Will, the changes Maggie has pointed out are in the current version of PTG's "Organizational Policies." Given that you can't access the document, I have copied some of its text below. Also note the terms for "reduced dues" at the end ("2. Retirement or Disability"). It isn't necessary to be fully retired or disabled to benefit from this reduction ( you do have to a member for 10+ years and "old.").
Pat
C. Dues Reduction and Deferment
1. Financial Hardship
In cases of inability to pay as determined by chapter members, a chapter may vote to maintain a member on the PTG roll by paying an annual fee of 1/2 of membership dues on behalf of the member directly to the Home Office. This payment shall maintain the member's good standing, Journal subscription, and all other benefits.
a. Executive Committee approval shall be required for a due's reduction in two or more consecutive years.
b. Due's reduction request forms, if approved, will take effect on January 1 of the following year. (For example: an application received on or before December 31,2022 will be effective on January 1, 2023 whereas an application received on or after January 1, 2023 will not go into effect until January 1, 2024.) Payment from the chapter equal to one-half of the PTG annual membership dues must accompany the request.
2. Retirement or Disability
Any member may apply for a reduction of dues if they:
a. Have been a member in good standing of PTG for 10 or more continuous years up to the time of application, and
b. Have reached the age of 65 and drawing Social Security benefits (or the equivalent), or have been declared medically disabled by the Social Security Administration (or the equivalent), and
c. Have the approval of the chapter or the Board of Directors.
d. If the member meets the requirements in "a, b, and c" above, the member may request a dues reduction by submitting the appropriate form to the Home Office. If approved, the dues reduction will take effect on January 1 of the following year. (For example: an application received on or before December 31,2022 will be effective on January 1, 2023 whereas an application received on or after January 1, 2023 will not go into effect until January 1, 2024.) Payment equal to one-half of the annual membership dues must accompany the request.
------------------------------
Patrick Draine RPT
Billerica MA
(978) 663-9690
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 01-27-2023 14:39
From: Will Truitt
Subject: Directories dysfunctionality
I was aware of the monthly option, but have always paid the full amount. That would be my intention this year. I was assuming everything as usual regarding Dec. 31 due and Jan 31 drop date. Whether my understanding is based on something not made sufficiently clear or my clumsiness, I do not know.
Thank you for your effort on my behalf and the information you have shared.
Will
Original Message:
Sent: 1/27/2023 9:03:00 AM
From: Maggie Jusiel
Subject: RE: Directories dysfunctionality
Hi Will,
When the monthly option was added, the due date became more strict. RVP's and chapter presidents were asked to emphasize this to their chapters. I emphasized it to mine, asking my chapter members to choose between paying all at once or the monthly option by December 31. If someone pushes it to January 1 for book keeping reasons, it might frustrate the home office because it makes their book keeping more difficult, but no more harm is done. I know someone who paid on January 1 and had no interruption of service.
Were you aware of the monthly option? If not, then perhaps we could advise our administration to make that more clear before the due date. I know I would have really appreciated that monthly option several years ago. You MUST choose between the monthly option and paying all at once by December 31 (and possibly even January 1 or 2), or you will be dropped.
I am sorry for your inconvenience, but I am grateful that your membership has likely not been dropped entirely and that you can easily get it back. Some organizations would make you reapply. I know this from previous experience when I missed a deadline in a different organization. It happens. You most likely can get your membership back, fully intact, by talking with Sandy. Please email or call her. She will fix it for you: sandy@ptg.org or 913-432-9975.
I hope this gets straightened out soon so you can fully participate in the forum! Hang in there and thanks for reaching out here where we can help you!
Maggie
------------------------------
Maggie Jusiel, RPT
Athens, WV
(304)952-8615
mags@timandmaggie.net
Original Message:
Sent: 01-27-2023 06:22
From: Will Truitt
Subject: Directories dysfunctionality
Wim, read Pat Draine's post (#6).
------------------------------
Will Truitt
Bristol NH
1-603-934-4882
Original Message:
Sent: 01-27-2023 06:10
From: Wim Blees
Subject: Directories dysfunctionality
Will
While Marc and Gina should be made aware of this situation, ultimately this is an administrative situation that the Home Office will need to take care of. I suspect it has something to do with the change over of programs.
Original Message:
Sent: 1/27/2023 4:52:00 AM
From: Will Truitt
Subject: RE: Directories dysfunctionality
Kathy Maxwell was kind enough to send me a note telling me that I should be able to access PTG-L now. Sadly, that is not the case. I am posting a note to her this morning, she may not know this is the case.
More importantly, when I clicked on "My Portal - Renew your dues online" and traveled to that page, I found that my bill and any mechanisms to pay it are no longer there. Apparently the suspension to members has removed the ability to pay my bill online and, I suspect. the same for anyone else past the December 31 due date
It is hard to imagine anything more counterproductive than this stunt. It is the organizational equivalent of cutting off your nose to spite your face, as my mother used to say when I was not behaving in a manner that served my interests. If you want to drive members away from the organization, this will certainly work to alienate them.
I am posting this to alert any of you out there who have not yet paid your dues that there is a monkey wrench in the gears. You will need to go online and check this status.
I hope that our president is being made aware of this situation (if he is not already) and that the online pay my bill is immediately restored. It would behoove them to make a note to the membership via this forum.
------------------------------
Will Truitt
Bristol NH
1-603-934-4882
Original Message:
Sent: 01-26-2023 07:39
From: Patrick Draine
Subject: Directories dysfunctionality
Will, on Sunday our RVP mentioned that access to "members only" communities was suspended for all those who hadn't paid their dues by December 31. She wasn't happy about the situation. Give Gina a call (or text), and President Marc Poulin too.
------------------------------
Patrick Draine RPT
Billerica MA
(978) 663-9690
Original Message:
Sent: 01-26-2023 05:46
From: Will Truitt
Subject: Directories dysfunctionality
Thanks for the college try, Bill. But no cigar. PTG-L is not listed on page 9, or on any of the 11 pages listed in the second all communities. Regularly, I have had to change my password because the system stops recognizing it and does not let me access any of the communities. I can read Pianotech at those times but cannot post.
The pattern of our officers regarding longstanding problems with My Pianotech has always been one of willful indifference. Even that may be giving them too much credit. They certainly do not acknowledge problems in a public way by posting and engaging in dialog with the users. Little to nothing gets done.
For an organization that is aging out and continues to shrink, and where leadership has adapted by becoming more authoritarian and removed from the membership, this modus of relating to the members only hastens the death spiral of what has been a truly remarkable and valuable organization.
I have belonged to PTG since 1975 or so. I have seen and benefited from all that Bill and Pat have in that time. Over the past 5 years and more, PTG has seemed more and more tike an organization whose best days recede further into the past. I have little faith in our leadership.
I have a few more days to pay my dues, I have always done that every year in the past. Now I wonder if it is time to say no.
No doubt I will be reminded that I should post anything controversial in PTG-L. I would if I could. Will my post be quietly deleted by the mind police? Or moved to PTG-L in their infinite wisdom, where even I would not be able to read it. Does that qualify as irony?
------------------------------
Will Truitt
Bristol NH
1-603-934-4882
Original Message:
Sent: 01-25-2023 21:17
From: Bill Ballard
Subject: Directories dysfunctionality
I signed onto PTG-L a couple of weeks ago, with out a hitch. I had no trouble just now joining the LongRangePlanning list:
1.) Log In (which I'm certain you did).
2.) Communities>All Communities Types>All Communities>p.9>Council Long Range Planning
3.) There's a "Join" button, on the RH side of this committee's entry
I found you on p.111 of the PTG-L member list. Something's wrong if you can't even access the Member Directory. I can't find myself, using MemberDirectory>BasicSearch. The system certainly doesn't approve of vanity searches.
------------------------------
William Ballard RPT
WBPS
Saxtons River VT
802-869-9107
"Our lives contain a thousand springs
and dies if one be gone
Strange that a harp of a thousand strings
should keep in tune so long."
...........Dr. Watts, "The Continental Harmony,1774
+++++++++++++++++++++
Original Message:
Sent: 01-25-2023 20:30
From: Will Truitt
Subject: Directories dysfunctionality
Apparently I don't have permission to do anything, although I am a member in good standing as far as I know, I have been wanting to finish reading some discussions in PTG-L that show up as the lead in on Pianotech, but I do not belong to the PTG-L group. So I have been trying to find information on how to join that group, but i cannot find anything that would allow me to do that. Indeed, I cannot find anything on how to join any group. I even tried to look at the new member directory, but I am getting a message that I do not have permission to access it. Although I was able to access the old one, its lack of functionality notwithstanding. Apparently being a member in good standing is not enough to get permission to access a directory that I am in.
I was starting to write a grumble fest about the many unaddressed problems that live on in perpetuity in pianotech land, but I caught myself using the word "damn". (I put that in quotation marks, on the theory that quoting it means I am not actually using it. My fear being that I could disappear forever at the hands of our pious censors in the dark of night.
------------------------------
Will Truitt
Bristol NH
1-603-934-4882
------------------------------