Public-Ed Employees and Retirees: JOINING VOICES AND FORCES!

            This blog post is definitely a bullet-point post because so much has been happening that we all need to know about. Click on the links for more information on each topic.  Here goes:

· In case you didn’t hear, after heavy-duty public outcry, as well as pushback from several Texas legislators, TRS scrapped its plans to move into Indeed Tower in Austin at a cost of $326,000 per MONTH.  This, my TRS counterparts, is a PERFECT EXAMPLE of what can be done when we join VOICES and FORCES to fight!

· When are Texas legislators going to change the name—not the acronym, which would likely complicate things more than we care to imagine—of TRS?  It is one of the greatest misnomers in education in our state because it belies who its members are.  TRS is NOT just about teachers, though its official name is TEACHER Retirement System of Texas. TRS is actually the retirement system for our bus drivers, cafeteria workers, counselors, secretaries, librarians, maintenance staff, custodians, classroom aides, all other auxiliary staff, and administrators.  Which legislator can we count on to submit a bill for the 2021 Legislative Session to change this?  Who has ideas what TRS can stand for that will be true to ALL of the system’s members?  (I find it strange that even the TRS website is not clear about who its members are, rather having only this on its “About TRS” page (italics and bold mine)):  ​​​​​​The Teacher Retirement System of Texas is the largest public retirement system in Texas, serving more than 1.5 million people. Innovation, technology, and collaboration make the difference as we strive to continue earning your trust every day.  This may seem like a technicality; however, when I think of the effect making my health care UNaffordable and receiving no COLA has had on me, I can only imagine what it has been like for my colleagues who receive much less than I do in their pension checks.  Changing the name—again, not the acronym—for this system would serve as a constant reminder of who its members are.

· Both retiree organizations to which I belong—Texas AFT Retiree Plus and Texas Retired Teachers Association—have identified health care and a COLA (Cost-Of-Living Adjustment) as our top priorities in the 2020 General Election and in the 2021 Texas Legislative Session.  At the very least, the Texas Legislature needs to ROLL BACK the health-care plan for TRS retirees under the age of 65. It is a classic case of bait and switch. I retired in 2013 and signed on to TRS-Care.  You see, throughout my 29-year teaching career, I was promised affordable health care when I retired.  I paid $285 per month because I chose the high plan.  I had a $400 deductible and had affordable co-pays when I went to the doctor or I had a prescription to fill. I had budgeted for this before I retired, so like most of my retired colleagues, I did fine.  But that all changed during the 2017 Texas Legislative Session when Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, and the majority of the Texas Legislature robbed us of the promise.  My premium was reduced to $200 per month because all of us under 65 (remember—TRS is NOT just about teachers) were forced into a high-deductible plan.  My deductible went from $400 to $1500, and I was stripped of my co-pays. I have to pay 100 percent of all medical costs (doctor/hospital visits AND prescriptions—unless the prescription is on a list of “standard, generic drugs) out of pocket until I reach the entire $1500.  For my colleagues who have a spouse on their plan, they must pay $3000 out of pocket—NOT $1500 per person—before their TRS insurance for retirees under 65 pays a penny.  And if this slap in the face were not enough, they made the mark from that slap indelible by keeping the insurance for retired LEGISLATORS more than affordable!  Their premium is $0 per month.  Their deductible (and check out their co-pays on this link, too) for health care is $0 and for prescriptions, $50 (I cannot find a link for this?). We are going to be LOUD AND CLEAR this November and during the 2021 Legislative Session because so many of us have stopped getting the medical exams we need because we cannot afford them.  ROLLBACK OUR HEALTH CARE!

· Only the Texas Legislature can authorize a COLA, and a pension fund must be actuarially sound before it can do so.  As of the 2019 Legislative Session, TRS has been made actuarially sound.  (Although it was long overdue, most of us remain grateful.)  As you may know, people on Social Security receive an automatic annual COLA.  Not so for TRS retirees.  The last COLA was provided in 2013.  It was a three-percent increase but was capped at an additional $100 per month, AND it was only provided to TRS members who retired before August 31, 2004.  Do you see what that means?  That means anyone who retired after August 31, 2004—16 years ago—has NEVER had a COLA!  Now take a look at the Consumer Price Index for that period. How in the world are retirees expected to make ends meet?  (Remember—in Texas, public-education employees are not allowed to pay into Social Security unless we have jobs outside of education, so the TRS pension is the only retirement income for most TRS members.)  I received a letter from TRS dated January 17, 2020, to let me know I would see a 30-CENT increase in my 2020 pension check, and I am not kidding! 

TRS retirees are calling upon our legislators to ROLLBACK our AFFORDABLE health care and to provide us with a long-overdue COLA during the 2021 Legislative Session.  All current candidates should be asked about this before the General Election in November, and all members of the Texas Legislature should be asked—by us and those who support us—if THEY are going to sponsor the bills to accomplish this!

There’s more to come soon.  Stay tuned….and STAY INFORMED!

In the next blog post, coming soon—The announcement last week from TRS that the providers will change January 1, 2021, for all of us on TRS-ActiveCare, TRS-Care Standard, and TRS-Care Medicare Eligible, as well as details about the federal Social Security Fairness Act.

 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)