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News

Letter to PC Candidate Jamie Baillie on PSSP



Joan Jessome
Joan Jessome

A second letter to the editor by PC Candidate Jamie Baillie prompted President Jessome to write directly to him instead of sending another letter to the editor. She wonders what his real position is about the PSSP: Does he really think members have not contributed to the recent changes? Would he make drastic cuts to benefits? Is he committed to expanding workplace pension coverage? Does he have other ideas for improving retirement security?

July 12, 2010

Dear Mr. Baillie:
As you may know, NSGEU is the largest union in the province representing 28,000 people who live and work across this province. Almost half of our membership, that is, 13,000 people are active members of the Public Service Superannuation or Pension Plan (PSSP). They form approximately 80 percent of the total number of active members of the Plan.

Considering how important the PSSP is to our members, I am writing to express our strong disagreement with the positions you seem to be taking about the PSSP in recent letters to the editor. In your letter published in the Cape Breton Post on June 30, you incorrectly stated that provincial civil servants and other employees who belong to the Plan did not contribute a dime to the recent changes. On the contrary, active and retired members contributed $1 billion to help make up the $1.5 billion shortfall in the Plan through a variety of benefit reductions, especially that of indexation. From now, indexation of pension benefits will not be guaranteed except for the five-year period from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2015. In addition, this plan is a contributory plan where our members and all active members make matched contributions to those provided by the government. Our members have also had to deal with three contribution rate increases since 2004.

As a result, for you to suggest that employees are not contributing to the cost of the recent changes is blatantly unfair and inaccurate. Worse still, in our view, is what you apparently think should happen to the benefits of the Plan.

In your letter to the editor published in the Herald on July 8, you seem to call for adjusting benefits of the Pan to fit its funding. The consequences of such a move would be devastating to the Plan and its members. It could well mean the end of this Plan as a defined benefit plan or at best, a Plan with greatly reduced pension benefits.

Considering that 31% of Plan members will be eligible within the next five years, this move would clearly not be fair to taxpayers because there would likely be a major exodus of employees who would leave their jobs. While we agree that the funding deficit of the Plan has to be addressed, we do not think a major reduction of Plan benefits is the answer. After careful consideration of current trends and the options available, we have concluded the government’s approach is the only reasonable course of action at this time that would both address the funding deficit and protect the benefits of our members.

In light of these concerns that I have outlined, I would like to ask that you clearly outline what you think should be done about the PSSP. If you do not agree with the recent changes introduced by the government, what do you think should be done?

I would also like to clarify your position on what should be done for people without any workplace pensions. Are you committed to expanding workplace pension coverage and if so, what kind of plans should be provided, and if not, what should be done to improve their retirement security?

I am also wondering how appropriate it is for you to speak on the PSSP as both President and CEO of Credit Union Atlantic and as a PC leadership candidate. Has Credit Union Atlantic endorsed your leadership candidacy? Do they support your positions on the PSSP? Since many of our members are also members of Credit Union Atlantic, I think they are entitled to know what extent your positions as a Leadership Candidate reflect those of Credit Union Atlantic.

I look forward to hearing more fully your views on the PSSP and on the extent you are speaking for Credit Union Atlantic on this matter.

Yours sincerely,

Joan Jessome
President
Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union
 

NSGEU Conferences

Conferences are an excellent way to share ideas, experiences, and to learn from one another.

Our members, through their work on provincial committees, organize a variety of workshops and conferences.

Women's Conference
Over seventy-five percent of NSGEU's members are women. Each year, since 1999, the women's committee has hosted a women’s conference. This conference provides an opportunity for women to identify workplace issues and concerns and strategize about how to improve their working lives.

Administrative Professionals Conference
Every two years, the NSGEU hosts a conference specifically for administrative professionals. The NSGEU represents over 6,000 administrative professionals across the province. This conference gives our members an opportunity to come together to discuss issues related to their occupation. The NSGEU's administrative professionals committee plans and hosts this conference.

NSGEU Human Rights Conference
Human rights conferences may be hosted at the discretion of the NSGEU's human rights committee, with the approval of the Board of Directors.

NSGEU Health, Safety & Environment Conference
Health, safety and environment conferences may be hosted at the discretion of the NSGEU's health, safety and environment committee with the approval of the Board of Directors. Along with the conferences organized by the NSGEU, there are also opportunities to for active members to attend conferences held by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour (NSFL) or the National Union of Public & General Employees (NUPGE). Members' participation in these conferences is subject to the approval of the NSGEU Board of Directors.

 

Campaigns

Pride Parade

Pride ParadeCome on out NSGEU, and show your Pride during the upcoming Pride Parades in Halifax (Saturday, July 24) and Sydney (Thursday, August 5).

It's a fun, safe and empowering way to spend a summer's afternoon. We're looking for people to march along beside the float, to handing out flags and candy, or to simply enjoy the parade with the thousands of spectators who will line the streets.

For the Halifax parade, we'll need volunteers to help build and decorate the float on the evening of Friday, July 23 in Tantallon. Stay tuned for more details about helping out with the parade in Sydney.

If you're interested in helping out, please RSVP gina.boyd@iwk.nshealth

 

 

Retirement Security for Everyone!

Dice Gambling

Canada is at a crossroads, just like it was forty years ago when it was time to do something about our health care system. Today, we need to do something about retirement income, and we need to do it soon.

It's time to change some things
The problem with Canada's retirement income system has become so obvious that even bank economists have started to admit the RRSP approach has failed. There’s too much risk and not enough security to ensure that, after a lifetime of work, people can retire and live out their last years in dignity.

We need to increase CPP benefits, boost low-income (GIS) public pensions so no senior lives in poverty, and introduce federal pension insurance to protect our hard-earned retirement savings.

Raising the minimum retirement income floor with more robust public pensions combined with the guaranteed protection of additional savings offers clear benefits to everyone.

Whether retirement is just around the corner or something that's decades into the future, Labour's plan for Retirement Security has clear benefits for everyone — no matter where you work.

Select this link to find out more http://www.canadianlabour.ca/action-center/retirement-security-for-everyone

To join the Facebook group select this link http://www.facebook.com/pages/Retirement-Security-For-Everyone/260209311318?ref=ts