Dear ATPAM Member:

In a document entitled “ATPAM Negotiation Update” which the League is widely circulating in the industry for political purposes during our negotiations, the League continues to spread disinformation about the crisis in our Welfare Fund and our Fund Office operation. In the same manner that George Bush is manufacturing a dire crisis in Social Security as cover to advance his agenda of privatization, the League continues to grossly overstate the financial crisis of our health plan. They continue to do this in spite of actuarial numbers that do not support their position in favor of draconian cuts to ATPAM members’ health benefits. 

In the section of the League “update” entitled “Healthcare in Crisis” they make shocking misstatements that could only be made by persons who either cannot read the updated actuarial numbers or deliberately choose to ignore them because they do not support an agenda of benefit slashing.  Moreover, to belittle the sacrifices already made by rank and file members of this Union with regard to eligibility and benefit cuts is stunning in its callousness. There is hardly a plan participant who has not been negatively impacted over the past three years.

Fatally flawed actuarial projections by the Segal Company in early 2003 were used by the Employer Trustees as justification to demand an immediate $1,000,000.00 cut in benefits to our members.  Sensing that the projections were wrong, the Union Trustees resisted the cuts. Even after the projections were proven to be wrong, the Employer Trustees persisted in demanding these cuts. Eventually they commenced arbitration and litigation to advance their agenda.  The League and its Trustees bear responsibility for the high legal costs to the Fund in this matter—not the Union or the Union Trustees. In this environment is it any surprise that there is a difficult relationship between the Union and the League?

The real facts about “Healthcare in Crisis” are as follows: The first set of actuarial projections in 2003 showed the Fund bankrupt in 2005. The second set later that year showed the Fund bankrupt in 2007.  The new projections in 2005 show the Fund solvent through 2007 and with nine months of reserves!  How did this happen?  Cost shifting onto the backs of the plan participants in the form of eligibility and benefits cuts along with prudent and modest plan-redesign is responsible for the dramatic turn-around in the numbers in a very short period of time.  But it was ALL done on your back. What have your employers done to help out except make more and more hard-edged demands? They have done nothing except use legal maneuvers to strip out your plan assets to pay their own lawyers for what amounts to collective bargaining with ATPAM.

The League document makes all sorts of wild accusations, some of which verge on libel and are designed solely to divert attention from the real issues. Those issues are your wages and benefits.  We call upon the responsible leadership at the League to stop the campaign of demagoguery and disinformation and come to the table prepared to negotiate a fair and equitable contract for you, their key employees. It is time to get down to brass tacks.

Fraternally,

The Officers and Board of ATPAM