ARIZONA FEDERATION NEWS

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1 ARIZONA FEDERATION NEWS NEWSLETTER FOR THE ARIZONA FEDERATION OF CHAPTERS NATIONAL ACTIVE & RETIRED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION VOLUME XXIV JUNE, JULY, AUGUST, 2018 NUMBER II President s Message! By Etta Bryant narfeazfp@gmail.com First, I must apologize for not being at our Biennial Workshop and Annual Meeting on June 6 th but the body just wouldn t allow it. I want to thank RVP Rodney Adelman for presenting the Federation President s annual report and running the session for Presidents. Also, I want to thank all the others that pitched in to help where asked. I want to thank the 41 chapter and national members that attended the Biennial Workshop and Annual Meeting. I have quickly looked over the Evaluation Sheets and it appears that everyone liked the fact that each presenter had handouts for you to take back with you. The informative discussions on the resolutions to be voted on and the preferential voting appears to have been beneficial, also. I will make up a summary of the sheets and get it out to the Chapter Presidents and put it up on the Federation website shortly. Be sure and vote, if you have not already done so. Voting is open until June 30, 2018, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time; that s 8:59 PM Arizona Time. If you are using the paper ballot from your June magazine, be sure and have it in the mail by no later than June 21 st. Also, if you are mailing your ballot, it is strongly suggested that you put it into an envelope, attach a Forever or 50 stamp, and mail it. A single sheet ballot could get lost in the mail, where an envelope has a much better chance of being delivered. For those that still need or want further information on the resolutions, I would suggest that you contact someone that attended the Workshop and review the NARFE Ballot Voting handout that RVP Rodney Adelman prepared and handed out. Or, you can contact me as above. The Arizona Federation newsletter will be published on an as needed basis. So, keep checking the website for new information. When a new newsletter is published, I will notify the chapter presidents and also send an NES message to all those that have an addresses listed in the NARFE National database. PLEASE read the section of this newsletter entitled Spam s. Two Federation officers have received one of these scam s and now at least one of our Arizona chapters has received one of them. These scams are very, very dangerous and our chapters or the federation do not need to lose any money by this. Many of our chapters will be dark for the summer but whether your chapter is dark or having meetings, please remember to RECRUIT, RECRUIT, RECRUIT. Even if you can only get them as a National only member, it is worthwhile. Remember, numbers count with our congressional representatives, both house members and senators. Recruiting is everyone s job and everyone of us needs to do their part. At Tucson Chapter 55 June meeting, we had two National members attend our meeting. They paid their chapter dues and now are members of our chapter. All it takes is to talk with these members and explain the benefits of belonging to a chapter. Announcement: The 1 st Biennial Arizona Federation Conference will be held May 3-4, 2019, at the Best Western Inn Suites Tucson Foothills Hotel & Suites located at 6201 N Oracle Road, Tucson, Arizona. Registration will start at 12:00 pm (noon) on Friday May 3 rd and end at noon on Saturday, May 4 th. Mark your calendars now and please plan to attend. The agenda and other information is not available at this time. The Arizona Federation will be electing new officers for at the Arizona Conference: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, a District Vice President for District 1 and 2, and a National District Vice President to represent the National members on the board. ALL members (chapter and national only) can run for these positions and ALL members will have an opportunity to vote prior to the Conference. At the May Arizona Federation Board Meeting, I appointed the Nominating Committee. Paul Lamb, Chair ((plamb@wildblue.net) and Cris Gumbmann (crisgumbmann@q.com), and Coral Van Hooser (coralvan@yahoo.com). I will NOT be running for reelection and our Federation Treasurer has announced that he AZ NARFE Page 1

2 will not be running for re-election. If anyone is interested in any one of these elected officer positions or would like further information on these positions, please contact one of the Nominating Committee members. Also, if you are interested in any of the Appointed Officer Positions (National Legislative, State Legislative, Membership, Service Officer, Congressional Legislative Liaison (CDL), Alzheimer s, NARFE-PAC, etc., again contact a Nominating Committee member or any of those holding these positions now as we will be glad to talk with you. Please consider putting your hat/bonnet into the ring. Those of us holding these offices now will be glad to mentor you and provide assistance where needed. The new NARFE-PAC Political Associate is Ross Apter who can be reached at rapter@narfe.org or (571) Remember that the month of August is a good time to plan a visit with your congressional representative and discuss issues that effect both federal employees and retirees. Work with your Congressional District Liaison (CDL) to arrange an appointment. If you do not know who your CDL is, please contact me and I will give you the information. If candidates ask about NARFE-PAC monies, you can give them Ross Apter s contact information. However, you should not promise NARFE-PAC funds or promise an endorsement from NARFE. The new Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) withdrawal options are slated for implementation in September 2019 (not this year). The FEDcon 18 National Conference will be August 26 28, 2018, at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront in Jacksonville, Florida. I hope you are planning to attend. Registration is now $175. The 5 top-tier keynote speakers, along with OPM Director Dr. Jeff Pon, are: Joe Theismann (World Champion Quarterback, Broadcaster and Entrepreneur), Mara Liasson (National Political Correspondent for NPR and Contributor to Fox News Channel), Mike Massimino (Former NASA Astronaut, Columbia University Engineering Professor), Tammy Flanagan (Federal Benefits Expert, NARFE Institute Presenter and Government Executive Columnist), and Henry Winkler (Actor, Author, Director and Producer). Further information is on the NARFE website and in your magazine. I hope to see you there will be a very busy year with our 1 st Arizona Federation Conference on May 3-4 and also there will be a Region VII (our region) Conference in New Mexico. I do not have the dates or place as yet for the Conference in New Mexico. Since NARFE is changing, plan to attend these events to support NARFE and YOUR benefits. May we keep all those that are ill or will be undergoing surgery in our thoughts and prayers and wish all a speedy recovery. Also remember those we have lost and our military members that are protecting our country. If any member has questions or needs further information, please feel free to contact me as above. Until the next time, thank you for reading this, have a great summer and if you are traveling, travel safely. Minutes of the Annual Meeting Wanda Bales, AZ Federation Secretary Secretary1505@cox.net (480) At American Legion Post #44, 7145 E. Second St., Scottsdale, AZ, June 6, 2018 The Arizona Federation Annual Meeting was called to order by Rodney Adelman (Immediate Past President/Region VII Vice President) at 9:01 AM. Following a moment of silence, Vic Peterson, State Legislative Chair, led members in the Pledge of Allegiance. There were 41 members in attendance (see Attachment 1, page 2). Rodney Adelman spoke about the 2019 Arizona Federation First Conference which was also mentioned in Etta Bryant s Presidential Report. The event will be at the Best Western InnSuites Tucson Foothills Hotel & Suites in Tucson on May 3-4, The new NARFE-PAC Political Associate is Ross Apter who can be reached at rapter@narfe.org or (571) The new Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) withdrawal options are slated for implementation in September 2019 (not this year). Rodney Adelman presented the Arizona Federation Annual Report for President Etta Bryant; see Attachment 2, pages 3-4. Treasurer Jerry Goebel presented the Financial Report for 2017 (see Attachment 2, pages 5-6) and the Audit Committee Report for January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017 (see Attachment 3, page 7). After a call for questions and Good of the Federation, Rodney Adelman closed the Annual Meeting at 9:15 AM. Attachments available at: AZ-FED NEWS is published by the Arizona Federation, National Active & Retired Federal Employees association, 2880 Hidden Valley Drive, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86404, Phone AZ NARFE Page 2 JUN - AUG 2018

3 District I Vice President s Report By Cris Cumbmann, criscumbmann@q.com From NARFE District I and CD II Summer is here and people are fleeing town like a flock of birds and before I join that group, at least for a few weeks, I want to give you an update since our last newsletter. As far as my CDL activities for Congressional District II is concerned I can report that Mrs. Martha McSally turned down our (repeated) requests for a meeting. No reason given. AZ Fed. Legislative Chair Roger Corner and I attended a meeting with Candidate Ann Kirkpatrick in March. This meeting was in Phoenix and was with several labor union and post office union leaders. Steney Hoyer (US Representative for Maryland s 5 th Congressional District) chaired the meeting and we were lucky to have a few minutes with Mrs. Kirkpatrick to talk about the NARFE issues of which she seemed well aware. The summer promises to be busy in the political arena with the Primaries at the end of August. Seven Democrat candidates will be running with Anne Kirkpatrick and Matt Heinz as the front runners right now. Of the seven candidates, they so far also received the most in campaign contributions. On the Republican front we have five candidates with Lea Marquez Peterson (President and CEO of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce) at the front of the pack, at least for now. Keep an eye on the NARFE issues and what the various political candidates point of view is concerning the federal community and on what is important to you in your retirement or in your job! Most chapters in District I are on summer recess now, only Chapter 1400 Sierra Vista will be open. I still want to urge you though, to start looking at your Roster and see who will stay on your chapter board and for whom a replacement needs to be found. The sooner you start the process of finding new people, the better. Memorial Day is behind us and once again (my) Chapter JUN - AUG took part in the Parade with a small group of members and a decorated car but this year we had the company of the Federation President and some members from Chapter 55 as well. We hope they will join us again next year! Further in this issue you will find some pictures about the event. As you will be aware voting for issues regarding the Bylaws and the election of another NARFE National President is going on right now, both on paper or on line. The outcome to be announced at the bi-annual FedCon 18. I attended the AZ Federation annual meeting on June 06 which took about half an hour and then we moved on to training. We discussed all the issues that need to be voted on before FedCon 18. It was very interesting and I am glad I took the opportunity to attend. We also discussed preferential voting and in the afternoon there were break-out sessions. Too bad not more AZ NARFE Page 3

4 people attended but those who did, I am sure, thought it was worth their while. And this morning I cast my vote electronically. Which was a whole lot easier and quicker than filling out an onerous ballot and mail it. Mission accomplished! That is it my friends. Have a good, healthy summer, happy travels and hope to see/hear from all of you again this September. State Legislative Officer s Report By Vic Peterson lt85326@hotmail.com It has been a whirl wind these past few weeks, but finally getting a little breathing room after the AZ State Legislature Sine Die last week. The last 2 days of the session they spent over 40 hours, debating the budget, the school funding and the remaining bills. They finally adjourned at 12:20 AM on Friday 05/04/2018. On the national level, OPM has proposed some drastic changes to the FERS system which could affect all of us. This could be heard in committee as soon as today (05/09/2018). Our federation president did send out an action alert as did National. What could affect us as retirees would be no COLA raises and increased FEHB premiums. To the active employees it would be more drastic, as they would have increased contributions for FERS, changing the High Year from 3 years to 5 years, along with the increased FEHB premiums. Also, for newly hired employees they would be no FERS. There is other wording also. I would hope that everyone took a couple of minutes to contact your congressional delegation. Arizona does have 3 members of congress sitting on this committee, they are Gallego, McSally, and O Halleran. I have contacted all 3 of their offices both here in Arizona and in DC. As for most of you in Congressional District 8, the special election to replace Trent Franks was 2 weeks ago, as most of you know Debbie Lesko was elected. This was by a slim m as that is a margin for that district, as it is a very Republican leaning district. Not sure yet how Lesko will be, but she is very supportive of Speaker Paul Ryan s agenda, which is not pro federal employee. Over the past month I have met with Congressman Gallego and Congressman Grijalva a couple of times, and with Congressman O Halleran once. I had also met with Haril Tipirnani who ran for CD-8 and got beat, she was/is very supportive of federal employees and to maintain Social Security and Medicare. She does plan to run for this seat again in the fall election. Back to the State level quickly, as most of you know the Arizona Teachers did go on a six-day strike. The first few days about 85% of all the schools were closed. This is one reason why the AZ legislature was extended. It was not a win for anyone, but the increased funding will go to the districts, so they will have the final say on exactly where the money will go. There again were some crazy bills that made it through and some good bills that didn t make tit through. On of the ones t hat we were watching was the Family Care Giver Tax Credit, which could especially help us as seniors. It was a good bill, it did pass out of the House but did not get a hearing in the Senate. Beside all that I hope you all have a great summer and hope to see you in the fall. Labor Roundtable Breakfast with Congressman Tom O Halleran AZ CD-1 05/01/2018 Painters Union Local 86, 24th St. and Washington, Phoenix Attending from NARFE, Vic Peterson, State Leg. Chair. There were representatives from the NALC, APWU, and the Postal Supervisors Assoc. in attendance. Congressman O Halleran spoke considerably on many labor issues, that congress has been at odds on. He also spoke on the big issue of White House and many in Congress attempting to privatize the postal service and many federal agencies, which includes the VA Healthcare System. He said that he along with many in congress are fighting these proposals. Photo L-R: Juan Luna- Pres. AZ Postal Supervisors, Vic Peterson-AZ Fed. State Leg. Chair, Cheryl Jones-TWU, Congressman O'Halleran, Jeff Clark- Pres. AZ Association of Letters Carriers, Jim Cahill-Bricklayers, Brian Volp- Painters, Chuck Wells-APWU The Postal Service Union and I did thank him for his attempts to protect these agencies from privation. Townhall for Rep. Ruben Gallego, AZ CD-7 Saturday 04/14/2018 First Church UCC, 1407 N. 2 nd St, Phoenix Attending from NARFE, Vic Peterson CDL CD-7 AZ NARFE Page 4 JUN - AUG 2018

5 This was the quarterly townhall that Rep. Gallego holds in the district. There was approximately 200 in attendance. Rep. Gallego did spend approximately 25 minutes speaking on current issues in congress including school gun violence, taxing issues, immigration, and the VA. He then took questions for the floor for approximately 45 minutes, he answered approximately 25 questions, the questions he did not answer he promised to give a written response to all questions. I did ask him about the staffing issues at the VA. He did say that they are working on this, but he feels that many in Congress want to privatize the VA, including the president. AFGE Endorsement of Rep. Ruben Gallego AZ CD-7 Friday 4/20/2018 Arizona AFL-CIO, 3117 N. 16th St, Phoenix Attending from NARFE, Vic Peterson, CDL I was invited to attend this event by the AFGE District 12 Political Coordinator Ryan Mimns. I am a member of the AFGE Retirees There was several of the AFGE Locals in the Phoenix area that were represented. There was also media coverage from TV and the Arizona Republic newspaper. Rep. Gallego did promise to continue working on staffing issues, especially at the VA. Endorsement Photo, Back row L-R: Vic Peterson, CDL, Harely Hemdb- Local Luke AFB, George Martin-Local BLM, Ryan Mimns-Dist. 12 Political Coordinator, Front row James Martinez Local VA, George Luna, Local Border Patrol, Rep. Ruben Gallego, Donald Allen AFGE Retirees. Save our VA Town Hall Saturday 06/02/2018 IBEW LU 570, 750 S Tucson Blvd, Tucson., AZ Hosts: Rep. Raul Grijalva s Office-AZ CD-3, AFGE District 12, Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans, and the Pima Area Labor Federation Key note Speakers: Rep. Raul Grijalva, Ryan Mims-AFGE Dist. 12 Legislative Coordinator. And Suzanne Gordon- JUN - AUG 2018 Author The Battel for Veterans Health Care Congressman Grijalva spoke at length on the recently passed Mission Act, his belief is that this will lead to total privatization of the VA Health Care System. He also stated that under this legislation there will be no checks and balances and no accountability. It is also his feeling that this is just a start to privatization of other agencies. He praised federal employees for their hard work and dedication under some really adverse conditions. He also spoke on the Executive Orders that President Trump enacted just prior to the Memorial Day Recess. He feels this is just another direct attack on all federal employees. There was approximately 200 in attendance for this event. Alzheimer s Report By Clyde Gunbmann, cgumbmann@gmail.com NARFE ALZHEIMER S FUND Since 1985, NARFE members have played a major role in seeking a cure for Alzheimer s disease. Through its partnership with the Alzheimer s Association, NARFE supports research into the cause, prevention and treatment of Alzheimer s disease as well as a cure for Alzheimer s and related disorders. In collaboration with the Alzheimer s Association, NARFE members have donated $12,675,083 as of March 31, 2018 to the NARFE Alzheimer s Fund. 100 percent of NARFE donations to the Fund are allocated to research. Each year, the NARFE Alzheimer s National Committee chooses which research projects will be awarded grants. NARFE has awarded 75 research grants since the beginning of the program. In fiscal year 2017 (July 2016-June 2017) NARFE members donated $466,450 to the Fund. In August 2017 four new research grants were awarded totaling $466,450. A description and amount awarded to each research project is contained in an article on page 62 in the Dec NARFE magazine. At the 2016 National Convention, delegates voted to extend our current goal to $13 million in Please contribute to NARFE s Alzheimer s Research Fund. Every cent that is contributed is used for research. Your charitable contribution is Tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Donations can be made by using any of the following three methods. Connect to this hyperlink, fill out and submit the form, df_id=9443&9443.donation=form1 Use the Alzheimer s support form that is in every NARFE magazine or Use a check, write check payable to NARFE AZ NARFE Page 5

6 Alzheimer s Research and note on check chapter number if applicable. Mail check to me: Clyde Gumbmann at N La Tanya Dr., Tucson AZ or mail check directly to the Alzheimer s Association at 225 N. Michigan Ave., 17 th Floor, Chicago IL ALZHEIMER S ASSOCIATION DESERT SOUTHWEST CHAPTER The following is what I have learned about this organization and how it can help us in coping with this devastating disease. The Desert Southwest Chapter is a 501c3 non-profit charitable organization and has been providing support, services and information since 1981 to people in Arizona with memory problems, families caring for them, and health care providers. They are a communitybased and claim that 85% of all donations go directly to providing local programs and services and most are free of charge. The Desert Southwest Chapter in Arizona has regional offices in Phoenix, Prescott and Tucson. Programs and services as described in their pamphlet called Support Along the Way follows: Helpline/Information & Referral: Call , 24- hours a day, 7 days a week, to speak with a trained Helpline specialist who will provide information, support and referrals to local resources. We also have a wide range of free educational materials to assist you. Our Alzheimer s Resource Libraries offer the loan of books and videos. Information is also available through our website at Family Care Consultation: A professional Care Consultant can assist you with individualized guidance on care options, interventions and resources to address your immediate needs and plan for the future. This confidential service offers ongoing support throughout the course of the disease, free of charge. Our staff is available by phone and/or through scheduled office or home vists. Support Groups: Trained facilitators meet with small groups of caregivers to share information and experiences, build new skills and offer peer support and ideas. Participation is free of charge. Please call our office or check our website for locations and times of Support Groups meeting in your area. Education: Our Education Programs are designed to increase awareness and knowledge about Alzheimer s and related dementias. Topics of these practical sessions include introductions to the disease, addressing behavioral challenges, long-term planning and much more. Contact our office or check our website for program locations and time. Early Stage: Early Stage programming helps to engage and educate persons diagnosed with Alzheimer s disease and their loved ones. The programs consist of specific activities focused on engaging, encouraging and empowering impacted individuals to fully utilize their strengths and capacities. MedicAlert + Safe Return: Wandering is one of the greatest risks for a person with Alzheimer s disease. MedAlert + Safe AZ NARFE Page 6 Return is a nationwide identification and education program that mobilizes first responders should an individual become lost. The program provides peace of mind to caregivers as well as information on home safety and wandering prevention. Scholarships are available to eligible families to assist with the initial fee for enrollment. You can contact the Alzheimer s Association Desert Southwest Chapter in the following ways: 24-hour Helpline: dan.lawler@alz.org or Contact the office nearest you: Phoenix Central Arizona Regional Office 1028 E. McDowell Road Phoenix, AZ Tel Prescott Northern Arizona Regional Office 3111 Clearwater Drive, Suite A Prescott, AZ Tel Tucson Southern Arizona Regional Office 1159 N Craycroft Road Tucson, AZ Tel Region VII Vice President From Rodney Adelman narfe7vp@cox.net Greetings, fellow Arizona NARFE members. My report this issue will focus on the NARFE ballot process, the Arizona Federation Workshop and Annual Meeting, and the upcoming NARFE National Conference. The June narfe magazine includes your ballot for the election of officers and for your votes on Bylaw amendments and other resolutions. Voting ends June 30. Your ballot may be returned by attaching a Forever stamp or 50 cents postage, or may be returned inside a separate envelope (with postage). The initial ballot includes a question asking the membership to authorize preferential voting for the second ballot for National President, to avoid further, costly run-off elections for National President. More information on preferential voting is also included in the June narfe magazine. I urge your support for the question on preferential voting. Election results are expected to be announced electronically during the week of July 6, with full results included in the September narfe magazine. Newly elected officers terms will begin November 1 while Bylaw amendments and resolutions will be effective immediately. Four candidates are running for National President, with two candidates JUN - AUG 2018

7 running for National Secretary/Treasurer. I am publically supporting Ted Van Hintum (past Colorado Federation President) for National President. I have not endorsed either candidate for National Secretary/Treasurer. I have ed a copy of my summary ( pros and cons ) of the Bylaw amendments and other resolutions to every Region VII NARFE member with . As my constituent, if you would like to know how I voted, just your request to me. It was my honor to preside over the Arizona Federation Workshop and Annual Meeting on June 6 in Scottsdale, due to the illness of your Arizona Federation President, Etta Bryant. Forty-five Arizona NARFE members registered for the event. The event began with annual reports from the Arizona Federation President and Treasurer. The morning workshop session included a thorough discussion of the candidates for National President and Secretary/Treasurer, as well as all of the Bylaw amendments and resolutions on the ballot. The morning session finished with a explanation of and exercise illustrating the preferential voting concept. The afternoon session began with Federal and State advocacy reports, followed by a general Q&A period. The event concluded with break-out sessions for Chapter Presidents, Treasurers, Membership Chairs, and Congressional District and Senatorial Leaders (advocacy). Timing of the event was ideal, with ballot voting being conduced during the month. Registration is now open for NARFE s FIRST National Conference, entitled FEDcon18, with interesting break-out sessions and outstanding speakers, including new Director of the Office of Personnel Management Jeff Pon, former Super Bowl Champion Quarterback Joe Theismann, The Fonz Henry Winkler, former NASA Astronaut Mike Massimino, NPR and Fox News contributor Mara Liasson, and Federal benefits expert Tammy Flanagan. The National Conference will be held in Jacksonville, Florida, August 26-28, at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront hotel. The NARFE website now includes a link to the FEDcon18 website, And the narfe magazine includes information about the conference and how to register by phone. Please join me in attending this unique NARFE event. Once again, thank you for your continuing support of NARFE. Have a great summer! SPAM S Submitted by Etta Bryant Be careful of incoming messages! It is becoming very important that everyone needs to be extremely careful in opening s. The Federation Treasurer has been JUN - AUG 2018 receiving s that appear to be from me (Federation President) directing him to send monies to people. This has gone on for nearly two years now. In May 2018 the Federation Secretary received an that indicated that it was from me and first asking her to write a check for one amount to a person listed below and an address that did not include a state or zip code and under that stated to be sure and include a check for a different amount. That got her attention and she called me and I told her that I had not asked her to write any checks. Besides, why was this sent to the secretary and not the treasurer. SPAM! A week or so ago, I got a phone call from a chapter president and the chapter s treasurer had received an requesting funds to be transferred to cover a vendor cost in the $2,000 - $3,000 amount. The was signed as from the chapter president (thenew2018president@aim.com) which is not that chapter president s address. This chapter treasurer did the right thing in calling the chapter president and learned that he did not send this . After doing some research, the Federation Secretary found the US Federal Trade Commission is trying to stop the illegal activity. The following are some useful links for spam and robocalls: Spam spam@uce.gov (delete the original but retain the forwarded for your history) Robocalls: complaintcheck.aspx Good information: articles/0038-spam. The Federation Secretary forwarded the to spam@uce.gov with an explanation. Make a new folder (can label it spam@uce.gov) and save the to this folder. After forwarding the message(s) received, with the cursor on the message, hold down the shift key and hit delete which deletes it from your computer. It appears these people doing this are from outside of the United States which makes it harder to stop. It s so frustrating to have this happen. But, please do NOT respond to these s. The police cannot help with the spam problem because no harm was done and they don t have the manpower to try to locate and arrest the people doing the or calls. If you have been on the do not call list with the Federal Trade Commission for at least 30 days, you can file a robocall complaint at the website listed above. Filing complaints on spam and robocalls will drastically reduce the number you receive. A company in Florida was sued for harassing robocalls; they settled for $1.5M; each person that had filed a complaint split the settlement and received about $80 each. When receiving spam , block the sender s domain; when receiving phone calls; block the phone number. AZ NARFE Page 7

8 Membership Report By Deborah Corner, Are You a Chapter Member? (Copied with permission from Colorado Federation Newspaper article by Frank Impinna, VP Membership) We know that many members have enjoyed being a chapter member along with being a NARFE member. Recently, due to changes with the National Bylaws, some chapter members have lost their chapter membership due to the confusion of filling out their renewal notice. Inadvertently, members have checked a box on the renewal notice to be a member ONLY, reluctantly not checking the NARFE and CHAPTER box. This has caused the members to be dropped from the chapter roster to which they have belonged. The advantages of chapter membership are many, here are some; Chapter service officers assist members in contacting the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) concerning health benefits, annuities, etc. Chapter members influence legislation by lobbying local representatives. Chapter members receive the latest expert information on retirement issues taxes, Social Security, and health benefits. Chapter members support NARFE s goals through local and national projects. Chapter members enjoy fellowship with other federal employees and retirees. And chapters offer guest speakers who give presentations on various subjects that affect members in their daily lives. If it was not your intention to opt out of membership in a chapter, please call, , or write me to renew your chapter membership. If you have not been in a chapter and wish to join a local chapter, you also can contact me. Deborah Corner Federation Membership Chair 3750 W Deputy Ln Tucson, AZ cornerdnr@gmail.com Phone: CBO Puts Higher Price Tag on Retirement Proposals Published: June 5, 2018, More in: Fedweek The Congressional Budget Office has said that the White House s proposals regarding federal retirement benefits would take even more out of the pockets of federal workers and retirees than the administration projected. Most of the total difference between CBO s figure of $167 billion over 10 years versus the administration s $143.5 billion estimate involves a proposal to increase employee contributions toward retirement for those under the FERS system until they match the government s share, which would decline as the employee share rose. That would be done in 1 percent of salary increases until the employee share hit about 7 percent. Most FERS employees currently pay 0.8 percent of salary toward that benefit (in addition to the 6.2 percent they pay toward Social Security) although those hired since 2012 already pay more. In CBO s estimation, implementing that proposal would increase federal reve nues by $109 billion over the period, its report said. In contrast, a message that OPM recently set to Congress containing language to carry out those proposals projected the net additional cost to employees at $68.7 billion. The difference largely was due to CBO s projections of much higher increases in the later years. Regarding benefit payouts, CBO said that the administration s proposal to cut retirement benefits for federal civilian employees both current and future annuitants would decrease outlays for those benefits by an estimated $58 billion (or 6 percent) from 2019 to The proposal would achieve those savings by changing how benefits are calculated, reducing or elim-inating cost-of-living adjustments, and eliminating the annuity supplement for federal workers who retire before age 62. The administration had estimated the impact of those three changes as $74 billion over that same period. CBO did not break out estimates of the specific changes but much of the difference likely involves COLAs. In OPM s projection, the proposals to eliminate FERS civil service retiree COLAs and to reduce COLAs for CSRS retirees accounted for two-thirds of its estimate. AZ NARFE Page 8 JUN - AUG 2018

9 House Republicans are calling on President By Nicole More than 20 House Republicans are calling on President Donald Trump to rescind the White House s recent executive orders on employee accountability, official time and collective bargaining. In a June 11 letter to Trump, 21 members questioned whether the executive orders undermined existing labor law and urged the president to uphold the longstanding federal labor statutes that protect America s civil service from discrimination, unfair treatment and sexual harassment. Virginia Reps. Barbara Comstock and Rob Wittman were among the members who signed the letter, but the signatories represent a wide variety of constituencies from Illinois, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio and North Carolina. We must ensure that the federal government strives to be a model employer that provides stellar services to the American public, lawmakers wrote. We are concerned that the recent executive orders embark upon a path that will undo many of the longstanding principles protected by law, which establish checks and balances not only in the federal workplace, but for the American public. Perhaps most notably, the members argued labormanagement partnerships ultimately bring a valuable return on investment back to government agencies. Management and labor must work collaboratively to ensure that the workforce is safe, fair and productive, members wrote. The federal government is most efficient when these two entities can work together to address challenges and improve the delivery of public services. When such a system exists, the result is agency cost savings. Several Democratic lawmakers have spoken out against the president s recent EOs, but the June 11 letter is one of the first notable records of opposition from Republican members of Congress. Republican leadership on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, in contrast, praised Trump s executive orders for their ability to reign in federal union influence on government operations and efficiency. But several federal employee unions have slammed the president s recent orders and are challenging two of them court. executive orders while the union s lawsuit is pending. Federal employees should not lose their lawful rights granted by Congress at the president s misguided stroke of a pen, NTEU National President Tony Reardon said Monday in a statement. No harm can come from leaving the current collective bargaining system in place while the legal challenges against the orders proceed. NTEU originally filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging two of the president s orders. The union argued the president s orders on employee removals and official time violate provisions in the Civil Service Reform Act, particularly the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) also challenged Trump s official time order in federal district court, though its legal arguments differ from NTEU s. AFGE has argued the president s EO violates its members First Amendment rights to expressive association. WebMaster & Editor s Note By Bob Elgines elginesz@hotmail.com WEB SITES - Don t forget to update your chapter web sites. Newsletters - Please share your newsletter with your officers & committee chairs or have them tap into the State web site to download the newsletter at: This Newsletter replaces the quarterly Newspaper, for now. Next possible Newsletter may be in September Articles maybe due in: August or September, 2018 All Articles are to be sent to your AZ Federation Editor Thanks for your inputs! JOIN NARFE TODAY The National Treasury Employees Union last Friday asked a federal judge to immediately block provisions in two of the president s EOs. The union filed a preliminary injunction in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, with the intent of immediately rolling back provisions in the JUN - AUG 2018 AZ NARFE Page 9

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11 GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS THE PRESIDENT Donald Trump The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C Phone: SENATORS John McCain 241 Russell Senate Office Bldg Washington, D.C Phone: Fax: Web: mccain.senate.gov Main District Office: 2201 East Camelback Rd Suite 115 Phoenix, AZ Phone: Fax: REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 1 Tom O Halleran (D) 126 Cannon House Office Bld D.C Phone: N. Florence St # 1 Casa Grande, AZ Phone: DISTRICT 2 Martha McSally (R) 1029 Longworth House Office Bld D.C Phone: E Broadway Blvd, Tucson, AZ Phone: DISTRICT 3 Raul Grijalva (D) 1511 Longworth House D.C Phone: N. 5th Ave #110 Tucson, AZ Phone: DISTRICT 8 Debbie Lesko (R) 2435 Rayburn House D.C Phone: W Bell Road #200 Glendale, AZ Phone: DISTRICT 9 Kyrsten Sinema (D) 1237 Longworth HOB Washington, DC Phone: North 44th Street #100 Phoenix, AZ Phone: To contact your Representatives: (last AZ GOVERNOR Doug Ducey (D) Others: 122 North Cortez Street Prescott, AZ Phone: (928) Fax: (928) W. Congress Street, Suite 103, Tucson, AZ Phone: Fax: (520) Jeff Flake B85 Russell Senate Office Blding, Washington, D.C Phone: Fax: Web: flake.senate.gov Main District Office: 2200 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 120, Phoenix, AZ Phone: Fax: 602- Other: 680 N. Oracle #150 Tucson, AZ Phone: DISTRICT 4 Paul Gosar (R) 504 Cannon House D.C Phone: N. Cortez Street #104 Prescott, AZ Phone: DISTRICT 5 Andy Biggs (R) 1626 Longworth House Office D.C Phone: S Power Rd #205 Mesa, AZ Phone: DISTRICT 6 David Schweikert (R) 1205 Longworth House D.C Phone: N. Hayden Rd #108 Scottsdale, AZ Phone: DISTRICT 7 Ruben Gallego (D) 1029 Longworth House D.C Phone: N Central Ave # 150, Phoenix, AZ Phone: Capitol Building 1700 W. Washington Phoenix, AZ Phone: FOR MORE INFO, SEE THE AZ FED WEB OPM INFORMATION US Office of Personnel Management Retirement Operations Center P.O. Box 45 Boyers, PA or JUN - AUG 2018 AZ NARFE Page 11

12 Federal Legislative Officer s Report By Roger Corner, cornerdnr@msn.com In the President s proposed 2019 Budget he wants to eliminate COLA s for FERS retirees, reduce COLA s by 0.5% for CSRS retirees, increase FERS retirement contributions by up to 6%, eliminating the FERS annuity supplement, and changing high-3 to high-5 retirement calculation for future retirees. OPM took these proposals to the Armed Forces Committee with the idea of putting them in a must pass bill of the fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act. Fortunately, the lawmakers of both parties declined to consider these proposals. However, this is not a victory for NARFE at all as these proposals can still be brought up in the regular budget bills that still will be coming out of the house and senate. NARFE must remain vigilant that these proposals get no momentum during the budget process. We ended the first half of our NARFE year with a program from Tohono Chul Park. As a side-note the person who spoke to us was a retired Federal employee and she is now a member of Chapter On May 28 th we were in the American Legion sponsored Memorial Day parade with six of our members in the parade and three members from Chapter 55 also joined us. See the parade pictures in this newsletter. On June 6 th, four of our members joined the other Arizona Federation members for an annual meeting and training in Scottsdale. One of the highlights of the training was a review of the proposed bylaws and resolutions to be voted on this year. After the session I sent out to all of our members how I would be voting on the bylaws. I hope all of you cast your ballots, the last day for voting is June 30 th. At the end of August, two members of our chapter will be attending the FEDCon18 Conference in Jacksonville, Florida. At our next meeting in September we will have a report on the conference. We do not hold meetings in the summer so our schedule is regular meeting September 17 th, Joint Picnic with Chapter 55 on October 8 th, Health Fair Chapter meeting November 19 th and a Holiday Luncheon in December. Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable summer. On some better news for retirees the COLA s latest projection is up 2.1% for the years. It currently stands at 1.58%. The TSP withdrawal options that were passed last November are now scheduled to take affect in September. Among the many changes are no limits on post separation partial withdrawals. Let s all have a safe summer and vote in the primary on August 28 th and vote in the General Election on November 6 th. CDL 1 Report Tom O Halleren our elected representative from CD1 and a loyal supporter of NARFE has a contested primary election on August 28 th, running against Miguel Olivas. O Halleren has received NARFE-PAC money for his primary election. Everyone please vote in the primary election on August 28 th. Chapter 1874 President s Report AZ NARFE Page 12 JUN - AUG 2018

13 AZ Federation of Chapters Editor: Bob Elgines 2880 Hidden Valley Dr. Lake Havasu City, AZ JUNE JULY AUGUST 2018 ISSUE National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association