Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the House on June 15, 2005, to establish a graduated post-retirement health care benefits system for new school employees, in which full benefits would go to those with 30 years of service, and proportionately smaller benefits to those with fewer years. The bill would not apply to current school employees, who would continue with their current retirement health insurance system and much more accelerated vesting schedule

The vote was 55 in favor, 52 opposed and 2 not voting

(House Roll Call 684 at House Journal 104)

Click here to view bill details.

You're just bitter that teachers didn't think you showed much promise. How right they were.

Poor teachers? I think not! Who else in the work place is required to work(teach) only 1098 hours a year? ( Beginning in 2003-2004, the minimum number of days that a district must offer pupil instruction to its student body is no longer in effect. Section 101(3) reads, “Each district shall provide at least 1,098 hours of pupil instruction.” Thus, the minimum number of hours remains at 1,098 hours for 2004-2005.) In a normal 40 hour week that is only a little over 27 weeks of work per year! The average yearly income for teachers in Michign is $50,000! Do the math! Then add another 30% for benefits. It's about time they pitched in like the rest of us. Yes, I am bitter.

This is a great move. Even if the retirement benefits are absolutely identical, the accounting treatment for defined contribution plans is much preferred to defined benefit plans. Schools will be much more flexible in financial areas under this proposal, even if the end result to teachers is unchanged at all. Plus, teachers will be able to direct investments, as in a 401(k) or 403 plan, and they will probably end up with better results.

union approve? Since every breath anyone in MI takes has to be approved by a union of some sort, how will this fly?

Rep. Gonzales, having reserved the right to explain his protest against the passage of the bill, made the following statement: "Mr. Speaker and members of the House: Solving problems together is the best approach to the economic challenges faced by school districts and colleges. Key stakeholders have not provided enough input to this policy debate and we ought to do much better in this House of Representatives when we formulate new policies and systems concerning pensions and health care for school and college employees. Every child is one of God's children. Each and every one of them should have the same chance to reach his or her full potential where they receive an education that gives them a genuine opportunity to pursue their own dreams. Without question, educators play a key role toward achieving these goals. It is an outrage that through this bill's passage, you're left wondering why we should treat our educators with such economic injustice. I believe in reinventing government, but not with an unsound approach and a disingenuous methodology."

Rep. Cushingberry, having reserved the right to explain his protest against the passage of the bill, made the following statement: "Mr. Speaker and members of the House: I voted no because we should leave the issue of job conditions, benefits, compensation and retirement to the collective bargaining process. The problems of the cost of health care in the public sector are not only a problem for government but all commerce in America. The answer is simple. We need a single payer system of national health care, a modified version of the Canadian system with the opportunity to purchase private upgrades. This would eliminate the costly current system, cover the nearly 50 million Americans who are uninsured, and snatch back the competitive disadvantage American manufacturers suffer with enlightened countries. Pensions should be left to the collective bargaining process. If people want to forego wage hikes in exchange for a fixed pension they should be allowed to so negotiate. The vagrancies and fluctuations of the securities market would certainly give rise to a desire to level out the payments in later life to insure a sense of security. For us to second guess the collective bargaining process is unwise, unfair , unduly burdensome, and deflects attention to the real economic problem in America today - a misguided war which is draining the life out of our national budget and causes rising interest rates, unconscionable energy prices, and a trade policy which exports good-paying jobs and allows unfair importation of finished goods which is a unfair trade practice under all our international treaties. We need to concentrate on exposing these unfair activities, point out that we are competitive in the marketplace when there is a level playing field. American workers are productive! If this country does not act to discontinue these measures which allow subsidized foreign imports of manufactured goods and pilfered inferior patent and copyright infringed goods , these stop-gap measures we adopt will mean very little. This is another example of the race to the bottom currently in vogue by the tax cut, wealth shift from poor and middle class to the rich crowd who seem to want to destroy all we have worked for to demonstrate the American dream. What do they want for our future? A nation of hamburger flippers who depend on foreign welfare to survive? I continue to state that the key to our future is to educate adults so they can help their children and grandchildren. If we concentrated on shoring up the national pension system, and sanctioning unfair trade Michigan would do so much better. I further voted no because it was suggested by a member of the house that I had broken a promise to support this bill. Well that is not the truth and I demand an apology from said representative or at least a writing, date and time when I so promised or a simple admission that he was misinformed by a third party, because there was never any promise made to him from my lips."

Just look at who these guys get their campaign funds from. MEA, BCBS, the usual cabal of tied together interest groups. It's no wonder reform never really happens without absolute crisis. The MEA threatens to kill any candidate who does not bow to their demands. All the rhetoric about the "race to the bottom" is smoke and mirrors.