What do you thing a health fund is for, members and their families use the fund every day for doctor visits, surgery. Members get cancer, heart attack, and many other serious ailments. That money was use, not pocketed. You kept your 25 and out, but because of row B, UPS got there age with retirement. Have fun working till your 65.
Yes, a health fund IS for the members, exactly. However, Row A guys KNEW the funds were running out of $$. In 2003, there was over $34 MILLION in assets. By June of THIS YEAR if nothing was done, the fund would have been in the "red" - a negative balance.
The old board (Tony, Angelo, John, etc) had the opportunity to negotiate enough $$ in 2007 BUT THEY DIDN'T. No one accuses them of pocketting the $$. They just mismanaged it. That mismanagement forced the new board's hand to do SOMETHING, which they did.
The new board did the smart, fiscally responsible thing. They implemented a plan which SAVED our funds until the next contract in 2013. Yes, our co-pays went up and there are new fees and more hoops to jump through. But, remember, the old board was planning on implementing their
own plan (if they won re-election in 2009) which included ELIMINATING RETIREE HEALTHCARE AT 25 AND OUT, emergency room fees, higher co-pays, etc.
The new board took on the mess that the old board members left them. They could have allowed it to stay in arbitration, which the old baord SECRETLY had it in with UPS, and allowed an arbitrator to decide to eliminate retiree benefits ENTIRELY. But they didn't. They took a bold step to implement these changes right from Day 1. Hopefully, the membership will acknowledge that and reward them with their support this election!
