Where
The Rubber Meets the Road
I
have talked about contributions enough that you should not be surprised when I
finally ask for them, provide details for sending them and tell you why we need
them. You can send the contributions now or as soon as possible. I am
contributing $1,000.
Your
checks should be made out to the UCLRG Legal Defense Fund. an
Unincorporated Association set up to collect funds for a legal challenge to UC
regarding their illegal dumping of retirees on LLNS. Checks should be sent to our
Treasurer:
UCLRG
Legal Defense Fund
C/O
Barbara Sokoloski
1144
Xavier Way
Livermore,
CA
94550
As I
said earlier, the more we collect, the more likely we are to win. I also told
you contribute as much as you can but donŐt contribute more than you can afford
to loose because there is no assurance that we will win or that you will get
your money back.
The
amount of contribution is up to you. My suggestions are:
1.
As
much as you are willing to loose.
2.
What
the changes cost you this year, $1000 in my case.
3.
Your
fair share if we all contributed equally, $350.
4.
As
much as you can afford.
For
those of you who wonder why now, we are at the point we need to commit to
paying for legal services. We have been working with two local lawyers and
their law firms. They are:
Andrew
Thomas (Tom)
Sinclair, www.sinclairlawoffice.com/
Dov
M. Grunschlag, www.carterfries.com/
While
we have not signed any contracts with them, both they and we are working on the
assumption that they should be paid for their services.
We
are also at the point where we need to commit to hire www.stemberfeinstein.com/,
Bill
Payne is the member who has the most expertise in the firm on these issues and
who is a member of the California bar. John Stember has forwarded
several agreements for legal services that his firm has used in similar cases,
which Tom and Dov are looking over.
John
Stember has stated, we are interested in pursuing this case under an agreement
for legal services. However, we need to know that your respective groups
can raise funds to support the litigation that will be necessary to challenge
the decision of the University to move LLNL retiree medical benefits out of
UCRP. As we have discussed, that decision involved millions of dollars
and will be difficult to challenge. Before we commit more of our time and
resources, we want to be sure that your groups can raise the funds that will be
needed.
If we
can show that we can raise a credible amount of funding, we are in a position
to challenge UC. If we are all talk and no action, we can forget about it. How
it goes from here is up to you. I can organize and argue and solicit on my own,
but I canŐt pay for legal action on my own.
Joe