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<blockquote data-quote="JonFrum" data-source="post: 230445">Re: 60% . . . Where&#039;s your PROOF?Cole,Because your Plan improved benefits some years ago which the Fund could not fully afford. This left your Fund underfunded to begin with, then the market dropped, making it even more underfunded, then the government changed the funding rules, making it *seem* even worse still. Now, benefit cuts will probably not be fully restored until the Fund&#039;s assets improve to a 90% funding level or better. There are so many problems with the whole Central States situation that I would need to write a book to cover them. But as bad as everything is, I still say the bottom line is the membership could reform things if only they put their mind to it. Unfortunately, as discussions here on Browncafe have demonstrated, there is a tremendous lack of information coupled with a great deal of misinformation being spread. To reform things, first you have to read up on the subject and become a bit of an &quot;armchair expert&quot; on all aspects of the matter. Then you need to band together with others who have done the same and see if you can agree on a set of facts and a strategy to persue. Then, as a group, you need to take action. I don&#039;t see this happening in Central States. TDU goes one way, APWA goes another, online posters who claim to support APWA go a third, the Teamsters go a fourth, and the lunitic fringe muddies the waters to insure we are all distracted and confused. It seems you live in the worst of all possible worlds. I&#039;ve tried to do my part by posting as much information as I can find, (all public, by the way) and providing links to the original sources so everyone can get the full story. I&#039;ve also tried to correct some of the many errors floating around. And just look how I am being treated! By the way, when I said that moving to another fund would have the problem of still working under the same retirement-hostile policies of UPS, I should have added you will also be stuck with the same cast of disruptive characters (posters) as well. The ones that cause so much trouble here on Browncafe and aparently have the run of the place. It&#039;s very odd that the moderators don&#039;t police this site, and even stranger that Van and Danny don&#039;t police their online supporters. Apparently, anyone can say anything. Truth doesn&#039;t matter.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="JonFrum, post: 230445"] [b]Re: 60% . . . Where's your PROOF?[/b] Cole, Because your Plan improved benefits some years ago which the Fund could not fully afford. This left your Fund underfunded to begin with, then the market dropped, making it even more underfunded, then the government changed the funding rules, making it *seem* even worse still. Now, benefit cuts will probably not be fully restored until the Fund's assets improve to a 90% funding level or better. There are so many problems with the whole Central States situation that I would need to write a book to cover them. But as bad as everything is, I still say the bottom line is the membership could reform things if only they put their mind to it. Unfortunately, as discussions here on Browncafe have demonstrated, there is a tremendous lack of information coupled with a great deal of misinformation being spread. To reform things, first you have to read up on the subject and become a bit of an "armchair expert" on all aspects of the matter. Then you need to band together with others who have done the same and see if you can agree on a set of facts and a strategy to persue. Then, as a group, you need to take action. I don't see this happening in Central States. TDU goes one way, APWA goes another, online posters who claim to support APWA go a third, the Teamsters go a fourth, and the lunitic fringe muddies the waters to insure we are all distracted and confused. It seems you live in the worst of all possible worlds. I've tried to do my part by posting as much information as I can find, (all public, by the way) and providing links to the original sources so everyone can get the full story. I've also tried to correct some of the many errors floating around. And just look how I am being treated! By the way, when I said that moving to another fund would have the problem of still working under the same retirement-hostile policies of UPS, I should have added you will also be stuck with the same cast of disruptive characters (posters) as well. The ones that cause so much trouble here on Browncafe and aparently have the run of the place. It's very odd that the moderators don't police this site, and even stranger that Van and Danny don't police their online supporters. Apparently, anyone can say anything. Truth doesn't matter. [/QUOTE]

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