JUNE, 1956
S3SWI
PAGE 5
Aid To Retirees, Families
Learn How Social Security
Benefits Can Help You
HOW much income will you have when you re
tire? That’s probably one of the first questions
that comes to mind when you think of retiring.
Your retirement income can make a big differ
ence in your attitude and adjustment to retire
ment.
Added to your monthly pension from the Com
pany you will probably have your Social Security
benefits. You qualify for Social Security pay
ments if you are insured—that is, work on a job
covered by Social Security — for a sufficient
length of time. As a Firestone employee you work
in a “covered” employment.
A “sufficient length of time” means a certain
number of quarters worked in covered employ
ment. For most employment, including work at
Firestone, you get one-quarter of coverage for
each calendar quarter (three-month period) in
which you are paid $50 or more in wages.
* * *
YOU WILL be “fully” insured when you reach
65 or when you die if you have at least one-
quarter of coverage for each two calendar quar
ters that have passed since December 31, 1950, or
since you reached age 21, whichever is later.
At least six quarters of coverage are necessary
in every case; when you have 40 quarters of
coverage you are fully insured for life. Quarters
of coverage may have been earned at any time
since 1937.
The 1954 amendments to the Social Security
Law increased benefits substantially and changed
some regulations. The new law provides that be
tween the ages of 65 and 72 you can earn $1,200 a
year before you begin to lose your benefits; after
age 72 you may earn any amount without losing
benefits.
your pay and the entire amount including the
Company’s matching payment is sent to the
Bureau of Internal Revenue.
What Wm I Receive?
Calculating your benefits is sometimes a com
plicated process, but when your Social Security
benefits are figured out, you can be assured you
will receive the maximum payments allowable.
Social Security benefits are of two types; 1. Re
tirement benefits to workers at age 65 and their
families, and 2. Death benefits to the survivors of
deceased workers.
At age 65 you can draw your benefits and if
your wife is also 65, or when she reaches 65 even
though she has never worked at a job, she will be
entitled to a monthly benefit amounting to half
of her husband’s monthly payment.
What WiU My
Family Receive?
Who Pays?
Under the Social Security law the employee
pays in a certain percentage each year which is
matched by his employer. From 1954 through
1959 you will pay two per cent on the first $4,200
earned and the Company will pay a like amount.
From 1960 through 1964 that amount will be
raised to IVz percent. The tax is withheld from
What happens to your family if you are not
here, you ask? In case you should die, the law
provides for survivors’ benefits if you were
properly insured. First, there is a lump sum death
benefit equal to three times your monthly retire
ment benefit but not to exceed $255.
Survivors’ benefits which are based on your
average monthly wage are also payable monthly
to: your widow at age 65; your widow at any age,
if she has unmarried children under 18 in her
care; unmarried children under 18; dependent
parents over 65 if there is no surviving spouse or
minor children entitled to the benefits. Maximum
benefits under the law are $200 per month or 80
per cent of your average monthly wage, which
ever is less.
By combining the pension you receive from the
Company and. your Social Security benefits you
can make certain that you will have the funds for
a happy retirement and that your wife and chil
dren will have a monthly income to meet the ex
pense of food, clothing and other necessities, if
you should die.
Table Of Social Security Benefits
Survivors
Average
monthly
income
Retired
worker
Retired
worker
and spouse
Widow,
child,
etc.
Widow
and one
child
Widow
and two
children
Lump Sum
burial
payment
$140
$ 66.50
$ 99.80
$49.90
$ 99.80
$112.00
$199.50
180
74,50
111.80
55.90
111.80
144.00
223.50
200
78,50
117,80
58.90
117.80
157.10
235.50
250
88,50
132.80
66.40
132.80
177.20
255.00
300
98.50
147.80
73.90
147.80
197.10
255.00
350
108.50
162.80
81.40
162.80
200.00
255.00
vThe amounts
shown in the
last line will be available
only after a
person has qualified for six
Quarters of coverage after December 31, 1954, during which period his average monthly covered
darnings were at least $350.)
EXCELLENCE
Boy Scouts To Be Honored
At Annual Banquet In June
'The 11th annual awards ban-
^^et honoring outstanding local
oy Scouts is scheduled for the
®^ening of June 14 at the Girls
Club.
^_^oy Scouts from the Gastonia
^strict of the Piedmont Coun-
will receive Certificates of
^^I'it for excellence in scouting,
®?^ool, church and project ac-
^^ities. Each one honored will
an engraved certificate
a check to cover expenses
for a two-week stay at Camp
Lanier, Tryon, N. C.
AMONG the Scouts to be hon
ored, one will be named as win
ner of the Harvey S. Firestone,
Jr., Award for the most out
standing record of all. The win
ner will be presented a gold
medallion and a $100 U.S. Sav
ings Bond. During the years that
the Company has conferred this
scouting honor, 10 young men
from the Gastonia area have re
ceived the Harvey S. Firestone,
Jr., Award. The 1955 winner
was Carroll C. Hudson, Jr., of
Troop 6, sponsored by First Bap
tist Church.
The Company makes the top
award each year to outstanding
Boy Scouts in American Cities
in which the organization op
erates its major plants.
Certificates and the Harvey
S, Firestone, Jr., Award will be
presented following a dinner to
be served at 7 p.m.
Expected to be present for the
meeting are a number of of
ficials of the Piedmont Council,
BSA, and representatives of
management at the plant.
READY FOR A SUMMER OF SAFE DRIVING—Second Hand
Tracy Whitener opens the doors of his car lo show installation of
safety Karbells. Other standard equipment on his auto includes a
complete set of new Firestone iubeless Supreme tires.
For Safety On The Highway:
Supreme Tires And Karbelts
When it comes to operating
his 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air,
Tracy Whitener, second hand in
Cord Weaving, places a lot of
value on safety and peace of
mind. For these reasons, he
went down to the Firestone
Store on Franklin avenue and
purchased a complete set of
Firestone tubeless Supreme
tires. He also equipped both
front and back seat with safety
Karbelts. These belts, sold
through the Company store
system, are anchored to the
doors of the auto and to the
floor. In case of accident, they
keep the doors closed as well as
protect driver and passenger
from hurtling forward.
SIMILAR to airplane safety
belts, they are made of two-
inch nylon webbing and will
withstand 3,000-pound forces.
Primary purpose of the new
belts is to guard against motor
ing hazards: minor injury
caused by sudden stops, major
injury in accident or collision,
injury from being thrown about
inside or out of an automobile,
and mental and physical fatigue.
Figures from studies of acci
dents in various localities in
dicate that 89 per cent of auto
injuries were to the head, neck
and chest, and in serious acci
dents, 54 per cent of car doors
came open upon impact. And
authorities agree that this fig
ure can be reduced considerably
with the widespread use of safe
ty belts in passenger cars.
THE SUPREME tire, a set of
which Whitener put on his car,
is designed to give motorists
complete tire safety and peace
of mind under modern super
highway driving conditions. It
is made with a safety-tensioned
and gum-dipped nylon cord that
assures tremendous resistance to
the impacts of hitting chuck-
holes, stones or other road haz
ards. The Supreme has a gummy
sealant that prevents tire fail
ures from nails and similar
objects. This sealant slings to
penetrating foreign objects and
prevents air leakage by flowing
into and sealing small cuts and
holes in the tire body. A special
safety diaphragm assures blow
out protection. Further improve
ments on the Supreme include
exclusive tread design which
makes for a glide-like ride, and
better traction.
Tend Flowers Carefully—Enter Some
In ‘Harvest Harmony’ Show This Fall
Mrs. Carl Rape, Mrs. Carl
Stowe and Mrs. W. R. Turner,
Sr., of the Variety Garden Club
at the plant, attended the an
nual Garden Clubs, Inc., meet
ing in Charlotte, May 15 and 16.
The scrapbook of the Gastonia
Garden Club received the high
est award of any scrapbook
entered from all garden clubs
in the state. Mrs. Stowe assisted
in compiling the prize-winning
scrapbook for her club which
received the Mrs. A. B, Cheat
ham Silver Award. In addition
to the Garden Clubs meeting in
Charlotte, Mrs. Turner attended
the State Judges Club meeting
on May 14, in Charlotte. She is
chairman of the “Harvest
Harmony” first annual flower
show to be held at the Spindle-
Center Fair, Gastonia, Septem
ber 10-15 this year.
TO AID Variety Garden Club
members in growing flowers to
be entered in the “Harvest
Harmony” show, the club offers
some suggestions on the control
of diseases and insect pests on
plants.
Control depends on several
factors. Some plants have a na
tural resistance and all diseases
do not attack some plants. And
the favorite target of some
diseases is the foliage, seed pod,
or bloom. Insects play favorites
with flowers, too.
Rotating, or planting the same
plant in a different place each
year, helps to keep down nema
todes, parasites which cause
plants to wither and die, A
chemical capsule or tablet, sold
. in garden supply stores, can
help control these pests.
SANITATION in gardening is
a help in eliminating disease in
plants. Weeds, grass and other
foreign plants to your flowers
will encourage mildew. So, keep
—Turn to page 7