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Member of Tennessee Federation of ChaptersNashville Chapter - 0227Protecting the Future for Retired and Current Federal Employees |
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Every Month is NARFE-PAC month, look for articles in the NARFE Magazine |
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Click here -->> NARFE-PAC: Mission and Urgency
Uncertainty remains about federal pay, benefits in payroll tax cut bill FederalNewsRadio.comTuesday - 12/20/2011, 4:04pm ET, By Jolie Lee jlee@federalnewsradio.com Federal News Radio (Updated: 1:05 p.m.) The House has blocked the Senate's version of a two-month payroll tax cut extension. In a legislative maneuver, House Republicans prevented the bill from coming to a vote and instead sent it to a House-Senate conference committee, where differences can be worked out. If Congress does not pass the tax cut extension, the payroll tax would rise 2 percentage points on Jan. 1. The Senate passed its version Saturday by a sweeping 89-10 vote. The Senate then promptly left Washington for the holidays. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) says he won't allow bargaining until the House approves the Senate's short-term measure.
The Federal Ostrich is an endangered species. It spends most of the time with its head in the sand and its butt in the air. They assume that the avoidance of participation in their own survival will not be a problem in the protection and retention of their earned benefits. They don't attend meetings, they don't participate in being a citizen lobbist and contact their Members of Congress to let them know of their concerns and needs as an Active or Retired Federal Employee. And most don't join NARFE. Are you a Federal Ostrich? If you are, get your head out of the sand, join NARFE if you not already a member. Attend the meetings and get involved in your own survival by contacting your Members of Congress (Both Senators and the Representive for your Distirct). Become a part of the solution to protecting and retaining our earled benefits. Help other Federal Ostriches get their head out of the sand and get involved. United we must stand together, or if not our earned benefits will slowly evaporate, because Congress will think they can do what ever they want since we don't care enough to contact them. Check PROTECT America's Heartbeat for the latest request Don't let federal workers be scapegoats; Contact your legislators now! NARFE is urging all members to contact their members of Congress to fight back against the unfair scapegoating of federal workers in the payroll tax holiday debate. The House Republican leadership has introduced a bill that would freeze federal worker pay for a third year and make drastic changes in the federal retirement system to pay for extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance. The provisions affecting current and future federal employees would: extend the current two-year federal worker pay freeze for one additional year; increase the employee contribution by both Civil Service Retirement System and Federal Employees Retirement System employees by 1.5 percent over three years; create a new category of retirement for new federal employees and anyone not currently vested in FERS that would require employees to contribute 10.2 percent of their salary towards retirement, base their annuity on the highest five years of salary and use a multiplier of 0.7 percent instead of the current 1.1 percent; and end the Social Security supplement for those covered by FERS who retire before age 62, except those who are in a mandatory-retirement age position. |
The National Active and Retired Federal employees (NARFE) www.narfe.org supports those who now and in the past have served the nation through their federal employment. NARFE is the only association dedicated to protecting the earned retirement benefits of federal employees, retirees and their survivors. NARFE is committed to securing the future that federal employees have worked to achieve for themselves and their families. NARFE has more than 400,000 federal workers, retirees, spouses and survivors united to preserve the economic security and well being of federal employees on the job and in retirement. At the field level, NARFE has 1,650 chapters in the 50 state federations, the District of Columbia, Panama, the Philippines and Puerto Rico. There are 41 active chapters in Tennessee. NARFE's monthly magazine, NARFE For Retired and Current Federal Employees keeps members up-to-date on issues such as federal, state and local legislative development, judicial actions and regulatory changes. NARFE's Retirement Benefits Services Department, chapter service officers and 125 community-based service centers provide advice and assistance in resolving federal retirement and health benefit matters for civilian federal annuitants and their survivors. NARFE cuts through red tape to help members obtain the benefits they have earned and deserve. In addition to solid legislative representation and professional retirement and health care benefits assistance, NARFE membership includes special savings and discounts on a variety of products and services. |
| PRESERVING YOUR RETIREMENT BENEFITS Federal employees earn retirement benefits. NARFE works to protect them. The Association's objectives are to: -Sponsor and support legislation to protect the earned benefits and general welfare of its members; -Oppose legislation which adversely affects member retirement and health benefit programs; -Foster public recognition and appreciation of government service; -Cooperate with other organizations seeking to accomplish similar legislative goals; -Inform members about legislative issues that impact their lives, primarily retirement income, health care benefits, taxation and COLAs; -Strengthen the political influence of current and future federal retirees through NARFE-PAC, a political action committee; -Work in partnership with the Office of Personnel Management to answer questions related to retirement benefits, and -Contribute to the well being of local communities through volunteer service. |
| HISTORY NARFE has been active in improving and defending federal retirement benefits since 1921. One need only look at the history of the system to appreciate NARFE's impact on the retirement program 1921 - The National Association of Retired Civil Employees, renamed the National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) in 1971, and renamed the National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) Association in 2005, was organized by 14 federal workers. The primary goal of the charter members was to seek improved retirement benefits. 1926 - Congress increased annuities to a maximum of $1,000 per year. 1942 - Congress established age and years-of-service requirements allowing 55-year-old employees to retire with 30 years of service. 1943 to 1961 - Retirement eligibility requirements and benefits were liberalized, and Congress approved periodic increases in annuities. 1959 - Congress enacted the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) to provide health insurance for federal workers and their families. Today the FEHBP insures over nine million individuals and is considered by many to be the nation's model group health insurance program. 1962 - Automatic cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) based on the consumer Price Index went into effect. More Recently..Persuaded Congress to reject the proposal to delay payment of COLAs by three months.. Won a long battle to enact legislation prohibiting states from "source-taxing" the retirement income of former resident s...Played a strategic role in developing a new "Fair Share" premium formula for the FEHB.. Deleted a proposal from the House budget resolution that would have shifted new FEHBP premiums to employees and annuitants. Most Recently.. NARFE was recognized at the White House as the lead organization in drafting, promoting and shepherding into law the Long-Term Care Security Act of 2000. As the first government-wide federal benefit program enacted in 40 years, the new law will offer affordable long-term care to over 13 million active and retired civilian and military personnel. |
NARFE, The largest federal employee/retiree organization, represents the retirement interests of nearly 5 million current and future federal Annuitants, spouses, and survivors.
Last Modified: December 20, 2011 |
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