Learning Stories
by
Mario deSantis

mariodesantis@hotmail.com

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I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, and free to choose those who shall govern my country.” - -The Rt. Hon. John Diefenbaker, Canadian Bill of Rights, 1960

The whole judicial system is at issue, it's worth more than one person.”--Serge Kujawa, Saskatchewan Crown Prosecutor, 1991

The system is not more worth than one person's rights.”--Mario deSantis, 2002


Ensign Stories © Mario deSantis and Ensign

 


Today, CUPE health care workers are on strike at some 18 health care districts across the province(1). The main contentious issues are employee scheduling and pension. And I am happy that finally after years and years of pension mismanagement at the Saskatchewan Association of Health organizations (SAHO), CUPE and other five unions are taking steps to better their pension plan and to allow a more direct management of the over billion dollar SAHO pension fund.

The SAHO pension plan is a bastardized version of an original pension plan which was designed to financially discriminate against union employees so that the top dogs of the health care system could reap the benefit of their mismanagement(2).

The health care unions are right in demanding higher contributions for their pension plan especially so when SAHO states that if the plan experiences a deficit, benefits would be reduced and that if deficits continue, SAHO is recommending that the entire plan be terminated(3).

The Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations reduced pension benefits in early 90's and at that time I realized that the pension members at large were not properly notified as per the plan document. Also, the fact that SAHO threatens the unions in recommending a possible termination of the pension plan all together is a further understanding of the utter ignorance and incompetence of the top dogs at the helm of the health care leadership.

Therefore, I strongly advise the unions to strive for increased pension contributions, to have a direct say in the management of their pension plan and fund, and to definitely change their pension plan from a formula plan to a money purchase plan(4) where there would not be either any additional expense for actuarial consulting services or any deficit.

References/endnotes

Relevant political and economics articles http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign

1. Strike! Health workers walk out, CBC Saskatchewan, June 8, 2001 http://sask.cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/2001/06/08/otherunions010608

2. A dangerous turn in the history of SAHO: from Hewitt Helmsing to Louise Simard, by Mario deSantis, April 11, 2000 http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign/desantisArticles/2000/desantis159/SAHO-History.html

3. Unions warn of labour unrest unless improvements are made to SAHO Pension Plan, CUPE Saskatchewan News Release, June 4, 2001 http://www.cupe.sk.ca/nr-june4-01.htm

4. Pension formula plans: Are actuarial firms told to ass-u-me too much?, by Mario deSantis, January 15, 2001 http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign/desantisArticles/2001_300/desantis307/pensions.html