REMINDER
MEA-Retired On-Line Voting Instructions
FEBRUARY 8-19, 2016
Beginning February 8, 2016, MEA-Retired members will begin casting their ballots for MEA-Retired delegates to the MEA Representative Assembly, the NEA Representative Assembly, and the NEA-Retired Annual Meeting, as well as Region Directors, if needed.
ON-LINE VOTING WILL BEGIN ON FEBRUARY 8, 2016 AT 8 AM EST AND WILL CONTINUE UNTIL 4 PM EST ON FEBRUARY 19, 2016
Here's how - You can use your own computer, your neighbor's, your grandchildren's or one at your local library.
2. Follow the Login instructions:
First Name (often your legal first name)
Last Name
Last four digits of your social security number
3. Click the "Login" button.
4. If your record is found and the polls are open, your ballot will be displayed.
5. Select the people that you would like to vote for. Clicking the "Additional Info" link next to a ballot item will allow you to read biographical information on the candidate if it has been submitted.
6. Once you have made your selections, click the "Confirm Ballot" button.
7. A preview of your ballot selections will be shown. To modify any of your selections, click the "Modify Ballot" button.
8. To cast your ballot, click the "Cast Ballot" button. Once your ballot is cast, you will see a confirmation page.
9. Click the "Sign Out" link to log out of the system.
If you have any problems using the MEA Online Voting application, please contact the MEA IT Department at 517-337-5440 from 8 AM - 4 PM, Monday through Friday. If you call after hours, please leave a voicemail, and they will return your message as soon as possible.
Retirement Issues Updates: 3% and a New Attack on MPSERS
Michigan Education Association members anxious to learn if they'll be reimbursed their 3 percent retirement contributions have been waiting for news of a Michigan Court of Appeals decision since November, the latest step in MEA's long legal fight to get our members' money back.
No decision has been issued, and no word has come to indicate if the court will order oral argument or simply rule on the case, according to MEA General Counsel Mike Shoudy.
MEA and American Federation of Teachers Michigan filed briefs with the Appeals Court last November in opposition to Public Act 75 of 2010, which mandated school districts withhold 3 percent of each employee's wages for retiree health care. That money has been sitting in escrow for five years.
A 2010 lawsuit by MEA and AFT Michigan challenges the constitutionality of PA 75 prevailed in the trial court and the Michigan Court of Appeals. The state then sought to have the Supreme Court hear the case, but the justices declined and sent the issue back to the Court of Appeals for this latest review.
Meanwhile, another bill has been introduced to eliminate the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System (MPSERS) as a retirement choice for newly hired school employees. Introduced by Tim Kelly (R-Saginaw), House Bill 5218 would require new school employees to participate in a defined contribution plan, such as a 401K.
The House bill is identical to Senate Bill 102, introduced in January 2015 by Sen. Phil Pavlov (R-St. Clair), which awaits action in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Earlier analyses of the cost of shifting entirely to 401K-style retirement plans for new teachers show it would be prohibitive, since no one would continue paying in to MPSERS, and the state would have to pick up the entire cost - hundreds of millions of dollars - of funding current retirees' benefits.
DID YOU KNOW:
- Michigan has 150,000 students enrolled in charter schools.
- The least populated Michigan city is Lake Angelius in Oakland county.
- USA Today reports that the combined riches of 62 of the world's most well healed individuals in 2015 equaled the wealth of 3.5 billion people-the bottom half of humanity.
- Peter Weiss Kentwood High School received an Excellent in Education Award from the Michigan Lottery. Peter teaches chemistry, physics, and biology at the Crossroads Alternative High School.
- Applications for the 2016 MEA Scholarship are now available online at www.mea.org/mea-scholarship. Only dependents of MEA members of MEA-Retired members in good standing are eligible for the scholarships. The general criteria for awarding the scholarships include academic achievement, extra-curricular activities, as well as school and community service. The deadline for returning applications is Thursday, February 25, 2016. Contact Barb Hitchcock atbhitchcock@mea.org for additional information.
EARNED PAID SICK LEAVE
MEA joins petition drive in support of earned paid sick time. More than 1.5 million Michigan workers-and even some MEA members--don't have access to paid sick time. As a result, the MEA Board voted to support an Earned Sick Time ballot measure by the Time to Care Campaign that gives everyone the opportunity to earn paid sick time. MEA-Retired members are encouraged to get involved with the petition campaign to get the proposal on the November 2016 ballot. . MEA will provide support by helping to collect signatures to get the proposal on the November 2016 ballot. The proposal would allow workers to earn one hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked. Workers could earn up to nine days of sick time, depending on the size of the business they work for.
MEA Supports Lawsuit by Detroit Teachers, DFT, AFT
LANSING, Mich., Jan. 29, 2016 - The following statement is by MEA President Steven Cook regarding the DFT/AFT lawsuit challenging conditions in Detroit Public Schools:
"Just as we've seen in Flint, the conditions in Detroit Public Schools are appalling. No one can argue that point. The issue is whether we're willing to tolerate Third-World conditions in our urban centers. The question is if we're going to stand up for democracy."
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