Letter to Members
MEA and MESSA are still standing strong
Political fallout of Oct. 1 legislative action hasn't changed commitment to serving our members
Much has been made of the political
fallout since several of our friends in
Lansing betrayed us by balancing the
state budget on our backs. But, let us
make one thing perfectly clear: Both MEA
and MESSA are still here, standing strong
and serving members like you.
On Oct. 1, the Legislature and Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed off on the so-called “MESSA bill,” and changes to the retirement system for new school employees were pushed through in a situation where politics trumped good policy decisions.
While a government shutdown was averted, the Legislature didn’t pass enough revenue to fix the entire problem. More than $400 million in cuts still had to be made, severely limiting much-needed investment in public education.
There is nothing the Legislature can do that will stop us from working to ensure that all students get a great public education that will steer them and our state to a bright future. There is no law that can be passed that will lead us to abandon you, your rights and your family’s future security.
With that in mind, this issue of the Voice is intended to inform you about the health insurance and retirement changes made by the Legislature and how they may affect you (see page 4 for more). It also provides you with a look at where we go from here, including what the changes mean for MESSA (p. 6) and how we will continue to fight for the resources public education needs using the strategies around taxes, economic development and school funding featured in the last issue of the Voice (p. 8).
Now more than ever before, it is critical to be politically active. MEA remains a strong, vibrant voice for public education and public school employees.
We will continue to fight for great public schools for our students. We will continue to forge strong alliances with all true friends of public education, regardless of their party affiliation. And we will hold those who betrayed school employees on Oct. 1 accountable for their actions.