Pension Working Group meets November 9th- time for action

The 911 Telecommunicators Pension Benefits Working Group meets again on November 9th.

The Agenda is out with 2 important Items:

3. ACTION ITEM Preliminary vote: Is it the recommendation of the working group that 911 telecommunicators should receive enhanced pension benefits? (Note: this does not put 911 telecommunicators in a specific plan; that would be discussed under Item #4.) • Darlene Pankonie, Chair

4. DISCUSSION ITEM If the majority vote on Action Item #3 is "Yes": − What enhanced benefits are recommended by the working group? − Should the working group recommend that 911 telecommunicators be moved into a specific plan; i.e., a correctional plan?

What can you do?

MNCORA is sending a letter stating our opposition to adding the 911 Dispatchers.

LELS sent along testimonial letters as stakeholders with their letter from dispatchers wanting in the PERA Correctional Plan.

Correctional Officers are stakeholders of the Correctional Plan they seek to add Dispatchers to.

We are asking Correctional Officers and Retirees to send a letter of opposition to adding 911 Dispatchers to the PERA Correctional Plan send to:

MNCORA@protonmail.com

Talking Points:

-State where you work, or worked and for how long.

-State why you are opposed to adding 911 Dispatchers to the PERA Correctional Plan.

-Did your time before entering the PERA Correctional Plan transfer in? If you've become licensed did your Correctional time credit follow you? They seek to join the Correctional Plan with past credit!

-How long before you were, or will be vested in the PERA Correctional Plan?

-Have you been assaulted or witnessed a CO assaulted on the job?

-Have you become sick with Covid or other diseases from inmates or know CO's that have?

-Put your first and last name at the bottom, or at least first name and last initial.(LELS letters are anonymous!)

We will be sending our letter to the Working Group before the Tuesday meeting and would like to pass CO letters along too, and will continue to accumulate for future actions.

Session summary, wins and lossses

Governor Walz signed into law the Pension Omnibus Bill yesterday, May 15. It was a busy year for MNCORA and PERA Correctional Plan Legislation. MNCORA with your help was able to stave off yet another attempt to add dispatchers to our pension. Your petitions, calls and thousands of cards mailed to legislators was a success. Sadly we are not out of the woods. Rep. Wolgamott and Rep. Her both told MNCORA that the bill to add dispatch to our pension wouldn't be added to this year's Pension Omnibus Bill, but did not say the issue was dead for next session. MNCORA had a Bill to add a Correctional Officer to the PERA Board authored by Representatives Niska , Scott and Novotny on the House side, and a companion Bill in the Senate by Senators Bahr , Abeler and eventually Frentz . Sadly Pension Commission Chair Kaohly Her did not even allow our Bill a hearing. We will be back with this next year! Another bright note was the passage of a Bill raising the high 5 multipl...

Victory on keeping Dispatch out of Correctional Pension?

It's too early to declare victory as the Legislature is still in session. However there are signs the petitions from jails across the State and Cards to the Pension Commission are having the desired effect. Chair of the Pension Commission, Rep. Her wrote us saying- " Thank you for the letters. I always appreciate feedback. HF4796/SF4958 was not included in the Pension Omnibus bill. " Author of HF4796, Rep. Wolgamott wrote us and said- "Thank you for sharing your input regarding HF 4796. The bill will not receive a committee hearing and will not be moving through the legislative process this session. I hope you will continue to stay in touch and keep me updated with MNCORA’s perspective on issues and legislation affecting your members." There are still ways to sneak it in so we won't rest until the session is over, but we are cautiously optimistic. We thought the issue was settled after the Workgroup two years ago, but here it is again. Our hope is they ge...

PERA Correctional seat on the PERA Board, next step

Bill HF4342 authored by Rep. Niska and Scott now has a companion bill in the Senate, SF4464 authored by Sen. Bahr and co-authored by Sen. Abeler. MNCORA is thankful for the support of these Representatives and Senators. If passed for the first time a PERA Correctional Officer will have a seat on the PERA Board. The next step is for the Pension Commission to give it a hearing. If it is not heard the bill will die. What can you do? The Chair of the Pension Commission is Representative Her. This is her contact information: Phone 651-296-8799 E-mail: rep.kaohly.her@house.mn.gov The Vice chair on the Senate side is Senator Frentz. This is his contact information: Phone 651-296-6153 E-Mail sen.nick.frentz@senate.mn PLEASE contact them and ask them to have the Pension Commission give it a hearing and then contact your Representative and Senator and ask them to support these Bills. Make your voice heard!

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