Tom Curtis: An open letter to STRS retirees

From Tom Curtis, November 3, 2013

STRS Retirees,  

After sending Bob Stein three separate emails requesting information and asking questions about the STRS eUpdate numbers, I have received absolutely no response.

I have reminded Bob that he was elected to his position to represent retirees, yet this does not seem to be of any concern when sent emails and asked questions by retirees. That, in my opinion is totally unacceptable.

When Bob Stein wanted CORE's endorsement when he first ran for a retiree board seat in 2005, he was given that support, because he promised to represent retirees independent of the OEA.

In my opinion, those promises were not kept once he was elected to the board. Our expectations were obviously not met. Bob has voted a united YES vote with the other board members on motions brought before them, most of which originated with OEA representatives. I know of no occasion when Bob voted a dissenting or abstaining vote. 

In my opinion, Bob's promises to CORE, as many politicians make to their backers, have not been kept. Further, as any of you know who voted in the last election, Bob was elected for a 2nd term on the STRS board. But rather than running independent of the OEA, Bob was represented by the OEA for his re-election with OEA monies provided by actives and a very small number of OEA-R members. He and Jim McGreevy, were listed as the OEA-endorsed candidates on a color post card paid for by the OEA. I guess we now know who Bob Stein really sides with: the OEA!

Once again, we are back to business as usual with the STRS board. The OEA representatives hold the majority of the seats on the board. That is not good. To date, there are 149,221 retirees and 169,945 actives represented by STRS.

The number of retirees continues to grow and the number of actives continues to decline. So why does the OEA hold a majority of the seats on the board? Because just as with many of our current politicians, they are bought and paid for by the OEA!

Obviously, retirees are NOT proportionately represented on the STRS board. Is this what retirees desire? I guess it must be, or retirees would have voted differently in the last OEA-STRS board-manipulated election.

I ask each STRS retiree to write the members of the ORSC (can be found on their website) and their  local state representatives and request that the number of retiree seats on the STRS board be reviewed, as the current number of seats are not representative of the numbers of retirees to actives.

Regards,

Tom Curtis