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You're part of the family
Retired
MEA-MFT ("R/MEA-MFT") members include retired
certified teachers, faculty, and education support professionals
from Montana's kindergarten through higher education public
schools.
They
also include "pre-retired" members -- active members of any
age who want to reap the benefits of "R" membership.
When you join R/MEA-MFT
(pdf), you automatically join the National Education Association's
retired program, too. You don't have to be a former member
of NEA to belong to Retired MEA-MFT or NEA-Retired.
You're part of the family: Our retired members are
fully involved in every aspect of MEA-MFT and NEA at all levels.
You can run for office, attend MEA-MFT conferences, and receive
MEA-MFT and NEA publications.
Your voice in MEA-MFT: Every two years, R/MEA-MFT members
elect a statewide Retired Chairperson who sits on the MEA-MFT
Board of Directors as a full voting
member. Sandy Denesen is the current chair of R/MEA-MFT.
Your
R/MEA-MFT staff person is Tom Bilodeau. Contact Tom by calling
1-800-398-0826 or e-mail him at tbilodeau@mea-mft.org.
Join Retired MEA-MFT! (pdf)
NEW: Electronic lifetime retired membership.
MEA-MFT recently added an electronic payment option for
pre-retired and retired members. If you are interested in
this easy payment method, click
here for the authorization form. Fill it out and return
it to MEA-MFT.
What we do for retired members
Protecting your retirement: MEA-MFT
has been working for decades to make sure you enjoy the retirement
you deserve.
- In the 1983 Montana Legislature, MEA-MFT passed a bill
to grant teachers 25-year retirement without penalty.
- In 1993, MEA-MFT passed a legislative referendum asking
for a constitutional amendment to protect all public
employee retirement assets from legislative misappropriation.
In 1994, we promoted this referendum (the "Pension Security
Act"). Through our efforts, 75% of Montana voters approved
the amendment. It is now part of our state's constitution.
- MEA-MFT was a major player in the successful 1997 GABA
legislation that granted retirees in the Public Employees
Retirement System an annual benefit increase.
- Also in the 1997 Legislature, MEA-MFT passed legislation
assuring teacher representation on the TRS Board.
- During the 1999 Legislature, following a decade of effort,
MEA-MFT won overwhelming legislative approval of a GABA
for TRS members. The 1999 session also adopted amendments
guaranteeing continued IRS "qualified plan" status for TRS
and providing tax deferral on termination pay applied to
TRS.
- For decades, MEA-MFT has successfully opposed bad proposals
to abandon defined benefit pension programs or to underfund
public retirement systems.
- For years, MEA-MFT has been recognized as the most active
advocacy organization before the TRS Board, even while we
constantly monitor TRS rule-making procedures and interim
legislative Committee on Public Employee Retirement Systems
(CPERS) meeting discussions.
- We won major victories for retirement in the 2007
Legislature.
- We stopped a bad bill that would have destroyed public
employee retirement in the 2009 Legislature.
Helping
you plan for a great retirement: MEA-MFT offers workshops
and seminars around the state designed to help you plan a
happy, secure retirement. These events help you navigate TRS,
PERS, Social Security, investment strategies, and much more.
Keeping you on top of issues: R/MEA-MFT
helps you stay on top of current issues in retirement and
in education through our research, publications, Summer Conference,
and much more.
Special Member Benefits: Along with NEA and AFT, MEA-MFT
seeks out special discounts designed to save members hundreds
of dollars on services such as home financing; no-fee, low-rate
credit cards; financial planning assistance; low-cost car
and home insurance; affordable long-term care insurance; and
much more.
Click
here to learn more about these special benefits.
Hot links:
NEA
Retired Members web site
Join us!
Join
Retired MEA-MFT
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