Dale Volk, Minot

I am writing on behalf of the pension holders, especially the Teamster Retirees. We are being told that the money in our pensions are running out. We are at risk of no longer receiving our money that we have worked hard to earn. We need Senator John Hoeven and Senator Kevin Cramer to support S.B. 2254. This bill would allow the pension to borrow money from the U.S. Government.

Every retiree has a story and it would be hard for us to live without our earned pensions. Here is my story.

I retired from UPS in 2011 after 31 years of service. I wanted to be able to care for my wife after her 2nd breast cancer diagnosis while I also worked to rebuild our house after the Minot flood of 2011. Over the next few years, my wife was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, we were sent to Rochester, MN for her to receive treatment. After 6 months, a stem cell transplant and many medical bills, we were able to return home to Minot. My wife continued with doctor’s appointments regularly and had another cancer diagnosis that next year. I was diagnosed with kidney cancer a short time later. In total, my wife and I have had 7 cancer diagnosis which brings many doctor appointments and bills. Having a pension would reduce the amount of financial stress that I would have to live out my life and keep my home.

Bill, S.B. 2254 has already passed within the U.S. House and it is ready to go to vote in the U.S. Senate. I encourage our Teamsters, pension holders, and our senators to support this bill. Our pensions are something we earned, they are not a gift.