There is a boatload of YOUR money at stake at the upcoming PERS Board Meeting (September 23, 2005). The action begins at 1 pm at PERS Headquarters. By this time, no one needs to be reminded of the stakes, but the central issue is the re-crediting of 1999 earnings for all PERS members (active members, inactive members, and retirees). The Board claims all sorts of authority for itself as a result of its “settlement” of the City of Eugene case with the group of 8 employers. My employer wasn’t a party to that suit, nor was it a party to the settlement. However, several different groups representing my interests were intervenors in the City of Eugene case, but they were denied participation in the “settlement” talks. In any case, the PERS Board intends to implement this legally questionable agreement for ALL members of the PERS system, whatever their status now, who had a Tier 1 Regular account at the end of 1999. The only published examples of how PERS would do this are on the PERS website. I’ve written a calculator that helps individuals understand the financial consequences of the PERS “floater” for members who retired during the 4/1/00 to 3/1/04 “window” – the only group for which there is the potential for a combination of benefit reductions and invoices for past alleged “overpayments” exists. Of course, there are many rumors floating around about what the PERB will actually do when faced with very unhappy campers who have sound legal reason to contest a decision of this sort. There are also political consequences as we have a sitting governor who promised reform that wouldn’t dig into the pockets of retirees, and people have continued to remind him of that as his HAND-PICKED Board continues its ham-fisted attack on members benefits.
Now that I’ve painted a “sky is falling” scenario, what can YOU do (if you haven’t done anything already). FIRST, sit down right now and send a firm, but respectful letter or email protesting this action to Mr. Paul Cleary and all five members of the PERS Board (Mike Pittman, Eva Kripalani, James Dalton, Brenda Rocklin, and Tom Grimsley). Their email addresses can be found via a link to the left. You should also send the same, or a similar, email or letter to the Governor. In this letter you should remind the Governor of his commitment back on January 23, 2003 to not solve the PERS problem by reaching back into the accounts of members who’d already retired. Send these letters or emails by NO LATER THAN TUESDAY. The meeting is Friday, and they will have greatest impact if they’re there and included in the overall summary of mail prior to the meeting.
NEXT, you should sit down and write TWO checks. The first check should be written to OPRI (Oregon PERS Retirees Inc), which is the organization that has funded all the previous battles over PERS retirement benefits – taxation of PERS benefits, Ballot Measure 8, and Strunk/Sartain – the COLA freeze mechanism). Their dues are $5 per year; $50 for life. Send this check to:
The SECOND – and more important check – should be to the Oregon PERS Retirees Legal Fund (OPRLF). Please give as much as you can. Litigation is expensive and the next fight won’t have the benefit of being “fast tracked” directly to the Oregon Supreme Court. I suggest that a good minimum donation ought to be the value of 2 months’ worth of lost COLAs. I also suggest that this shouldn’t be a “one-off” donation. Once litigation begins, the meter keeps running. The OPRI case in the consolidated Strunk matter cost about $300,000. The next one or ones will be more expensive. There are nearly 50,000 members who’ve retired since 4/1/2000 and the retiree cohorts are each affected a bit differently. Our interests are aligned and it is important that ALL contribute to the cause – even members still actively working. Just remember, today’s actives are tomorrow’s retirees. The actions we retirees prevent today become your assurances when you retire. So, make those checks out to OPRLF and send them to:
FINALLY, do everything possible to attend the PERS Board meeting on Friday. I cannot tell you how important it is to have a large crowd present as the Board wrestles with this decision. It is infinitely harder to make the kind of decision PERS has said it will make in a room full of hundreds (or thousands) of members who will be directly affected by their actions. I will actively discourage any bad behavior at the meeting. There is no need to be rude, disrespectful, or do anything that would endanger the cause we’re fighting for. Remember, the general public doesn’t hold PERS members/retirees in high esteem at all; let’s not turn this into a media circus that gives the public the stereotype they’ve already painted for us. Exhibit decorum. Let the speakers speak. A stony, grim, and laser-focused face communicates far more than any action that makes noise. Polite applause is OK, but fan-type whoops, hollers, and screams are appropriate at a sporting event, not at a meeting like this.
This may be one of the few chances MEMBERS and RETIREES have to influence the outcome of a decision that has enormous consequences to your personal financial future. Make your statements, be heard. It is “money that matters”.
OPRI
PO Box 7325
Salem, OREGON 93703-0065
PO Box 7325
Salem, OREGON 93703-0065
The SECOND – and more important check – should be to the Oregon PERS Retirees Legal Fund (OPRLF). Please give as much as you can. Litigation is expensive and the next fight won’t have the benefit of being “fast tracked” directly to the Oregon Supreme Court. I suggest that a good minimum donation ought to be the value of 2 months’ worth of lost COLAs. I also suggest that this shouldn’t be a “one-off” donation. Once litigation begins, the meter keeps running. The OPRI case in the consolidated Strunk matter cost about $300,000. The next one or ones will be more expensive. There are nearly 50,000 members who’ve retired since 4/1/2000 and the retiree cohorts are each affected a bit differently. Our interests are aligned and it is important that ALL contribute to the cause – even members still actively working. Just remember, today’s actives are tomorrow’s retirees. The actions we retirees prevent today become your assurances when you retire. So, make those checks out to OPRLF and send them to:
OPRLF
PO BOX 7325
Salem, OREGON 93703-0065
PO BOX 7325
Salem, OREGON 93703-0065
FINALLY, do everything possible to attend the PERS Board meeting on Friday. I cannot tell you how important it is to have a large crowd present as the Board wrestles with this decision. It is infinitely harder to make the kind of decision PERS has said it will make in a room full of hundreds (or thousands) of members who will be directly affected by their actions. I will actively discourage any bad behavior at the meeting. There is no need to be rude, disrespectful, or do anything that would endanger the cause we’re fighting for. Remember, the general public doesn’t hold PERS members/retirees in high esteem at all; let’s not turn this into a media circus that gives the public the stereotype they’ve already painted for us. Exhibit decorum. Let the speakers speak. A stony, grim, and laser-focused face communicates far more than any action that makes noise. Polite applause is OK, but fan-type whoops, hollers, and screams are appropriate at a sporting event, not at a meeting like this.
This may be one of the few chances MEMBERS and RETIREES have to influence the outcome of a decision that has enormous consequences to your personal financial future. Make your statements, be heard. It is “money that matters”.
P.S. If you donate to OPRLF and there is an excess, or court cases don't result, or the court awards fees, OPRI has a history of returning excess funds to their donors. The keep impeccable records and know exactly who donated how much, when, and for what. Rest assured that they use only what they need and return the excess.
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