Call to Action: Now is the Time to Lobby for Return of 3% Money

Reblogged from mea.org

It’s a study in contrasts.

MEA’s court victory this week solidifies our strength in numbers and reinforces our power in sticking together. The five-year legal battle in the 3 percent retirement case, fought across multiple fronts, could hardly have been fought by a single member alone.

Yet now just two men stand between school employees and the money that a state appeals court has said should be returned to them: Gov. Rick Snyder and Attorney General Bill Schuette.

MEA is continuing its legal work to get refunds in the hands of our members, but we need your help. With all hands on deck, we can apply political pressure to stop Snyder and Schuette from appealing the decision handed down this week. They have 40 days left to decide whether to drag out court wrangling or accept the ruling issued Wednesday for a third time.

Phone calls, emails, handwritten letters, and letters to the editor all will help to send the message that many educators have felt burning in their hearts: You took my money illegally; it’s past time to give it back.

Please act today!  More than $550 million of school employees’ hard-earned money is sitting in that escrow account waiting to come back to you – after a long wait, you can do something to help get that money back by contacting Snyder and Schuette today:

Governor Rick Snyder

517-335-7858
P.O. Box 30013
Lansing, Michigan 48909

Attorney General Bill Schuette

517-373-1110
P.O. Box 30212
Lansing, Michigan 48909

MEA and AFT-Michigan filed suit soon after the 2010 passage of PA 75, which mandated school districts withhold 3 percent of each employee’s wages for retiree health care. Both the trial court and Court of Appeals agreed the law violated state and federal constitutional protections involving the taking of private property without compensation, due process, and impairment of contracts.

Following those losses, the state asked the Supreme Court to hear the case. Instead, the Supreme Court sent the case back to the Court of Appeals for further consideration, which resulted in today’s ruling.

In 2012, state lawmakers passed a replacement law, PA 300, which was upheld by the Supreme Court last April. Under that law, school employees were required to make elections regarding health care in retirement and voluntary deductions.

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