Retired Organizing Committee (ROC) members along with all Texas retirees under the Employees Retirement System (ERS) have not received an increase in their annuities since 2001! Texas does NOT provide automatic cost of living adjustments, or COLA, raises for our active or retired state employees! Retirees have been told over and over again by our elected state officials and their staffs that “it’s not your turn” or “we’ll take care of you next session”. Unfortunately it hasn’t been our turn or next session for more than 20 years. The ERS needs to be fully funded and “actuarially sound” before paying out a pension increase. Under current funding guidelines, that might take more than 30 years before this comes to fruition. The State must fully fund the ERS request to make the pension fund actuarially sound and allocate additional funds to allow ERS retirees to receive a well-deserved and long overdue COLA. In the meantime, there is no reason that a $2500 bonus cannot be given to present ERS retirees; with the funds coming from General Revenue. TSEU ROC activists have already begun working on wording for a bill, listing allies, discussing lobbying visits needed and more
On October 11th, more than 20 TSEU ROC activists from across Texas rallied outside the Governor’s Mansion and inside the State Capitol (see picture, next page) to distribute copies of “The TSEU Tattler”, a satirical faux newspaper outlining what would happen if Governor Abbott began working FOR the people of Texas! Along with the retirees bonus, the Tattler pointed out other priorities of the State and TSEU and what we would love to see Governor Abbott change his mind on. The action came from a clear sense of frustration from our retirees. As Yolanda Delgado of Austin stated at the Governor’s Mansion “we’ve done everything asked of us, supported legislation, made phone calls, sent emails and letters, testified at committee hearings, lobbied our Representatives and Senators in the State Capitol, and still nothing. Today we’re changing our tactics”.
We can’t let current and future retirees continue without an annual COLA! Texas owes it to us for our service! For more information about ROC or to get more involved, contact TSEU/ROC organizer Alex Moir at 512- 448-4225.