The UIC Chapter of SUAA Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting June 16, 2009

Members Present: Charles Brown, Judy Curry, Merrill Gassman, Michael Harms, Carol Humble, Richard Johnson, James Jones, Rose Kirk, Irving Miller, Leonard Ramirez, Charles Stanislao, and William Troyer

Members Absent: Marsha Borders, Lawrence Poston, and Sue Sindelar

The meeting was called to order by President Merrill Gassman at 10:30am in Room 123 of the Physical Plant Building.

1. Approval of Minutes: The Minutes of the April 30, 2009 Board meeting were approved.

2. President's Report (Merrill Gassman):

• A letter describing the issues in the current legislative session was prepared and sent to the staff in the SUAA office in Springfield with the request that it be sent to all UIC UNITED members. The letter, however, did not go out by US mail but was sent by e-mail to those UIC UNITED members who have recorded e-mail addresses. The SUAA central office sent copies of a flyer to SUAA Chapter Presidents that solicited current employees to apply for SUAA membership. This letter was distributed by Judy Curry at the UIC Retirement Planning Conference held on May 30th.
• E-mail messages were sent to UIC UNITED members regarding proposed legislation in the General Assembly that would have diminished the retirement benefit of new SURS members. A change in health insurance premium cost was also proposed. The proposed bill did not proceed beyond committee, but it is possible that it could be resurrected in the future.
• A State pension system task force has been approved by the General Assembly and appointed by the Governor. Dick Johnson reported that an individual has been nominated by the SUAA executive committee to serve on the task force.
• The Illinois Retirement Security Initiative (IRSI) is a project of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability. The purpose of the initiative is to insure that Illinois public pensions are adequately funded. Dick Johnson said that SUAA is a member of IRSI. On behalf of UIC UNITED, a form supporting the effort will be submitted.
• A committee has been formed by SUAA to review the communications structure and processes of SUAA and to recommend necessary changes. Merrill will serve on behalf of UIC UNITED.
• A SUAA committee has been established to review the performance of the SUAA Executive Director.
• Election to the new State Pensions Board is on-going. SUAA supported all of the SUAA members who are on the ballot but did not make a specific endorsement.
  

2. Treasurer's Report (Chuck Stanislao): Chuck reported a total balance of $32,764, including checking of $3,256, savings of $1,138 and a CD of $28,369. He moved that the CD be renewed for $25,000 and that accrued interest be transferred to the savings account. Motion passed. Merrill asked that the Board be provided with an annual income and expense statement and a comparison to prior years. Chuck also moved that an audit committee be appointed to review and approve the annual financial statement submitted to SUAA. Motion passed.

3. Legislation/SUAACTION Report (Bill Troyer and Richard Johnson): Bill noted that UIC members have contributed approximately $16,000 to SUAACTION compared to about $21,000 for UIUC members. The UIC amount is $2,000 less than last year. He suggested that an additional solicitation letter be sent to the UIC UNITED membership.

4. Membership Report: It was noted that the Illinois State Employees Association Retirees, a group representing SERS retirees, has been soliciting UIC employees and annuitants for membership. This might be confusing for individuals who are also receiving information from SUAA. Irv Miller commented that the list of UIC non-renewing members which was distributed needs to be cleaned up, eg, it includes members who have died. Merrill asked that Board members review the list and forward to Sue Sindelar any information they may have about the names on the list.

5. Program Report (Carol Humble and Rose Kirk): The 23rd Annual Retirement Planning Conference was held on May 30th at UIC. Judy Curry represented UIC UNITED. Over 300 UIC employees attended the conference, and 17 indicated an intention to join SUAA. UI Admin HR and UIC HR ran the program with SURS staff assistance. HR will likely contact UIC UNITED next year to provide assistance for the conference and to be involved in its planning. Merrill said conference planning will be on the agenda for future meetings.

Carol Humble asked if UIC UNITED intends to have a 2009 fall forum. Timing is an issue, and it was the general consensus that September is too soon to plan such an event. Combining the forum with the fall membership meeting was discussed as a possibility. Dick Johnson suggested that State financial reform would be a good topic for the forum. Carol will look at possible dates and space availability for October. This item will be discussed at the next Board meeting.

6. Newsletter Report (Larry Poston and Judy Curry): The Summer Newsletter was distributed; it has been sent to all UIC SUAA members. A fall Newsletter will also be prepared.

7. Old Business: Merrill reported on follow-up to the 30 March meeting with the UIC Chancellor. He wrote the Chancellor regarding the request that UIC UNITED members who are active employees have the option of deducting their dues from payroll. The Chancellor indicated that she is following up on this request.

8. New Business: Rose Kirk moved that individual parking for UIC UNITED events be provided at a cost of $5 per event to encourage attendance. Motion passed.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:50pm.

Respectfully submitted by Michael Harms, Secretary

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