Texas Border Business
February 19, a group of retired public-school employees, along with two current employees nearing retirement, met in McAllen to begin working on a legislative agenda for the 2021 Legislative Session. Their agenda will address the critical needs of TRS retirees. TRS is the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, though the name is misleading. This is the retirement system for all public-school retirees, including secretaries, classroom aides, librarians, counselors, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria and maintenance staff, administrators, sign-language interpreters, school police officers, and all others employed in our schools.
First on that agenda is health care. In 2017, the Texas Legislature shocked TRS retirees under the age of 65 by raising their health-insurance deductible from $400 to $1500 and stripping them of their medical and prescription co-pay. By doing so, they caused these retirees who spent their careers in public education–with the promise of affordable health care in retirement—to pay the entire $1500 out of pocket before a single penny is paid by Aetna, the current provider for TRS retirees under 65. Those who have their spouse on their plan must pay $3000 out of pocket before insurance kicks in–not $1500 per person but the entire $3000. (The only exceptions are a few “preventive care” procedures and a list of “standard generic” prescriptions.)
While doing this, the Texas Legislature maintained an extremely affordable health insurance plan for the other state retirement system, ERS (Employees Retirement System of Texas). ERS covers all state employees other than public-school employees and Texas legislators. While the TRS deductible was increased to $1500, the ERS deductible remained at $0 (zero dollars). ERS members also enjoy a $0 (zero-dollar) monthly premium for their health insurance.
The second priority on the group’s legislative agenda is a cost-of-living increase or COLA. Only the Texas Legislature can authorize a COLA for TRS retirees. The last one they authorized was in 2013; it was a three-percent COLA, capped at $100 per month, and only provided to Texas public-school employees who retired before August 31, 2004. Thus, all public-school retirees who retired September 1, 2004, or after have never seen a COLA. TRS retirees are calling for legislators to provide them with an automatic annual COLA as Social Security provides. Their TRS pension is the only form of “social security” for most public-school retirees in Texas, so failing to provide a COLA is, indeed, failing them.
The group is also working on a congressional legislative agenda, primarily focusing on Social-Security Fairness for public-school employees, as well as police officers, firefighters, and government employees affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset. The WEP and the GPO unfairly discriminate against these groups, in 15 states, including Texas.
If you are a public-school retiree or current employee in the Rio Grande Valley, you are welcome to join the group. Contact Chris Ardis at cardis1022@aol.com or the McAllen AFT office at 2526 Buddy Owens Boulevard in McAllen, 956-682-1143. You do not have to be a current or former member of AFT to join.
