SRHS Retirees Protest Over Pension Plan Scandal
S.R.H.S. retirees are not going quietly and they have many supporters backing them up. Wednesday, they all came together and picketed outside the hospital to bring back their pensions. Louis Tisdale, a supporter of the retirees, says, “I’m here to support the retirees so they can get the pension that was promised to them, their livelihood.”
For months now, employees and retirees have cried out for justice, but Wednesday, they were not alone. Many cars passing by yelled words of encouragement and honked in support, offering more motivation to the group that refuses to give up without a fight. Sybrina Smith, daughter of a S.R.H.S. retiree, says, “They’re very eager and they’re ready to fight for their pension plan. We’re asking and we’re praying that the Board of Trustees has a change of heart and that they turn out to be our heroes and refund that pension plan.”
S.R.H.S. retirees and the friends and family who support them were holding signs Wednesday, letting the Board of Trustees know they’re not going anywhere and want what’s rightly theirs. Eddie Manning, husband of a S.R.H.S. retiree, says, “We invested like the hospital asked her to, and now that we’ve both retired, she still works part time two days a week, but that’s not enough to offset what she lost in the pension plan.”
Like many others, Manning and his wife are left with much less than they had planned for in retirement, but Manning fears if the pension crisis is not resolved, it may start to negatively impact Jackson County’s economy. Manning also says, “And if we lose our pension plan, what about the businesses here just in Jackson County alone? That money isn’t going to be spent here no more.”
S.R.H.S.’s administration shows no signs of budging and is involved with several lawsuits to keep the plan frozen.
Leave a Reply