Union email blasts Dems on pension law, previews legal fight
November 21st, 2011 at 3:53 pm by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes
Larry Purtill
The National Education Association union’s Rhode Island chapter is exploring whether it can get a restraining order to block implementation of the pension overhaul Governor Chafee signed into law last Friday.
The state’s largest teachers union probably will also “draw a very hard line” in next year’s election against Democratic lawmakers who voted for the Raimondo-Chafee pension law, according to an email sent by NEARI president Larry Purtill to his members on Monday that was obtained by WPRI.com.
“Lawmakers were either with us or against us,” Purtill wrote. “Lawmakers were told by the treasurer and others that if they didn’t vote for this bill, they wouldn’t be re-elected. Our response was and is, ‘you vote FOR this you won’t be re-elected.’ ” Purtill noted that 15 members of the House, “where the real battle was,” voted against the final bill.
“Don’t buy, ‘I didn’t have a choice’ or ‘I didn’t want to do this but,’ ” Purtill added. “They had a choice and they took the easy way out.”
Governor ‘lied to us’
In a brief telephone interview, Purtill confirmed the email’s authenticity but declined to expand on his comments, telling WPRI.com the message was meant for union members and that he’d let its contents speak for itself. He plans to meet with local NEARI presidents tonight to discuss next steps.
Purtill’s blistering missive blasted Chafee as “disgraceful” for using 15 pens to sign the pension law and giving them to those who crafted it. “I really thought he was better than that,” Purtill wrote. “He lied to us and then flaunted it. We have the arm- and fist-pumping treasurer and the pen-waving governor.”
Purtill’s union played a pivotal role in getting Chafee elected last fall and has been livid with the governor for backing the pension overhaul. Chafee’s spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment, but the governor emphasized on Friday that it pained him to sign a law taking benefits from workers and retirees.
Raimondo, for her part, has said the gesture she made at an Engage Rhode Island rally that has drawn fire from the unions was “a vigorous thumbs-up” and not a fist-pump.
Legal fight may take time
NEARI is discussing with its local and national allies in the labor movement how to fight “this Draconian law” in court, Purtill wrote. He said the union is looking into the feasibility of obtaining a temporary restraining order, but warned it may not be possible because the law doesn’t take effect until July 1.
An injunction halting the law’s implementation would throw a monkey-wrench into the government budget process this winter, because the state as well as cities and towns would need to include money for much higher pension contributions in the fiscal year that starts July 1 than they do under the law as enacted.
“Please understand that this does not happen overnight,” Purtill wrote. “Countless hours of preparation go into a case such as this, especially since it may end up before the Supreme Court.” Rhode Island’s pension changes are “the worst,” but “California is looking at the Rhode Island model” and New Jersey may freeze cost-of-living adjustments, he said.
“While we are rightfully angry and emotional over these changes, legally we have to operate within the reality of the law,” Purtill wrote. “As far as I am concerned, we pursue this until the end.”
In September, the unions prevailed in the first round of a pension lawsuit already winding its way through the state courts. The governor and treasurer appealed the case to the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
Binding arbitration a top priority
The union president made clear the NEARI and the rest of organized labor plan to fight the pension law’s supporters and their allies in Engage Rhode Island during the 2012 campaign. There are currently 65 Democrats in Rhode Island’s 75-member House and 29 Democrats in the 38-member Senate.
“Democrats believe we have to support them because we have no choice,” Purtill wrote. “WRONG – we do have a choice. In fact, a few more Republicans at the State House might actually force Democrats to start behaving as such.”
When the General Assembly reconvenes in January, lawmakers “need to fix this law, pass binding arbitration, and defeat any and all anti-collective bargaining bills,” he said, including any proposals by Education Commissioner Deborah Gist “that impact collective bargaining.”
“And there are no trade-offs here,” Purtill added. “ALL OF THE ABOVE NEEDS TO HAPPEN!”
NEARI will hold regional meetings for its members after Thanksgiving in different parts of the state to explain the union strategy to fight the law, according to Purtill. Those gatherings are still being organized.
An earlier version of this post incorrectly said NEARI is the state’s second-largest teachers union; it is the largest.
(photo: National Education Association Rhode Island)
Tags: democrats, general assembly, gina raimondo, larry purtill, lincoln chafee, neari, organized labor, pensions, politics, raimondo-chafee, unions
Nesi's Notes covers politics and the economy in and around Rhode Island for WPRI.com. (Twitter: 
Larry, the Governor lied to you? So you elected a man who attacked his own party, but was happy to take their money for his Senatorial race. Then he skirted the law on his property taxes and even took money from the Ukrainian mob. You had your members support and vote for him and you act surprised?
Your members get credit for getting us in this mess. They supported greedy Democrats for 7 decades who gave them everything they wanted. They had absolute power and it corrupted absolutely. Their is no balance of power in our state house, you got what you wanted. So will you learn a hard lesson? No, you will continue to vote for the same individuals who will give you what you want and sink RI even further. Your quote about getting more Republican’s elected is an empty statement and at bast a backhanded threat to the Democrats. Your union will do as it did in the last election. You will find Democrat, liberal, union supporters and put them up against other Democrats to increase your numbers. The pattern will then continue and no lesson will ever be learned.
Their is no joy in cutting benefits to any employees, but have you not learned from Central Falls?
I fear it is time to let the cities and towns and Rhode Island for that matter sink into bankruptcy before you and yours see the light! If you want to blame someone start by looking in the mirror.
I sure wish the union leaders would stop having this tunnel vision. What part of “We don’t have the money” don’t you understand? I guess taxpayers should just turn thier pockets inside out to prove it.
Purtill your a bigger joke then Bob Walsh.Instead of firing Liedecker you give him a promotion and a raise.The FBI should be lookin into union activity in RI.If given a choice teachers would not want you Walsh-Liedecker running their union.
Still crying about Liedecker? Geez, I know that’s the only thing you can come up with, but he was tried and convicted wasn’t he? As crimes go, it wasn’t exactly murder. You and Ed Achorn need to be big boys now, it was some emails, shouldn’t have done it, got caught, got convicted, get over it. And the FBI? Really genius? Tell us exactly what you’ve uncovered by way of federal crimes regarding “union activity”…
Man is not subtle with his threats!
Really? Because the only “threat” I saw was the same one Raimondo made. And this was an email to the union members, no one else. But ok, what other “threats” is he making?
Union thuggery in all its unvarnished glory. Yeah, THIS is the type of guy I want representing me. Classy. But isn’t it all for “the children”?
If that’s your idea of a thug, I hope you never meet an actual one…
Good luck, Larry, hope you prevail.
Purhaps Purtill had better sit down and look at this vote closer. He was out-played at his own game. The voters spoke up and “their” legislators listened. If the public unions want to continue with this fight in the courts, then perhaps the voters should have another piece of legislation filed next year – the repeal of the Michaelson Act!
It is long since time that we do exactly this, ie repeal the Michaelson Act or at least major portions of it. If anyone wants to organize themselves in a union, that’s their right, but no one should be able to dictate the terms of how the taxpayers, cities, towns and state must negotiate with them nor should anyone be forced to join that union or pay its dues.
If taxpayers don’t have the money, they need to be free to say “sorry teachers, you take this offer or take a hike”, just like people in the “real world” of the private sector.
As Purtill shows here, they are not giving up and will continue to try to get more and more. We need to keep up the momentum and push to eliminate/reduce Michaelson so they can’t do what they did to us again.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if not one legislator would file a bill for the NEA or the rest of the unions for that matter? The Dems showed us they could represent the taxpayers. Hey, that felt pretty good. Let’s do it again. They don’t need to hear their threats – do what you were sent in there to do – represent the taxpayers!!
Watch out for the “binding arbitration quid pro quo”. We have for months been mesmerized by the pension matter and took our eye off the fact that the year by year pay raises and longevity bonuses have cost the taxpayer a ton more than the pension matter ever could. We’ve lost sight of that problem during this debate.
What we really needed was pension reform and salary caps. We did pension, but still need to slow 4 – 6 % annual compounded wage growth.
GA initiatives to replace the downfall of pension benefits with new salary gains is coming.
all of this talk about pensions… we all do relize that people PAID into these pensions correct? most people paid over 100 dollars a week out of their pay into these pension plans for 20-30 years with the promise of these benefits.. now they are bad people all of a sudden.. and most of us HAD to accept the pension as a part of the job.. its the law if your establishment takes part in it..not only that BUT if your employer is in the state pension system, reguardless if you take it or not you only get 20% of the social security benefit when you retire, not 100% like everyone else!…. the grass isnt all that green… now my question is this.. WHY do we continue to fund welfare for people who are healthy enough to have kids? WE PAY THESE PEOPLE TO NOT WORK!!!!! IF YOUR HEALTHY ENOUGH TO HAVE KIDS YOUR HEALTHY ENOUGH TO GET A JOB! the pension system is a FRACTION of the burden in this state compaired to the welfare!!!!!! get rid of the welfare.. they dont pay taxes.. they get paid for NOTHING.. they have a pension from this state for life FOR NOTHING!
what law sets your social security benefits at 20%?
how can we be so mad at the unions when they are tax paying people who get up and go to work and not be mad at the welfare people who dont get a job and or pay any taxes.. they only USE taxes.. so they can be lazy…? just doesnt makes sense to me at all…
Robert
You are correct that the average rank and file member has been scrwd by their leaders. But the average rank and file member worked hard to keep in power the very people who stacked the deck against them. You ignore the obvious fact that many states got their pension funding correct in amounts able to pay pension plus COLA’s while suffering the same market downturns (NY, NC, Florida, Oregon etc.)
RI ended up dead last at the bottom of the barrel (yes even behind NJ and Il when properly measured). How did that happen?? Because we live in a state where cronyism is celebrated as a badge of honor. Who has been doing the most cronyism flag waving since time began? The union rank and file!
When that changes and they start thinking beyond what the taxpayer owes them, then things will turn around.
I received this union email and couldn’t wait to delete it. As a dues paying member, I was glad the governor signed this bill. What do you say to that Mr. Purtill???
That you are a bit slow…?
HE’S slow?? He’s the one that can do math, you idiot
hey all i can say is maybe now the unions will try to recall chafee like they are doing in wisconsin with there governor there
Piece of dog feces… Union scum. DEMOCRATS GET THE HELL OUT OF OUR STATE!! You’ve done ENOUGH damage! Go to the Middle East where you belong!!
Way to go Mike! Prove that your teachers failed you before they retired early. “…like they are doing in Wisconsin with there governor…”
Can’t help but admire people who don’t even know that “their” is the correct possessive term to be used in a sentence such as yours.
The pension mess is simple math: they take $100 out of your check every week for 20 years: so you put in approx 104,000 and then you retire at 50k a year for 30 years. What a deal put in 104,000 to take out 1,500,000. The bottom line is that they need to work til 67 like the real world and put in enough to cover what they take out.
george, you are forgetting a few important facts…. the employer also pays into your pension, just like your employer matched or whatever you agreed too with your 401k ect…. we pay about 110 a week, and the employer pays about the same every week… so given those numbers, its more like 208,000…. now.. go to ANY 401k calculator and with a 5.5% rate of return which is what the state has been getting on the pension money it brings it up to 1,380,000. thats pretty close to the 1,500,000 that your listed… NOW the pension is 60% of your AVERAGE salary when you retire.. i can assure you ( public knowledge ) 60% of my salary is NOT 50k, i wish it was but its not… its 34,800. thats what ill get for 30 years of service…. and NO cost of living increase.. and only 20% of my SOCIAL SECURITY … if i had a 401k, id have the 1,380,000 that would go to my family if i died… AND id get social security..
Then the union members should embrace the change to a 401k style benefits plan. There, problem solved. Everyone’s happy.
The union members just don’t get the fact that we are headed for a complete meltdown in Rhode Island without pension reform. Yes, you paid into the system, but while you were doing that the amount that government had to pay in (20%) was ridiculous! The the return rate the government was using (8.25%) was ridiculous! The politicians union members supported (Democrats) were happy to lie to keep it going (biggest liar Frank Caprio). Your union gave them money, endorsed them, and kept them in business. You get full credit for the mess you created. Is it fair? I have news for you, LIFE’S NOT FAIR. Those same cronies you elected every year, the taxpayers got stuck with! Your biggest success, LINC CHAFEE. YOU GET WHAT YOU DESERVE. You get the the screws put to you by the same individual you elected to put the screws to everyone else with his platform of TAX INCREASES.
As democrats you have yet to figure out that the same party you elect to give your members what they want, also supports illegal immigrants (more money we can’t afford). They also support raising taxes (driving out upper income taxpayers that RI needs). They have also created the WORST anti-business climate in the country (we are ranked dead last according to CNBC)
So public sector union member, you are now getting the fruits of your labor. Will you learn and elect Republicans to balance the power? No, you will put up more liberal tax and spend union candidates like you did in 2010 as democrats.
Now, your union could always have some run as Republicans, as this has been done before, ie Savage and Algiers (liberal Republicans who vote with the Democrats on almost everything). And is currently being done, ie Brendan Doherty (really a Democrat, being financed by Democrats, who has donated to Democrats). But the Republican Party, is now beginning to wake up after years of bad management by Gio Cicionne. Their recent vote to close their own primary fell a few votes short of the super majority needed, which is a very telling sign.
Pension reform has awoken the sleeping giant, THE APATHETIC VOTER. They now know what has been going on in our state for years. The 2012 election will be the most important election perhaps in RI history.
to make this clear… we paid 9% and so did our employer… so thats 9% from me and 9% from the government employer.. NOT 20%… this is in black and white and the law says you as a tax payer (which i am as well) are entitled to know.
yes the planned on 8.25% but they got 5.5%
at 30 years at 5.5% return that gives you 1,380,000.00
60% percent of the salary is about 35,000.. with 1,380,000 dollars you can go 40 YEARS AT 35,000 A YEAR!…. now, i can promise you not every person lives to the full 40 years of retirement.. and they dont cut your survivors the check for the balence.. so how were we unreasonable? it was the SAME numbers as a 401k!!
Let’s remember one thing – 60% of your three highest years. With the corrupt system we have, many are promoted near the end of their careers, or bid on higher paying jobs (which they get only due to seniority, not ability) and stay in them for their final three years, then retire with a pension amount which is skewed to their last salary. So, the truth is, you did not pay $110 per year for thirty years. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, your employer is the State of RI, so we (the RI Taxpayers) have been contributing the other half of your pension payments all along. The taxpayers have now, oficially, been screwed twice by the unions and the Democrats that supported them. Stop whining and tighten your belts like everyone else!!!
Purtill and other union leaders apparently don’t understand that the laws of economics apply to them and the unions just like everyone else. They also appear unable to learn from recent history.
If the courts overturn the recent pension reform that will mean the cities and towns and state will have to dramatically reduce services and/or dramatically increase taxes. Given the economic situation in the state and the fact the RI is one of the highest taxed states already, and the mood of the average taxpayer. I doubt that the politicians will do either. That means that numerous cities and towns – and perhaps the state given the probable loss of gambling revenue in the near future – will have to declare bankruptcy. That will void all contracts as has been done in Central Falls.
If the unions are successful in overturning the recent pension reform in the courts they will be doing to RI what the auto workers unions did – helping to drive their employers into bankruptcy. And everyone can see the results for the auto workers – far less employed in the industry and significant decrease in wages and benefits.
Pension reform will happen in RI – it is only a question of how it happens.
Very eye opening comments here that ring with a great deal of truth. My husband is a life long democrat and for years he was told whom to vote for in every election in order to preserve his slice of the pie. What I have seen in the last year has completely opened my eyes! What I read in one of the comments written here is the icing on the cake. We went to a Democrat event and were told to vote for and support a Republican because he is really one of us. Yes, he is in the state pension program and will help us we were told. His name is Brendan Doherty. I asked questions but got vague answers and my husband told me to be quiet. So it has already begun. Purtill’s comment above about the union perhaps supporting republican’s is in play.
My husband takes direction from the union leaders and shows up when he is told with signs to support what the union wants. He has done this for years and now he is angry because his benefits have been cut. My parents are elderly and can barely afford to live in Rhode Island and are thinking about moving to Florida. Needless to say I am not happy. But people need to know what is going on here.
Doherty is running for a Federal office that has no involvement with the state legislature which makes the pension rules. I wonder how the unions think Doherty will be able to help them?
now the union knows how the tax payer feels, not good it is?
Watch out for binding arbitration! Check out http://www.ricaba.org to help defeat binding arbitration
Binding Arbitration Binding Arbitration Binding Arbitration Binding Arbitration Binding Arbitration Binding Arbitration Binding Arbitration Binding Arbitration Binding Arbitration!!!!!!
THIS MUST FAIL!!
The union tries to tell me who to vote for also. What I do is, whoever they want, I pick the opposite. It just bothers me that they spend MY union dues on someone I’m not voting for.
[...] unions, meanwhile, are weighing whether to challenge the new pension law separately or move to have it added to the current case [...]
Robert, your employer may have paid 9% where you are but if you do your research that is not the case in all situations. Many entities in the state system are paying much higher than that and the rate has been increasing.
You really don’t understand the fact that regardless of what you were promised, the state can’t pay it. You can’t get blood out of a stone. Look at what occurred in Central Falls. So you won’t get your cola and you will have to work longer, like the private sector employees. I think if they had a choice in Central Falls they would accept that.