We mark our 60th anniversary, the 150th anniversary of the RCMP and we look forward to a busy and productive year.
As we approach the annual meeting of members on June 20 to 22, my mind is on your support and I want to thank you for your membership in our organization.
In this issue of Sage, we highlight the work of those who participated in our annual Mega Recruitment Drive and celebrate their successes. One thing I’ve learned about our membership recruitment is that word of mouth is critical. In February 2023 alone, a full 70.5 per cent of our new members heard about us through word of mouth, so if you’re in touch with former colleagues who aren’t members, do let them know about the benefits of membership. You never know — they may join and list you as their point of contact, giving you a chance to win next year’s Mega Recruitment Drive’s grand prize and one of the many secondary prizes.
As an organization, our initial and primary raison d’être is to defend the pensions of our members and, as austerity measures come into focus on the federal government side, I want to assure you that our highly effective professional staff are vigilant in monitoring and ensuring that we have the best advice possible if we ever have to go into protection mode. You worked your whole career with the expectation that you would have a secure income in retirement. We are here to make sure that continues to be the case.
Not only does our hard work on pensions benefit current retirees, it also benefits those who are still working and still contributing to their pensions. To that end, I would also encourage you to recruit those you know who are still working in the public service. They are eligible for membership now. As an example, Newfoundland-based super-recruiter Joanne Morrissey signed up her daughter, who currently works for the federal government.
Besides pension protection, another benefit of membership this year is a travel contest to mark our 60th anniversary. There aren’t many national membership-based organizations that can claim to have existed for 60 years so it’s a milestone worth celebrating. You will be invited to enter the contest, which includes $76,000 in prizes from Collette and Johnson Insurance, with a mail-in ballot in this issue of the magazine, or you can enter online.
Speaking of benefits of membership, I am very pleased to announce that through our negotiations with Johnson MEDOC®, we continue to be able to offer you the best travel insurance available for the policy year beginning Sept. 1 at an average increase in premiums of only 3.8 per cent. I would also like to welcome aboard our newest preferred partner, IRIS Advantage, which has a host of new vision care and eyewear benefits to share with our members. You can find details on all they have to offer on our website.
Finally, I wanted to highlight the work of Sayward Montague, our director of advocacy. In April, as part of our role in the Canadian Coalition Against Ageism, she travelled to New York City to attend the OEWG13, the United Nation’s open-ended working group on aging, where she helped stress the importance of a UN convention on the rights of older persons. That our organization has had representation at such a high level is yet another success for Federal Retirees.
As summer approaches, I look forward to seeing some of you at the AMM and reporting back to all of you on relevant happenings.