The MTA has created a brief, on-line Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) survey to gather information from all faculty and other higher education employees currently participating in the ORP.  
 
As many of you know, legislation in the form of S 1173 was filed at the MA State House to allow faculty and certain administrators enrolled in the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) to switch from the ORP to the traditional pension plan -  the State Employees Retirement System (SERS). If enacted, S 1173 would grant a one-time opportunity for ORP-enrolled employees to transfer to, and buyback creditable service in, the SERS.
 
This survey is being conducted so that MTA and MCCC leaders can better assess the number of higher education employees interested in this transfer opportunity and the related cost implications. This data is needed to lobby effectively for the passage of this bill. This survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete and will support current lobbying efforts.
 
If you are in the ORP, whether you are interested in this legislation or not, it is important that you complete this survey. The survey will be on-line at the link below for the next two weeks (3/11 through midnight on 3/26):
 
 http://www.mtasurveys.org/se.ashx?s=0B87CA7D4F2A9EE7 
 
Chapter, SAC and ORP leaders, please be sure your ORP colleagues are informed right away of this on-line survey, so that they can respond in a timely way.  Note: It is important that those ORP faculty not interested in this retirement opportunity also participate in this survey, so we can better assess the cost implications for this bill. Be sure to encourage all ORP enrollees to complete this survey.
 
A report of the findings will be made available at the end of the month.
 
Thank you for your support.
 
Donnie McGee
 
Diana (Donnie) McGee
MCCC Vice President & ORP Ad Hoc Committee Chair