Now is the time to be loud and clear that a fair deal is needed for ALL regarding changes proposed in TRS pensions and health-care coverage. Thanks to your grass-roots work–some 35,000 e-mail letters and a barrage of phone calls–the Texas Senate raised the state contribution rate and correspondingly adopted a gradual phase-in of higher employee contributions over four years.
But the Texas House still needs to add two more key provisions to SB 1458, the major TRS bill of the 2013 legislative session. House members should vote for amendments to SB 1458 by Rep. Armando Walle (D-Houston) that would:
–exempt ALL current school employees from the new minimum age of 62 for full retiree pension and health-care benefits that they have already earned; and
–provide an immediate benefit boost for ALL current retirees (not just the 30 percent who would be eligible for a 3-percent cost-of-living adjustment, capped at id="mce_marker"00 a month, under the Senate version of SB 1458).
A vote on the bill is set for tomorrow (Friday, May 17). Take action now:
1) Send a letter to your state representative!
2) When the online letter displays, jot down your state rep’s phone number, then give your rep a call! (You can try to leave a voicemail if the office is closed. If the mailbox is full, try again during business hours.)
Tell your representative to support the amendments by Rep. Armando Walle to SB 1458 that would make the bill a fair deal for all current retirees and all active school employees!
Thanks to all the participants joining us for the Tele-Town Hall in April. Here's a first step in taking action to defend public schools.
Send your letter now letting lawmakers know you are ready to...
Fight Back Against the Attack on Public Education!
Take Action!
Click here to see all the Texas Can Do Better and Texas AFT campaigns for the 2013 Legislative Session.
Some 3,000 teachers and other school employees spent their first day of Spring Break at a rally at the state Capitol today in support of restoring funding for our schools--after $5.4 billion was cut from public education in 2011. They also visited their legislators and asked them to protect their pensions, reject private-school vouchers and fix the broken accountability system that misuses and overemphasizes testing.
Couldn't make it to Austin? You can make your voice heard by sending online letters and making phone calls to your legislators' offices. Visit the Texas AFT Take Action page to get started. Once you pick a letter to send and enter your ZIP code, you'll see the state lawmakers that represent you, along with their phone numbers for a direct call to their offices. (You can also look up your state representative and senator here.)
Then visit our Facebook and Twitter pages to stay plugged in and follow all the action.
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