It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that Republicans in the Michigan Senate are pushing Senate Bill 102, legislation that would close the Michigan Public School Retirement System to newly hired school employees.
This attack on our pensions is being led by anti-working family interests and billionaires—including Betsy DeVos, the U.S. president-elect’s pick for Secretary of Education. DeVos and others like her believe that workers should only have access to risky 401(k)-style retirement plans. We know there will be a serious attempt made to ban traditional pensions in the public sector, and it’s a slippery slope!
I urge you to take a stand! Let’s fight back, as a united body, to stop this bill in its tracks. Public pensions are the best tool to ensure that Michigan’s working families—public school educators, nurses, police officers, and fire fighter—can retire with dignity and financial security.
As a school employee, you know how important it is for our students that we are able to attract and retain the very best professionals to our schools. Slashing compensation by eliminating pensions and undermining retirement security will make recruiting new, highly qualified educators nearly impossible.
Stand with colleagues in our union to support the traditional defined-benefit plans for public employees. The economic future of our state, the well-being of our senior community and our retirement security depend upon it.
We need your help to fight back against this attack on the retirement security of middle-class Michiganders.
Click on these links to locate your respective state senator and representative.
Please contact your state senator and representatives and tell them that the lame duck legislative session is no time to attack hardworking citizens. Ask your senator to vote “NO” on SB 102, and ask both representatives to oppose any assaults on retirement security for people who have dedicated their lives to serving the students of Michigan.
Here’s how you can fight back!
- Participate in meetings with legislators in their home districts.
- Submit letters to the editor in local newspapers.
- Participate in phone banks to educate members across the state and ask them to contact their legislators.
The DFT has been working with AFT Michigan to fight this attack. Please call the DFT at 313-875-3500 if you would like to participate in any of these activities.
For more information on this issue, click here.
Yours in solidarity,
Ivy Bailey
DFT Interim President