September 2011        

Recently I attended a town hall meeting for Pete Olson who is a strong Tea Party Congressman and

He talked about his positions on many of the Items that The Tea Party includes. So far none of the Tea

Party positions include supporting neither HR1351 nor HRes137. While I was there several Tea Party people

Made comments to me that was an attempt to embarrass me. One of the people there was saying I was

A communist because I was a union member. I told him that our unions have a lot of veterans who

Fought in all the wars and have paid their fair share in taxes to pay for these wars. The Tea Party prefers

To take our children and grandchildren Social Security away.  The Tea Party doesn’t want the rich to help

Pay for the Bush Wars.  A short while later another Tea Party member asked me if I was on

 Welfare and I answered him yes, and later told him I was on corporate welfare. 

Corporate Welfare also takes away from a fair deal for working people and puts more money in the CEO pockets.

Don’t be afraid to speak your mind and if radicals bully you stand up to them. Just because we don’t 

Have 20 restrooms in our home a yacht and a castle in some foreign country doesn’t mean we can’t

Stand up and protect our rights as union members and letter carriers.  I know there are some of you

That are Tea party members, but try to go to a Tea party Rally and advocate union rights, health care

And better pay. Let me know what kind of response you get. If you want us to beg instead of negotiate

Then do as many of you have done over the last twenty years .Instead of voting for who our national

And  AFLCIO  officers ask you to vote for, then face the consequences. Too bad the rest of us have to

Suffer with You. Our jobs and rights are subject to be put back 60 or 70 years. I guess we can call that

The good old days.

Health Benefits Report

The NALC Bulletin recently had an article about insurance scams.
The bulletin stated that there are a lot of insurance companies who try to say that they are part of the
NALC or are sanctioned by the NALC. Do not believe this statement by any carrier. The only two
Insurances are the NALC Mutual Benefit Association which sells Life insurance and other related plans
Such as savings plans and hospital confinement plans.
Besides the MBA is also the National Association of Letter Carriers Health Benefit Plan.
Again I say these are the only two insurances that are sanctioned by the NALC.
It has been reported that some Medicare-eligible retired members have been approached concerning
Dropping out of the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program and enrolling in Medicare Advantage.
BE CAREFUL. Once you drop out of FEHBP under this condition you cannot get back in.
The right for lifelong health care is a benefit that was earned through legislation and negotiated over
many years. It should not be discarded without clear understanding of your rights.
Those with questions should contact their branch leadership for guidance.
Hector R. Salinas
HBR Br283 and TSALC Director of Retirees
713-748-9212

^2nd Quarter Report of 2011

Director of Retirees TSALC

        Thank all of the members of the Convention for electing me without opposition, second time

Director of Retirees.  The convention ran very smoothly in spite of problems with the copy machine as

 Well as other problems that arose at the convention. To my knowledge there was no major

Problem and the membership was very interested to listen and learn what the state and national

Officers had to say.  I spoke to quite a few members and got carried away with the issues

Concerning the problems that labor is having; also how we face an uphill battle in order to maintain a

Standard of living; Not only for the letter carriers, but for our children and our grand children.

The national director of Retirees Ernie Kirkland pointed out a lot of Issues we face and opened peoples

Eyes as to what is really happening. I noticed a change in some conservative letter carriers who profess

To be to the right. Ernie Kirkland spoke direct to who is harming and working against letter carriers

And how these anti labor forces are working to lower our wages and diminish our benefits such as pay

Retirement and health care.  I want to thank you members for being good listeners. I also thank Kathy

Baldwin, Myra Warren and also the legislative trainer Mr. Roman for giving us some knowledge to work

With. We have a lot of work to do here in Texas the next two years. In My Estimation we are going to

Have to change most of the Republicans that are currently in office and possibly a few of the Democrats.

In order for us to survive all of us are going to have to be activists by donating to COLCPE and by letting

All our co-workers, family members and friends know the truth about the Postal Service and also by

Voting for the politicians who are going to support the letter Carrier Issues. 713-748-9212

Hector R. Salinas

Director of Retirees - 713-748-9212

Comment from your Director of Retirees

As a lifetime Union member of the NALC and a veteran of the United States Army, Health Benefits rep

for Branch 283 and an activist for the rights of working people. It bothers me when someone on certain

so called news channels try to compare union members to communist or un-American.

The NALC and all unions in the United States that are part of the AFL-CIO are patriots. Union members

of the NALC are fighters for truth, justice and the American way. The NALC negotiates a contract for you,

negotiates better health coverage for you and fights for you when you are being treated unfairly.

Corporations and elite management organizations hire hundreds of lawyers and lobbyist to keep your

wages down and deny you benefits such as health care.  These anti-worker groups tell you it is ok

for them to lobby and negotiate to get their way, but when you get a union to work for you, they

compare you to a communist.

A high percentage of union members are veterans. Veterans are men and women who fight for

The rights of all Americans, including rich, poor and middle class Americans. Active soldiers who are

Union members protect American corporate interests throughout the world, but some of these

same corporations don’t want you to be a Union member.

The right to be a union member is our right as Americans. Let’s be proud of being union members

It is all American.

Hector R. Salinas, 

Director of Retirees - 713-748-9212

Quarterly Report November 3rd 2010

          There is a lot at Stake for T. E. in the postal service and all other jobs as well at all levels Of Government including The TSA, State jobs like Rangers, jobs like Prison guards and other levels as well. There are so many Temporary employees who actually should be classified as full time with full benefits but are not afforded Health care benefits and other benefits that they should have.  Health care reform is a great tool to use in order to help provide insurance for these hard workers.

          As Retirees and Postal workers we owe it to ourselves and to other postal workers to let them know how the Obama care as the opponents of fair wages and benefits call it will help especially T.E. if we continue to push for better health care at affordable prices.  Medicare will not be affected in a negative manner and don’t believe all the people that are trying to make false claims.

          For people who have Children up to the age of 26 you will be able to add your children to the health plan this also will cover your children if they are married up to 26 years. Please be advised that the new health care reform also provided this benefit. This may help provide Health care for people with College students and people who have children that are struggling at Temporary jobs with no health insurance. If you want to take advantage of this benefit you must get into a family coverage  and you will be able put these children back on your plan. 

          In light of our recent election we must not only be more active in voting but we must talk to the T.E.  And people with children up to 26 years to let them know that they are going to have to get involved and let the legislators know that we want to keep these benefits. They are going to have to Communicate with their children about this new benefit and that the President and legislators that are not afraid to fight for these benefits need your help by voting for them the next go around and writing letters of support to our friends and letters of protest to those that take these benefits from us.

           Also Contribute to COLCPE $5.00 a payday can help save you thousands a year.

Hector R. Salinas,  Director of Retirees - 713-748-9212

September 2010 TSALC Report

As a delegate to the national convention I was very impressed by the leadership of Fredrick Rolando our national President.  While we were at the convention there were several awards that were presented to several members of our state and our Region.

Cathy Baldwin our Business agent for Texas and New Mexico Region 10 was presented with an award for number one in highest percentage.  Gwendolyn Walters HBR for br842 Beaumont and I from br.283 were there with Cathy to Receive the award for Cathy Baldwin and Region 10. There are many Branches in Texas that have improved their percentage. I congratulate you Branch officers and HBR for doing a great job.

I am asking that you continue to offer a challenge to your members to compare our plan to any plan they may have. The NALC Health plan has become the best plan to be in and is striving to eliminate any shortcomings it may have. Other plans can not honestly say they are better than us.

Again this year we plan to add some new benefits to make it better as well as some benefits that will be mandated by the government that will also make the plan better. I have heard that anyone with a child who is up to 26 years old can be added on or after January 1 if they qualify. Make sure if you do not have our plan to compare your plan with ours. We have improved drastically in the last few years.

Tentative open season begins November 8^th and ends December 13.please call me if you have any

Questions.

Hector R. Salinas, TSALC Director of Retirees, 713-748-9212

July 25, 2010

As the year goes on there have been many Items that are of interest to Retirees as well as active members of NALC. If you are concerned about the survival of the Postal Service please become familiar with what is going on in congress.

Right now House Resolution is making its way through congress HR 173 to maintain a 6 day delivery. Without, the active carriers the Retirees bargaining power is drastically reduced and without the Retirees support the active carriers power is also considerably Reduced. The loss of many jobs is at stake as well as the service to the people of America.

Do you want the Postal Service to be a fourth rate service or do you want the Postal Service to continue Its’, proud tradition of service? Many small businesses as well as people in rural areas and in many parts of the big cities as well will have their choices reduced when they mail a package or a letter.

Without the Postal Service the private companies will have less competition and they will definitely go up In price, considerably, especially in areas that, are not profitable. Many active members that attend the union meetings have joined, COLCPE and are contributing to COLCPE. As retirees we must also do the best we can to contribute to the Strength of our retirements, and Health plans. Retirees can contribute directly from your annuity by phone call NALC retirement office at 202-662-2877 anytime or toll free at 800-424-5186. you will need your CSA retirement claim number. As your TSALC Director of Retirees I can mail you a form if you prefer. Call me at 713-748-9212

Thank You

Hector R. Salinas

May 2010

     The legislative trip to Washington D.C. was very important this year because it not only opened my eyes to what is going on with the postal service concerning 6 day delivery but exposed the truth                           

About the financial stability of the Postal Service. The truth is the postal service has over 100 billion which it was required to pay for retirement and health benefits 75 years in a period of 10 years. There is no need to pay that far in advance. The postmaster of the United States said so under oath that shifting the funds would make the deficit go away or nearly go away. After he left the congressional review in public he backed off what he had said and went back to his old story. In order to keep a strong postal service we need to keep the 6 day delivery. If we go to 5 days It won’t be long before we go to 4 day delivery and our postal service will become a fourth rate service like so many other postal services throughout the world. If we go to a 5 day week we could lose over 90,000 jobs.

     The need for a 5 day week is Bogus and the postmaster is doing everything he can to make people believe that the postal service is broke and convinces the public that it is a done deal.  In my inter action with Congress we the Liaison told a large number of congress people from Texas the truth and they paid attention. Many of the Congress people told us that they will sign onto the HR 173 to maintain the six day delivery.  Many Business especially small business depend on us to continue to give the first rate service that we give at an affordable price.

     You can help in maintaining a first rate postal service by calling your congress person and asking them to sign on to HR 173 to maintain a 6 day delivery. The Postal Service cannot go to a 5 day delivery without the authorization of Congress.

     Another way you can help to keep the Postal Service a first rate service is by contributing  to COLCPE if you want to contribute a few dollars a payday call the Hall 713-6412366 or call me at 713-591-0674.    Please read your NALC Bulletin which is in your station on your bulletin board and also please read the may issue of the postal record , President Rolando goes into detail about the truth of what is happening with the Postal Service.

Hector  R. Salinas

HBR Br. 283

Quarterly report 4^th quarter 2009

President Mickey Morris in his third quarter report touched upon the Health care. These were excellent observations of what is going on in the struggle to get health care to all. We as Letter Carriers and Retirees are very fortunate that we have National, State and Local officers and members trying their best to keep what we have and add improvements to what we have helped provide. Sometimes it seems like an impossible task but yet many times we are victorious. In the last 4 years improvements have been made to our union owned plan NALC Health plan that our national officers worked hard to provide.

It is now up to us as union members to take a look and compare our plan with the best plans in the FEHB health plans.

 We are no longer the same old plan and if you don’t believe it check it out. We now have over one million providers and have more doctors and hospitals and virtually wherever you go our plan has you covered. Many letter carriers noticed because nationwide we gained more than 25,000 new enrollees last open season.  Please look at our plan and spread the word.

Thanks to Cathy Baldwin our new Business agent and the Austin branch for the hospitality they showed all the members who attended the school. She allowed me to address the members about the plan and

Asked me to give a talk about the NALC Health plan in the class room. This is very important to her as it is to me. Our active carriers and retirees depend on all of us to inform them. I am looking for more interest and improvements in our plan.

After open season is over December 14 I will be looking forward to be a part of the legislative fights, we will most likely encounter with our anti labor foes. To reclaim items we may have lost and make gains in items we need, to keep the U.S. Postal service strong will be on my mind constantly.

Thank you for reading my letter if you have any question call me 713-748-9212.

Sincerely &Fraternally

Thank you for electing me as your new director of retirees.  As director of retirees I plan to work hard to preserve and improve the benefits that have been earned through or national contract and through legislation.  The legislative liaisons and the continuous work with our congressional and senatorial friends is of great importance to retirees as well as active letter carriers, this will be at the top of my list of things that need to be accomplished.  There are other things that are of importance to retirees and carriers as well and one of those is The Health Benefit Plans, Especially the NALC Health Benefit Plan.  As the Health Benefits Rep. for Branch 283 I have worked with Retirees and active carriers on this issue extensively.  It has come to my attention and to carriers in my branch as well as carriers throughout the state that the NALC Health Plan is no longer the same old plan, with improvements made in 2007, 2008, and 2009 in my estimation we are the best.  Creating enthusiasm in the plan will be of importance to the State of Texas as well as to National.  For this reason I hope to be of help to any HBR who needs assistance and will try to answer your questions and direct you to someone who can especially those of you who have not attended training sessions lately nor need refreshment on any items.  Please feel free to contact me by e-mail or by phone if you prefer.  As Texans we can do our part to make improvements and strengthen our Union.

Hector R. Salinas