Page 6 The Retirees' Newsletter
The Retirees's Association ( Faculty, Librarian, Administrator), University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada
Vol X III, No. 1, March 2003
|
Letter to President Ross Paul |
It now seems that our earlier suggested example has now
hardened into an etched-in-stone "only possibility" within the
context of the newly emergent Trust Fund. In recent discussions
in the WUFA Pension and Benefits Committee (on which WURA
has representation), a number of the WUFA principals stated that
Trust Fund dollars could only be paid out as health benefits (to
the Green Shield plan). Also, it was argued by WUFA principals
that such health benefits could only be paid out after a
considerable period of time from accrued interest on the Trust
Fund principal. And all that means, once again, that the then-current retirees from the 1996, 1998 and 2001 time frames,
whose ranks are gradually thinning, will never see any of the
surplus monies that were assigned to them in the 1998 Letter of
Understanding. We don't think it is an exaggeration to describe
these kinds of stalling tactics as "unjust".
We also insist that it is important to recognize that the Trust Fund
and Health Benefits institutions are distinct concepts, that they are
not joined at the hip. Nor should they be: since only slightly more
than half of WURA retirees participate in the University of Windsor
Green Shield plan -others are carried on spousal plans to which
retirees, for the most part, do not have to contribute it would be
a gross injustice against many retirees if trust funds were so
restricted to health-benefit subsidies. WURA believes strongly in
the universality of any and all Trust Fund revenues paid out to
ALL fully-retired personnel, by means of a formula predicated
upon years of service. We draw this to your attention since the
University of Windsor Administration command half the votes on
the Trust Fund Committee.
WURA also experiences considerable frustration over its situation
vis-à-vis Health Benefits. Currently, all WURA retirees pay their
own health benefits with the exception of 50% payment of dental
premiums. [There are some U of W retirees who enjoy full
coverage of all benefits.] The fact is, however, that there are 16
Universities in Canada, with 7 or 8 in Ontario, where retirees
enjoy much greater, even total benefits coverage. We believe it
is time for this University community to extend total or greatly
increased coverage to its WURA retirees. At the very least, the
current situation is an embarrassment.
We draw your attention to our frustrations so that you may
become more fully aware of them, and so that you and your
Administration may use your wisdom and influence to help WURA
secure what we believe to be reasonable improvements.
Specifically we ask that you help us to secure the following steps
and improvements:
1. The 2001 Report of the D7 Committee so far, the one and
only commented upon the costs of increasing pension formulas.
Unfortunately, that report supplied cost estimates of formula
increases for active faculty only. There was no attempt at all to
estimate formula increases for then-current retirees, let alone
possible staged or phased-in increases. [That neglect is ironic
since the whole spirit of the Agreement's D7 clause is to "examine
the adequacy of pension provisions for retirees."]
2 .We would like to see Administration use its influence and resources to supply the D7 Committee with projected costs of a phased-in increasing of all the formulae of current retirees up to the formula's 1.5 level as spelled out in the current Agreement.
3. We believe that the joint contract D7 Committee can and
should be the effective, pivotal body in formulating Pension Plan
policy for active faculty and WURA retirees. Moreover, it is very
important that it complete its report, replete with
recommendations, one year after each new Agreement, as indeed
it has been continually mandated in a sequence of Agreements.
4. WURA believes it is imperative that the retirees have a seat on
the Board of Governor's Pension Committee. Only in this way, we
believe, can the growing constituency of retirees be assured
adequate voice and monitoring presence at the very heart of the
Corporation's pension decision-making apparatus. Our past
experience with surplus dispositions tells us that a representative
appointment at this level is necessary.
5. We hope that the Administration will come to share our
perception of a firm conceptual distinction between the distribution
of Trust Fund monies and health benefit subsidies. At the same
time, we iterate the principle of the universality of Trust Fund
remunerations to all fully-retired WURA pensioners on the basis of
years of service as the only just and objective means of
disbursement.
6. In the matter of health-benefit premiums, we urge the
Administration to provide, at least through phased-in steps, a level
of support commensurate with the 16 Canadian universities that
offer much better provisions for their retirees. Consistent with this
goal, we urge the Administration to work hand in hand with its
unions towards a unification of health-benefit plans for all of its
retirees so as to profit from economies of scale with Green Shield
plans.
Finally, we ask the Administration to adopt a pro-active and co-operative mind set with respect to its community of retirees. Given
the negotiating system and its potential for conflict, it's very easy
to lose sight of the place, the roles and the concerns of retirees,
and to let them slip through the cracks. The greater University
community, however, needs to remain mindful of the continuing
and varied contributions that many retirees continue to make to the
University: research and publishing in the University's name;
teaching; graduate committees; counseling and assorted
University and community support services.
We hope that the University administration, by attending to these
modest proposals, will prove to us that it truly cares about, and
values the WURA retirees.
Thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy letter. We are
willing to meet with you or other members of the Administration at
your convenience.
Sincerely,
Alan Metcalfe, John Meyer, Stan Cunningham,
Jane Black, Norm King, Gordon Olafson,
Jerry Malone, Ken Pryke, Wilf Innerd, Datta Pillay,
Members of the WURA Executive
cc: Mr. Eric Harbottle, Vice President, Administration /Finance
Mr. Brian Brown, President, faculty Association
| What's Inside
P 1. Spring General Meeting, President's Message P 5. Letter to President Ross Paul P 6. Letter to President Ross Paul |