Memphis Campus Temps Outwit Scheme to Privatize Their Social Security (FICA ALTERNATIVE WHAT?)

[Omaha Steve]

http://labornotes.org/blogs/2015/01/memphis-campus-temps-outwit-scheme-privatize-their-social-security

January 08, 2015 / Steve Payne and Jeffrey Lichtenstein


United Campus Workers Vice President Thelma Jean Rimmer spoke at a 2011 rally. The non-majority union runs on a shoestring budget, relying on members' creativity. Its latest battle is to block the University of Memphis from replacing temporary workers' Social Security with a privatized version, the "FICA alternative plan." Photo: UCW-CWA.


Though we don’t have a union contract, workers at the University of Memphis last month took quick action and backed management off its plan to privatize our Social Security—for now, anyway.

The university made the announcement December 12: on just a week’s notice, almost 2,000 temporary workers, including one of the authors of this article, would be laid off. We could reapply in hopes of getting our jobs back.

The affected workers included many long-term temps, such as people working as data and lab techs, custodians and groundskeepers, and lots of adjunct faculty.

Public employees are denied our right to bargain in Tennessee, but that hasn’t stopped us from organizing. As a non-majority union, United Campus Workers (UCW-CWA) runs on a shoestring budget and relies on member activity and creativity to win.

FULL story at link.

[Historic NY]

1. "FICA alternative plan."........

look to seeing and hearing that one again. Like "right to work", designed to confuse.

[eShirl]

2. more conservative Flim-Flammery, is what it sounds like

[NV Whino]

3. Two pertinent paragraphs

It turns out that Congress created this type of plan for public employers in 1990, overturning previous regulations that had ensured that public employees could not be exempted from Social Security. These FICA alternative plans can only affect temporary seasonal workers in new positions, which is why the university had to fire and rehire us. They’re used by various public entities, particularly in the South. - See more at: http://labornotes.org/blogs/2015/01/memphis-campus-temps-outwit-scheme-privatize-their-social-security#.dpuf

But we’ll work to make his position untenable by leveraging the lessons we learned: sometimes you have to pick fights even if you don’t think you’ll win; always ask for help; and make sure our message appeals to a broader constituency than just our members. - See more at: http://labornotes.org/blogs/2015/01/memphis-campus-temps-outwit-scheme-privatize-their-social-security#.dpuf

[Historic NY]

7. Problem is every month, every day worked

that you contribute and your employer pays in FICA helps to fund Medicare & Social Security. The less in the less out of the programs. It might not sound like much but in the end it helps.

[Freddie]

4. Doubt if that's legal

The only employees (and employers) exempt from FICA are some clergy and certain religious groups (Amish). And of course "independent contractors" which these jobs would certainly not qualify for.

On edit: I was not aware of the above law! FICA is the only "guaranteed thing" everyone has -- that sucks!

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. Attempts to privatize Soc. Sec. will not go away.

Look how well the privatization of your 401-K worked.
Mine was a forced annuity with AIG. Legally I had no choice, payments were automatically deducted, I could not touch it for 8 years, could not move it.

So, as we know, AIG bet with our forced savings and went bankrupt.

Happily, I was able to move my money in the spring before the 2008 crash,

The Gov't has been talking about a "new" 401-K type plan for people, where they take your money and promise to give it back at retirement.
There may be enough fools to actually sign up for it.

[WhiteTara]

6. Thelma Jean, the name of a hero.

Go Thelma Jean!!!