Notes on Force Management Plan (FMP)

Note: links to PDF documents are AT&T intranet links, so they are broken for those of us now outside of AT&T.

AT&T Separation Plan (ASP)

Didn't you get this brochure from Human Resources? I have one! Click on an image to view a larger version.

OK, as you suspect, part of brochure above is a fake. Here's the original image and some of the back of the real brochure that was sent out desk-to-desk years ago.

From the back, "A free demonstration disk of The Assistant is available. It will run on most MS-DOS systems and does not require Windows. Objective Setting and Feedback Modules Available Now at the Introductory Price of just $149 (plus shipping and handling)." Why didn't Human Resources offer a FMP Assistant? I think that I can pinch or scrape up the $149! Yes, I'm just joking.

AT&T Labs Research "Rapture"

Involuntary only option - "At-Risk" notification date 1/22/2002 - Off-Payroll date 3/22/2002
Reference - AT&T Force Management Program (FMP) - AT&T Separation Plan (ASP) [Introduction] - Employee Communication Package - we're Involuntary Only Option "At Risk"
Reference - Important Notice - disclaimer for your non-senior managers and current/future programs - don't bother your management
Reference - ASP Questions and Answers, Effective 09/01/2001 - (27 pages, printing problem) -

Contacts

Pension Service Center (PSC)

http://www.attpsc.com/ - web site requires Windows-Internet-Explorer - 1-800-736-7779

Human Resources

Please contact Sandy Thompson <sandythompson@ems.att.com> 973 360-8111, or Liz Loia <eloia@ems.att.com> 973 360-8109, with any questions.

AT&T Resource Center - Career Transition Program (CTP)

Includes individual counseling (job search, resume/interviewing, negotiating salary, etc.), workshops/seminars (well received), facilities (PCs, fax, photocopiers, resource library)
One Speedwell Avenue, East Tower, 8th floor, Morristown, NJ 07960
1-800-992-2478 prompt 2 or 1-973-898-2177
Fill out and fax registration form now!
You should receive confirmation via email, plus a packet via USnail that includes the "Career Transition" notebook by Lee Hecht Harrison. The page "Effective Sentence Openers" is especially useful for improving to your resume'.
Website - http://www.att.com/resourcecenter/ - for username and password, call 1-800-992-2478, prompt 2.
Reference - Career Transition Program (CTP) -

Benefits

Benefits ConnectionWeb Site - https://benefits.web.att.com/ - individual current coverage summary, additional general information
Reference - 2002 Heath Plan Changes - Questions and Answers - [titled] AT&T Separation Plan (ASP) Questions & Answers - RRB/no-RRB table of medical and dental coverage
Reference - Eligibility for Retirement Related Benefits - [titled] What other benefits will I be eligible for? - rule of 65 eligibility for RRB
Reference - AT&T Separation Plan (ASP) - Effective 01/01/2002 - (Management Salary Bands A-D (or equivalent) - Refer to Appendix C) - Plan Document and Summary Plan Description - thick document including details of non-RRB benefits - Appendix C - no FMPC Release Bonus if you decline to accept a local/commutable lateral position with salary within 10% of current salary, or you are on short-term disability, or do not sign and deliver ...
Reference - Pension and Health & Welfare Benefits - Questions and Answers - includes yet another outline of non-RRB benefits

Eligible for Retirement Related Benefits (RRB) - medical & dental

Rule of 65 (age+service) supercedes normal eligibility - any combination of age and NCS equaling 65 years or more, with a minimum of 5 years of NCS
medical PPO, standard dental - company contribution plus some small management-employee contribution required - $14 single, $21 two-person/family

If you are eligible for Retirement-Related Benefits, you will receive a Benefit Enrollment Package from the Benefit Direction Enrollment Center (BDEC) within 7-14 days after you leave the payroll. [Pension Q&A document, Q14a] http://www.att.com/retirees/

AT&T Retiree Site - http://www.att.com/retirees/ - contact numbers including Telephone reimbursement -

Q: What are the Life Insurance benefits? A: one-times pay
Q: What other benefits are covered? A: Prescription Drug Program, Telephone reimbursement, Long Term Care Insurance programs

Not Eligible for RRB - medical & dental, other - COBRA

These benefits do not depend on the Force Management Pension Termination Agreement and Release (Appendix C Section 4)!
It appears that Appendix C supercedes Sections F, G, H, I, J, and O for eligible FMPC employees.

Medical -
5 years NCS: 12 months coverage company-paid under AT&T Medical Expense Plan (must cover current participant contribution) followed by an additional 6 months COBRA
1 year NCS: 6 months coverage company-paid under AT&T Medical Expense Plan (must cover current participant contribution) followed by an additional 12 months COBRA
0 years NCS: 18 months COBRA
Dental - 18 months COBRA
Life Insurance - 6 months coverage company-paid under AT&T Group Life Insurance Plan at up to one times total annual pay, higher coverage may be participant-paid, followed by conversion to an individual policy by the insurance carrier participant-paid
Dependent Group Life Insurance - 3 months coverage participant-paid, then termination without conversion
Accidental Loss Insurance - 6 months coverage company-paid, then termination without conversion
Dependent Accidental Loss Insurance - 3 months coverage participant-paid, then termination without conversion
Long-Term Care - continued coverage participant-paid
Reimbursement Accounts - 2002 followed by COBRA, see document

Mentioned in Section O and Pension Q&A document but not in Appendix C:
Vision - 18 months COBRA
Group Legal Services Plan - coverage ends after termination month

SHPS, inc - http://www.shps.net/ - 1-800-277-4038 - contracted by AT&T to administer COBRA (see Pension Q&A document) - SHPS will send a monthly bill to your home address. Premiums must be paid continuously for coverage.

You will receive a COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985) Package from SHPS, Inc. within 7-14 days after you leave payroll. [Pension Q&A document, Q14b]

Q: Do I have to sign up, or is this automatic? A: semi-automatic - a packet should be received after the off-payroll date
Q: How do I pay my participant component for company-paid (medical, etc.) coverage?

Pension

Calculated individually, see web site

The Pension Service Center - http://www.attpsc.com/ - 1-800-736-7779 - sent out a benefit commencement package. The Election form is dated to an election period. To commence your benefit, call the Pension Service Center for a new package and election form for the upcoming election period

The website includes general information, estimate of your pension benefit, model your benefit amounts under various payment options. This site can be viewed only with M$ Explorer. Other browsers get "Your operating system is not supported by our application." For other browsers, try: https://www.attpsc.com/att/tunnel.jsp -

Suggestion: Verify your profile / contact information.
Reference - Updated Cash Balance Account Information - (Pension Information Center web site link is unaccessible under Unix acroread) -
Reference - Pension and Health & Welfare Benefits - Questions and Answers - includes yet another outline of non-RRB benefits

Force Management Pension Credit (FMPC)

Release Bonus, calculated individually, see web site

The Pension Service Center sent out a benefit commencement package. The Election form is dated to an election period. To commence your benefit, call the Pension Service Center for a new package and election form for the upcoming election period.

Suggestion: roll the (lump sum) FMPC into a distinct IRA account as this money has excise- and income-tax-related concerns. Consult your tax accountant.
To keep the FMPC, you may not be rehired by AT&T, etc., until six months after termination under FMP.
Q: Are you affected by IRS limits on the amounts payable for a pension/trust (p.10)?
Reference - Force Management Pension Credit Informational Brochure -
Reference - FMPC Explanatory Lette r - emphasizes FMPC Termination Agreement and Release
Reference - FMPC Informational Brochure - includes calculation of FMPC, see your individual calculation sheet
Reference - FMPC Questions and Answers - "reasons" for using pension fund monies, 10% federal excise tax applies to those terminated under age 55

Search & Apply for Jobs (AT&T Internal)

AT&T > About AT&T > Employment - http://www.att.com/hr/ - job "opportunities" at AT&T (not as good)

AT&T Transition Assistance Fund Program (TAF)

$10,000 for formal eduation/training, relocation, new business start-up, within 2 years of termination. Education must be formal recognized program. Relocation reimbursement requires completion of 2 months at the new job and new location. New business requires at least 5 detailed sales invoices and/or customer contracts totaling $500 or more. Covered expenses include advertizing, marketing, rental, filing, legal, licenses, software, etc. Excluded expenses include accounting, wages, inventory, vehicle, office supplies, phone, transportation, etc.

Suggestion: set up a sole-proprietorship company
Suggestion: get a regular contact at TAF, and get preapproval for large purchases

Reference - AT&T Transition Assistance Fund - cover letter, Q&A list, forms

Stock Options

Q: How many shares, when, at what adjusted value?

I thought that this was the bonus that I received, or was it the value of the stock options, or the value of my stock, or all three, or ... (image source unknown, scanned from hardcopy)

New Jersey Unemployment Insurance Claim

New Jersey - Department of Labor - Unemployment Insurance -

Maximum benefit is $475 per week times 26 weeks equals $12,350, equivalent to about $2058 per month for 6 months.

You should always file as soon as possible after you become unemployed.
Your claim will be dated the Sunday of the week in which you call, so be sure to call during the week you want your claim to begin.
Your claim will be processed under the Wage Record System. Under this system, your New Jersey employer(s) will have already submitted data to our central computer, from which the Reemployment Call Center can directly obtain your necessary wage information.

AT&T has hired a subcontractor - give this info to NJ Unemployment when asked for your employer.

AT&T
c/o Gates McDonald and Company
PO Box 2583
Columbus, OH 43216
Internet Claims - http://www.njuifile.net/ -

-> New Jersey Unemployment Insurance Claim - https://wnjpin1.dol.state.nj.us/uiclaim/home_full.html - Apply for Unemployment Insurance Online

Other References

Souls of Shannon - Yahoo! Group - A discussion group for members of AT&T Labs -- Research, most of which is part of the Shannon Laboratory, who were "force managed" from the company. Subscribe by email request .

FMP Information and Discussion - AT&T Labs Research Bulletin Board -

nolopress.com - http://nolopress.com/ - legal information, books, software and forms

Past Activities

Force Management Pension Credit (FMPC)

Important: FMPC Termination Agreement and Release must be signed and delivered to the Pension Service Center (PSC) between 3/8/2002 and 4/21/2002.


Maling Address:	Overnight deliveries should be sent to:
Pension Service Center P.O. Box 770 Arlington Heighs, IL 60006	Pension Service Center Tower 2 - Suite 200 170 Golf Road Rolling Meadows, IL 60008

Suggestion: pay for return-receipt to send in the FMPC Termination Agreement and Release, and file it carefully

Performance "bonus" - March 15

Q: How much will it be (approximate company/unit reward)? A: A sheet detailing the bonus was handed out by management individually in early March.

Final Paychecks

payable 3/31/2002 (?)
partial month 3/1 thorugh 3/22
separate paycheck "automatically" mailed to home address about a month after off-payroll date
individual vacation carryover
individual 2002 vacation days - The word is that we have earned all of our 2002 vacation days by 3/22.
personal days are excluded - We will not get pay for unused personal days.

Transition/Exit

Transition - check

02/15/2002 Friday - Equipment Purchase Request form - doc - pdf - Research FMP System & Equipment Managment (description/cost/notes) - pdf
03/08/2002 Friday - sign and deliver with return-receipt FMPC Termination Agreement and Release
03/08/2002 Friday - submit completed U521 Request for Payments for Employees Terminating Service (pay for unused vacation days - pdf ) plus Employee Data Change Request (EDCR) forms to payroll (via your management/secretary)
U521 does not require your signature but does require your managers signature
03/22/2002 Friday - Pre-Exit Process Inventory List - Research form - doc - pdf

Phone Voucher - for last (e.g., 3/18/2002) bill -
Employee Services - Payroll and Related Services - Login - Phone Voucher submit -
AT&T Online Customer Service - https://www.customerservice.att.com/ - Sign In -

public email address - suggest acm.org -> yahoo.com, etc.
SAIL - transfer cable modem from Comcast @work to Comcast @home
return Yorkie

Exit - return checklist -- see form "Pre-Exit Process Inventory List - Research"

03/22/2002 Friday - off-payroll date

badge
building access card
gate access card
keys - office
procard
Amex
company calling card
library books

AT&T Intranet References

These references are only available from the AT&T Intranet.

Employee Communication Package documents - AT&T Intranet Workforce Services Web Site

Employee Services > Manager Services > Force Management >
Workforce Services > Supervisor Activities > Force Management >
    Employee Communicaton Package - http://wfs.web.att.com/WFS/content/0,1452,NS-3006-2537-2551,00.html - 8 pdf documents, plus:
        AT&T Separation Plan (ASP) and ASP Questions and Answers - Notification Dates 01/01/2002 through 11/02/2002 -
           http://wfs.web.att.com/WFS/content/0,1452,NS-3006-2537-2551-2559-3659,00.html - 5 pdf documents

Search & Apply for Jobs (AT&T Internal)

Jobs & Career Development - http://wfs.web.att.com/WFS/content/0,1452,NS-3034,00.html - internal (recommended by Sam Alexander)

NoBell Home - gjm - last update 9/6/2002, previous update 5/15/2002