Farr v. US West, Inc.

58 F.3d 1361 64 USLW 2048 , 19 Employee Benefits Cas. 1532 , 95 Daily Journal D.A.R. 8355 , Pens. Plan Guide P 23913G Donald J. FARR; Gregory H. Ishmiel; Rod W. Tracy; Willis L. Rader; Joseph T. Dean; Robert Heuser; and Jeanette P. Neufeld, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. US WEST, INC., a Colorado corporation; The US West Management Pension Plan; and US West Communications, a Colorado corporation, Defendants-Appellees. No. 93-35086. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Argued and Submitted Sept. 13, 1994. Decided June 26, 1995. Leslie L. Wellman, Wellman & Murray, Portland, OR, for plaintiffs-appellants. D. Ward Kallstrom, Lillick & Charles, San Francisco, CA, for defendants-appellees. Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. Before: ALDISERT, * NORRIS, and THOMPSON, Circuit Judges. WILLIAM A. NORRIS, Circuit Judge: 1 Plaintiffs were long term employees of defendants US West, Inc. and US West Communications. In Jan. 1990, plaintiffs chose to retire under an amendment to the US West Management Pension Plan known as the "5 + 5 program" which created early retirement incentives for many long term employees. Under the 5 + 5 program,…