Newsletter Issue 45 - Page 1a
Page 1a
President's Report ( continued from page 1)
In a separate initiative, Gord Olafson has spearheaded the move to have a more meaningful
place for retirees at the annual Retirement Dinner. The result of his efforts is that the
Retirement Party, to be held on April 11 in Winclare, is welcoming the retirees to celebrate the
retirement of many of their colleagues. The cost has been reduced to a very reasonable $ 20
per person. We hope that many of you will decide to join us. In a small, but highly symbolic act,
the party is now titled the Retirees/Reunion Party. The University and the Faculty Association
are making a real effort to incorporate us back within the university community.
Another important committee upon which we have been active is the D7 Committee which has to report to the administration by July 1, 2002 on the adequacy of the retirement and benefit plan. This will be done. I was appointed chair of this committee. We have focused on three things. Jim Butler is preparing an update of the data base upon which our recommendations will be based. John Meyer has prepared a most thorough analysis of our benefits and I have prepared a brief on anomalies. This addresses members who find themselves in hardships from conditions beyond their control. However, the most important single initiative, which promises to bear real fruit, is the Trust Fund Committee. This committee is now meeting. Of course, everything depends upon how much money is placed in the fund and the continued commitment of the University and that Faculty Association to ensuring that money is placed in the fund on an ongoing basis. Commitment is critical. Incidentally the one thing that is regrettable is that NO-ONE saw this need in 1996 when the first pension holiday was given.
Pleas by retirees for meaningful input into its distribution were ignored. In retrospect, if the
surplus had been divided up three ways we would have been sitting with a Trust Fund of
anywhere between five and 10 million dollars. The interest would have allowed us to tackle, in
a very real fashion, the issues that confront us today. The success of the fund depends
completely on funds being channeled into it on a regular basis.
One of the critical issues is communication with the membership. The first problem is
establishing an up to date list of members. We are working with Human Resources to solve
that problem. However, our major problem is keeping in contact. For those on e-mail, about
50% of the membership, there is no problem. Bob Chandler's establishment of the UWFLAR
turns out to ne one of the most important actions taken during the past few years. The problem
lies in communicating with those members who do not have access to e-mail. The executive
will be addressing this problem in the near future. With respect to our website, we hope that
Ray Hermiston will be taking over from Bob Chandler. In some ways this is the most important
area because the computer has become the focal point of our communication system.
Finally, of critical importance to any gains we make are the Faculty Association and the
Administration. First. it is important to recognize that while retiree issues are vitally important to
us they are a very small part of the responsibilities of the Faculty Association and the
Administration. I must say that any approaches by WURA to Ross Paul, Brian Brown and Jim
Butler have been met with open minds and real efforts to address the issues. While I recognize
that actions speak louder than words I am optimistic that retiree issues will be addressed and
concrete action taken. However, I believe progress will be slow, gains will be small and that, in
fact, we are working for future retirees rather than ourselves. The responsibility for ensuring
retiree issues are addressed lies with the retirees. We MUST ensure that issues remain on the
front burner. Your executive is committed to doing this.
Inside this issue
Page 1. President's Report
Page 2. Campus News
Page 3. Campus News
Page 4. Association News
Page 5. Association News
Page 6. Association News
Page 7. Editorial News