held in Atlanta, Georgia August 7 will begin at 9:30 a.m. with guest introductions and a video history of the NARSE organization during its 10-year existence. Robert “Bob” Romasco, a member of the AARP’s Board of Directors, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address. His presentation will include a discussion of Medicare, Social Security and pension reform and AARP’s position on these issues. A question and answer session will follow.

Upon conclusion of the discussion there will be a “meet and greet” time with the Atlanta Big Club. Lunch will follow during which one of the top 100 outstanding stand-up comedians in the country, Dick Gregory, will be speaking. His familiarity with Sears because of a 40-year friendship with George O’Hare, a NARSE Vice President, will undoubtedly flavor his comments.

In addition to videotaping the keynote and luncheon speakers, a photographer will be present to take pictures. It was suggested that NARSE make these videotapes available to the Sears retiree clubs around the country.

NEXT ISSUE OF STRAIGHT TALK: The next issue of Straight Talk will be published during September, 2007. Primary emphasis would feature the 10th Anniversary Annual Meeting and related details. There was some discussion about including a synopsis of current benefits with emphasis on the retiree life insurance.

SEARS RETIREE ADVISORY COUNCIL UPDATE: Stan Aldis, the Headquarters contact person, has not indicated any further activity scheduling for the council as of this date despite several contacts by the members of the council.

NARSE PROMOTIONAL LEAFLET: A draft of a marketing piece prepared by Mel Schultz describing who NARSE is, what the organization has to offer, and what has been accomplished was reviewed and approved with a few minor changes for publication by the Board.

The meeting was adjourned at 11: 30 a.m.

The next regular NARSE meeting will be held on Friday, September 14, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. CST, 8th Floor Conference Room at NARSE Headquarters. A conference call will be available for those not able to attend in person at 10:30 a.m. Central Time.

Executive Summary
National Association of Retired Sears Employees, Inc.
Friday, June 8, 2007 at HQ Office

Ron Olbrysh called the meeting to order at 9:08 a.m.

In Attendance: Bill Barker, Tony Debevetz, Bud Defano, Leo McCormack, George O’Hare, Ron Olbrysh, and Mel Schultz

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Tom Douglas, John Freeman, Art Levin, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, Lee Numbers, Ruth Pilant, Elaine Russell, Lloyd Van Schoyck, Sandra Wheeler, Penny Williams and Ken Winkler.

FINANCIALS & MEMBERSHIP: Our financials and membership are stable. More than 90% of the dues we collect are used for communication purposes. The remaining amount pays for our office expenses, including the monthly charge for the conference room where our meetings are held; charges for the monthly toll-free conference calls; and the maintenance of our web site. NARSE has no paid employees.

10th ANNUAL MEETING UPDATE: The 10th annual meeting to be held in Atlanta, Georgia August 7 will begin at 9:30 a.m. The agenda will include a video history of the NARSE organization during its 10-year existence. The keynote speaker will be Robert “Bob” Romasco, a member of the AARP’s Board of Directors. He is a prolific speaker and his presentation will include a discussion of Medicare, Social Security and pension reform, and AARP’s position on these issues. His presentation will be followed by a question and answer period

Our luncheon speaker has been listed by Comedy Central as one of the top 100 outstanding stand-up comedians in the country. He is an activist, philosopher, anti-drug crusader, comedian, author, recording artist and nutritionist. He was the first comedian to appeal to both black and white audiences. We are pleased to have DICK GREGORY as our luncheon speaker who will share his wit and wisdom with the group. Gregory has been a close friend of George O’Hare, a NARSE Vice President, for the past 40 years.

We have a photographer to take still pictures at the Annual Meeting. In addition, we will be videotaping the keynote and luncheon speakers. The Board suggested that NARSE make these videotapes available to the Sears retiree clubs around the country. Ron Olbrysh suggested that an edited version be made available for distribution on a request basis.

And finally, a press release will go out to the media near the end of July, about our Annual Meeting in Atlanta. George O’Hare will disseminate the release.

NEXT ISSUE OF STRAIGHT TALK: The next issue of Straight Talk will be published during September 2007. It will include pictures and articles about our Atlanta 10th Annual Meeting, in addition to the latest news about Sears and any updates on the life insurance issue.

RETIREE LIFE INSURANCE: Many retirees are concerned and/or confused about whether replacement life insurance terminates at the end of the 10-year reduction period. The Board suggested that Sears be contacted about this issue. Ron will contact Sears.

NARSE PROMOTIONAL LEAFLET: A marketing piece describing who NARSE is and what the organization has to offer was shown to the Board. Mel Schultz prepared it. The leaflet was designed as a handout rather than a mail-out. The only Board suggestion was to include NARSE’s accomplishments. Ron will provide these accomplishments to Mel who will include them in this marketing brochure.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:43 p.m.

The next NARSE meeting will be held on Friday, July 13, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. CST, 8th Floor Conference Room at NARSE Headquarters. A conference call will be available for those not able to attend in person at 10:30 a.m. Central Time.

Executive Summary
National Association of Retired Sears Employees, Inc.
Friday, May 11, 2007 at HQ Office

Ron Olbrysh called the meeting to order at 9:05 a.m.

In Attendance: Bill Barker, Bud Defano, George O’Hare, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, Tom Douglas, Richard Foulke, Art Levin, Tom Myers, Tom Nally, Ruth Pilant, Elaine Russell, Lloyd Van Schoyck, Sandra Wheeler, Penny Williams and Ken Winkler.

FINANCIALS & MEMBERSHIP: Due to vacations, no report was available.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported that there were 4,071 visits to the website in April continuing the trend of monthly visits in excess of 4,000.

10th ANNUAL MEETING UPDATE: The 10th annual meeting to be held in Atlanta, Georgia August 7 will begin at 9:30 a.m. and be in session until approximately 11:15. The meeting will open with a video history of the NARSE organization and introduction of the founders of the organization. A keynote speaker from AARP will be a special feature of the meeting. Following the annual meeting, the Atlanta “Big Club” Sears retiree group will join us for lunch, where “senior” comedian Dick Gregory will address both groups during the luncheon. At the conclusion of the luncheon, the “Big Club” will convene their meeting. As plans are finalized, further information will be made available on the NARSE website.

NEXT ISSUE OF STRAIGHT TALK: Tentatively, the next issue of Straight Talk will be eight pages and be distributed in July. Primary emphasis would feature the 10th Anniversary Annual Meeting and related details. A big issue later in the summer would cover the Atlanta meeting and contain many pictures of the event.

RETIREE LIFE INSURANCE: In late March, 2007 retirees received a cover letter advising the final value of the Sears Retiree Group Life Insurance, the current value of the Retiree Replacement Life Insurance and a Summary Plan Description (SPD) for the Sears Retiree Group Life Insurance Plan and Replacement Plan. Because of the language “right to change or terminate the Plan at any time and for any reason” which appeared in the SPD, Chairman Olbrysh wrote the Plan Administrator asking for clarification and correction of this statement. In addition, a request was made that the retirees receive an official notice that the company will not modify, amend, suspend, or terminate the insurance plan at any time as stipulated in the court-approved Stipulation of Settlement.

At meeting time, no answer has been received. However, there is still one more day before the answer has to be back to NARSE. The stipulated response time to written questions was thirty days according to the SPD.

SEARS RETIREE ADVISORY COUNCIL UPDATE: A one-hour conference call on April 26 with Stan Aldis, the Headquarters contact person, Bob Luce and Mike McCullogh gave council members updates on Sears and K Mart year 2006 results, the pension plan, life insurance and the medical coverage for 2008. It was reported that the pension plan is 90% funded, life insurance is as promised and the medical coverage plan for 2008 is being developed. Additionally, there will be quarterly conference calls with the council and three Retiree News newspapers will be published and distributed over the next year. Consideration for a week of September 24 SRAC meeting in some yet to be announced location was also announced as a part of the conference call.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:20 a.m.

The next NARSE meeting will be held on Friday, June 8, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. CST, 8th Floor Conference Room at NARSE Headquarters. A conference call will be available for those not able to attend in person at 10:30 a.m. Central Time.

Executive Summary
National Association of Retired Sears Employees, Inc.
Friday, March 9, 2007 at HQ Office

Ron Olbrysh called the meeting to order at 9:10 a.m.

In Attendance: Dick Bruce, Tony Debevetz, Bud Defano, Leo McCormack, George O’Hare, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silgers and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Ernie Arms, William Barker, Richard Foulke, Art Levin, Tom Nally, Ruth Pilant, Elaine Russell, Lloyd Van Schoyck, Nancy Weston, Sandra Wheeler, Penny Williams and Ken Winkler.

FINANCIALS & MEMBERSHIP: Due to differences in timing of the printing and mailing of Straight Talk, there were some negatives in finances and paid members. February paid members totaled 92, which was down from last year’s membership increase of 696. This is attributable to the newsletter mailing in November, 2006 versus December, 2005, which influenced February, 2006 membership results.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported that there were 4,205 visits to the website in February continuing monthly visits in excess of 4,000.

10th ANNUAL MEETING UPDATE: The 10th annual meeting to be held in Atlanta, Georgia August 7 will begin at 9:30 a.m. The agenda is being developed and will include a video history of the NARSE organization. Following the meeting, the Atlanta “Big Club” Sears retiree group will join us for lunch. NARSE’s keynote speaker will address both groups during the luncheon hour. At the conclusion of the luncheon, the “Big Club” will convene their meeting. As plans are finalized, further information about the meeting will be made available on the NARSE website.

NEXT ISSUE OF STRAIGHT TALK: The next issue of Straight Talk planned for distribution the week of March 12 will feature articles on the 10th Annual NARSE meeting, proper procedure for suspending or canceling health insurance from Retiree Health Access, retiree club news, an Advertising Age article on fixing Sears, the Sears SEC filing report by Mr. Lampert, and some “Dear NARSE” letters.

RETIREE LIFE INSURANCE: Information on the amount of paid-up life insurance benefit was to be distributed to all participating retirees during the month of January, 2007. However, as of this date none of the meeting participants had received any mailing. No further information about the mailing was available.

SEARS RETIREE ADVISORY COUNCIL UPDATE: No further information has become available concerning future activities of SRAC, and no conference calls are scheduled. As of this date no SRAC meeting has been scheduled for this spring.

NARSE PROMOTIONAL LEAFLET: A marketing piece describing who NARSE is and what the organization has to offer is being developed to solicit Sears retirees and working associates for membership. The leaflet is being designed as a handout rather than a mail-out.

SEARS HOLDINGS ANNUAL MEETING: The Sears annual meeting is scheduled to be held at the Hoffman Estates headquarters on May 4, 2007.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:05 p.m.

The next NARSE meeting will be held on Friday, April 13, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. CST, 8th Floor Conference Room at NARSE Headquarters. A conference call will be available for those not able to attend in person at 10:30 a.m. Central Time.

Executive Summary
National Association of Retired Sears Employees, Inc.
Friday, January 12, 2007 at HQ Office

Ron Olbrysh called the meeting to order at 9:10 a.m.

In Attendance: William Barker, Bud Defano, Leo McCormack, Ron Olbrysh, Mel Schultz, Dave Silgers and Keith Tice.

Conference Call Participants: Dick Bruce, Ev Buckardt, Dick Cofran, Tony Debevetz, Richard Foulke, Walt Hess, Gordon Muschett, Tom Nally, George O’Hare, Ruth Pilant, Elaine Russell, Lloyd Van Schoyck, Sandra Wheeler, Penny Williams and Ken Winkler.

FINANCIALS & MEMBERSHIP: Through December 31, 2006, paid membership is up 1,265 members over last year for the same period. Revenue is up 48.4 per cent over last year.

WEBSITE VISITS: Penny Williams reported that there were 4,078 visits to the website in December continuing monthly visits in excess of 4,000.

10th ANNUAL MEETING: The 10th NARSE Annual Meeting will be held in Atlanta, Georgia on August 7, 2007. Following lunch the Atlanta retirees “Big Club” meeting will convene. A part of the annual meeting agenda will be a video of the NARSE organization history. Additionally, a prominent guest speaker will address the meeting covering several topics of interest to our retirees. As plans are finalized, further information about the meeting will be made available on the NARSE website.

NEXT ISSUE OF STRAIGHT TALK: The next issue of Straight Talk is planned for distribution during March. Articles on The Pension Protection Act of 2006, the Sears retiree whole life insurance program, proper procedure for suspending or canceling health insurance from Retiree Health Access, annual meeting details and retiree club news will be a major focus. Continuing efforts are being made to ascertain and include more information about Sears results and future plans.

RETIREE LIFE INSURANCE: Information on the amount of paid-up life insurance benefit is to be distributed to all participating retirees during the month of January, 2007, according to Clara Hughes, Manager of Policy and Benefits Compliance.

SEARS RETIREE ADVISORY COUNCIL UPDATE: No further information has become available concerning future activities of SRAC, and no conference calls are scheduled. One of the council members reported that they had called headquarters prior to this meeting, and no primary contact has been named.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:45 a.m.

The next NARSE meeting will be held on Friday, February 9, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. CST, 8th Floor Conference Room at NARSE Headquarters. A conference call will be available for those not able to attend in person at 10:30 a.m. Central Time.