NARFE NARFE Chapter 1270 WORD Page 1 Woodbridge http://www.vanarfe.org/1270 W O R D N a t i o n a l A c t i v e a n d R e t i r e d F e d e r a l E m p l o y e e s NARFE Chapter 1270 Woodbridge, Dumfries, Lorton and the World Chartered April 10, 1973 Volume 22, Number 10, Guest Speaker Lavangelene Williams 2018 Democratic Candidate for 1st Congressional District of Virginia October 18, 2018 Join us for lunch! Lavangelene (Vangie) Aereka Williams a long-time resident of King George, VA is a strategic planner, mother and professional problem solver. A real-world professional with 30 years of experience, Vangie is not a career politician who will put corporate interests above people. She currently works full time for a major government contractor as a Strategic Planner/Senior Project Control Principal where she strengthens national security, manages critical infrastructure projects and ensures that the services we rely on every day run smoothly. She knows the federal government and can hit the ground running when in Congress. OFFICERS President Bill Lidell 703-878-3872 Vice President Doris McAdams 540-220-9091 Secretary Connie Marasciula 703-730-0240 Treasurer Darwin Ransom 703-590-1210 Vangie s life and experiences helped fine-tune her natural determination and ability to solve problems. It s why she wants the hardworking people in Virginia s 1st District to have an economy that works for them and for families to have access to world-class healthcare. Her career in high-level project management includes working in aerospace, construction, defense contracting, government operations, IT and national security. Career highlights include: creating the TSA program and hiring nearly 70,000 airport security screeners after 9/11; being tapped to get the space flight program on track after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster; and projects such as One-Net, Hubble Space Telescope, the Washington Convention Center and Camden Yards. Her thirst for knowledge has led to four degrees, each obtained while working full time as a mother and professional: A.A.S. in Construction Management. B.B.A. in Federal Acquisitions and Contract Management, B.S. in History, M.B.A in Project Management, D.B.A. in Project Management (to be completed in 2018). She is an active champion for the working class and her commitment to service is demonstrated through her work as a member of several organizations such as the League of Women Voters, NOW, LBGT Democrats, Sierra Club, NAACP and ACLU.
NARFE Chapter 1270 WORD Page 2 PRESIDENT S REPORT Bill Lidell wdlidell@gmail.com If you missed it, you missed a good one. I m referring to our annual picnic held on September 20 th. I m sure there were pictures taken that day that are in this copy of the newsletter, but the pictures don t tell the whole story. We had about 50 attendees and almost 20% of those were political and NARFE guests. Present were NARFE Region X Vice President Bill Shackleford, and his wife Donna. Donna serves in two positions as Virginia Federation and as Area X Alzheimer s Chair. The list of attendees also included members from two other NARFE chapters, along with Prince William County BOCS, representatives from various Virginia State Legislative Offices and representatives from both Senator Mark Warner s and Congressman Rob Wittman s offices. Although we serve the political guests a free meal, it was also a bargain for our members at only $10 a plate for Dixie Bones barbecue, multiple sides, dessert, and drinks. If there is an area that can see improvement in the future I think it will be to try to attract political figures who represent other northern Virginia areas and more members from other chapters. This year we had ample assistance from our members in getting the VFW area set up and decorated. My thanks to all who helped move the ladder, hang the banners, dress the tables, and set up the food. Special thanks to Betty and Theresa Koger who serve monthly to make sure our luncheons go smoothly, and for the picnic, arranging for and picking up the barbecue. Okay, moving on, it s coming to crunch time in our chapter. This is October, with only one more meeting to be held before our chapter s November election meeting. We have one member who is volunteering to run for President and one who will run for Treasurer, both positions that must be filled for our chapter to operate. There is a but here but so far no one has stepped up to run for Vice President. I can t emphasize too much how important that job is. The Vice President is the one who locates guest presenters for each meeting and is ready to step up to run meetings if the President can t be there. Please, if you are willing to step up for the job, let me know. Or, if you know someone who you think will be perfect for it, submit their name to me at my email (wdlidell@gmail.com) or attend the next meeting and let me know then. To make the job a bit easier, the current Vice President is already booking the speakers for the first 3 months of the new year, and I and others with past experience in the chapter will be standing by to help. It s really not a difficult job as most of it can be done by email and phone. You ll be surprised to find how many presenters are willing to come and speak. Two outsiders, both from Virginia Federation positions, told me that we are considered to be one of the best chapters in the entire five-state area that we are a part of. One person actually told me that we have the reputation of being the best, both in service and in our community outreach. If would be a terrible thing if we don t field a Vice President in November. So, take pride in who we are, in our history of being the best in NARFE in both service to Federal Employees and Retirees, and in fund raising for Alzheimer s. Step up. MEMBERSHIP REPORT Christina L. Lundeen lundeenc@comcast.net Chapter 1270 membership for the end of August 2018 is 302. During July and August, we had three new members, one reinstatement, and 20 renewals. We hope to see our new members at upcoming meetings and events. David S. Kerr Jeffrey W. Schneider Gloria Winbush-Alexander RECRUITING: NARFE has initiated its annual recruiting contest. Any member who recruits a new member to NARFE by the end of December 2018 will receive a bonus of $10. Also, your name will be added to a drawing for a special prize. Chapter 1270 will pay for the Christmas party luncheon for all new chapter members who sign up by November 15, 2018. REMINDER. Please keep sending me your Email Addresses, for use in distributing our monthly Newsletter. You will receive your Newsletters at no cost to the chapter. And don t forget to let me know if your Email Address changes.
NARFE Chapter 1270 WORD Page 3 VICE PRESIDENT S REPORT Doris McAdams dmac200592@msn.com Thank you to all who attended our annual picnic. I hope you got to ask all of the questions you had for Senator Warner's representative and Congressman Wittman's representative. We missed Congressman Connolly; I hope he can pay us a visit later. On the state level, I hope you spoke with Delegate Ayala's representative. On the local level, thank you to retiring PWC BOCS Maureen Caddigan and her aide for attending. Thank you to William Shackelford, Regional VP, NARFE Region X and Donna Shackelford, Alzheimer's Chair, Region X for supporting us. It was good to see you. Thank you to all who donated food or supplies. Thank you to all who helped with the decorations and the clean-up. I do hope all had a great time with good friends and maybe made some new friends. SERVICE OFFICER REPORT Linda Force lforce719@aol.com THRIFT SAVINGS PLAN TO OFFER EXPANDED WITHDRAWAL OPTIONS President Trump signed into law the TSP Modernization Act on November 17, 2017, providing participants with more flexible options for the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). NARFE supported the legislation and we applaud this action. While TSP participants will welcome the changes, they may need to wait up to two years to enjoy the expanded options as the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board issues regulations to implement the law. The below link is a very informative White Paper that provides an overview on your TSP options and includes FAQs on how the new law will affect you. Go to: https://www.narfe.org/pdf/guide%20to%20tsp% 20Withdrawal%20Options_wp.pdf State Political Account Contributions Make your contribution now to the Virginia State Political Action Committee and help NARFE accomplish its goal to help safeguard the earned benefits of active and retired federal employees and their families. Use this form to make your contribution. Area Chapter Date Amount $5_ $10 $25 $50 Other Name Address City, State, Zip Retired (yes/no) If working show employer Employer Name Employer Address Make checks payable to : VFC STATE POLITICAL ACCOUNT and mail to Raphael Wong VFC Treasurer 20888 Prince Lowes Terrace Potomac Falls, VA 20165-8402 SUNSHINE CHAIR Bonnie Little jimlittlex@comcast.net If anyone knows of any of our members and/or members of their family who need a word of encouragement or get well wishes, please let me know at jimlittlex@comcast.net.
LEGISLATIVE REPORT Bob Hall bhall.usc59@verizon.net Fred Stein fhs7776@verizon.net Things are up in the air in Congress. Congress is back in session and working on Appropriations. There will be little time left in the fiscal year for to work out differences in Appropriation conferences. Congress approved a spending bill to cover the government until early December to avoid a shutdown and sent it to the White House. There is no mention of the border wall; that will wait until after the elections. The Senate has proposed a 1.9% pay raise for civilians for 2019. The House has not proposed a pay increase for civilians. President Trump has proposed a freeze on pay for federal workers. Unless Congress increases civilian pay in the Appropriation Conference, the freeze will remain. At least 180 House Representatives have written letters or spoken to the President or Congressional leadership supporting the pay increase. The same threats to our retirement benefits proposed by President Trump are still out there: reduced or no Cost of Living Allowances, paying more for FERS with no increase in benefits, no supplemental FERS for retirement before 65, high 5 versus high 3. This is $143B in cuts to federal pay and benefits. NARFE National Headquarters has recommended emphasis on a top three issues for communicating with our representatives: the 2019 pay raise; the cuts to our benefits; and modifying the postal reform legislation which requires retired postal workers to take Medicare B or lose their Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) coverage. President Trump issued 3 Executive Orders restricting union operations and use of official time and making it easier to fire workers. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), and 13 other employees unions have filed suits. A federal district judge invalidated nine provisions of the president s executive orders on official time, collective bargaining and employee removals, in response to a series of legal challenges from a coalition of federal unions. The CPI-W for August 2018 was 246.336, 2.78 % greater than the reference value from last October. The Cost of Living Allowance for 2019 is based on the average of the July, August, and September CPI-W. NARFE Chapter 1270 WORD Page 4 SECRETARY S REPORT Connie Marasciula cmarasci@yahoo.com Our annual picnic was held at the Dale City VFW. A delicious barbecue buffet was served to the nearly 50 attendees. The picnic provided members with an excellent opportunity to meet our state and local officials. Some of the attendees included PWC Supervisors Maureen Caddigan and Ruth Anderson, William and Donna Shackelford (representatives from NARFE, Region X), as well as representatives from our Senate and Congressional districts. During the general discussion, chapter members were encouraged not to support: a Federal pay freeze in 2019. the elimination or reduction of COLAs. an increase to FERS employees' contributions to annuities. President Bill Lidell reminded the group: Congressman Gerry Connolly's health plan fair for Federal employees and retirees will be held on Saturday, December 1 st at the Fairfax County Government Center. Our upcoming Chapter 1270 NARFE elections will be held next month. (There are critical shortages in several key positions.) NARFE's Alzheimer's Walk will be held on October 20 th. September 30 th is the deadline to vote for the national NARFE President. Our next chapter meeting will be held on Thursday, October 18, 2018 at the Holiday Inn Quantico Center.
NARFE Chapter 1270 WORD Page 5 ALZHEIMER S RESEARCH REPORT Reminder: please bring your piggy banks to the November meeting. Also, Darwin will be needing some help to count the contents after the November meeting. Thank you for your donation of $40 in the basket and $59 through the 50/50 for a total of $99 for Alzheimer s Research. NARFE CHAPTER 1270 ANNUAL SEPTEMBER PICNIC 2018
NARFE Chapter 1270 WORD Page 6 NARFE CHAPTER 1270 ANNUAL SEPTEMBER PICNIC 2018
NARFE Chapter 1270 WORD Page 7 NARFE CHAPTER 1270 ANNUAL SEPTEMBER PICNIC 2018 WHAT A GREAT DAY! GOOD PEOPLE, GOOD FOOD, AND GOOD WEATHER!
NARFE Chapter 1270 WORD Page 8 What s Coming for NARFE October 15 Noon Executive meeting at the VFW on Minnieville Road, Dale City October 18 Chapter meeting at Holiday Inn Quantico Center Guest Speaker: Vangie Williams, Candidate for Congress, VA 1st Congressional District November 12 Noon Executive meeting at the VFW on Minnieville Road, Dale City November 15 Chapter meeting at Holiday Inn Quantico Center Guest Speaker: Steve Lenkart, Executive Director, National Federation of Federal Employees December 17 Noon Executive meeting at the VFW on Minnieville Road, Dale City December 20 Chapter meeting at Holiday Inn Quantico Center January 14 Noon Executive meeting at the VFW on Minnieville Road, Dale City January 17 Chapter meeting at Holiday Inn Quantico Center MONTHLY Meeting and Luncheon The NARFE Chapter 1270 monthly meeting will be 18, the 3rd Thursday, at the Holiday Inn Quantico Center, Dumfries, VA 22026. The cost of the luncheon is $20.00. The menu will be a chef s choice entree, or a vegetarian meal upon prior request. Reservations will be taken any time through Friday, 12. Please call Betty Koger at (703) 499-8902 or email me at eaktfk@comcast.net. Please remember, if you make a reservation for the luncheon you are obligated to pay even if you do not attend. Everyone attending the luncheon should be at the Holiday Inn by 11:30 a.m.; lunch will be served at noon. The NARFE Monthly Meeting will start at 1 p.m. National Active and Retired Federal Employees - NARFE Membership Application for Woodbridge, VA Chapter No. 1270 Please enroll me in Chapter No. 1270 New Member dues 1 yr $40 Annual Renewal $50 Social and Associate Chapter Members $10 Check all that apply: Retired Active Fed. Emp Spouse Former Spouse Survivor Former Emp NARFE No. DOB: Spouse s Name Name Recruiter s NARFE No. Address City State Zip (9 digit) E-mail address Home Telephone ( ) - Mail application with check payable to NARFE. Send to NARFE Membership, 3948 Solstice Lane, Dumfries, VA 22025-1870