Attached is a summary of Medicare Benefits for 2019 as well as the cost.

2019 MEDICARE costs at a glance

Attached below are Collective Bargaining Information/Documents.

2015-18 APWU CBA

jcim-2012-july

The Step 4 Book Table of Content

The Step 4 Book Table of Content

Step 4 – Part 1Step 4 – Part 2

Article 3

Article 6

Article 7

Article 8

Article 9

Article 10

Article 12

Article 13

Article 14

Article 15

Article 16

Article 17

Article 19

Article 21

Article 23

Article 25

Article 28

Article 30

Article 33

Article 37

Article 38

DCO Training

Happy Holidays from the Southwest Coastal Area Local Retiree Chapter

Officers: Bobby Donelson – Frank Townsend – Walter Lovett – Carrie Zeller -Ed Gonzalez

2018 was a rough year for our Retiree Organization.  I sincerely hope 2019 will show an improvement.

Current officers at all levels of the union should respect and involve retirees, especially the retirees who want to stay involved.

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year 2019.

Looks like we were able to flip the four Orange County Congressional Districts.

Considerations for Southwest Coastal Area Local Retiree Chapters Members – November 2018 Endorsements – Successful Candidates. 

All-out effort on the part of Orange County Labor, State Labor, and Democratic Party.

Non-partisan offices

City of Anaheim District 3 City Council Dr. Jose Moreno

Anaheim Union High School District Al Jabbar

Orange County Supervisor 4th District Doug Chaffee

Measure L – Anaheim Living Wage Initiative – Passed

Partisan Officers

Governor GAVIN NEWSOM (DEM)

Lieutenant Governor ED HERNANDEZ (DEM)

Secretary of State ALEX PADILLA (DEM)

Controller BETTY T. YEE (DEM)

Treasurer FIONA MA (DEM)

Attorney General XAVIER BECERRA (DEM)

Insurance Commissioner RICARDO LARA (DEM)

California Superintendent of Public Instruction TONY K. THURMOND (DEM)

UNITED STATES SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN (DEM)

UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE 38th District LINDA T. SANCHEZ (DEM)

UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE 39th District GIL CISNEROS (DEM)

UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE 45th District KATIE PORTER (DEM)

UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE 46th District LOU CORREA (DEM)

UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE 47th District ALAN LOWENTHAL (DEM)

UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE 48th District HARLEY ROUDA (DEM)

UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE 49th District MIKE LEVIN (DEM)

California STATE SENATOR 34th District TOM UMBERG (DEM)

California MEMBER OF THE STATE ASSEMBLY 65th District SHARON QUIRK-SILVA (DEM)

California MEMBER OF THE STATE ASSEMBLY 69th District TOM DALY (DEM)

California MEMBER OF THE STATE ASSEMBLY 74th District Cottie Petrie-Norris (DEM)

Very Proud to say, Phil Warlick, Cheryl Young, and I helped the new 39^th Congressional District Representative Gil Cisneros get elected.  He was the last of the four target districts in Orange County.

He will be working with the others Congressional Representative representing Orange County, Ca.

The new Orange County Team:

*UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE 38th District LINDA T. SANCHEZ (DEM)

UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE 39th District GIL CISNEROS (DEM)

UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE 45th District KATIE PORTER (DEM)

*UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE 46th District LOU CORREA (DEM)

*UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE 47th District ALAN LOWENTHAL (DEM)

UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE 48th District HARLEY ROUDA (DEM)

UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE 49th District MIKE LEVIN (DEM)

*Incumbent Congressional Representatives.

Very Proud to say

https://usmailnotforsale.org

If the U.S. Postal Service is sold to private corporations, you won’t get your mail every day – maybe only every third day – and you will pay more for mail services.

Learn more about the White House’s proposal to sell the postal service at usmailnotforsale.org.

This is the fourth or fifth years this event has occurred.  The Postal Service employees over 113,000 veterans.  

SALUTE TO VETERANS:

FREE COMMUNITY CELEBRATION

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018

THE US MARINE CORPS BIRTHDAY

OC Fair & Event Center,

88 Fair Drive,

Costa Mesa, CA

2018 Veterans Event OC Fair (2)

Except For Hefty New Hit To Highest Earners 

Ashlea Ebeling Forbes Staff Retirement I write about how to build, manage and enjoy your family’s wealth.    Credit: Getty Royalty Free

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced Medicare Part B premiums for 2019, and the base premium increases modestly from $134 to $135.50 a month. Yet high earners are still getting used to a big bump in income-related surcharges that kicked in this year. And the very highest earners are facing another big increase for 2019. That means that the wealthiest senior couples will be paying over $11,000 a year in Medicare Part B premiums. Part B (the base and the surcharge) covers doctors’ and outpatient services.

The CMS announcement comes just after yesterday’s Social Security Administration’s COLA announcement: a 2.8% cost of living adjustment for 2019. The average Social Security benefit for a retired worker will rise by $39 a month to $1,461 in 2019. The small increase in Part B premiums mean most retirees will get the benefit of the Social Security COLA (Part B premiums are deducted from monthly Social Security checks).

While most Medicare recipients will pay the new $135.50 standard monthly premium, an estimated 2 million (3.5%) will pay less because of a “hold harmless” provision that limits certain beneficiaries’ increase in their Part B premium to be no greater than the increase in their Social Security benefits.

Then there’s the 5% of Medicare recipients who have to pay income-related surcharges. The graduated surcharges for high-income seniors kick in for singles with modified adjusted gross income of more than $85,000 and for couples with a MAGI of more than $170,000. An individual earning more than $85,000, but less than or equal to $107,000, will pay $189.60 in total a month for Part B premiums in 2019, including a $54.10 surcharge. That’s barely up from 2018: $187.50 total in a month, including a $53.50 surcharge.

By comparison, the wealthiest retirees – singles with $500,000 of income and couples with $750,000 of income — will see a 10.3% increase in their income-related surcharge from $294.60 in 2018 (when they were part of the greater-than-$160,000/$320,000 group) to $325 in 2019. Total premiums for this group will be $460.50 a month in 2019 ($11,052 a year).

Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information for 2019

Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for more than 67 million Americans will increase 2.8 percent in 2019.

The 2.8 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to more than 62 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2019. Increased payments to more than 8 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on December 31, 2018. (Note: some people receive both Social Security and SSI benefits.)

The maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax (taxable maximum) will increase to $132,900.

The earnings limit for workers who are younger than “full” retirement age (age 66 for people born in 1943 through 1954) will increase to $17,640. (We deduct $1 from benefits for each $2 earned over $17,640.)

The earnings limit for people turning 66 in 2019 will increase to $46,920. (We deduct $1 from benefits for each $3 earned over $46,920 until the month the worker turns age 66.)

There is no limit on earnings for workers who are “full” retirement age or older for the entire year.

Medicare Information

Information about Medicare changes for 2019, when announced, will be available at www.medicare.gov. For Social Security beneficiaries receiving Medicare, Social Security will not be able to compute their new benefit amount until after the Medicare premium amounts for 2019 are announced. Final 2019 benefit amounts will be communicated to beneficiaries in December through the mailed COLA notice and my Social Security’s Message Center.

Your COLA Notice

In December 2018, Social Security COLA notices will be available online to most beneficiaries in the Message Center of their my Social Security.

This is a secure, convenient way to receive COLA notices online and save the message for later. You will still receive your COLA notice by mail this year, but in the future you will be able to choose whether you receive your notice online instead of on paper. Be sure to choose your preferred way to receive courtesy notifications so you won’t miss your secure, convenient electronic COLA notice.

Online notices will not be available to representative payees, individuals with foreign mailing addresses, or those who pay higher Medicare premiums due to their income. We plan to expand the availability of COLA notices to additional online customers in the future.

Remember, our services are always free of charge. No government agency or reputable company will solicit your personal information by email or request advanced fees for services in the form of wire transfers or gift cards. Avoid falling victim to fraudulent internet “phishing” schemes by not revealing personal information, selecting malicious links, or opening malicious attachments. You can learn more about the ways we protect your investment, personal information, and my Social Security.

History of Automatic Cost-Of-Living Adjustments (COLA)

The purpose of the COLA is to ensure that the purchasing power of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits is not eroded by inflation. It is based on the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the third quarter of the last year a COLA was determined to the third quarter of the current year. If there is no increase, there can be no COLA.

The CPI-W is determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Department of Labor. By law, it is the official measure used by the Social Security Administration to calculate COLAs.

Congress enacted the COLA provision as part of the 1972 Social Security Amendments, and automatic annual COLAs began in 1975. Before that, benefits were increased only when Congress enacted special legislation.

Beginning in 1975, Social Security started automatic annual cost-of-living allowances. The change was enacted by legislation that ties COLAs to the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W).

The change means that inflation no longer drains value from Social Security benefits.

Special Note not sure how much Medicare B will increase.

https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/plan-information/premiums/ web site for 2019 health plan rates for both retirees (non-postal) and current postal workers (postal).

2019 non-postal-rates-ffs

2019 non-postal-rates-hmo

2019 postal-rates-ffs

2019 postal-rates-hmo

Open Season to Change Health Plan is from Nov 12, 2018 – Dec 10, 2018.

The history of our local is very important.  These were our local Presidents, and all worked full time for the union:

1. John Gaffney from Orange Post Office 1973-1977 (Two-Year Term)
2. Peter Katz from Newport Beach 1977-1979 (Two-Year Term)
3. Bonnie Nelson from Huntington Beach 1979-1987 (One two-year Term and two three-year terms)
4. Bobby Donelson from Santa Ana 1987 -1990 (One three-year term and a second 1-day term)
5. Ralph Lefter from Santa Ana 1990-1996 (Two three-year term)
6. Richard Cantu from Santa Ana 1996-1999 (One three-year term)
7. Ralph Lefter from Santa Ana 1199-2005 (Two three-year term)
8. James Chaing from Santa Ana 2005-2005 (Seven-Month term)
9. Bobby Donelson from Santa Ana 2005-2011 (Three& half year term and a three-year term)
10. Richard Cantu from Santa Ana 2011-2017 ((Two three-year term)
11. Phil Khong from Santa Ana 2017-? Current president

Our local has been very active through the year with the Orange County Labor Council now the Orange County Labor Federation, the California State APWU organization and the regional and national union.

Members of our local have also served in other union capacities.

Matt Ogorek – APWU Hospital Plan Representative (appointed position)

Bobby Donelson – Western Region Maintenance NBA, National Maintenance Representative at Large, and National Assistant “A” Maintenance Director.  In addition, Bobby also served as a SCF Representative for the California State APWU.

Lenny Trujillo – San Francisco Region Clerk NBA.

Bruce Bailey – Western Region MVS NBA and California State MVS Director.

Richard Shepard – – Western Region Maintenance NBA and California State Maintenance NBA.

Mike Stinson, Frank Townsend, Richard Cantu, Walter Lovett, Kevin Cole, Bonnie Nelson, Isabelle Bailey, Bruce Bailey, Bobby Donelson, Richard Shepard, and Roosevelt Smith all have served as delegates to the Orange County Labor Council now the Orange County Labor Federation.

Bobby Donelson served National Rank and File Bargaining Committee two different time.

Bonnie Nelson, Ralph Lefter, Richard Cantu, and Bobby Donelson served the National Convention Constitution Committee.

This little bit of history is so our newer officers and members can know something about our local union.  I sincerely hope I did not miss anyone.

I was honored to serve at two different times as your local president and had two long time Southwest Coastal Area Local members working with me – Frank Townsend and Mike Stinson, as well as the support of the Southwest Coastal Area Local Executive Board.

One local accomplishment when Frank Townsend, Mike Stinson, and I along with the 2005-2011 Executive Board Members obtained was to purchase a local union office for our members without carrying a mortgage payment.

This has saved the local thousands and thousands of dollars over the year.

The membership in the Southwest Coastal Area Local increased to our peak of approximately 2300 members and then excessing, abolishment, early retirement, and automation caused our local to decrease to its current level of approximately 1400 members.

The Southwest Coastal Area Local was 45 years old on August 1, 2018.  We were formed as an area local in 1973.  Prior to that time each Postal Installation was a separate local union.

The Southwest Coastal Area Local Retiree Chapter will be 14 years old on Monday, September 10, 2018.

The history of our local is very important

Bobby Donelson bd62748@aol.com 2045 So. June Place Anaheim, CA 92802 Phone: 714 750-3656 Cell: 714 206-2931 Postal Reorganization Act -Public Law 91-375 – August 12, 1970 Southwest Coastal Area Local Chartered – August 1, 1973 Southwest Coastal Area Local Retiree Chapter Chartered – September 10, 2004

“We are not the Enemy”

https://swcalretirees.org/

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