Status Report 9/23/09

If no news is good news, I have mostly good news.

We are still waiting for a response from the UC legal Counsel stating what, if anything, UC is willing to do about our situation.

Our lawyers are still considering our case. They are trying to get an evaluation of our case completed by the end of the month. They have suggested we file an age discrimination complaint as soon as possible. They have not evaluated the likelihood of such a complaint being verified, but unless we act by the end of the month, we will have missed the deadline for filing.

The UCLRG Legal Defense Fund can’t file on our behalf so we need to file as individuals. As far as I can tell, there is no downside to filing and our lawyers are willing to help us file at no additional cost. The basic process is, the complainant submits a complaint to either the state or the feds then the complaint is reviewed and is either ruled valid or invalid. If it is invalid the process is ended otherwise it is up to the complainant where to go next. We have received a suggested template that I am working to embellish at the moment.

They suggest that at least two of us file. I intend to be one of those and I am looking for another. The EEOC has issued a ruling that employers may drop medical coverage for retirees with Medicare coverage without that action being considered age discrimination. Candidates for the second filer should not be covered by Medicare and should not be an officer of the UCLRG Legal Defense Fund. I will accept the first one who volunteers and will supply a copy of my complaint for personalization. I think it may be a good idea for a retiree with Medicare to file a third complaint so the reviewers can consider both viewpoints. If you would like to be the third filer, please let me know.

It looks like we will not reach our $100,000 funding goal but will get above $85,000.