Demand Pension Protection

May I introduce Jeanette McGuinness, a retired mathematics teacher from Clearview Regional High School in Gloucester County who was forced to retire after teaching for nearly twenty years. In 2014, she was DIRECTED to attend a fundraiser for her math department, that of which ALL of the members of her department, (including her supervisor), attended, to raise funds for two scholarships awarded to seniors pursuing careers in mathematics. Unfortunately, Jeanette sustained a traumatic head injury while working this event and is now unable to work due to her injuries. She is now fighting for the NJEA to not only fund her appeal to the supreme court after spending almost four years on Workmen’s Compensation, preparing for and attending two court cases, one of which she won workmen’s compensation for (notice the word “work”), and the other a denial from the Pensions Board for an accidental disability retirement, stating that she was NOT WORKING while she incurred this injury - she is asking for YOUR support as a UNION MEMBER (or non-union member as you will read below) to not only fund her appeal to the Supreme Court, but by extension, to agree to stop ALL “VOLUNTEERING” until this case is won!
If Jeanette McGuinness loses, WE ALL LOSE!
According to her most recent TPAF decision, only those members who are considered to be performing their “regular or assigned duties”, will be considered and therefore possibly eligible to receive what the TPAF refers to as Accidental Disability Pension. Although the CRHS administration and the entity of Workmen’s Compensation concurred that Jeanette McGuinness was, in fact, WORKING, she’s been DENIED an Accidental Disability Pension and instead of receiving an Accidental Disability Retirement compensation level close to 72% of her salary at the time of her injury, she was “awarded” an alarmingly low rate of 43.6% of her salary based on her salary at the time of her accident, for the remainder of her life. Jeanette was 42 years old! (Please note there is a slight change in the percentage from the original petition, however both are significantly lower than the 72% that Union Members should be awarded when injured, not to mention the years of bullying and harassment the entity known ad Workmen’s Compensation along with chronic pain, confusion, loss of identity, accruing debt, etc. you must endure during this arduous process of others making decisions about YOUR future because you did the right thing and went to work for the good of your school and students.
Please forgive the minor mistake made above...Our apologies.)
By signing this petition below, you are demanding that the NJEA file and fund an appeal for Jeanette McGuinness to continue her fight for ALL of us at the New Jersey State Supreme Court level. Let the TPAF know that by not RESPECTFULLY recognizing, acknowledging and protecting all the extra time and efforts we have graciously given to our schools and school culture, we will NO longer put our careers and pensions at risk by helping with/for anything considered not within the scope of our “regular or assigned duties”.
If the NJEA does NOT fund the appeal, we agree as a union to NO LONGER make ourselves available to assist our districts with any activity not protected under the statutes of Jeanette’s current decision.
Know your rights – WE are ONE! -

Please know that you do NOT need to be a union member to sign below, you simply need to believe in the cause whether you are a parent, student, community member, retired teacher, police officer, a person who believes in this cause ...Please show unity and sign below,
Our humble thanks to you.