If you can’t view this newsletter please click here to view it online Union Benefits Update April 2012 Welcome to the April edition of Your Union Benefits Update. This month we bring you the good news of the Superannuation Guarantee increase from 9% to 12%. Don't miss out on joining our online Footy Tipping Competition, two great DVD giveaways, info on how to register for this year's Mother's Day Classic and a chance to win a new Super Book! Join ME Bank at the 2012 Mother's Day Classic and support breast cancer research Join us at the 2012 Mother's Day Classic and support breast cancer research. ME Bank has been the major sponsor of the annual Mother's Day Classic since 2005 with the national event helping raise more than $10.8 million for breast cancer research since it began. This year there will be 50 events across Australia from Melbourne to Port Headland. We encourage all union members and their families to join us by walking, running or volunteering at their closest event. For details of your local event, visit mothersdayclassic.com.au Do more every day for breast cancer research and you could WIN!* Now you can show your support for breast cancer research every day. ME Bank's EveryDay Transaction Account comes with PINK Debit MasterCard®. Every time you make a purchase using your PINK Debit MasterCard, ME Bank will donate 1 cent toward National Breast Cancer Foundation research projects – funding prevention and cure. Open an EveryDay Transaction Account with PINK Debit MasterCard between 26 March and 31 May 2012 and we'll waive the $10 one-off Pink card fee. Plus, you'll go into a draw to win a trip for two to Gaia Retreat and Spa, Byron Bay. To find out more and to apply go to mebank.com.au/pink Terms and conditions Join the ACTU/ME Bank AFL & NRL Footy Tipping Competitions Show off your tipping talents by joining the famous ME Bank/ACTU footy tipping competition. After the final rounds of the 2012 season the highest ranked tipsters for both AFL and NRL codes will receive a $1,000 EveryDay Transaction Account from ME Bank, the bank for union members. Good luck and happy tipping! Join the AFL Competition Password is union Join the NRL Competition Password is union TERMS AND CONDITIONS Only financial members of ACTU affiliated unions are eligible to claim prizes. Retirees who were a member of an affiliated union at the time they retired are also eligible. ACTU Member Connect will determine the winners and this decision is final. Madman DVD Giveaway Enter the draw to win one of 3 copies of both 'Once Upon a Time in Cabramatta' and 'Melancholia' we are giving away to 6 lucky union members this month courtesy of Madman Entertainment! To win a copy of 'Once Upon a Time in Cabramatta' email memberconnect@actu.org.au before 5:00pm AEDT Friday 13th April 2012. To win a copy of the 'Melancholia' email memberconnect@actu.org.au before 5:00pm AEDT Friday 13th April 2012. Only members of ACTU affiliated unions are eligible to claim prizes. A night at the movies for just $10.50! The Australian Movie Vouchers are valid at over 60 cinemas across Australia and are excellent value for union members at just $10.50 each. The vouchers can be used any day of the week and are valid for 12 months. Union members can purchase the vouchers online at the Australian Movie Voucher web site subject to a minimum purchase of 5 vouchers. To take advantage of this exclusive discount to union members visit theaustralianmovievoucher.com.au/union Great news! Parliament passes legislation to increase super to 12% Just a day ACTU delivered the Stand up for Super online petition, Federal Parliament has passed a new law to increase the national Superannuation Guarantee from 9% to 12%. This is great news as it means millions of working Australians will enjoy a more secure retirement. For a 30 year old worker on average wages it will deliver an extra $100,000 in super when they retire. For literally millions of Australians it will mean the difference between a more modest retirement and a more comfortable life, where you can afford a little more for you and your family. Thanks to all of the six thousand people who supported our online petition, which was delivered to the Labor Government on Sunday 18 March. The next stage of our campaign will be to make sure working Australians are getting the full benefit of their super by investing it in Industry Super Funds and protecting it in Enterprise Agreements and awards. Stay tuned at standupforsuper.com.au 'A Super History' Book Giveaway To celebrate the passing of the new law to increase the national Superannuation Guarantee from 9% to 12%, Member Connect has two copies of fantastic new book 'A Super History' by Christine St Ann to give away to lucky members this month. In addition to this, Educated Investor Bookshop is offering a special discounted price to union members who would like to purchase a copy of the book. A SUPER HISTORY starts in the 1950s on the waterfront as maritime unions push for a retirement savings system that was then the privilege of a minority of white-collar employees. It takes us through the ACTU's campaign for universal, fully vested superannuation which led to the eventual passage of the superannuation guarantee in 1992. The passion and the politics around the early years of the history make way for the emergence of industry superannuation funds and the growth of the superannuation industry, a sector that was largely credited for protecting Australia from the worst effects of the global financial crisis. To enter this competition, email memberconnect@actu.org.au before 5:00pm AEDT Friday 13th April 2012. Only members of ACTU affiliated unions are eligible to claim prizes. To purchase the book and access the exclusive offer from Educated Investor Bookshop, click here. Finding your lost super is now even easier For over 10 years, AUSfund (Australia's Unclaimed Super Fund) has focused solely on helping industry fund and union members search for and find their lost super money. The newly upgraded website makes it even easier to: Consolidate multiple super accounts Search for lost super (and get it back) Ask us a question about super And, there's even more AUSfund is a wholly owned subsidiary of Industry Fund Services, one of the largest providers of financial services and products to industry super funds, unions and their members, which means that the new site now provides you with an even wider range of financial and product information, tools and calculators. If you have changed jobs, name or address over the past few years and didn't tell your super fund, there is a good chance that you one of these accounts may be yours. Do you have a spare minute? Because, that is all it will take to search for a lost super account–it is fast, free and available 24/7. Visit the new site at unclaimedsuper.com.au ACTU Congress update More than eight hundred delegates are expected to attend the 2012 ACTU Congress which is being held from Tuesday 15th May to Thursday 17th May, at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. The ACTU Congress is effectively a parliament for working people, where delegates debate and vote on policies regarding the workplace, rights, and campaigns to improve wages, conditions and quality of life for Australian workers and their families. This process sets the union agenda for a further three years. This year's ACTU Congress will feature a dynamic range of guest speakers including the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard; the Minister for Workplace Relations, Bill Shorten; former Prime Minister, Paul Keating; former ACTU Secretary, Bill Kelty; Chair of the Independent Inquiry into Insecure Work, Brian Howe; Director of the Economic Policy Institute (USA), Lawrence Mishel and the General Secretary of the Fijian Trades Union Congress, Felix Anthony. All union members are invited to attend Congress as observers. If you are attending, don't forget to visit the Member Connect team at our display stand and enter our great competition to win a range of fantastic prizes. If you would like to know more about Congress click here. Secure Jobs. Better Future The hearings for the Howe Inquiry into Insecure Work may have finished, but that doesn't mean you can't join the campaign for better rights for the 40% of Australians in insecure work. After 25 days of hearings around the nation, the inquiry, chaired by former Deputy Prime Minister Brian Howe, is now writing its report that will be publicly released at ACTU Congress in May. The inquiry heard from dozens of witnesses about the extent and impact of insecure work on top of the more than 500 written submissions it received. Mr Howe will be addressing the National Press Club on 18 April; to book your seat, phone (02) 6121 2199. You can join this important campaign at www.securejobs.org.au Union Benefits Update April 2012 © Copyright ACTU Member Connect 2009 for more information visit www.memberconnect.com.au To unsubscribe, click here. To subscribe, click here.