Articles about Politics that may be useful to Massachusetts retirees.
Proposals Begin To Take Shape
JULY 18, 2012: The Special Commission on Retiree Healthcare met for more than two hours Wednesday morning in an effort to develop a list of potential reform measures to place before an actuary for cost analysis.
Reform Proposals Taking Shape
JULY 16, 2012: The Special Commission on Retiree Healthcare will enter the next phase of its deliberations this Wednesday, July 18th, when it convenes its third meeting in as many months.
Comprised of 11 members, the Commission’s purpose is to study and investigate both the long-term and ongoing cost of public retiree healthcare. The Commission is then to file a report with the Legislature by November 30, detailing its findings and making recommendations for further reforms.
Boston Globe June 26, 2012: A lawyer representing city retirees in Providence is expected to tell a judge they have approved a deal freezing automatic pension hikes and restructuring health benefits — a victory for Mayor Angel Taveras that is expected to keep the state capital out of municipal bankruptcy. Joseph Penza, a lawyer who represents about 1,300 municipal retirees, said he plans to present the results of the retirees’ vote to Superior Court Judge Sarah Taft-Carter on Tuesday.
Boston Globe Editorial, June 24, 2012:
MAY 23, 2012: A series of articles by the Boston Globe’s Brian McGrory highlighted the excessive salary and perks of Edmund "Ted" Kelly, former CEO of Liberty Mutual here in Massachusetts.
Aside from his multi-million dollar salary, Kelly was a close friend of Liberty Mutual’s Board of Directors, millionaires themselves, who OK’d Kelly’s $50 million salary/compensation package. They each received an annual $200,000 in director’s pay.
Theresa McGoldrick, without opposition, has been re-elected to a 4th three-year term on the State Retirement Board.
McGoldrick serves as one of the State Board’s two elected members along with Ralph White. State Treasurer Steve Grossman is the Board’s chairman, retiree Pat Deal is an appointed member and SEIU Local 509 Political Director, Chris Condon the fifth member is elected by the other Board members. Nick Favorito is the Board’s Director.
JANUARY 13, 2012: Yesterday, January 12th the Mass. Taxpayers Foundation (MTF) under its ubiquitous leader Michael Widmer unleashed an untimely attack on municipal health insurance costs.
A brief summary of the report was included in today’s Boston Globe, including a response by Shawn Duhamel, Legislative Liaison of our Association and Ed Kelly, President of the Professional Firefighters Union.
Group is alarmed by benefit funding
By Travis Andersen
Globe Staff
January 13, 2012
A Beacon Hill watchdog group has released a report indicating that steep cuts to education and other public services are inevitable in 10 of the state’s most cash-strapped cities to fund the rising cost of health care for their municipal retirees, unless the Legislature makes changes.
Boston Globe
State aid cuts, lack of growth are cited
December 7 2011: Cash-strapped cities and towns across Massachusetts are struggling with the worst stress on their budgets since passage of Proposition 2 1/2 in 1980, according to a new report from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.
Chapter 176 Marks Sweeping Change
NOVEMBER 21, 2011: As expected, late last Friday, November 18, Governor Deval Patrick signed Pension Reform III into law as Chapter 176, Acts of 2011.
The measure, which had been enacted in the House and Senate three days earlier, creates a new retirement plan for new employees of our 105 retirement systems, hired on or after next April 2nd.
Since 1968 the Retired State, County and Municipal Employees Association has been the leading voice for Massachusetts public retirees and their families. Join with our 62,000 members as we continue the fight.
