URGENT!!! Contact your legislator now!

Legislature expected to vote on pension reform tonight

CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS NOW -- TELL THEM TO VOTE NO

Lawmakers have apparently reached a deal on a retirement plan that would hurt thousands of school employees.

At this time, MEA members are urged to IMMEDIATELY contact their state legislators to urge them to vote NO on Senate Bill 1227. Please also tell them to vote NO on House Bill 4073, legislation that would create an insurance trust.

A vote is expected late tonight or during the night, according to legislative sources and media reports.

The "compromise" includes:

A 1.6 percent multiplier (up from the standard 1.5 percent) for those currently eligible to retire, if they retire this summer.

A 1.55 percent multiplier for those who are not currently eligible but who meet the rule of 80 -- that is, their age and years of service total 80 -- if they retire this summer.

All who do not retire will pay an extra 3 percent of salary above what they currently pay toward retirement and this money will be put in a trust set up by House Bill 4073.

House Bill 4073 will be amended to indicate that NO ONE IS GUARANTEED HEALTH BENEFITS IN RETIREMENT.

Employees hired after July 1 will be placed in an inferior "hybrid" retirement plan proposed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

Here's why your legislators should vote NO on the conference report for Senate Bill 1227 and on House Bill 4073:

This plan attempts to balance the school aid budget on the backs of employees. There will still be massive cuts in state aid to schools next year.

The continued erosion of the number of employees participating in the system because of outsourcing and privatization and the exclusion of charter school employees will continue to drive up the contribution rate in future years.

The proposal places future employees in a vastly inferior retirement plan and forces them to pay almost 10 percent of their salary to that plan.

All school employees will be required to pay a tax of 3 percent, which totals almost $2,600 a year for experienced teachers.

PLEASE ACT NOW! Don't wait! Your legislators need to hear from you.

Teachers rally at the Capitol!

More than 600 MEA members attending the association's Spring Representative Assembly on Friday marched to the Capitol to deliver a unified message: Enough is enough!

"Parents, educators, and taxpayers from across the state are fed up with Lansing politicians and their continued attacks on public education and public school employees," said MEA President Iris K. Salters, who announced the launch of a new television ad that demands politicians "stop treating teachers and school employees like punching bags."

The HEA was well represented at this event and hand delivered over 270 postcards to our legislators expressing our frustration with their inexcusable actions towards teachers and education. The students and teachers of Michigan deserve to be treated better. Enough is enough!

MEA supports amended SB1227

The state House may vote as early as Tuesday on a more employee-friendly version of Senate Bill 1227, legislation that would encourage thousands of public school employees to retire early.
School employees would receive a slightly higher pension if they retire this year under the latest draft of the bill. Numerous negative provisions in earlier drafts have been removed, including the proposed loss of dental or vision insurance for retirees and a hybrid retirement plan for new employees.
MEA now supports the legislation as rewritten by Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, which includes an incentive to those who retire by July 1 or Oct 1.
Under Meadows' proposal, school employees who apply to retire on or before July 1, 2010, would receive a 1.7 percent multiplier to determine their pension amount; those who apply to retire after July 1 but before Oct. 1, 2010, would receive a 1.6 percent multiplier. (Those who apply to retire after Oct. 1 would receive the standard 1.5 percent multiplier, a figure that is multiplied by an employee's final average compensation times their years of service to determine an individual's pension.)
The bill would require all school employees to contribute an additional 3 percent of salary above what they currently pay, but the money would be placed into a special trust to fund retirement health benefits. Without this provision, health insurance for you and other future retirees will remain under attack.
Notably, the bill no longer contains the following:

• A 30-year cap on service credit accumulation;
• A hybrid retirement for new employees;
• An automatic reduction of the employer's contribution toward retirement;
• Loss of dental or vision benefits for retirees.

Stay tuned for the latest developments on Senate Bill 1227 next week. If we need your help to encourage lawmakers to pass this version of the bill, we will let you know as early as possible.
Please note: MEA members who are eligible for retirement are advised to wait to submit any paperwork until the Legislature and Gov. Jennifer Granholm pass a final bill.

Attacks on your future!

Two things that we need to take action on;

#1 We have received word that the full Senate intends to discharge SB 1046 and SJR P (Senate Joint Resolution) from the Reform Committee to the full Senate. SB 1046 is the bill limiting public employers to paying no more than 80% of health care premiums for employees. SJR P is a proposed constitutional amendment to authorize the State to do this.

#2 Yesterday, the Retirement sub-committee of the Senate Appropriations Committee moved the school employee retirement bill, SB 1227 to the full Appropriations Committee with some changes. We expect the full Appropriations Committee to move it to the floor of the Senate for fast action either today or tomorrow.

As it now stands, the bill provides:
1. The increased pension multiplier for folks who retire between July 1 and September 1, 2010 IS ELIMINATED AS IN GONE, KAPUT, NULLIFIED. In this version of the Senate bill, there is not a sweetener to get people to retire early.
2. The punitive elimination of dental and vision coverage for those who retire after September 1, 2010 is still in the bill.
3. The outrageous increase of 3% of salary to pay for the mismanagement and under funding of the pension by the State is still in the bill.
4. The cap of 30 years on earned service credit is still in the bill.
5. The “hybrid” pension plan for new hires is still in the bill although the Senate version changes the minimum retirement age in the plan to 60 (the Governor proposed the age at 65).

Make the calls and send the e-mails today. Focus on your state Senator for now.

Senator Wayne Kuipers – senwkuipers@senate.michigan.gov 517-373-6920 (Ottawa county)

Senator Patricia Birkholz – senpbirkholz@senate.michigan.gov 517-373-3447 (Allegan county)

Representative David Agema – daveagema@house.mi.gov 517-373-8900 (Coopersville/Jenison)

Representative Joe Haveman – josephhaveman@house.mi.gov 517-373-0830 (Holland/Zeeland/Hudsonville)

Representative Arlan Meekhof – arlanbmeekhof@house.mi.gov 517-373-0838 (Rest of Ottawa County)

Representative Bob Genetski- bobgenetski@house.mi.gov(517) 373-0836 (District 88, Saugatuck)

A message from MEA's team at the Capitol

A message from MEA’s team at the Capitol:

Thank you for your calls and other efforts on the retirement legislation today -- thanks to your speedy action in contacting your state representatives, the House will not be taking up the shell bills this afternoon.

Because of our collective actions, we stopped the House from rushing to judgment on a bad idea that would impact thousands of our members across the state.

The fight is not done -- lawmakers will be back at it next week. You can stop the urgent calls on the shell bills, but please continue contacting all our leaders in Lansing -- the governor, your senator and your representative.

Keep telling them that the retirement proposal put forth in HB 5953 is wrong for our state because it forces dedicated school employees to retire before they’re ready while continuing to balance the budget on the backs of working families. Enough is enough! It’s time for real, balanced solutions to our decade-long budget crisis -- not more games and gimmicks.

Tell Lansing what you think of the attack on your retirement

Call your state senator and representative & the Governor today

On Jan. 29, Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced yet another attack on public workers, this time calling on school employees to pay even more out of pocket for retirement and pushing veteran teachers and other educators to retire before they're ready. This "reform" is really just another gimmick that won't actually fix the state's antiquated tax structure and broken school funding system.

Her proposals were finally introduced as legislation last week. Now is the time to make sure your state senator and representative, as well as the governor, know your feelings on this latest scheme to balance the budget on your back.

Take a moment to pick up your cell or home phone or send an e-mail Share your thoughts -- here are some ideas to start with:

• Withdraw this most recent attack on half a million Michigan public employees and their families.
• It's wrong to put a special tax on public employees -- taking 3 percent out of their checks to run government is the definition of a tax.
• It's wrong to force people to choose between early retirement and losing benefits they've counted on.
• Reject the flawed concept that continuing to take from public employees will fix our broken tax structure.
• Show real leadership and call for implementing a balanced solution that doesn't ignore the need for more revenue.

Take time to make this important contact -- now is the time for every HEA member to stand together and tell our leaders in Lansing that it's time for real solutions, not more games and gimmicks.

Holland Teachers Deliver Excellent Instruction

Holland teachers deliver excellent instruction. Instruction doesn't always take place in a classroom or in front of a chalk board but often before and after school, in the hallways between classes or evenings at community events. Here are more examples of that "excellent" instruction we deliver every day.

• Compiled Christmas boxes
• Various activity nights
• Homework clubs
• Jungle Party helpers
• Ski Clubs and trips
• Taking students to community events such as Hope basketball games
• Girls on the Run coaching
• Total Trek coaching
• Book fairs
• Parent nights
• March is Reading Month
• Kindergarten parent workshops

Keep coming back, our list is growing every day.