AT&T sent out a letter to "Select AT&T Bargained employees" (please see letter to the right)
They make it sound like something more than it is, this is from CWA's HR representative for D3: "This letter is stating that if you retire after Jan. 1, 2021 you will not be eligible for the HRA money the company is now giving to retirees. This does not affect the company subsidy that is in place now, or the future, only your eligibility for the HRA money. So if you retire after Jan. 1, 2021, and you are/or become Medicare eligible during the life of this contract, AT&T will still be your secondary medical coverage, and will also cover your d–gs. Once you reach Medicare eligibility you MUST enroll in Medicare part A & B to keep AT&T coverage. Once the contract ends then you will need to find other secondary coverage and it does not have to be through AON.
The letter was sent out company wide to craft and management, but with the Southeast, it may not make much difference. We are guaranteed AT&T coverage for the life of the contract. For example, if you retiree today, and are Medicare eligible, you would not be eligible for the HRA subsidy until after the end of the 2024 contract, the same rule would apply if you waited until after Jan. 2021. So since the company only guaranteed the HRA money until the year 2023, it would not make much of a difference to us in the Southeast because of the contract."