Michigan Votes Forum

 I would love an early out which included years of service and age = 80 and out.  some more state employees would leave due to unknown future of employment.

Please consider this,

Thanks,

 If this bill is going to pass it must include age and years of service for the 36th District Court employee's who have a state pension.  We were release from the state and only have 29 years of service with the state.  There are many of us who wish to retire under a early out by the state. 

Like other state employee's we have taken days without pay for 11/2 years, and think the factor rate should be 1.7. But surely age and years of service.

 I think this is a very good idea as a lot of people do not even have a pension as the company they worked for is out of business.  The teachers now have to pay a percentage into their retirement fund.  Why shouldn't state employees.  I also think the state employees should have to pay into their health insurances and not have free health insurace coverage if they do not already.

 HMMM DAYS WITHOUT "PAY". Under treat of not having your(my) job on monday..If I dare to take off this weekend!vacation pay??? Holiday pay??? payed sickdays??? child at home sick singel parent pay??? PAY RAISE? COMMISSION payed? Denatal care? etc etc............. NOT WITHOUT A UNION!

30 years and out for STATe and teachers ...fine...BUt THEY COLLECTD 10 toooo 15 years SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK...while the "POOR WORKER" has to work Now till 67 years of age to collect SS check and then fight for his PENSION (PBC) and fight and figth...to prove he or she Work there (companie bankrupt)...

  IF the legislature WANTS more"  taxes'......HELP US CUT THE RED TAPE and find a solution to get OUR money into michigan ...Each STATE to have there OWN FEDREAL Goverment ...not all in Washington D.C. All fedreal Agency MADE IN MICHIGAN ..now....NO More out of STATE landlords or REALESTATE OWNERS(see DETROIT) etc

 Why do people think all State emplyees are created equal.  I have 30 years with the state, i started working at an early age, because of this I will not be able to accumalate any more time because i'm not old enough to retire. Shame on me!  I have worked hard during my employment, I know alot of State workers do take advantage of having a state job.  I'm a caregiver.  i have been mandated to work 16 hrs with my, not paid for half hour lunch break.  I'm very grateful for my State job and appreciate my medical benifits. I work 2 out of 3 weekends. My pay is good but not great.  I never realized how much more auto workers or postal workers made plus they get something called cost of living checks. I get to work my paid holidays, where some get their holidays off, paid for.  I do wish they would have an early out, years and age=80..  Just a note to let people know all State emplyees are not created equal.

An early retirement bill for state employees is really an early retirement bill for the State.  The State of Michigan can't afford to keep staff compensated at rates and benefits that were the norm back when we had an auto industry.  The bill as it now stands, as I understand it, adjusts the multiplier used in retirement calculation from 1.5% to 1.55% for employess with 80 years of combined age and service or just 30 years of service plus a multiplier of 1.6% for those that are already elgible to retire without penalty for being younger than requirements.  That's a 3.33% increase for the first group and 6.66% increase for the second group.  It looks like the Legislature is going to dwadle the effective date past October 1st....so....on October 1, 2011, the education employees earlier allowed an early retirement in July will get a 2% raise in pension, but State Employees retireing after October 1, 2010 will not.  And that's till death does them part.  So now we're talking about an increase of 1.33% increase as an incentive as opposed to the teacher's early-out just refered to for the first group of state employees and 4.66% increase for the second group.  I'm sure the Legislature could increase the factors to adjust for their dwadling so parity with the already approved(for the children) teacher's early out.  I wouldn't hold my breath as our Legislators are way too busy campaigning, working a day-getting a week off, working a day-getting two weeks off, working a day-getting three weeks off, arrainging their next gig if term limited, or checking with their contributors to see which way they want them to vote.

It sooks like the Democrats in the House are listening to their union contributor's whose decision is whether they want to be able gouge present employees at high percentage based dues rates or have fewer employees at lower wage rates to assess their dues.  I guess we all know how this will be decided....and that's not in the best interest of the State of Michigan.  It's been said for many years that we have the best men and women in our State Legislature money can buy so the above statement may be true on more than one level.  Michigan has the second highest compensation for a legislator in the United States, although checking their schedule, it would be an overstatement to even call them part-time.

Although SB1226 should have been approved much previous to this date, to see action in the last days of September is remote at best.  We have an abundance of Republican Senators, Democratic Senators, Republican Representatives, and Democratic Representatives.  Too bad we have very few Michigan Senators or Michigan Representatives.  The only way Michigan will ever recover from the economic death spiral we are in will be for Legislators once in office to set aside the quid pro quo actions for their campaign contributors and act in the interest of their constiuents and the State of Michigan.  Don't hold your breath.  

I just checked out SB 1226 as modified by Substitute H-38 approved by the House and Senate on 9-23-10.  I see an increase in factor from 1.5% to 1.6% for those already elgible to retire without penalty, and 1.55% for those with 80 years of age and service or just 30 years of service.  For an employee earning $40,000 and having 30 years in, as an example, that would be an annual increase of about $1,200 retiring under 1.6% and about $600 for those retiring under 1.55%.

Oh wow....GREAT......ah.....wait a minute....OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!  Check out this section of the approved bill as follows:

3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this act, a member Retiring under this section agrees that any amount that he or she would otherwise be entitled to receive at retirement on account of accumulated annual leave, sick leave, and other deferred leave hours shall not be paid to the member and shall be forfeited. The value of accrued annual leave up to 240 hours and the value of voluntary and involuntary pay reduction plan B for services rendered on or before October 1, 1981, forfeited under this subsection by a member shall be included in the calculation for the purposes of determining "final average compensation" for that member under this section. This subsection does not apply to banked leave time.

WHAT???????  FORFEIT SICK AND ANNUAL LEAVE PAYOFF??????

FOR THE LEGISLATURE'S NEXT TRICK, THERE'S MORE:

Sec. 20i. Upon his or her retirement as provided for in section 19j, beginning January 1, 2011, a member shall receive a supplement for 60 months to his or her retirement allowance payments equal to 1/60 of the amount forfeited in section 19j(3).

WHAT???????  TAKE THE EMPLOYEE'S FORFEITED SICK AND ANNUAL LEAVE TOTAL AND INSTEAD PAY IT TO THEM IN INSTALLMENTS OVER 60 MONTHS AS AN INCREASED SUPPLEMENT TO THEIR PENSION???????  ALL OTHER INCENTIVISED RETIREMENTS BEFORE THIS HAVE PAID THE SICK AND ANNUAL LEAVE PAYOFFS TO THE EMPLOYEE AS WAGES EACH MONTH OVER 60 MONTHS.  WELL....OKAY....WE HAVE JOE SCHMOE WHO HAS WORKED DUTIFULLY FOR THE STATE OF MICHIGAN FOR THOSE 30 YEARS....HOW DOES IT WORK OUT FOR HIM???  LET'S SEE....THE INCREASED PENSION SUPPLEMENT IS NOT WAGES....SO THE RETIREE, WHO COULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED $2,000 TO A RETIREMENT ACCOUNT, NOW LOSES THE FEDERAL $1,000 PER YEAR RETIREMENT SAVER'S CREDIT.  IF YOU THINK THAT'LL TICK OFF (TRYING TO BE POLITE HERE) JOE SCHMOE WHO ONLY GOT A $1,200 PER YEAR INCENTIVE TO RETIRE UNDER THE NEW AND IMPROVED SB 1226, THINK HOW JOSEPHINE SCHMOE FEELS WHO ONLY GOT THE $600 PER YEAR INCENTIVE TO RETIRE UNDER THE NEW AND IMPROVED SB 1226.  BY NOT RETIRING BY OCTOBER 1ST 2010, JOE AND JOSEPHINE EACH LOSE THE $300 ANNUAL RAISE THE SCHOOL EMPLOYEE RETIREES WILL GET ON OCTOBER 1ST 2011.  IN ACTUALITY, BY OCTOBER 1ST 2011, JOE IS SKIRUED $100 ANNUALLY TO RETIRE UNDER THE NEW AND IMPROVED SB 1226 AND JOSEPHINE IS SKIRUED $700 ANNUALLY TO RETIRE INSTEAD OF RECEIVING AN INCENTIVE.

THANKS FOR YOUR SERVICE!!!!!!!!  HAVE WE GOT A DEAL FOR YOU!!!!!!!!  SIGN UP TODAY!!!!!!!!!  NO, NO, THAT'S JUST A RUMOR YOUR LEGISLATURE RESPECTS THE SCHOOL EMPLOYEES MORE THAN YOU!!!!!!!!  IF YOU WOULD HAVE GIVEN US ANOTHER 9 MONTHS, WE COULD HAVE COME UP WITH SOMETHING EVEN BETTER!!!!!!!!  WHO'S YOUR DADDY!!!!!!!!

WELL, THE LONG SERVING STATE EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN SERVICED ALL RIGHT.  ONLY THING IS, THE OLE DOCTOR WAS RAISED IN FARM COUNTRY OUT BY HOWELL, AND THE THING IS, WE ALL KNEW WHAT BOSSIE REALLY GOT WHEN FARMER SMITH LED HER OVER TO FARMER BROWN'S PLACE FOR SERVICE.  AND SERVICED IS THE ONLY POLITE WAY TO DESCRIBE WHAT LONG SERVING STATE EMPLOYEES ARE GETTING IF RETIRING UNDER THE NEW AND IMPROVED SB 1226.  IT CERTAINLY HAS NO RESEMBLENCE TO WHAT THE GOVERNOR, SENATOR BISHOP, OR SPEAKER DILLON ASKED FOR.

GOVERNOR, TEAR DOWN THIS BILL....DO NOT SIGN IT....LONG SERVING STATE EMPLOYEES DESERVE BETTER.  RETURN IT TO THE LEGISLATURE REQUESTING SICK AND ANNUAL LEAVE PAYOUTS BE PAID IN 60 MONTHLY INSTALLMENTS AS EVERY OTHER INCENTIVISED RETIREMENTS IN THIS STATE HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED.

IF ACTUALLY SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR, STATE EMPLOYEES THAT DON'T WANT TO BE TREATED DISRESPECTFULLY, JUST DON'T SIGN UP.  LET THE LEGISLATURE BALANCE THE BUDGET THE OLD FASHIONED WAY.  THAT WOULD ALSO BE WITH OPM (OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY) BUT NOT YOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE DOCTOR IS OUTTA HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Noticed comments in Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, and Lansing State Journal by "Betty and Betty 25".  She covered state employees having to forfeit their annual and sick leave payoffs in exchange for a supplemental to their pension better than I could ever do it.  I copied the comment to the State employee retirement bill from the Detroit News below:

 These state and federal employees are lucky to get a pension!  I am a doctor of 25 years, and have to keep practicing for 10 years or 66 to get SS and medicare and hope its still there.

 We as an average citizen keep loosing our retirement and the state government start complaining if there is any change in theirs.  A 6. something is great as we with social security get a 1 percent raise and then it is taken away by Medicare/medicaid.........Go figure.  Great place to work if for the government in an office!!