by Rene G. Rodriguez, VCCCDRA President
Here is the link to the Summer 2020 Monitor that includes several very important articles that will help bring you up to date on the matter of our healthcare benefits.
First, the article by Harry Culotta is an excellent summary of what transpired at our March 10 Annual General Meeting, including a description of the CalPERS health plans based on the meticulous research of retiree Marta Freixas, which details the serious deficiencies and pitfalls in these health plans that are meant to replace our current Anthem healthcare plans. It also relates the motions that were passed at the meeting to give the VCCCDRA Exec Board the authority to act on behalf of the Retirees’ Association should it become necessary to take legal action against the VCCCD. (Note: some retirees have asked about Kaiser. We have not been able to get a retiree who is on the current Kaiser plan to compare it to the CalPERS Kaiser plan. We encourage any retiree currently on Kaiser to do this comparison on behalf of all the retirees on the Kaiser plan. We will help them get the materials they need for the comparison)
Secondly, an article by Gary Johnson brings you up to date on the SEIU and AFT negotations with the District. He comments on the District’s response to the 80 emails that the Board and the Chancellor received from retirees that voiced their opposition to CalPERS; assesses the claims the District makes regarding the gains it thinks will come from a move to CalPERS; how retirees contribute most of the savings for this move to CalPERS without getting anything in return; outlines the work that the VCCCDRA has performed over the last 10 months to understand it as thoroughly as possible; and makes recommendations to retirees in the meantime.
Thirdly, there is an article from the Benefits Committee that describes in detail how poorly other community colleges and universities have fared under CalPERS, and bodes ill for anyone that comes under its umbrella, including the active employees, the retirees, as well as the District itself. (Note: you should be able to increase the size of the text for this third article by looking at your computer screen for clues on how to increase the size of the print. On my computer, there is a circle with a plus sign (+) inside of it at the top of my screen. I just keep clicking on it until the print is the size I want.)
Please stay safe and keep informed with the latest information by regularly visiting your BLOG at blog.vcccdra.org.
