Public Employee Retirees Group
15 Barker Drive
Duluth, MN 55808
October 2009 Hello fellow retirees:
It is time for our organization to request annual membership renewals. Over the past year we have disassociated ourselves from the former AFSCME affiliation and MAPERA name. The reason for this change was not easy for us to comprehend. Our membership guidelines through the last 20 + years came into question (even though we did conform to the AFSCME by-laws). We were directed by AFSCME to discontinue membership of some of our senior retirees. At our April meeting we voted to disaffiliate with AFSCME and to keep our current members and officers. We regret the position we were forced to take, but on the positive side we are now able to accept many retirees who might otherwise have been excluded. At the May 2009 meeting we voted to name our organization; Public Employee Retirees Group (P.E.R.G.). Our new Constitution and By Laws were voted on and finalized at the September 2009 meeting.
We have the same officers as before: President Edward Carlson ( 218-727-2857 ), Vice-President Robert LaFlamme, Treasurer Agnes Vogel, Secretary Paula Savela.
Our subgroup, the City of Duluth Retirees, is in a class action lawsuit which will decide if the City of Duluth can change the health care insurance costs of many of their retirees. (www.duluthretirees.org). As of October 13th, 2009, Judge Sandvik ruled with the City and found that the City can change the health plan provided retirees. The subgroup is in the process of appealing his findings.
As employees and retirees face reduced benefits, discontinued pensions, and skyrocketing health care costs in this country, now more than ever we need a unified voice. We need to keep our membership strong, as it is the glue that holds us together in communications and actions that are sometimes necessary. MAPERA (at the local level) provided financial help with court costs in the precedent setting case of Carol E. Norman of Chisholm, Minn., when her benefits were threatened. Our goal is to garner enough membership that even small participation by each member will result in significant resources. Our membership region is now open to all public employee retirees in Northern Minnesota, so please pass the word to your friends. We encourage all members to also ask their spouses to join P.E.R.G. Their input is very valuable and they like to be with us.
We are not all business either. We have a drawing and refreshments at each meeting, have interesting guest speakers and just enjoy keeping in touch with each other. Meetings are held as follows: the second Wednesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. at the Trinity Masonic Temple, 2118 West First Street, Duluth, MN. Yearly, we have an informal Christmas luncheon at the Elks Lodge #133 located at 4250 Haines Road, Duluth, and a July picnic at the Chambers Grove Park, Fond du Lac. The cost is around $8-$10 per member per event.
Please renew or start your membership for 2010 today.
The membership committee includes Ted Griak, Roger Hartsberg, Bill Kernan, Bob LaFlamme, Eli Miletich, and Gerald Veillet. Our current president is Ed Carlson. Ed can be reached at 218-727-2857 if you have any questions, or you can email us at mail@aperg.org. In the meantime, simply fill out and return the bottom portion of the letter. We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting!
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Membership
Application – Click here for a printable form.
Public Employees Retirement Group (PERG)
Name: _____________________________________________Phone: ________________
Spouse Name: ________________________________________________
Address: __________________________________________________________________
City/State/Zip: _____________________________________________________________
Please return form and dues to: Agnes Vogel, Treasurer, PERG
15 Barker Drive
Duluth MN 55808
Annual dues are $15.00 per person. Any gifts you send in addition to your dues will be received with gratitude. Make check payable to: PERG.