PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
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n April 29, 2021, I will reach 30 years of service and hit my OMERS early retirement date, at which time I can retire without a penalty. I will have just turned 53 years old. A point to understand is that while this may be the OMERS early retirement date, it is not my Toronto Fire Services early retirement date. That date is achieved six months prior, on November 1, 2020. This is the case because we have a very useful provision in our collective agreement. We have the option of retiring and using our sick time gratuity as vacation salary, as opposed to a lump sum payment. With this clause, I could have retired from TFS on November 1, 2020, and received my full salary for the next six months. Since it is deferred vacation time, the salary I would receive would be pensionable. OMERS would receive pension contributions from me and the city, up to April 30, 2021. They would then retire me as of April 30, 2021, and I would receive my first pension payment on May 1, 2021. As you can see from this example, I could have left six months earlier than my OMERS early retirement date, but it would not have a negative effect on my pension. We have a handful of members who exercise this option on a yearly basis. I believe it is so low, because most members are not aware of this benefit option. Recently, I had a member meet with me because he had an opportunity for different employment. We went over his numbers and he explained that he was going at his first opportunity because this other opportunity was waiting for him. When I mentioned that he could have done it six months earlier, he was disappointed that he was not aware of it. Most members would like to receive this as a lump sum, as they have the pension time they need. In the case of the member, he would have been able to receive both the Fire Department salary for six months and the wages from the other job for six months. That is the equivalent of receiving the lump sum sick time gratuity. In his case, it would have increased access to other employment
benefits as well. If he had been educated in this, he would have taken advantage of this option. It is for this reason that I say the time to plan for retirement is well before your actual retirement. I recommend a minimum of one to two years prior to the actual retirement taking place. Read and understand the collective agreement and the OMERS rules. Sign up for MyOmers with our “New Members Committee” and and explore the various tools it contains. stayed active until they decided to run for OMERS will be adding additional retire- 3888 leadership. We need to continue to ment planning functions to the tools that help ensure that we have many members with the needed skill set and experience. are already there. When I think of retirement from my We need to expand the education opportucurrent position, it is also hard not to think nities and that is an item that we are doing. about succession planning. Recently, we Recently, the executive board was able to have seen former union members move to partake in an online learning course, in management positions or acting positions. I cooperation with Ryerson-Lancaster House am sure that is not the succession planning Professional Learning Program. Our stewthat most members would have had in ards partook in an OPFFA online seminar. The membership can help with sucmind. One fact to keep in mind, is that all executive positions are elected positions. It cession planning. You can support your is very difficult for me or anyone else to do stewards and the members on various traditional succession planning, because it committees. At times, I have seen a small is not up to us who will replace us. It is minority attack a member’s motives for up to the membership, and we have seen getting involved with the association. I over the years, that they may have a differ- personally do not understand it. There are ent sense of who should represent them. many ways to try and improve the Fire It is for this reason that I do not begrudge Service. You can become an associate trainanyone who moves to a management posi- ing instructor, join various TFS committees, tion that has the skill set to do so. I would join 3888 committees and become a leader agree that working for the association has within the association. All these positions allowed them to obtain some of that skill are admirable, and all should be treated set, but as long as it is applied to better our with dignity and respect. COVID-19 has changed our normal way organization, it is up to them. It is for this reason that the type of succession planning of life. In fact, it has created a new normal, the association can do is ensure we have and we will have to adjust to it. It should people that develop the skills they may not change what we value and hold dear. need to move to other positions. As you To those we love and see each day, as well can see, those positions may be outside of as other loved ones that are far away; to all the association. That is how we measure if good friends who mean so much and those we are providing what we can for succes- with whom we’re out of touch…wishing you every happiness this holiday season sion planning. When I looked to see who recently ran in and throughout the coming year. Stay safe! the South and East Command by-elections, I was glad to see so many stewards. We have expanded member involvement beyond only stewards with over a hundred members sitting on our various commit- Frank Ramagnano, President tees. Someday, I hope to hear a President of Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association this association say that they got involved I.A.F.F. Local 3888
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Fire Watch Volume 14 Issue 4_v29.indd 5
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