This information is from Kevin Creighan, AFA MEC Secretary-Treasurer

The following are issues that most seriously affect RETIREES

Vote in the Midterm Elections for Pro-Flight Attendant Candidates!

The November 6, 2018 midterm election will determine what we can achieve for working families and for our profession. We are counting on every RAFA and AFA-CWA member to vote.  

We need a government that supports our work. Your vote on November 6 may be the one that makes the difference in helping to put in place a pro-Flight Attendant environment in Washington. 

Visit afacwa.org/vote to register to vote, check your registration, and your voting rights. 

This is what you need to know about recent policy changes that could impact you this November:

Trump’s Tax Cuts

The GOP tax law provides massive tax breaks for the 1%, but little to nothing for working families. According to an analysis by the independent and nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, the richest 1% of Americans will get an income tax cut averaging $33,000 per year, while low-income Americans will receive a cut of only about $40—and millions will actually see a tax increase. Overall, about 83% of the benefits of the bill go to the top 1%.

●      Among Americans 65 and older, more than 5 million would get no tax break in 2019 and 5.6 million would see no tax decrease by 2027, according to an AARP Public Policy Institute analysis.

●      To pay for their massive tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations, the GOP has proposed huge cuts to services that working families rely on. The budget resolution approved by Congress would cut:

o  $1.3 trillion from Medicaid and other health care programs over 10 years

o  $470 billion from Medicare over 10 years

o  $650 billion from income security programs, which may include cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps), Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for disabled individuals, and tax credits for working families.

o  Also at risk are Pell Grants and other financial aid to help students afford college. [Source: CBPP]

PBGC - American Miners Pension Act

Without action by Congress, these pensions could be in jeopardy within a few years. In its recent annual report, the PBGC warned that it could run out of money by 2025, if Congress doesn’t act. 

  This will force the multiemployer fund to fall under the responsibility of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), which will not be able to sufficiently sustain the 86,000 people currently receiving a pension through the UMWA Health and Retirement Fund.  A special joint House-Senate Committee is charged with offering a legislative fix to the multiemployer pension plan crisis by December.

Without a fix, PBGC Director Tom Reeder has told Congress some union retirees could see their pension benefits cut by 90%.

We need to elect politicians who will vote to protect the PBGC!!!

Rising Prescription Drug Pricing

The addition of a prescription drug benefit to Medicare in 2006 has helped keep millions of older Americans from having to choose between putting food on the table or buying medicine. But 12 years later, prescription prices continue to skyrocket and many 50-plus consumers still face that choice.

A recent survey of registered voters over 50 found that 78% support the law requiring brand-name drug manufacturers to pay a higher share of the costs of medicines for Medicare enrollees who fall into the Part D coverage gap, also known as the donut hole.

Big Pharma is often represented in the negotiation of free trade agreements and the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is no different. Contrary to the doctrine of “free trade,” which argues that there should be no barriers to trade, pharmaceutical companies use trade agreements to preserve their drug patents, allowing them to trade without competition. In essence, pharmaceutical companies use trade agreements like NAFTA to keep generic options out of the market.

The renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement, which has now been rebranded by Trump as the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), will actually increase the costs of certain prescription drugs for America’s patients. That’s because a provision of the proposed agreement would increase the monopoly period for certain high-priced brand name medicines while banning competition from lower-priced alternatives.

Among other protections for Big Pharma, the USMCA would ensure that pharmaceutical companies have at least 10 years of exclusivity for their medicines in Mexico and Canada before lower-cost, generics can compete. 

Increased drug prices are something America’s retirees can’t afford. Electing the right people in November is crucial to lowering drug prices.

Click here  to view a list of AFA-CWA endorsed candidates. 

Pledge to Vote in the Midterm Elections

Visit afacwa.org/vote to register to vote, check your registration, and your voting rights. 

.