CN confirms that a “regrettable lag” in updating the rules of its pension policies is being “corrected immediately” after it was brought to light by a Harbour Grace senior who faced hardship after the passing of his long-time partner nine years ago.
Ken Haire had been forced to sell some of his belongings after he was unable to gain access to the survivor pension benefits of Gerry Schwarz, the man with whom he shared 33 years of his life.
The couple retired in Harbour Grace and bought a house there, but Haire was forced to sell the property after Schwarz, who retired from CN in 1991, passed away.
CN says because of dated policies regarding same-sex relationships, long-time common-law partners of deceased CN employees who retired before 1998 have not been able to collect survivor benefits.
Haire was informed earlier this week that he will now receive retroactive benefits and payments on a monthly basis going forward.
CN says a preliminary search has identified a small number of similar cases among their pensioners who are now being contacted to correct the situation.
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April 27, 2021 – Man Locked Out of Deceased Partner’s CN Pension Due to Antiquated Same-Sex Policy
May 5, 2021 – https://vocm.com/2021/05/05/cn-pension-haire/
