#TRSCareisanemergency - PUBLIC ED AND OUR SUPPORTERS UNITE TODAY! MAKE YOUR CALLS!

            In some ways, I feel ashamed of myself.  Despite the unexpected and devastating blow public-education retirees took January 1, 2018, at the hands of the 85^th Texas Legislature, I still held out hope that Gov. Abbott would declare TRS-Care (Teacher Retirement System of Texas healthcare) an emergency item at the start of the 86^th Texas Legislature.  But that was 17 days ago, and that hope has vanished.

            March 29, July 17, and December 12, 2018, Rep. Terry Canales sent letters to Gov. Abbott. In March, Rep. Canales asked Gov. Abbott to call a Special Session to address the healthcare nightmare public-education retirees are living.  (Once again, although it is called the “Teacher” Retirement System, it is not only for teachers.  TRS covers the healthcare of our bus drivers, secretaries, sign-language interpreters, classroom aides, librarians, school nurses, maintenance workers, custodians, cafeteria workers, administrators, and all other public-education employees, as well.)  In July and in December, he asked the governor to make TRS an emergency item.  In his December 12 letter, Rep Canales writes…Since my initial letter, my staff and I have met with your staff on several occasions but have been unable to obtain a commitment to allow the legislature to immediately address this issue in the upcoming legislative session.  I respectfully request that you make our teachers a top priority by declaring public-school employees health care an emergency item. As you know, the Texas Constitution prohibits the House and Senate from passing legislation during the first 60 days of a regular legislative session unless either chamber suspends the rule by a vote of four-fifths of its membership, or if the legislation is an appropriation or other matter declared by the governor to be an emergency…The executive and legislative branch must work together to ensure that additional state funding is provided to the Teacher Retirement System of Texas for retiree health care and to school districts for active employee health care so that we can give Texas teachers what we promised them:  access to affordable good-quality health-care coverage…

            January 7, Sen. José Menéndez sent out a press release regarding Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar’s announcement that the Biennial Revenue Estimate indicates that the State of Texas will have $119.2 billion (with a b) in revenue for general-purpose spending during the 2020-2021 biennium.  Sen. Menéndez called upon his fellow legislators to address the mess that is TRS.

            I know Gov. Abbott has heard countless stories of the suffering that has been endured by public-ed retirees (and those still working in our public schools) since January 1 of last year.  However, these stories, and the pleas from Rep. Canales and Sen. Menéndez, have all fallen on deaf ears.

            So now it is time for US to UNITE!  In this CALL TO ACTION, I am pleading with all public-education unions and associations to UNITE.  We can no longer work separately, competing rather than joining forces.  Only if we UNITE will we be strong enough to roll back the devastating changes that were made to our healthcare and to other pension-related issues.

• ·         ATPE – UNITE
• ·         TASA – UNITE
• ·         TASB – UNITE
• ·         TASRO -- UNITE
• ·         TASSP -- UNITE
• ·         TCTA – UNITE
• ·         TEPSA -- UNITE
• ·         Texas AFT and all of your locals – UNITE
• ·         TSTA – UNITE
• ·         UEA – UNITE
• ·         All other public-education employee unions/associations -- UNITE

I am hoping other unions in our state will join us.  We need you!

·         AFL-CIO – UNITE

·         CLEAT -- UNITE

·         SEIU Texas – UNITE

·         TMPA -- UNITE

·         TSAFF – UNITE

·         All other Texas unions – UNITE

And I am also asking all school board members and community members (including current and former students and your parents) to join us as we UNITE!

            So how can we UNITE?

·      1.  Starting TODAY, please call (and, if you are a union/association, ask your members too, as well) the office of Governor Greg Abbott at 512-463-2000 and let him know you want him to DECLARE TRS-Care an EMERGENCY ITEM--NOW!

2.  Call the office of your state representative and your senator.  Find those numbers here.  Ask them to call on Gov. Abbott to declare TRS-Care an emergency NOW!

3.  Stay tuned for information about a statewide rally!

4.  Contact your local media and ask them to help us by telling the stories of public-education retirees across the state who are suffering and about the dramatic differences between TRS and ERS (Employees Retirement System of Texas, the retirement system for all non-public-ed state employees in Texas, including our legislators).

UNITE to convince Gov. Abbott that

#TRSCareisanemergency

NOTE:

Here are Rep. Canales' letters:

Sen. Menéndez' letter:

Chris Ardis retired in May of 2013 following a 29-year teaching career. She now helps companies with business communications and social media and works as a sales coordinator for Tony Roma's and Macaroni Grill. Chris can be reached at cardis1022@aol.com. (Photo by Linda Blackwell, McAllen)