____ Seven long-time TSEU leaders, all retired or retiring in August, met Aug. 21 to start the TSEU Retirees Organizing Committee, or TSEU ROC. Janice Zitelman-PRS San Antonio, Paula Mixson-PRS Austin, Estella Lopez-TDH Odessa and TSEU Executive Board, Will Rogers-OAG Austin & TSEU Executive Board, Tom Herrera-DHS San Antonio, and Jerome Davidson-TDCJ-Parole Austin met with TSEU Vice-President Mike Gross to launch the new organization.
____ The plan was born from discussions among retirees who have growing concerns that the pensions and health care that state employees put in whole careers to earn will be chipped away as legislators look for ways to cut budgets. The goal is to bring thousands of state retirees into the organization to make it a powerful voice for retirees, as well as for active state employees. Many dedicated and experienced state employees are leaving state jobs in frustration over continued budget cuts, program, staffing cuts, stagnant pay, increasing health care costs, and the resulting melt-down in the quality of state services to the people of Texas. Many retirees say that they are ready to be more active than ever in the fight for fair pay and benefits for state employees and for quality services. TSEU ROC plans to join active state employees on the front lines of the fight.
____ Join TSEU ROC today. Whether you were a TSEU member as a state employee or not. Whether you are already retired or about to retire. We will need an army of retirees, and we need you. You will have to fill out a new membership form to pay your TSEU ROC dues ($7.00 per month) by bankdraft, since you will no longer be getting a state paycheck. Click above to download an application.
____ TSEU ROC will have regular statewide meetings, and we also hope to start ROC committees in cities across the state. Call the Austin TSEU office for details.

[top] The inaugural Statewide ROC meeting [middle] ROC members Paul Sherr, Edna Guerra, Natalio Castillo, Janice Zitelman and [bottom] Evelyn Burleson, Sylvia Garcia, Ed Garcia, and Francis Morrow listen to reports on the current and future state of our health care and pension.