Letter from Jim and A.J. Foster, Chairs

We hope you all survived the crazy weather.  Due to the weather your Legislative committee did not make it to Olympia last week.  The meeting was cancelled.  Elaine was at the airport and Jim and I were to leave within the hour by way of the gorge when we got the call.  .  Hopefully we will not have the weather problem in Feb and will make that meeting.  In the meantime, in addition, we need you to contact your Legislators this month and next, until the session ends.

 

Issues and suggestions include.

-Inflation is up by 4%, hurts retirees more than most as we are on fixed incomes

-No further cuts, the elimination of the COLA for plan 1 retirees hurt me how, explain with personal examples

-Restore the COLA at the first opportunity

-State pension system obligations must be funded first, you cannot continue to use them for your piggy bank.  We paid our 6% each month of every year during our working years. You did not.

-Restore the Medical eligible subsidy for health care. The cut in the subsidy from $183 per month to $150 per month is another cut into our pensions.

Ed Gonion, WSSRA Exec. Director suggests the following approach:

1. Do not use retirement funds (and payments to them) to balance the shortfall

2. Do not further erode medical care benefits for retirees.

3. Take immediate steps to stabilize pension funding(reference HJR4219/SJR8214, Treasure  McIntire's constitutional amendment.)

4. Reinstate Plan 1 COLA(including unpaid Gain Sharing)when finances permit.

Please use personal information as to how the  cuts have affected you.  Give examples. WE MUST KEEP THE PRESURE ON.

Have great day. 

Jim and AJ

We are Looking Forward to Your Help!

Of 500 plus BFSRA members only 100 are actively involved in social and legislative issues, the legislative committee would love to see the 100 explode to 500 plus. Statewide we have 40,000 retirees with 17,000 involved in WSSRA. That leaves  23,000 retirees sitting on the sidelines.

We need all those people in the ballgame. Every member needs to reach out to those folks both local and statewide and get them involved in local affairs and, particularly, the legislative process.  Federal and State govt's are still looking for ways to cut budgets and that involves our insurances, medicare, social security , and pensions.  We need all retirees to get into this ballgame NOW, rather than later.

Our 26 Sept luncheon will have Fred Yancey , our WSSRA lobbiest, speaking on our legislative issues and what each of us need to do to protect our pensions. 

Jim McIntire, Wash. State Treasurer, is our 24 Oct luncheon guest speaking about pension reform and what he thinks needs to be done to stabilize pension funding. 

Don't miss these two meetings as information given will help us be ready for the upcoming 2012 Legislative Session in January.  Plan 1 retirees were hurt in the last session so we want to protect what we now have from further erosion and keep the Legislature from harming Plan 2 and 3.

Your Legislative committee, President Elect, with five other members who live in the 16th Legislative District will be meeting with our three 16th State Legislators on morning of September 26th in Pasco to discuss our pension dilemma and ask for their help in restoring our COLA, plus expressing other concerns and needs.  In October, we will be meeting with our 8th Legislators.  We are in discussion with them on a meeting date.  

See you at the luncheon.

 Elaine, AJ and Jim
 Your BFSRA legislative committee for the 8th and 16th districts.