WEAC-Retired Blog

• What is Walker's plan for retirees?

  3/7/2011 9:19:53 AM

  By Dustin Beilke

  When WEAC phone-banked WEAC-Retired members February 12-14, we told every member we spoke to about the part of the budget repair bill that calls for a "study" of the Wisconsin Retirement System and the whole notion of having a defined benefit pension for public employees. There has been much speculation about Governor Walker's intentions for retirees and the retirement system in blogs and letters to the editor, and an article in yesterday's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel brings this issue into the mainstream media.

  The article mentions that many states have moved to or are trying to move to defined ...

  Full story

  Comments (2)

  Public

• The truth about the budget bill's impacts for retirees

  3/3/2011 12:02:50 PM

  By Dustin Beilke

  Since Governor Scott Walker released his budget “repair” bill proposal, WEAC leaders and staff have spoken with many WEAC-Retired members and active members about bill’s possible impact on current and future retirees.

  Questions about effects on bargained retirement benefits are best answered by the professional staff members who work in the UniServ office where your contract was negotiated. This is true for retired members as well as active members who are considering retirement. WEAC.org has a listing of all of the state’s UniServ offices  and the contact information for the men and women who work ...

  Full story

  Comments (2)

  Public

• Retirees making a difference in Madison and throughout the state

  2/26/2011 6:49:50 AM

  By Dustin Beilke

  The call went out and retired people responded. WEAC-Retired members, retired unionists and retired people of every kind have been present in huge numbers at the Capitol, volunteering in UniServ offices and making their voices heard on their legislators' phone lines and radio call-in shows, and in online news comments and letters to the editor pages.

  Congratulations, thank you, and please do not let up.

  The place to go for news and information about the budget repair bill and actions related to it is WEAC.org. Go to this link for the latest news.

  And you'll find a ...

  Full story

  Comments (0)

  Public

• Let everybody know

  2/12/2011 9:10:34 AM

  By Dustin Beilke

  Governor Scott Walker's so-called budget repair bill would cut out the hearts of public employee unions, essentially killing them. Walker also calls for a review of the Wisconsin Retirement System, and calls into question whether Wisconsin retirees should continue to have defined benefit pensions like they do now. We know that what impacts the contracts of active employees often impacts the benefits of retired employees in predictable and unpredictable ways. 

  We also know that Walker's bill would substantially reduce the standard of living for every public education employee in the state, making it ever less likely that great educators ...

  Full story

  Comments (3)

  Public

• Good news and bad news

  1/26/2011 9:07:34 AM

  By Dustin Beilke

  The good news in Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan's response to the State of the Union address is that Social Security is still standing. Ryan's intentions to weaken or phase out Social Security are well known, but somehow he left those sentiments out of his speech.

  The bad news is that the GOP's rising star seems to live in an alternate reality where taxes have never been higher, government spending has never been greater, and the federal deficit was incurred entirely in the time since his party went out of power. These suppositions are not just inaccurate around ...

  Full story

  Comments (0)

  Public

• SWIB returns: Heard it both ways

  1/14/2011 10:39:11 AM

  By Dustin Beilke

  The State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB) announced its final 2010 returns this week, the necessary precedent to determining annuitant payments for 2011.

  The headline SWIB gave to its news release is "WRS Funds See Strong Finish in 2010." Many newspapers ran articles with headlines similar to the SWIB news release headline, but some, including the Wisconsin State Journal, chose to put it this way: "Many State Retirees to See Dip in Pension Checks." Neither headline is wrong, but all of the headline writers are engaged in a sort of spin. SWIB wants to put ...

  Full story

  Comments (0)

  Public

• It's not too late

  12/2/2010 8:57:56 AM

  By Dustin Beilke

  Some of you might be unhappy that you missed the November 30 national call-in day to save Social Security. Not to worry. You can still call today--and tomorrow, and the day after that. This issue is not going away.

  This New York Times editorial is about how un-serious our elected officials seem to be about deficit reduction and other issues that shouldn't be related to Social Security but nonetheless for some reason are. When they do get serious, we have to make them understand that cutting Social Security is not any part of the solution to ...

  Full story

  Comments (0)

  Public

• Help save Social Security

  11/30/2010 12:36:10 PM

  By Dustin Beilke

  NEA, NEA-Retired and other organizations are encouraging everyone to call their congressional representatives with this message: Don't Cut Social Security.
  
  Last week, the so-called National Fiscal Commission released a draft proposal that recommended cuts to Social Security, including:

  •    Raising the retirement age to 69.
  •    Cutting benefits up to 35% for middle-income workers.
  •    Cutting Social Security's cost-of-living adjustment, which is already too small.
  
  The Commission's full set of recommendations is expected December 1.

  Congress does not have to do what the Fiscal Commission recommends. We can stop them from cutting Social Security. The NEA recommends ...

  Full story

  Comments (0)

  Public

• Retirees for Walker!

  11/22/2010 1:53:20 PM

  By Dustin Beilke

  No, you did not mis-read the headline.

  Retired people dontated $600,000 to Scott Walker's campaign this fall, almost double the amount they gave to the GOP gubernatorial candidate four years ago and three times what they gave to Democratic candidate Tom Barrett.

  Those of us who think Walker is a bad bargain for retirees have an organizing challenge: seek out other retirees, talk to them, tell them why you think candidates who believe in things like public schools, public services, public investments and tax fairness are better for retired people.

  Full story

  Comments (1)

  Public

• Why not 80?

  10/27/2010 12:04:34 PM

  By Dustin Beilke

  House Minority Leader John Boehner has said the retirement age should be lifted to 70, and that is pretty easy for someone in his position to say. Talking at press conferences as Boehner does is much easier on the body of a 69 year old than, say, pouring concrete, lifting an engine block or breaking up a fight between a bunch of high school kids.

  Our friends at the Alliance for Retired Americans have produced a series of TV ads making fun of Boehner's understanding of the physical aging process. I haven't seen them yet and ...

  Full story

  Comments (0)

  Public

2. 1
3. 2
4. 3
5. 4
6. Next page