RH Jones: Is ORTA watching our backs?

From RH Jones, June 1, 2010

To all ORTA members:

The ORTA should not sit idly by and watch legislation get passed that will not protect our HC/Rx and 3% simple COLA. Provided by one of the nation’s premier defined benefit (delayed compensation) retirement systems, our OH STRS, has assets of close to 90 billion dollars; and, therefore, can afford to continue the present level of benefits for the present retired members.

As does the legislature, the ORTA has constituents, too -- they are called members – and they look to the ORTA leadership, and the paid director, Ann Hanning, to watch our backs at the Ohio Statehouse, and at each STRS board meeting. However, not once in the past year or so have I seen any of our ORTA central officers, or the director, stand up and speak during the public speaking part of the STRS monthly meetings. Many of members have had the resolve and take the time to craft speeches and present them at the meetings, but never our ORTA officials. This silence by them in both the STRS public meetings, and in the ORTA newsletter, has given the impression of weakness that the ORTA officials are easily ignored and duped. Every member is aware that, also, not once did they support Dr. Leone or Mr. Lazares, who, as retirees' representatives during their tenure on the STRS board, made many positive changes.

As a Life Member, I suggest that the ORTA officials fix this glaring weakness immediately. I think that the majority of the membership thinks as I do. Our ORTA officials have protected our hard-earned STRS benefits in the past, and now they must protect them once again. Even if it is unpleasant to do so, they must act aggressively. As professional retired educators, we can expect no less from our ORTA that happens to have, at the moment, the largest numbers of retired members.

There is empirical evidence that across our nation public pension unions – the ORTA is a union, even if they have not been acting like it lately – are fighting the recent assaults on their members' public retired pensions. Some have been very successful. Our ORTA has got to, even if the ORTA officials do not want to, strongly and firmly take issue with any legislation coming forth which that does not protect the promises made to the retired STRS members (ORTA’s members), their spouses and their families.

RHJones, PUFL (Paid Up For Life) ORTA member