California correctional officers union asks retirees to pay more dues to keep death benefit

The California Correctional Peace Officers Association is asking retired correctional officers to pay more in dues or lose a life insurance benefit, according to a letter sent to the retirees.

The union, which represents about 28,000 state correctional officers plus roughly 15,000 retirees, is holding a vote on the proposal. Ballots are due March 30, according to the letter.

If approved, the measure would raise retirees’ monthly dues to $20, from $10. Retirees pay less than active members, who pay about $97 per month.

Premiums on retirees’ life insurance policies are expected to go up this year, next year and possibly in future years, the letter says, citing the trust fund that manages the union’s benefits. Monthly premiums for the policies are expected to exceed the $10 that each member pays, according to the letter.

In addition to the death benefit, retired members’ monthly dues cover the union’s quarterly Peacekeeper Magazine along with meeting expenses and staff who work with retirees, according to an emailed statement from union president Glen Stailey.

The life insurance pays up to $10,000 upon the death of a member and up to $2,000 upon the death of a spouse, according to the letter. That payout amount applies until age 60, when the payout drops to $5,000 per member and $1,000 per spouse, according to information on the website of the benefit trust.

If the measure passes, all retired members’ dues will go up and they’ll keep the benefit. If it fails, retirees lose the death benefit, according to the letter.

The benefit trust’s assets exceeded its liabilities by about $57 million in 2019, according to the most recent annual report on the trust’s website.

The dues vote comes as the union ramps up its political spending in an effort to regain its political prominence.

Five political action committees tied to the union spent a total of $7.5 million on politics in 2020, according to California Secretary of State data. The union’s annual budget is roughly $30 million.

Stailey said there is no connection between the political spending and retirees’ dues.

“No retiree dues are spent on political activities,” Stailey said in an emailed statement. “Zero.”

This story was originally published March 23, 2021 at 9:59 AM with the headline "California correctional officers union asks retirees to pay more dues to keep death benefit."