[LTPC-disc] Reasonable Action Plan

Marilyn Ott marilynott@astound.net
Mon, 26 May 2003 20:49:50 -0700


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The various departments of insurance certainly do have jurisdiction over =
GA's like LTPC.  They do not have to be an insurance carrier to fall =
under these jurisdictions.

Furthermore, they are certainly attempting to violate the labor laws.  =
If a number of agents had not made a fuss about the 90 day =
reconciliation period, they were intending to follow that path. Only the =
saber rattling caused them to back down.  I was personally told in a =
"live" conversation with Valerie in HR, just minutes before Jay's =
announcement to the contrary, that they would be holding ALL MONIES =
until September 21st, 2003.  She said they always did that for =
terminated agents.  When I argued that that was not true for my vested =
agent friends who had already departed, she said that nonetheless, that =
was what she had been instructed to say, and that I could just stay =
tuned for any future announcements.

I personally do not see the harm in inquiring of our various State DOI's =
as to the rules of departure, nor do I see any harm in asking our fellow =
agents, "Does anybody have a labor lawyer in the family?"  Seeking =
casual advice in these matters never hurts.  I have lawyers in my =
immediate family, but none with the right specialty.  I am not =
advocating litigation because the road can be long and expensive, but =
being passive is almost never a good idea.  The best position you can =
have in any negotiation is knowing what your alternatives are.

Marilyn Ott

  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: THOMAS DURKIN=20
  To: eobeirne@earthlink.net ; ltpc-disc@ltpcalums.com=20
  Sent: Monday, May 26, 2003 7:07 PM
  Subject: Re: [LTPC-disc] Reasonable Action Plan


  I agree with many of the comments in Elizabeth's memo.  Legal action =
may not be the best suggestion.

  I'm not sure I understand the purpose of contacting the state =
department of insurance.  What laws have any of the insurance companies =
we represent violated?  LTPC is not an insurance company and even if =
they were an insurance company what rules/laws have been violated?

  As I said in another memo:  The company is changing its operating =
model.  They are not soliciting new business, no sales force and a very =
small administrative office to handle renewals.  The company gave us 60 =
days notice and is releasing us of our contracts on June 20.  I'm not =
pleased with the change but I don't know what laws have been broken.

  Maybe someone can help me understand.

  Mark Durkin

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: Elizabeth O'Beirne
    Sent: Monday, May 26, 2003 12:11 PM
    To: ltpc-disc@ltpcalums.com
    Subject: [LTPC-disc] Reasonable Action Plan

    To All LTPC Agents:

    I can tell you all from personal experience, that fighting these =
real or perceived wrongs through legal means will neither be gratifying =
nor productive in the end.  What we all need to do is to complete a =
professional and reasoned set of actions that are designed to accurately =
convey our concerns to those who have the power to correct the =
situation.

    Doug and others have identified them through various emails, but let =
me try to tie them all together in a concise list:

    1. Write a letter to Dan Tarantin laying out your concerns...fax it =
to his office and follow up with a hard copy.  Use the talking points =
provided on www.ltpcalums.com and supplement them with your own concerns =
and proposed remedies.  Remeber, complaining isn't enough, you need to =
propose a reasonable corrective action.  Use the LTPC address.

    2.  Send a copy of this letter to Dan's boss and his boss, with a =
professional cover letter from you indicating that you would like to =
inform them of your concerns in hopes that they will help Dan to take =
immediate and corrective action.
    Dan T. has two company officers above him:=20

      1.. Henry Silverman, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief =
Executive Officer, Cendant Corporation=20
      2.. Samuel Katz, Senior Executive Vice President, Chairman and =
Chief Executive Officer Travel Distribution Services and Financial =
Services Divisions.
    9 West 57th Street=20
    New York, NY 10019=20
    USA=20
    (973) 428-9700=20

    3.  Write your state department of insurance and lodge a formal =
complaint in whatever manner they suggest.=20

    Take these actions immediately, FIRST, and let's see what happens.  =
Lawyers have one mission in mind...to make money for themselves.  Don't =
fool yourself into thinking that litigation is the best course of =
action...it should be the last.

    Let's all act together in expressing our concerns to the individuals =
above and given them an opportunity to address our concerns.  In the =
meantime, the agnst we feel can be directed into a new venture that will =
give us a better opportunity to succeed.

    Elizabeth Brower O'Beirne
    www.LTCiPlanning.com
    Long Term Care Specialist
    Long Term Preferred Care, Inc.
    703-709-7760

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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Diso-8859-1">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1106" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY=20
style=3D"BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; FONT: 10pt =
verdana; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none"=20
bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial>The various departments of insurance certainly =
do have=20
jurisdiction over GA's like LTPC.&nbsp; They do not have to be an =
insurance=20
carrier to fall under these jurisdictions.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Furthermore, they are certainly attempting to =
violate the=20
labor laws.&nbsp; If a number of agents had not made a fuss about the 90 =
day=20
reconciliation period, they were intending to follow that path. Only the =
saber=20
rattling caused them to back down.&nbsp; I was personally told in a =
"live"=20
conversation with Valerie in HR, just minutes before Jay's announcement =
to the=20
contrary, that they would be holding ALL MONIES until September 21st,=20
2003.&nbsp; She said they always did that for terminated agents.&nbsp; =
When I=20
argued that that was not true for my vested agent friends who had =
already=20
departed, she said that nonetheless, that was what she had been =
instructed to=20
say, and that I could just stay tuned for any future =
announcements.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial>I personally do not see the harm in inquiring of =
our=20
various State DOI's as to the rules of departure, nor do I see any harm =
in=20
asking our fellow agents, "Does anybody have a labor lawyer in the=20
family?"&nbsp; Seeking casual advice in these matters never hurts.&nbsp; =
I have=20
lawyers in my immediate family, but none with the right specialty.&nbsp; =
I am=20
not advocating litigation because the road can be long and expensive, =
but being=20
passive is almost never a good idea.&nbsp; The best position you can =
have in any=20
negotiation is knowing what your alternatives are.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Marilyn Ott</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
  <DIV=20
  style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
  <A title=3Dmdurk123@msn.com href=3D"mailto:mdurk123@msn.com">THOMAS =
DURKIN</A>=20
  </DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=3Deobeirne@earthlink.net=20
  href=3D"mailto:eobeirne@earthlink.net">eobeirne@earthlink.net</A> ; <A =

  title=3Dltpc-disc@ltpcalums.com=20
  href=3D"mailto:ltpc-disc@ltpcalums.com">ltpc-disc@ltpcalums.com</A> =
</DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, May 26, 2003 7:07 =
PM</DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [LTPC-disc] =
Reasonable=20
  Action Plan</DIV>
  <DIV><BR></DIV>
  <DIV>I agree with many of the comments in Elizabeth's memo.&nbsp; =
Legal action=20
  may not be the best suggestion.</DIV>
  <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV>I'm not sure I understand the purpose of contacting the state =
department=20
  of insurance.&nbsp; What laws have any of the insurance companies we =
represent=20
  violated?&nbsp; LTPC is not an insurance company and even if they were =
an=20
  insurance company what rules/laws have been violated?</DIV>
  <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV>As I said in another memo:&nbsp; The company is changing its =
operating=20
  model.&nbsp; They are not soliciting new business, no sales force and =
a very=20
  small administrative office to handle renewals.&nbsp; The company gave =
us 60=20
  days notice and is releasing us of our contracts on June 20.&nbsp; I'm =
not=20
  pleased with the change but I don't know what laws have been =
broken.</DIV>
  <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV>Maybe someone can help me understand.</DIV>
  <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <DIV>Mark Durkin</DIV>
  <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
  <BLOCKQUOTE=20
  style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
    <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt Arial">----- Original Message -----</DIV>
    <DIV=20
    style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt Arial; COLOR: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
    Elizabeth O'Beirne</DIV>
    <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt Arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, May 26, 2003 =
12:11=20
    PM</DIV>
    <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt Arial"><B>To:</B> =
ltpc-disc@ltpcalums.com</DIV>
    <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt Arial"><B>Subject:</B> [LTPC-disc] =
Reasonable Action=20
    Plan</DIV>
    <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1170" name=3DGENERATOR>
    <DIV><SPAN class=3D530395315-26052003><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>To =
All LTPC=20
    Agents:</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
    <DIV><SPAN class=3D530395315-26052003><FONT face=3DArial=20
    size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <DIV><SPAN class=3D530395315-26052003><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I =
can tell you=20
    all from personal experience, that fighting these real or perceived =
wrongs=20
    through legal means will neither be gratifying nor productive in the =

    end.&nbsp; What we all need to do is to complete a professional and =
reasoned=20
    set of actions that are designed to accurately convey our concerns =
to those=20
    who have the power to correct the situation.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
    <DIV><SPAN class=3D530395315-26052003><FONT face=3DArial=20
    size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <DIV><SPAN class=3D530395315-26052003><FONT face=3DArial =
size=3D2>Doug and others=20
    have identified them through various emails, but let me try to tie =
them all=20
    together in a concise list:</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
    <DIV><SPAN class=3D530395315-26052003><FONT face=3DArial=20
    size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <DIV><SPAN class=3D530395315-26052003><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>1. =
Write a=20
    letter to Dan Tarantin laying out your concerns...fax it to his =
office and=20
    follow up with a hard copy.&nbsp; Use the talking points provided on =
<A=20
    href=3D"http://www.ltpcalums.com/">www.ltpcalums.com</A> and =
supplement them=20
    with your own concerns and proposed remedies.&nbsp; Remeber, =
complaining=20
    isn't enough, you need to propose a reasonable corrective =
action.&nbsp; Use=20
    the LTPC address.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
    <DIV><SPAN class=3D530395315-26052003><FONT face=3DArial=20
    size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <DIV><SPAN class=3D530395315-26052003><FONT face=3DArial =
size=3D2>2.&nbsp; Send a=20
    copy of this letter to Dan's boss and his boss, with a professional =
cover=20
    letter from you indicating that you would like to inform them of =
your=20
    concerns in hopes that they will help Dan to take immediate and =
corrective=20
    action.</FONT></DIV>
    <P><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Dan T. has two company officers above =
him:=20
</FONT>
    <OL>
      <LI><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Henry Silverman, Chairman of the =
Board,=20
      President and Chief Executive Officer, Cendant Corporation </FONT>
      <LI><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Samuel Katz, Senior Executive Vice =
President,=20
      Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Travel Distribution Services =
and=20
      Financial Services Divisions.</FONT></LI></OL>
    <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>9 West 57th Street <BR>New York, NY =
10019=20
    <BR>USA&nbsp;</FONT></DIV>
    <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>(973) 428-9700&nbsp;</FONT></DIV>
    <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <DIV><FONT face=3DArial><FONT size=3D2><SPAN =
class=3D530395315-26052003>3.&nbsp;=20
    Write your state department of insurance and lodge a formal =
complaint in=20
    whatever manner they suggest.</SPAN>&nbsp;</FONT></FONT></DIV>
    <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <DIV><SPAN class=3D530395315-26052003><FONT face=3DArial =
size=3D2>Take these=20
    actions immediately, FIRST, and let's see what happens.&nbsp; =
Lawyers have=20
    one mission in mind...to make money for themselves.&nbsp; Don't fool =

    yourself into thinking that litigation is the best course of =
action...it=20
    should be the last.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
    <DIV><SPAN class=3D530395315-26052003><FONT face=3DArial=20
    size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <DIV><SPAN class=3D530395315-26052003><FONT face=3DArial =
size=3D2>Let's all act=20
    together in expressing our concerns to the individuals above and =
given them=20
    an opportunity to address our concerns.&nbsp; In the meantime, the =
agnst we=20
    feel can be directed into a new venture that will give us a better=20
    opportunity to succeed.</FONT></SPAN></DIV></SPAN>
    <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
    <DIV align=3Dleft><FONT size=3D2>
    <DIV align=3Dleft><FONT size=3D4><SPAN=20
    class=3D370370910-22102002><STRONG>Elizabeth Brower=20
    O'Beirne</STRONG></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
    <DIV align=3Dleft><FONT size=3D4><SPAN=20
    =
class=3D370370910-22102002><STRONG>www.LTCiPlanning.com</STRONG></SPAN></=
FONT></DIV>
    <DIV><EM><FONT size=3D2><SPAN class=3D370370910-22102002>Long Term =
Care=20
    Specialist</SPAN></FONT></EM></DIV>
    <DIV><EM><FONT size=3D2><SPAN class=3D370370910-22102002>Long Term =
Preferred=20
    Care, Inc.</SPAN></FONT></EM></DIV>
    <DIV><FONT size=3D2><SPAN=20
    =
class=3D370370910-22102002><EM>703-709-7760</EM></SPAN></FONT></DIV></FON=
T></DIV>
    <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>

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