Brian Schramm on Understanding BC Public Sector Pension Plans | HR47

I met Brian when he was working as the Business Manager for the West Vancouver Municipal Employees Union. I was working as the Director of Human Resources and Payroll Services with the District of West Vancouver.

We both eventually moved on from those positions. Brian, to work with the BCGEU – the BC Government and Services Employees Union - as, amongst other responsibilities, their pension expert.

Brian recently retired from, what ended up being over ten years with the BCGEU, building expertise on the public sector pension plans in BC. He sat on pension boards, assisted with a myriad of questions and is probably one of the most knowledgeable individuals around when it comes to this stuff.

Brian joins us on today’s podcast to share some of this knowledge and to address questions that we have both been asked in our respective positions over the years. And, he asked me to stress this is a general overview as plans and their specific details and information including design details will vary and the pension plans themselves should be relied upon for the specifics. The websites for the specific pension plans have been included below.

*EDIT NOTE: The new flat accrual rate on the MPP. is not 1.85% (which was the PSPP number before moving to 1.95% Jan 1 this year). The MPP rate as of Jan 1, 2021 is a flat rate of 1.90%.

About the Guest – Brian Schramm

Brian worked as union business agent, first with the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees’ Union before moving on to represent employees in the local government and K-12 sectors as Business Manager with the West Vancouver Municipal Employees’ Association. Brian left the WVMEA to accept a specialist position with the BC Government and Services Employees Union (BCGEU) as their pensions’ expert. His career in labour relations and pensions spanned 40 years with those three employers. Now retired, he offers his services speaking and providing support to individuals on BC’s Public Service, College, Municipal, Teachers, and WorkSafe BC pension plans. If you are interested in speaking with Brian, either as an organization, as part of your retirement planning programs, or personally, he can be reached at the contact information below.

Phone: (604) 790-7447

Email: thatpensionguy@gmail.com

Podcast Resources:

Public Service Pension Plan website: https://pspp.pensionsbc.ca

Municipal Pension Plan website: https://mpp.pensionsbc.ca

College Pension Plan website: https://college.pensionsbc.ca

Teachers Pension Plan website: https://tpp.pensionsbc.ca

WorkSafe BC Pension Plan website: https://worksafe.pensionsbc.ca

About the Host:

Susan has worked with people all her life. As a human resource professional, she has specialized in all aspects of employment, from hiring to retirement. She got her start as a national representative for a large Canadian union. After pursuing an undergrad degree in business administration, Susan transitioned to HR management, where she aspired to bring both employee and management perspectives to her work. Susan holds a Master of Arts degree in Leadership and Training. She retired from her multi-decade career in HR to pursue writing and consulting, and to be able, in her words, to “colour outside the lines.” She promises some fun and lots of learning through this podcast series.

Susan is also the author of the book Leadership Inside Out: Effecting Change from Within available on Amazon – click below.

Leadership Inside Out: Effecting Change from Within: Ney, Susan G: 9781777030162: Books - Amazon.ca

If you wish to contact Susan, she can be reached through any of the following:

Website: Home - Effecting Change from Within

Email: susangney@gmail.com

Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/susan-ney-197494

Facebook: www.facebook.com/susan.ney.5/

Phone: (604) 341-5643

Thanks for listening!

It means so much that you listened to this podcast! If you know of anyone else who might find this series of interest, please share. If you have questions about this episode, please send me an email at susangney@gmail.com

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