Table of Contents (all issues in this
volume)Main indexThe Retirees' Newsletter
The Retirees's Association ( Faculty, Librarian, Administrator), University of Windsor, Windsor, Ont. Canada
Vol X1 , No. 3, September 2001
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EDITORIAL PAGE |
The Retirees' Association (Faculty,Librarian, Administrator -WURA) at Windsor was formed in 1990, to give a unified voice to retirees; to provide a bridge for communication with the University; to encourage social contact among the retirees; and to open a few doors through which retirees could continue to contribute to the University of Windsor.
Thus the Association is meant to fill what could otherwise be a void in the lives of retirees - possible isolation from the University and from their former colleagues; and possible lack of understanding of vital pension and health issues that affect them directly.
There are only two meetings of the full membership per year: in the spring and the fall. An informal social committee arranges several other events per year - dinners, plays, picnics, and so on -all of which are paid for by those who take part. The Association encourages smaller special interest groups to form as occasion and their interests warrant. Because of extreme economy of operation, dues have been kept at the level of $20 per year. This includes four issues of The Retirees' Newsletter .
Officers of the Association are:
President: Stan Cunningham
Secretary: Datta Pillay
Treasurer& Membership : Phyllis Nolan
Elected Members of the Executive
Committee: Don Briggs; Gino Fracas;
Jerry Malone and Alan Metcalfe
Ex Officio Members:
Immediate Past President: Kumar Chatterjee
Founding President: Norm Shklov
Committee Chairs:
Social Committee: Vacant
Bursary Fund Committee: Wilf Innerd
Pension & Benefits: John Meyer
WEB Master: Robert Chandler
The Association's Address is:
Faculty, Librarian, Administrator Retirees' Association (WURA)
University of Windsor Post Office,
Windsor, ON. N9B 3P4
Email: pillay@uwindsor.ca
Home Page: http://zeus.uwindsor.ca/newsstnd/uwflra/index.html
Newsletteronline:
http://zeus.uwindsor.ca/newsstnd/uwflra/news.htm
Retirees Newsletter Celebrates Tenth Anniversary This year
Your Editor apologises for missing to notify you about this marvellous achievement of ten-year sustenance of the Newsletter in the June Issue. Thanks to all members who provided news items and for the support and encouragement to my predecessor Bill Phillips and I during these ten years.
Thanks to Bob Chandler our WEB master, for pointing out to me the ten year record. 2001 Faculty Association/UW
Contract Settlement
This is the third contract settlement in the last six years ( 2001, 1998, 1995).Efforts and vigilance of the Retirees Association to impress upon WUFA and/or the University to seriously consider some improvements to pension and health benefits have been totally ignored. Especially, this contract year, WURA had a member (Alan Metcalfe) on the WUFA Contract Proposals Committee, who was pleased with WUFA's apparent sympathy and willingness to address some of the retirees concerns, which eventually found its way into the WUFA contract proposals. However, at the negotiating table they were just thrown away.
The minimum guarantee formula went up from 1.45% to 1.5% for active faculty and those retiring as of July 1, 2001, at a cost of $ 800,00. But this increase was not negotiated for current retirees, let alone any retroactive increases.
The Negotiating Team increased the dental coverage for Orthodontic work for all active faculty and current retirees from $ 1500 to a maximum of $ 3,000, when such need does not exist for retirees in their seventh and eighth decade of their life.
Trust Fund -For the current and future retirees, a third of the pension fund excess, after deducting the contingency reserve up to $ 2.6
million, will be placed in a new trust to be established by the University and Faculty Association. The income from the trust will be used to help subsidize the cost of retiree benefits - This sounds too optimistic in an environment of uncertain market performance.
Membership Drive and $ 20 Dues: This plea is on behalf of our Treasurer to gently remind those who have not paid the dues for 2000-2001 (about 25 members) to please send your cheques.
Datta Pillay