About a dozen retirees and spouses rallied in front of the West Virginia Capitol Monday afternoon. They came to support Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin in his bid for re-election this November. Tomblin supported them when Century terminated their health-care benefits, they said.

"[Tomblin] was willing to listen to us when we needed him," said Karen Gorrell, a spokeswoman for the retirees. "Had it not been for him, we'd never be able to get our benefits with Century."

After Century shuttered its Ravenswood plant in 2009, it cut health-care benefits to its retirees. Tomblin met with company officials and told them that before the company would get state economics benefits from the state to help restart the plant, it would have to work out an agreement for health-care benefits with the company's retirees, she said.

The retirees will not get their health-care benefits unless the Ravenswood plant restarts. Century officials have said that without a special rate on the cost of electricity, it cannot restart the plant. The Consumer Advocate Division of the Public Service Commission has argued that the special rate, based on the price of aluminum, would cause higher bills for other Appalachian Power customers.

Century officials are waiting for a decision on the matter from the PSC.

Gorrell said she supports Century's hopes to restart the plant, but not if it means that other Appalachian Power customers will have to pay more for electric.

About 738 retirees and spouses were affected when Century dropped health-care benefits, she said. Gorrell said there needs to be national legislation to prevent companies from dropping retirement benefits to their retirees.

"They're still a viable company," Gorrell said of Century. "They have other operations ... if they were bankrupt it'd be different."

The retirees are struggling to get by on their pensions, she said.

"What are you supposed to do?" she said. "People are choosing between food and medicine ... these are people who worked hard all their lives."

Gorrell's husband worked for Century more than 33 years. While her husband just recently became eligible for Medicare, Gorrell still has more than 2 years to go until she turns 65 and is eligible, she said.

Without insurance, she recently had what she believes were two mini-strokes, but didn't seek medical help.

"You don't go [to a hospital] if you don't have insurance," she said. "You just don't go."

Gorrell said the retirees are eager to hear what the PSC decides about Century's request for a special rate.

The PSC has no deadline for when that decision will come. Century officials requested that the decision come 120 days from when it filed the request. That would have been Sunday.

Luther Gibson, of Point Pleasant, worked for Century 38 years. Gibson said he supports Tomblin and the Legislature for what they have done to support the retirees.

"We feel like the state needs Gov. Tomblin to stay in office," he said.

Gibson said Century paid his health-care benefits for 13 years before they stopped.

"Now it costs us $800 a month to make up what we lost -- what we already paid for."

Gibson, too, said he supports an agreement to allow Century to reopen the Ravenswood plant, but he doesn't want other power customers to see an increase in their bills.

'The other customers shouldn't foot the bill," he said. "That's ridiculous. That's utterly ridiculous."