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General

MEMORANDUM

September 2, 2010

To: All BBE’s and LTS’
From: Frank McLaughlin, President, Lawrence Teachers’ Union
RE: BBE/LTS Health Insurance Update

Background:

As you may or may not know, as a result of being “legislatively” forced into the Group Insurance Commission (GIC), our BBE’s and LTS’ are in jeopardy of not being covered for health insurance benefits. The GIC has ruled that because BBE’s and LTS’ contribute to a deferred compensation system for both seasonal and short term employment and not a defined pension system like for example, the Mass Teachers Retirement System (MTRS) or the City of Lawrence Municipal Retirement System that you are deemed ineligible to receive health insurance through the GIC plan offerings.

The Lawrence Public Schools, the City of Lawrence, and the Lawrence Teachers Union fully understand the levity of this situation and would like to find a way to resolve this matter swiftly and fairly. We all understand that under state statute, you are employees working more than twenty hours a week that you should be eligible for health insurance benefits, we further understand that you have received health insurance benefits in the past and that most of you are reliant of those benefits, for without them, the job itself becomes much less attractive to hold.

What we are doing about this right now:

Our lawyer from AFT Massachusetts, our state union organization, will be submitting a letter to the Lawrence Retirement Board asking for them to reconsider having both the BBE’s and LTS’ become a part of the City of Lawrence Retirement system, similar to Paraprofessionals, clerical workers, nurses etc. and thus, be eligible to join the GIC. The meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 27th at 8:30am at City Hall where the Retirement Board will take up this issue. There seems to be universal support from the Superintendent’s office, the School Committee, as well as from City Hall to support the proposal.

What lies ahead:

We will not know anything until September 27th. We have advised all BBE’s and LTS’ to enroll in the GIC now in the hopes that by November 1, 2010, the matter is resolved in our favor and your health insurance is smoothly transitioned and your coverage is intact.

Thank you all for your patience as we continue to navigate through this important issue as it unfolds.

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Everett Mill Building Suite 402, 4th Floor 15 Union Street Lawrence, MA 01841

Tel: 978-685-8708 Fax: 978-681-9328

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Everett Mill Building
Suite 402, 4th Floor
15 Union Street
Lawrence, MA 01841

Tel: 978-685-8708
Fax: 978-681-9328

Eagle Tribune Editorial:
Public needs information on school scandals

Residents of Lawrence are poorly served by a state agency and the attorney general's office, which have been slow to release information on the investigation surrounding the political use of the school system's printing press.

10.1.09