Letter Writing Campaign

4. Establish a seat for RTAM on the Minister’s

Council of Education Stakeholders.

Rationale: As teachers in the classroom and as administrators with organizational experience in getting things done, members of RTAM can logically be acknowledged as educational elders with the stored experience necessary to counsel the Government in its decision-making. RTAM’s publicly stated position on Bill 64 demonstrated the wisdom and constructive outlook of retired teachers. Moreover, retired teachers constitute approximately 80-85 % of the supply chain for substitute teachers in rural Manitoba. 5. Place a RTAM nominated member on the

Government’s Pension Task Force.

Rationale: Pensions are critical to all Manitoba retirees. Having contributed to a pension throughout their working careers, teachers are entitled to input on the design and the outcome of pension strategy. It is important that retired teachers have a voice on the Board which sets guidelines for Manitoba’s public pension plans. n

The Editorial Committee apologizes for the omission of the second half of this article in the last edition of KIT.

RTAM Seat On The TRAF Board

Bill Cann, RTAM President

RTAM members are encouraged to send a letter or email to their local MLA. For many years gaining a seat on the TRAF Board has been a top advocacy priority of RTAM, and just a few minutes of your time by sending an email/letter can greatly help the campaign and retired teachers everywhere.

To send an email to your local MLA, follow this link: https://rtampensionreform.blogspot.com/ and fill in your Name, Email, and Postal Code. The program will use your name and Postal Code to email a letter signed by you to your local MLA. If you don't have a local MLA, the email will go to the Premier. The letter itself is in the blue box below where you put in your information. The letter has been crafted by the RTAM Board, but you can make changes to the letter if you wish to.

Thank you for your support!

I am writing to you as one of your constituents to ask you to support Private Member’s Bill #208. I am also one of the 10,000 members of the Retired Teachers’ Association of Manitoba (RTAM). RTAM has been seeking a seat on the Teachers’ Retirement Allowances Fund (TRAF) Board for over 20 years.

TRAF is the governing body which sets the investment policy and pays out our individual pensions each month. The TRAF Board currently is a seven-person board nominated by the Government and by the Manitoba Teachers’ Society (MTS).

A Private Member’s Bill #208 has been introduced in the Legislature which would provide RTAM with a seat on the TRAF Board and maintain the current Board’s balance. Similar legislation has been introduced in the past. Most provinces in Canada provide some representation for retired teachers on their respective pension boards. The proposed solution does not cost the Government any money. I sincerely hope that each MLA will vote on the merits of the legislation.

The private members bill provides retired teachers through RTAM with a voice on the board which controls and pays out their pension. Bill #208 is about fairness, equity and not about political philosophy or ideology. I urge you to support this Private Member’s Bill when it is debated and voted on during the spring Legislative session.

Thank you for your support. A member of the RTAM Executive would be pleased to meet with you or provide further information.

Contact office@rtam.mb.ca n