September Board Meeting
Summary
1. A meeting of the 2010-2011 Board of
Directors of the Retired Teachers’ Association was held at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday,
September 16, 2010, at McMaster House, Winnipeg.
Eighteen
directors attended [regrets from Tom Cameron], as did Carol Gillis, RTAM
Administrative Assistant.
Attending
as guests were: Perry Dorgan, V.P., Johnson, Inc and four RWTA members.
2. Benefits Chair Pat Bowslaugh introduced
Terry Dorgan, V.P. Johnson Inc., who outlined the changes to RTAM-sponsored
insurance plans agreed to by the President and the Benefits Committee [under
the Emergent Situation referral from the June Meeting], during two meetings in
July, with representatives from Johnson, Inc, the Plan Administrator. (More detailed plan information can be
found in the Fall 2010 Edition of KIT and on the Johnson Website.)
Changes
noted by Terry Dorgan were:
1. An increase in premium rates
2. A change in the Extended Health Care
(ECH) and Dental plans to single/family from single/couple/family
.
3. Two key changes in the EHC plan
options: the termination of the $1000 EHC/drug
plan option, and the changing of the EHC $1,250 drug plan maximum to $10,000
per family. (not to exceed the Provincial Pharmacare deductible).
4. All current EHC (drug) plan members
will automatically renew at the core $500 prescription
drug maximum on November 1, 2010. Moving to the Enhanced Pharmacare Deductible
will require a written, signed request and a copy of the most recent relevant annual
Provincial Drug Program confirmation of deductible.
As
of April 1, 2011, both Core and Enhanced Drug Plan Options will be on the same calendar
year as Manitoba Pharmacare. Until
then premiums and benefits will be pro- rated
at 5/12ths.
5. Effective November 1, 2010, new
entrants to RTAM – sponsored plans must enroll in the
EHC plan (at least the Core plan) in order to access Travel Emergency
coverage. Existing
members are grandfathered for Travel coverage without participation in the EHC plan. (N.B. The
Board decided
that this needed further research and discussion – see a motion regarding this change at the end
of this section).
During a Q
& A session after Terry’s presentation, he and Pat Bowslaugh explained the
reasons for the changes. Chief among
these were:
1. Respondents to the recent survey had
requested increased coverage.
2. The need to keep the plans viable by
keeping them actuarily sound.
They
pointed out the increased coverage now available to Travel plan
participants (while still
keeping the “no pre-existing conditions limitation”): a) maximum lifetime
benefit up from
$1 million to $2 million; b) base plan trips increased from 30 days to 62 days duration;
c) trip cancellation increased from $6,000 to $7,000 per person per year; d) a lost/delayed
baggage benefit ($350). Meanwhile,
the EHC plan now has a $10,000 maximum
and there are improvements in paramedical and nursing coverage.
A
new Stand Alone Trip/Cancellation/Interruption/Baggage option is available to members
of other plans that do not include such coverage.
Directors
and guests expressed their concern that Plans would not be as attractive to
RTAM members next year as they were previously and that those current RTAM Plan
members who left/did not join Blue Cross will not have the option of re/joining
Blue Cross now.
Perry
admitted that the increase in premiums in some plans will be a hard sell but
Johnson plans to “work hard” at improving communication. Pat has already attended two Chapter
meetings (Virden and Neepawa) to explain the changes and the reasons for them,
to point out the improvements and to get feedback. A Winnipeg forum is planned for 1:00 p.m., October 12, 2010
in McMaster House. Information will also be available in KIT and on the RTAM
and Johnson Websites. The RTAM
office, Pat, other directors and Johnson have responded to hundreds of phone
calls.
The
Benefits Committee members still think that the changes will benefit plan
subscribers.
A
motion, that the decision regarding the intended coupling of the
Travel/Trip Cancellation plan with the
Extended Health Care plan for new members to the plan be deferred one
year pending further study, as to it’s implications, by the Benefits Committee
in consultation with Johnson and for recommendation to the Board, and that this
information be communicated to members of the Plan, carried.
A
motion, that the Benefits Committee develop timelines to facilitate
decision-making at the Board level, regarding the Johnson-managed insurance
plans sponsored by RTAM, and that these guidelines be included in a committee
operating guide, carried.
3. It was
decided that, in the interests of privacy, names would be removed from the
minutes, where appropriate, before posting them on the Website or sending them
to Chapter Presidents, etc.
General descriptions will be used instead. The Secretary will prepare
this edited version.
4. The Bylaws and Policy Committee was
asked to suggest policy for protocol regarding non-Board members attending
Board meetings.
They will
also research the parameters of receiving payment from Johnston, and/or other
business partners who are under contract with RTAM, for meetings called by the
partners.
5. During his President’s report, Richard
reported that Greg Selinger, during the 2009 NDP leadership campaign, stated
his willingness to attend a meeting with RTAM. Education Minister Nancy Allan and Education Critic Cliff
Cullen have agreed to come and meet with the Board. He would like to see the Board follow up on these offers and
also to invite Dr Jon Gerrard to a meeting. The nature of these meetings, and a date and an agenda for
each, will be the subject of a timed item on the October Board agenda: these
meetings, the RTAM Code of Ethics, the 2011 Provincial election and the
recruitment brochure are priority items for the next meeting.
Richard
plans to visit every Chapter in the coming year.
6. Maureen Reckseidler reported on a
meeting of the Audit Committee, which included a teleconference with the
Auditor, Dennis Goossen. Dennis
reported that he had audited the 2009-2010 financial records of RTAM and found
them “clean”, i.e., no discrepancies were found.
7. Peggy Prendergast spoke of a Wellness
Seminar that is planned for October 27, 2010, in McMaster House, with the
theme: Money Savers and Money Makers. Look for details in KIT.
8. Ray Sitter, Membership Chair, asked the
Board to think about how wide RTAM wants to cast its net for members. He pointed out that there are many
“teachers” in the school system who, for example, teach skills and minority
languages or do counseling, without a Teachers’ Certificate. In the meantime he will bring
individual requests, from people who do not meet the current RTAM definition of
“associate member” but would like to join the organization, to the Board for
decision.
9. The date for a meeting with Chapter
Presidents will be set when room availability and invited guests’ schedules can
be confirmed.
10. Three items of interest from Anne
Monk’s report from the Pension Committee:
a) No
reply has been received to the letter sent to the Chair of the Pension Task
Force inquiring if Task Force meetings have been held. To continue the inquiry, the sending of
a letter to the Minister is planned.
b) The Civil Service Superannuation Fund
COLA grant, effective July 1, 2010, was 0.88%. This COLA is 66.7% of the 1.32% increase in the CPI. The Pension Committee will be
attempting to monitor the use, and impact on COLA grants, of the $145 million
transfer to the CSSF COLA account.
This CSSF
COLA grant is in contrast to the TRAF COLA grant, effective July 1, 2010, of
0.80% that provided inflation protection of only 60.6% of the increase in CPI.
c) Members
of the committee met with the President of the Manitoba Nurses’ Union and some
of their staff on June 29, 2010, in order to become better informed about the
pension and COLA “deal” for the Healthcare Employees Pension Plan negotiated as
part of the collective bargaining process. An agreement for a contribution increase and for the
implementation by 2018 of a COLA (maximum 2/3rds of CPI) for actives and
retirees, with a plan for funding a COLA account, was concluded.
11. Plans for campaigning in the upcoming
Provincial Election are well under way, e.g., plans for organizing individual
meetings with all 57 MLAs are in progress. Wayne Hughes, Political Action Chair, emphasizes that it is
crucial that all RTAM members get involved in promoting our demand for
fairness, funding and a contribution increase.
12. Vel
McAdam reported that “A Child’s Message to my Parents” has proven to be very
popular with school divisions, health offices and parenting centres throughout
Manitoba. More than thirty boxes have gone out lately and supplies are running
low (thirteen boxes of English Edition and seven of the French Edition are
left). The Manitoba School Boards Association handles distribution: RTAM
contributes to the cost of printing from its Educational Advocacy budget.
13. Ron Kalinchuk, Webmaster, requested new
material for the website – the current front page is getting stale. Feel free to send him notices of
upcoming events and other items of interest to members.
14. Pat Bowslaugh, Elections Chair,
encouraged everyone present to begin looking for new members for the board and
its committees. She suggested looking
around for retired teachers who are “thinkers and doers”. Watch for information in the Winter
Edition of KIT regarding the nominations process and nomination forms.
15. The meeting ended at 4:00 p.m.
Next Meeting
October
20 and 21, 2010
McMaster
House