DFT unit members planning on retiring at the end of the 2023-2024 school year should complete all of the forms related to retirement by May 1, 2024.  These forms include:

1.  A Separation from Service Form (SFSF) found on the District's Hub.  Please remember that in order to be paid for sick days upon retirement from DPSCD, eligible employees must submit a SFSF to the District's Human Resource office (HR) no later than May 1, 2024 and retire effective July 1, 2024 (or August 1, 2024 if working during the month of July).  The SFSF should be emailed to HR by May 1, 2024.  (Follow the instructions on the Hub.)  The "effective date of separation" on the SFSF should be listed as June 15, 2024 (or July 31, 2024 if working during the month of July).  After the SFSF is submitted to HR, a confirmation email will be sent to the employee.  Employees should print a copy of that email for their records.

Eligible employees meeting the May 1, 2024 deadline will be paid $45 for each unused sick day in their sick bank for days 1 to 100 and $65 for each unused sick day in their sick bank for days 101 to 200 for a maximum payout of $11,000.  Payout for sick days upon retirement does not include a payout from the catastrophe bank.  (To calculate the number of sick days in one's sick bank, divide the number of sick bank hours by eight [8].)

2.  The pension application forms found on an employee's miAccount with the Michigan Office of Retirement Services (https://www.michigan.gov/orsschools).  (Click on the menu item "Ready to Retire", then the box that says, "Apply for Retirement", and then follow the instructions.  Use the same date for "the last day worked" as was used on the SFSF (June 15, 2024 or July 31, 2024).

3.  The application forms for Social Security (if eligible) and Medicare (if eligible) found on Social Security's website (ssa.gov).  (This website is separate and unrelated to the Michigan Office of Retirement Services' website and an employee's miAccount.)

Questions about retirement can be directed to the DFT's retirement counselor, Patrick Falcusan, at 313-875-6783 at any time during the year.

The February DFT Retirees Chapter meeting will be virtual. There will be no face-to-face meeting due to the Mint having scheduled another event for the same afternoon. Please reach out to Treasurer, Mary Helen D'Angelo, for the Zoom link to join the meeting. She can be reached by phone. Details are on the Events tab.

In AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest New York Times  column, she describes what it is exactly that unions do. Though unions are the most popular they have been in decades, anti-union sentiment still thrives in red states and across the nation. “Several years ago, The Atlantic ran a story whose headline made even me, a labor leader, scratch my head: ‘Union Membership: Very Sexy,’” Weingarten writes in the column. “The gist was that higher wages, health benefits and job security—all associated with union membership—boost one’s chances of getting married. Belonging to a union doesn’t actually guarantee happily ever after, but it does help working people have a better life in the here and now.” Click through to read the full column.

Kudos to Vice President, Robin Jennings, for speaking on behalf of our union for repealing Right to Work in Michigan. Please share this video with your family and friends. Michigan wouldl be the first state in the country to repeal Right to Work. 

MIchigan Teachers Support Repeal of Right to Work

The DFT held a candidate screening for those who are running for office.  We recorded the conversations and have posted them here. There are six separate videos. Our members are encouraged to watch the videos so they can make informed decisions about the election process.

• Saturday Candidate Screening on Zoom (passcode is XDXeF6=k) candidates are Hill Harper at 00:00:50, Elissa Slotkin at 00:30:00, Rashida Tlaib at 01:03:00.
• Raphael Washington Candidate Screening (runs 14 minutes)
• Shri Thanedar Candidate Screening (runs 14 minutes)
• Thursday Candidate Screening candidates are 00:00:50 Macie Gaines, 19:00 Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, 45:00 Sherisse Butler, 1:10:00 Boyd White III, 1:33:00 Stephanie Young
• Mary Waters Candidate Screening (runs 20 minutes)
• Adrienne Scruggs Candidate Screening (runs 16 minutes)