About Us
Dangers Confronting Retirees
“Protecting the Earned and Promised Rights and Benefits
of Contra Costa’s Public Retirees”
of Contra Costa’s Public Retirees”
RSG Board members for 2019:
Chairperson Pat Patterson
Vice Chair Jack Funk
Treasurer Terry Mann
Secretary Vacant
Director #1 Mike George
Director #2 Vacant
Director #3 Louie Kroll
Assistant Secretaries:
(The assistant secretaries are not Board members)
Christine Sevier
John Welden
Tom Borman
Steve Ojena
RSG Board members for 2019:
Chairperson Pat Patterson
Vice Chair Jack Funk
Treasurer Terry Mann
Secretary Vacant
Director #1 Mike George
Director #2 Vacant
Director #3 Louie Kroll
Christine Sevier
Tom Borman
Steve Ojena
Although RSG was formed in 2002 because the County Board of Supervisors reneged on its promise to provide a $200 per month pension supplement to all retirees, RSG's scope of concerns is now much broader. We advocate for retiree privacy rights, retiree vested rights to existing pension calculation formulas, retiree vested rights to County subsidized health insurance for retirees and their survivors, and the portability of County subsidized Kaiser health insurance outside the boundaries of northern California.
"Our mission is to protect and enhance retiree rights and benefits."
Goals Of This Organization:
-Health benefits for surviving spouse
-Kaiser coverage both "out of area" and "out of state"
-Preventing the County from raiding the retirement fund
-Protecting and enhancing all retiree benefits
-Notifying retirees of their right to prevent the CCCERA from -revealing their pension amount without written authorization from the retiree.
-AB 1071 Compounding the COLA Bank for retirees
-Revival of the $200/month benefit we lost in 2002
Goals Of This Organization:
-Health benefits for surviving spouse
-Kaiser coverage both "out of area" and "out of state"
-Preventing the County from raiding the retirement fund
-Protecting and enhancing all retiree benefits
-Notifying retirees of their right to prevent the CCCERA from -revealing their pension amount without written authorization from the retiree.
-AB 1071 Compounding the COLA Bank for retirees
-Revival of the $200/month benefit we lost in 2002
The Leading Retiree Organization Helping Rectify
Wrongful Health Insurance Denials For Retirees
RSG’s intervention helped more than 30 retirees obtain PERS Health insurance coverage that the County had wrongfully denied, saving these retirees as much as $500 per month in health insurance costs. We don’t just talk about protecting retiree rights and vested benefits; we take action to preserve those rights and benefits.
We do not compete with other retiree organizations, and we encourage retirees to also belong to those organizations. If you already belong to another retiree group, we welcome you to also join RSG.
We do not compete with other retiree organizations, and we encourage retirees to also belong to those organizations. If you already belong to another retiree group, we welcome you to also join RSG.
DANGERS CONFRONTING RETIREES
•
YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE BENEFITS HAVE BEEN CUT.
In 2011 the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors reneged on 50 years of promises of lifetime subsidized health insurance. RSG fought a four-year legal battle in Federal Court that resulted in a Settlement that was finally approved on October 25, 2016. This Settlement provides legally protected health care benefits to more than 4,200 Contra Costa County public service retirees
• YOUR RETIREMENT PENSION IS UNDER ATTACK.
The Governor signed into law on September 12, 2012, legislation that some anti-pension advocates claim will retroactively reduce your pension and will force you to reimburse the Pension System for the difference.
• YOUR PRIVACY IS UNDERMINED.
Anti-pension advocates claim they have the right to pry into your private life to learn the amounts of your earned pension annuity.
• YOU ARE MADE A SCAPEGOAT.
A local newspaper columnist has engaged in a multi-year editorial vendetta against the retirement benefits for which you worked. Politicians blame California’s fiscal woes on YOU because you receive retirement benefits you were promised when you gave your professional career serving the public.
• WHAT IS RSG?
Standing between this political “freight train” and YOU is the Retiree Support Group of Contra Costa County (RSG). We are a nonprofit mutual benefit corporation whose purposes are to (1) inform and educate public service retirees, their spouses, domestic partners, and survivors, on issues affecting their retirement rights and benefits; and (2) to protect those rights and benefits.
• WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN RSG.
We are the newest and fastest-growing organization of Contra Costa County public service retirees. Since our formation in 2002 we have grown to more than 1,250 members, and we continue to add members at an increasing rate.
•THE ONLY INDEPENDENT RETIREE ORGANIZATION.
RSG is the only independent organization of County retirees – we are not connected to an active County employee union, and we are not controlled by Contra Costa County. Our members come from all levels of County departments and special districts. We are thus free to represent retirees’ best interests, even when those interests conflict with the desires of active employees and County government. We have no legal constraints that would require us to represent active employees at the expense of retirees.
•THE ONLY RETIREE ORGANIZATION PUBLICLY FIGHTING FOR RETIREES.
RSG is the leading organization of Contra Costa County public service retirees which has publicly opposed and continues to fight against governmental actions harmful to retirees: (1) the County’s reduction of retiree health insurance benefits; (2) the public disclosure of personal, confidential pension and financial information about retirees; and (3) a retroactive change to the pension benefit formula retirees were promised and on which they relied. We back our commitment to fight against these harmful actions by a legal defense fund dedicated to protecting vested retiree health insurance benefits, by initiating legal actions on behalf of our retiree members, and by writing and filing of legal briefs that protect our retiree members’ rights and benefits. We have taken legal action on behalf of our members to force the County to recognize our vested health insurance benefits. And we are ready to challenge any action that would illegally attempt to retroactively reduce our retirement allowances.
•THE ONLY RETIREE ORGANIZATION WITH A HEALTH INSURANCE PROPOSAL.
RSG is the only organization of Contra Costa County retirees which developed a fiscally sound and realistic health insurance proposal to transfer our health insurance to CalPERS Health. Our plan, which we presented to the County Administrator and the Board of Supervisors as an alternative to the County’s “slash and burn” health insurance program which is greatly increasing health insurance premium costs for retirees, is so good that the active employee unions advocated it in collective bargaining negotiations. While County leaders did not dispute that our proposal would save hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, the County has not adopted our proposal, fearing that they would lose “local control” over health insurance. We believe that “local control” has been the problem; it is not a solution.
DANGERS CONFRONTING RETIREES
•
•
YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE BENEFITS HAVE BEEN CUT.
In 2011 the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors reneged on 50 years of promises of lifetime subsidized health insurance. RSG fought a four-year legal battle in Federal Court that resulted in a Settlement that was finally approved on October 25, 2016. This Settlement provides legally protected health care benefits to more than 4,200 Contra Costa County public service retirees
• YOUR RETIREMENT PENSION IS UNDER ATTACK.
The Governor signed into law on September 12, 2012, legislation that some anti-pension advocates claim will retroactively reduce your pension and will force you to reimburse the Pension System for the difference.
• YOUR PRIVACY IS UNDERMINED.
Anti-pension advocates claim they have the right to pry into your private life to learn the amounts of your earned pension annuity.
Anti-pension advocates claim they have the right to pry into your private life to learn the amounts of your earned pension annuity.
• YOU ARE MADE A SCAPEGOAT.
A local newspaper columnist has engaged in a multi-year editorial vendetta against the retirement benefits for which you worked. Politicians blame California’s fiscal woes on YOU because you receive retirement benefits you were promised when you gave your professional career serving the public.
• WHAT IS RSG?
Standing between this political “freight train” and YOU is the Retiree Support Group of Contra Costa County (RSG). We are a nonprofit mutual benefit corporation whose purposes are to (1) inform and educate public service retirees, their spouses, domestic partners, and survivors, on issues affecting their retirement rights and benefits; and (2) to protect those rights and benefits.
• WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN RSG.
We are the newest and fastest-growing organization of Contra Costa County public service retirees. Since our formation in 2002 we have grown to more than 1,250 members, and we continue to add members at an increasing rate.
•THE ONLY INDEPENDENT RETIREE ORGANIZATION.
RSG is the only independent organization of County retirees – we are not connected to an active County employee union, and we are not controlled by Contra Costa County. Our members come from all levels of County departments and special districts. We are thus free to represent retirees’ best interests, even when those interests conflict with the desires of active employees and County government. We have no legal constraints that would require us to represent active employees at the expense of retirees.
•THE ONLY RETIREE ORGANIZATION PUBLICLY FIGHTING FOR RETIREES.
RSG is the leading organization of Contra Costa County public service retirees which has publicly opposed and continues to fight against governmental actions harmful to retirees: (1) the County’s reduction of retiree health insurance benefits; (2) the public disclosure of personal, confidential pension and financial information about retirees; and (3) a retroactive change to the pension benefit formula retirees were promised and on which they relied. We back our commitment to fight against these harmful actions by a legal defense fund dedicated to protecting vested retiree health insurance benefits, by initiating legal actions on behalf of our retiree members, and by writing and filing of legal briefs that protect our retiree members’ rights and benefits. We have taken legal action on behalf of our members to force the County to recognize our vested health insurance benefits. And we are ready to challenge any action that would illegally attempt to retroactively reduce our retirement allowances.
•THE ONLY RETIREE ORGANIZATION WITH A HEALTH INSURANCE PROPOSAL.
RSG is the only organization of Contra Costa County retirees which developed a fiscally sound and realistic health insurance proposal to transfer our health insurance to CalPERS Health. Our plan, which we presented to the County Administrator and the Board of Supervisors as an alternative to the County’s “slash and burn” health insurance program which is greatly increasing health insurance premium costs for retirees, is so good that the active employee unions advocated it in collective bargaining negotiations. While County leaders did not dispute that our proposal would save hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, the County has not adopted our proposal, fearing that they would lose “local control” over health insurance. We believe that “local control” has been the problem; it is not a solution.