Enough is Enough Rally

Reminder from MEA

June 22, 2010
Countdown to the Capitol
School is out and it’s time to devote your full attention and energy to the biggest pro-education event this summer—the Enough is Enough rally on the Capitol lawn. Continue to make a difference—for your students, your school and your community. Join thousands of MEA members and other public education supporters at the Capitol this Thursday to send the message to lawmakers: “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!”
· Be sure to get to the rally as early as possible to get a good view.
· Red is the color for the day, or you can wear your MEA Proud Union Member T-shirt and fit right in.
· Bring along any signs, banners or flags from your May 24 rally.

Don’t miss out! We’ll be on the Capitol lawn come rain or shine!

Getting there
· If you’re coming by charter bus, you’ll be unloading directly at the Capitol. The buses will then park at Union Missionary Baptist Church on Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard. After the rally, shuttle buses will take you back to your charter bus.
· If you’re caravanning by car, you can park either at the Lansing Mall satellite lot behind Macy’s or at Lot 89 on the MSU campus. The lot is off Mount Hope Road, right before you reach Farm Lane. Shuttle buses will be there to take you to and from the Capitol. More parking information is available at www.mea.org/enough.

Rally schedule
9 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Pre-rally events – music and entertainment

11 a.m.
Rally kickoff with MEA Vice President Steve Cook as Master of Ceremonies, Welcome by MEA President Iris K. Salters; You’ll hear from pro-education supporters from A Better Michigan Future, Ann Arbor PTO, AFT-Michigan, legislators, MEA members and students
Special guest – Virg Bernero, Lansing Mayor and MEA-recommended candidate for Governor

1 p.m. Closing

In between the official events you’ll have a chance to:
· Meet with legislators and send a message to lawmakers via cyber-lobbying or postcards.
· Contribute to PAC and take a swing at MEA’s punching bag or pose with “Rosie the Riveter.”
· Sign up to volunteer for Election 2010.

But there’s time for fun, too!
· Visit the “Family Fun” tent for face-painting, balloons and clowns.
· Grab a bottle of water or a snack.
· Get in the running for a new Apple iPad or a Nintendo Wii—you have to be present to win.

And why should you be there?
There really aren’t any excuses for not being on the Capitol lawn on June 24. School is out. The weather forecasts are good. There’s plenty of free, convenient parking. There’s shuttle service to the Capitol. There’s plenty to do for everyone once you get there. There will be refreshments to purchase and stations to take care of all of your needs.

But most important. . .
You need to be at the rally because we aren’t out of the woods yet. The Legislature and the governor aren’t done playing games with school funding and the budget. They aren’t through tampering with your wages, your benefits—your livelihood.

We haven’t heard the last of the Dillon health care plan, or the idea of taking money from the school aid fund to balance the budget.

You need to be at the rally to show that you’ve had enough of the attacks. Michigan students and school employees deserve adequate, equitable and stable funding for public education. This is just the beginning. From the Capitol lawn… it’s on to our communities… to our friends and families, and finally… on to the ballot box in November.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Check out Rally Central at www.mea.org/enough for more details and updates.
See you Thursday.

Figuring Retirement, Should I stay or do I go?

FAC, 3 consecutive years highest compensation for MIP, Use 5 years for Basic.
Multiply FAC X .016 ( 1.6%) X Years of Service(YOS) = Annual Pension
Or: FAC x .016 x 30 = Pension Divide this number by 12 to get monthly amount.

If you do not have 30 years, but you have years plus age = 80, then use the multiplier of .0155.
FAC x .0155 x 30 = Pension

If you are Basic, use the Highest Consecutive 5 Years of your pay.

Here is an example for someone making roughly $55,000.

	Current	30 Years Now	Rule of 80
1	$54,000	$54,000	$54,000
2	$55,000	$55,000	$55,000
3	$56,000	$56,000	$56,000
FAC	$55,000	$55,000	$55,000
FAC	$55,000	$55,000	$55,000
Multiplier	0.015	0.016	0.0155
	$825	$880	$853
Years of Service	30	30	30
Annual Pension	$24,750	$26,400	$25,575
Monthly Pension	$2,063	$2,200	$2,131
FAC, 3 consecutive years highest compensation
Use 5 Years for Basic

Note: These are just approximate figures, you need to work with the Office of Retirement Systems to get accurate numbers for your data.

Send a message to your Senator!

From Dave Stafford, MEA Communications, late this afternoon, Tuesday, May 4.

The Senate has adjourned for the day without any action on retirement legislation. The conference committee on SB 1227 has not reached agreement on a compromise, but its members are still talking to each other. Despite what you may have heard about “deadlines” for action, the issue is still alive.

Therefore, please keep messages from our leaders and members going to members of the Senate. Our message is the same as it has been.

The MEA believes the House version of 1227 is good for our members.

Rally Dates

There are two important rallies coming up that require a strong turnout. The first one is on Monday, May 24 at 6:00 p.m. This rally is being held in our own house, so we expect a very large number of KEA and KESPA members to attend. We need to show the community and the press that we feel the issues surrounding education in Michigan are important enough for us to gather together. A poor turnout would indicate that we aren't concerned enough to sacrifice our time for a rally. Is that the message we want to send? NO WAY!! So mark it on your calendars and plan to attend.

The second important rally is being held on Thursday, June 24 in Lansing at the State Capitol. As more details become available, we will post them here. Carpooling ideas will be posted here as well.

Rally Dates
Local rally: Monday, May 24 6:00 p.m. at EKHS field or auditorium (depending on weather conditions)
Statewide rally: Thursday, June 24 at the State Capitol in Lansing

URGENT ACTION REQUIRED

Hardiman, Bill Kentwood 29 Republican (517) 373-1801 (517) 373-5801 305 Farnum Building

EMAIL http://www.senate.michigan.gov/ima_form.asp?name=comment29&form_path=e:/webforms/rep

Interestingly, Senator Hardiman does not have an easy email link!!!! Any Questions?

Jansen, Mark C. Grand Rapids 28 Republican (517) 373-0797 (517) 373-5236 520 Farnum Building

EMAIL SenMJansen@senate.michigan.gov

Kuipers, Wayne Holland 30 Republican (517) 373-6920 (517) 373-2751 1005 Farnum Building

EMAIL SenWKuipers@senate.michigan.gov

George, Thomas M. Kalamazoo 20 Republican (517) 373-0793 (517) 373-5607 320 Farnum Building

EMAIL SenTGeorge@senate.michigan.gov

Birkholz, Patricia L. Saugatuck Twp. 24 Republican (517) 373-3447 (517) 373-5849 805 Farnum Building

E-mail Address: SenPBirkholz@senate.michigan.gov

Bishop, Michael Rochester 12 Republican (517) 373-2417 (517) 373-2694 S-106 Capitol Building

EMAIL SenMBishop@senate.michigan.gov

To find any others click here.

http://senate.michigan.gov/SenatorInfo/alphabetical_list_of_senators.htm

BREAKING NEWS, Some Good, Some iffy, Some Yet to Come.

From Jeanne Hewitt, KEA PAC Chair: 10:51 A.M. 2/18/2010
The Dillon proposal is sunk!!!! Yeah, thanks to all of your efforts and the number of calls to the negative, it failed to come to the floor.

I have a direct line into the ORS and they will let me know the minute any action is taken on the proposal set forth by Granholm.
If the retirement proposal should pass, members will only have from April 15 to May 15 to make up their mind and put in an application for retirement.

The state, as it stands now will vote on the House speaker Bishop plan to lower your wage for 3 years by 5 %. We don't know how this will affect schools that have already reduced wages of their employees.

KEEP UP THE BARRAGE OF CONTACTS!

Follies Time

Get your act together! Or at least organize your school to make a donation. Mary Molyneux has been working hard on the show. Remember it is for a GREAT cause, and the scholarships that we give out truly make a difference.

The Follies, March 27th! Be There or Donate!