FEB. 2021 GREETINGS from the PRESIDENT
H-E-L-L-O EVERYONE:
H — How are you?
E — Everything all right?
L — Like to hear from you
L — Love to see you soon
O — Obviously I miss you—
So, HELLO!!!
I know that many of us have been looking forward to 2021 for many different reasons. The past year was filled with ups and downs but I hope in spite of the pandemic and hurdles that you also experienced some joy and kept well! I think we have gained an appreciation of the little things that we just took for granted. Our busyness seemed to sidetrack us from what is really important. May the New Year bring new opportunities to search out new challenges with renewed hope and excitement of learning new things, doing new things, and visiting new/less visited local sites. With the new vaccinations begun, we pray that the curve will go down and allow us more freedoms to go about living our lives with face-to-face human interaction. It is slow progress but we’ll do what it takes to keep safe: thanks to all the responsible, respectful people in our communities following the protocols.
ARTA has now become a self-administrating health benefits provider. If you have not received your new health benefits card, please contact ARTA. On Jan. 14, you received a letter from Daniel Malloy sharing an update on its implementation. This process has been incredibly complicated. The transition has had a few bumps. Some of you have experienced some problems registering, submitting claims, and getting pertinent information. Between January 1 and 15, ARTA had processed 42,685 claims with $1,305,193 reimbursements to ARTA members, and enrolled 11,138 members onto MyARTA. There were also 13,000 calls, 3,000 emails, and 1,700 Contact Us submissions. No wonder that some of you were not able to get your inquiry to ARTA!! The experienced staff will return your calls very soon and tend to your concerns. Many of the new staff were former ASEBP staff so they are very familiar with processing our claims, etc.
I am sure you have become aware of the UPC Government signing a ministerial order imposing an investment management agreement between the ATRF and the AIMCo on December 23, 2020. I believe you would have received a letter from ATA explaining that again the Government imposed this agreement without consultation or notification of the concerned parties(us) until January 11, 2021. Again, Govt. tells us it would not affect our pensions- if you can believe that! PLEASE contact your MLA, Hon. Travis Toews, Premier Jason Kenny, and any other government personnel about our outrage about this ‘behind our back’, unfair, undemocratic decision. Also the ATA has set up a new HandsOffMyPension.ca e-mail that I urge you to reply.
Keep informed by reading your news&views, ARTAfacts, and updated emails to keep abreast of happenings so that you can act accordingly. For detailed articles, please read the articles on ARTA, ATRF, and ATA websites.
As you are aware, SWARTA is not planning for any meetings or events in the near future. We will resume as soon as it is safe to do so. Most branches have suspended activities and use newsletters to say hello. Teachers’ Conventions are on-line this year. That means that ARTA retirement sessions will be done virtually by ARTA Staff. It is truly unfortunate because it is a wonderful time for SWARTA to make that face-to-face contact and introduce teachers to ARTA.
Enjoy and appreciate every minute of your life. Doing simple things can enrich your minds, body, and spirit. Wishing each of you a Year filled with new HOPE, new JOY, and new BEGINNINGS.
Doreen Pawlowski
President of SWARTA
