2010-12-11                                                      

     November 3, 2010          

            Long Term Disability/Demutualization & Other Benefit Fund Surpluses

After 8 years in representing members regarding the return of the above noted surpluses, the CRTA is pleased to announce that the final cheques are 'in the mail' and the issue has been resolved.

On November 5^th, 2010, another $1,229,589.67 will be returned to 8,571 participants who provided service to the CBE and who contributed to the plans.

Details

Johnson Inc. has agreed to distribute the funds with the plan for distribution approved by The Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta. 

For the most part, if a member received a payment for the LTD portion of the undertaking, he or she may expect a payment this time.

To be eligible for payment, a member must have provided service and contributed to the plan for five years or more during the period 1981 to 1996.

Regardless of employee group, all who are eligible will receive the same dollar amount per year of service. ($12.23 per year)

The highest amount of any cheque will be $195.70.

Claimants with less than five years of service will not be included and cheques for less than $50 will not be written.

We are assured that the monies received by our members will not be subject to tax. 

Cheques have been prepared for mailing and will go out by November 5, 2010.

Along with each cheque, a one-page attachment will be included.  Recipients will not be receiving copies of other documents.

CRTA Members with questions or concerns may contact either Paul Demers or Chuck Rose. 

Paul Demers       (403) 286-8338  jpdemers@shaw.ca  

Chuck Rose        (403) 288-5266    cprose@shaw.ca

Appreciation

In addition to expressing appreciation for the support and patience of our members throughout, the CRTA would like to express heartfelt thanks to the following people who served to lead our efforts.

After identifying the issue, Irene Bruzga brought the matter to the attention of the CRTA early in 2002.  In the early stages, the late Gordon Vincent, Gordon Branson and the unflappable, courteous and persistent Marj Weerstra led our efforts.  When formal representation became necessary Paul Demers and Chuck Rose were appointed to represent the CRTA.   

From the point at which the Alberta Teachers' Association accepted responsibility and offered to represent all employee groups, the ATA's efforts have been stellar.  Clear and frequent communication became the order of the day, a process for input and discussion was put in place and followed, and there was no hesitation in drawing upon our leadership and expertise.  Associate Executive Secretary, Earl Hjelter, is to be credited for that, along with ATA legal counsel, Dr. Sandra Anderson of Field Law.  (Over the course of events, Earl has retired and is now a member of the retired teacher community.)   

We have already expressed our thanks to Perry Dorgan and Shelley Malanchuk of Johnson Inc. for the professional and ethical manner in which they assisted all parties in the LTD portion of this issue and for the manner in which they served the court.  Once again, Perry, Shelley and Savannah Koch of Johnson Inc. have agreed to serve and at minimal cost to our members and others involved.

Click here to see the court documents