Governor Abbott – AWAITING YOUR CALL FOR A SPECIAL SESSION!

Dear Governor Abbott,

I just read the statement you sent to the Texas Retired Teachers Association in response to their request to you, the run-off candidates for the Democratic place in the November General Election (Lupe Valdez and Andrew White), Lt. Governor Patrick, and his opponent (Mike Collier).  In that statement, you wrote…

·         …I want you to know that I understand issues that are important to retired educators.

·         …I know your health care costs and premiums increased.  (I would add an adjective before health care—dramatically.)

·         TRS-Care needs much more attention.

·         …95% of K-12 school employees do not participate in Social Security (I would modify this to read “95% of K-12 school employees do not have the option of participating in Social Security), meaning that their TRS annuity is their (YOUR—the statement is intended for TRTA members, and this is what we are already facing in our retirement) only source of retirement income

·         I know that many TRS annuitants have not received a pension increase since retiring.

·         I very much value those who work or have worked in education.  You are an important part of the fabric of Texas.  I appreciate your dedication and years of public service.

After reading this statement, Gov. Abbott, I am officially joining Senator Jose Menendez, Representative Terry Canales, and my fellow retired public education employees, including teachers, custodians, bus drivers, secretaries, nurses, cafeteria workers, classroom aides, librarians, maintenance workers, sign-language interpreters, administrators, social workers, and others who dedicated our lives and our careers to Texas children—and thus to the future of this state--in asking you to call a Special Session to address the healthcare nightmare we are living.

IF you truly understand the issues important to us—IF you know HOW MUCH our health care costs and premiums have increased—IF you know HOW MUCH attention TRS-Care needs—IF you know we cannot supplement our pensions with Social Security—IF you know most of us have not received a cost-of-living increase in many years…or ever—IF you sincerely value the years of our lives we dedicated to the children of this state, accepting a lower salary than we could have earned in the public sector with the promise of a delayed benefit in retirement of a pension and AFFORDABLE healthcare—IF you truly believe we are an important part of the fabric of Texas—IF you appreciate our dedication and years of public service---IF everything you wrote in this statement is true—then there is certainly no other option for you than to call a Special Session.  Doing so is your only change of preventing us from going through eight more months of suffering, anxiety, and the fear that we (or any of our colleagues) might lose our lives. 

We cannot wait eight months (until the start of the 2019 Legislative Session) and the months of meetings, negotiations, bills, amendments….

We expect you, as the governor of this state, to right the wrong that has been done to us.  We expect you to deliver on the state’s promise to us throughout our careers.  We expect you to show us the respect you allude to in your statement to TRTA.  We expect you to read every single case (see below—many more will be added.  Names have been removed.) of retired public school employees who, under your watch, are suffering, are discontinuing medically necessary treatments because they now cannot afford them, and are living in life-altering anxiety over being thrust into this untenable position.

Gov. Abbott, we await your response to Sen. Menendez, Rep. Canales, and to all of us who retired, believing the State of Texas’ promise.

Sincerely,

Christine Ardis

Retired Texas Teacher

STORIES OF RETIRED TRS MEMBERS LIVING THE
TRS-HEALTHCARE NIGHTMARE!

(Added to this blog 4-22-18 at 9:10 p.m.)

(Note:  I received a message 4-23-18 from Blanca. She had a typo in her message.  Her brother and sister-in-law actually pay $689 per month for this sub-par insurance, not $639.)

And if you haven't read ADRIENNE'S STORY yet, 

read it here!

STORIES OF ACTIVE AND RETIRED TRS MEMBERS LIVING THE
TRS-HEALTHCARE NIGHTMARE!
(Added to this blog 4-16-18 at 1:12 p.m.)

STORIES OF TRS RETIREES LIVING THE TRS-HEALTHCARE NIGHTMARE

(Added to this blog at 7:11 p.m., April 14, 2018)

STORIES OF TRS RETIREES LIVING THE TRS-HEALTHCARE NIGHTMARE
(Added to this blog at 6:40 a.m., April 14, 2018)

STORIES OF TRS RETIREES LIVING THE TRS-HEALTHCARE NIGHTMARE
(Added to this blog at 7:06 p.m., April 13, 2018)
I received permission from the first two to use their names.  All of these individuals are REAL PEOPLE in your state, Gov. Abbott, people who dedicated their careers and their lives to the children of Texas:

STORIES OF TRS RETIREES LIVING THE TRS-HEALTHCARE NIGHTMARE

(Added to this blog April 13, 2018)

STORIES OF TRS RETIREES LIVING THE TRS-HEALTHCARE NIGHTMARE
(April 12, 2018)