According to the Ventura County website there won’t be a special board letter at the Nov. 24 Board of Supervisors meeting that will detail the cuts managers and supervisors will be taking to help the county’s general fund. SEIU 721 members were promised in October that this information would be available “very soon”.
Where’s the accountability? Where’s the shared sacrifice?
County workers have been signing a petition to request the Board of Supervisors lead by example in promoting a contract settlement that would promote a temporary shared sacrifice. Download a copy of the petition
Shared Sacrifice Petition Nov 2009.pdf and ask your coworkers to sign it and fax it to 644-7843.
“Sometimes, it’s necessary to encourage people (or Ventura County) to do the right thing. My wife and I have collected almost 200 Ventura County employee signatures. Maybe with a litte encouragement the Board of Supervisors will do the right thing.” Jesse Guzman, Client Benefit Specialist III/Human Services Agency
Next Steps
There are only two more Board meetings until 2010. Plan to attend the Nov. 24 Board of Supervisors meeting as SEIU 721 members deliver the signed petitions to the Board of Supervisors. Click here to RSVP.
Continue wearing your purple on Fridays until there is a contract.
As a member and Ventura County employee who is considering retireeing in about two years, I am extremely concerned about the posibilty of furloughs. While I have no problem with temporary SHARED solutions, because retirement benifits are based upon the HIGHEST three years of wages, and I have always planned on the LAST three years being the HIGHEST furloughs will affect me for the rest of my life! I started selling vacation time back with the assumption it would actually make a difference. If we agree to furloughs it is a wasted effort!
I would rather we share in paying MORE into the retirement plan. This would save the county money, but would not affect retirement earnings! I could live with taking home less per paycheck now, but when I receive a reduced FIXED retirement pension it will be tough to loose the money that the furloughs will cost me in retirement earnings!
Thank you,
Brian G. Hunt
Not true.
By the employee contributing more into the retirement plan ( the County is demanding 3% more), this is 3% less that the County will be contributing. That 3% the County will no longer be contributing will also no longer be counted toward your “final compensation”. Your retirement benefit calculations are based on final compensation not your final salary. This is money you will lose for the rest of your life once you retire.
The average employee who works 35 yrs and retires at 60 would see approximately 200 bucks less a month for life. This is the real reason the County is pushing the retirement overhaul.
Research Response (12/18/09)
The employer pick-up is included in a members’ “final compensation” (which is used to determine members’ monthly retirement benefit), while employee contributions are not. Therefore as the employer pick-up is replaced with employee contributions, members’ final retirement salary and thus their monthly retirement benefit will be reduced. Most members will see their monthly benefits be reduced by 2-3%. The total dollar amount will vary based upon members’ final retirement salary, years of service, and age at retirement. More information to guide members through the VCERA calculator will be available shortly.