SPOA is fighting for your pension 

The Shreveport Police Officers Association is gearing up to fight for your family's interest in the huge retirement and pension battles that are looming in the Louisiana State Legislature in Baton Rouge.

SB 12 creates a two-tiered retirement system for all public employees in Louisiana, and SPOA is in the Capitol fighting the legislation.

In the end, this is the committee that will decide whether or not SB #12 goes forward to the floor of the State Senate for consideration. Our job is to make sure that these Senators know that you are opposed to this bill. Not only should you oppose this bill but we should be insulted that our political leaders would consider even filing legislation like this. Every public employee in Louisiana would be negatively impacted by this bill. Every police officer, fire fighter, teacher and thousands of other workers would wind up in a two-tiered retirement system. Your retirement plan and any defined benefits, defined contributions and anything other than a 401K type plan would be scrapped. Police officers and other first responders would wind up with the same retirement plan as those who work at Wal-Mart.

Your sacrifice, your honor and hard work obviously mean nothing to those who are willing to kick us to the curb down in Baton Rouge. Stay tuned, we will all need to work together and make sure these Senators hear directly from each one of us as this bill gets pushed toward a committee hearing in the Capitol. 

Learn More About SB 12 and monitor its progress 

From the President 

Dear SPOA Members:

We have been in constant dialogue with our Louisiana State Senator's in reference to Senate Bill 12. For those that have not read SB 12, it is by far, the most malicious bill of legislation that we have ever seen filed in Louisiana. This bill, if passed, will literally change our lives forever. It is important to note that there is no “grandfather clause” to this bill. If passed it will affect everyone in the Municipal Employee Retirement System (MPERS) that is not retired or already under the “cash drop” portion of MPERS. 

The SPOA Executive board has remained in constant conversation about the need to defeat SB 12. We have spoken with dozens of SPOA members over the past several weeks. In addition, it has garnered long conversations in recent SPOA monthly meetings. After much discussion, the SPOA Executive board has hired Media and Political Strategies to represent us once again. Many of you will remember this company, led by Charley Wilkison, from the 2002 ¼ cent sales tax campaign, and again in 2006 to renew the same sales tax. 

With years of loyalty and hard work between SPOA and M & P Strategies, it was a unanimous vote to allocate the necessary finances at the April 2011 general meeting. In addition, the SPOA Executive board has unanimously approved an additional amount to kill SB 12 as quickly as possible. We will spend what it takes to protect our retirement. 

Finally, we have spoken with Chief Shaw in reference to SB 12 and it would appear at this time that everyone at the Shreveport Police Department, both SPOA members and non-members, are in absolute agreement, SB 12 must not be allowed to pass. Not in this legislative session, nor in any future legislative session. We would strongly encourage every police officer, jailor, and police communication officer to read SB 12. Without going into great detail, the bill will eliminate the cash drop, extend our retirement benefit from the highest 3 year average, to the highest 5 year average, with a minimum age of 57 years old to prevent actuarial penalties. Further reading of the bill at your own leisure will probably provoke a lot of questions and perhaps even anger as to why such a devastating bill would ever be introduced in our State Senate. We will post daily updates on the SPOA website, shreveportblue.org, so that you can track the status of our fight to kill SB 12 at your convenience. 

Now is the time that we must act in unison. Please call the elected Senator and State Representatives that represent your district (where you live) and ask them to vote NO in regards to Senate Bill 12. 

Fraternally Yours,

Michael E. Carter, M.A.

President, SPOA

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